Highlights

  • The new Excision activity supporting up to 12 players is a game-changer, addressing limitations on fireteam sizes in Destiny 2 activities.
  • Future updates for Destiny 2 should consider designing activities with larger fireteam sizes to enhance the new player experience.

The Destiny franchise has come a long way since the original game was released back in 2014, especially with Destiny 2’s latest DLC, the Final Shape, bringing the franchise’s long-running saga to an explicit conclusion. Yet despite the franchise’s long journey so far, even after the Final Shape, there’s one aspect of Destiny 2 that still arguably has some room to grow, and future updates for Destiny 2 shouldn't shy away from this challenge.

The new player experience in Destiny 2 has become a growing issue in recent years, and as the Destiny franchise continues to evolve, recent updates have done a lot to address this and make the game more accessible for newcomers and casual players. Despite recent efforts, though, one thing that has proven to be an obstacle for Destiny 2 is the restrictions on fireteam sizes that each activity in the game can support. So with the new 12-player Excision activity added to Destiny 2, this activity should spark a chain reaction for more activities in the game that can support larger groups of players.

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Destiny 2 finally made a highly-requested change, but in hindsight, this new change highlights several other longstanding issues with the game.

The Final Shape DLC is the Best Time to Get Into Destiny 2

Ever since Destiny 2 transitioned to a free-to-play game, it has naturally become a growing platform for friends to connect and play together. Although the new player experience in Destiny 2 still faces many difficulties in making the game more accessible for newcomers, this is an ongoing effort that has made significant progress in recent years.

For example, the new Final Shape DLC made notable improvements to the new player experience, namely the introduction of Fireteam Power and the reversal of weapon sunsetting , removing most of the restrictions that prevent players from immediately jumping into the latest endgame content.

But despite the Final Shape DLC arguably being the best time for newcomers to join in on the fun, there’s still one hurdle that can potentially prevent players from adventuring alongside their friends in Destiny 2. Specifically, players who plan to hop into the game with multiple friends will have limited options for what kinds of activities will support large team sizes.

Future Updates for Destiny 2 Should Take Notes from the New 12-Player Excision Activity

The new Excision activity in Destiny 2 delivers on one of the biggest moments in the entire Destiny franchise, but what also makes Excision a milestone addition to Destiny 2 is that it gives players an activity that can support fireteams consisting of more than three players. Outside of the Excision activity, fireteams of four to six players have limited options for what kind of activities can support this many players. This typically means that large groups of friends will have to choose between Raids, Crucible, Gambit, or Dares of Eternity. However, most of these activities aren’t very newcomer-friendly.

Given that Raids are considered one of the hardest endgame activities in Destiny 2, only a small portion of Destiny 2 players do Raids. So despite Raids supporting six-player fireteams, this activity isn’t always accessible for newer players. Then when it comes to PvP, newer players not having some of the latest meta weapons can potentially lead to a frustrating experience. Not to mention, PvP isn’t for everyone anyway.

Despite arguably lacking worthwhile rewards, the new Excision activity from the Final Shape DLC supporting up to 12 players is a game-changer for Destiny 2. Considering how large player groups can have severely limited options for what kinds of activities can support more than three players, this has proven to become a barrier to entry for Destiny 2 among new and longtime players all the same. Going forward, it might be best for Destiny 2 to design future activities with larger fireteam sizes in mind.