Bungie's multiplayer first-person shooter Destiny 2 and its subsequent expansions have proven to be just as popular as its predecessor. The gameplay, customization, and emphasis on exploration have all been praised by both critics and players, and it was the second-highest-grossing console game of 2017. Still, that doesn't mean Destiny 2 is without its issues.
Since its launch, originally as a pay-to-play game in 2017 and then with a subsequent switch to free-to-play with its launch on the Stadia in 2019, Destiny 2 has faced a slew of bugs, game-breaking glitches, and unlikely exploits. These have occurred both in the base game and in post-launch content and events, and the issues have turned some gamers off the game. But a handful of the exploits have also let players capitalize on loot drops and other helpful examples of happenstance, creating a complicated relationship between all the unexpected elements of gameplay.
Repeat Glitches & Frustrating Bugs
Thanks to its massive scope and MMO-premise, Destiny 2 is no stranger to glitches. Bigger games, particularly those that have a large or exclusively online capability like World of Warcraft, are more likely to face issues. These can be merely graphical and easier to ingore, or can be game-breaking glitches that leave players cursing their screens and reaching for the restart button.
Since its release, Destiny 2 has experienced a number of glitches and bugs both large and small. Sometimes these can be humorous and exploited to randomize gameplay. and sometimes they can be much more serious and impossible to ignore. Some glitches even reoccur over the game's lifecycle, even though Bungie has already worked to fix them as soon as they first occur. Bungie have even named some of their glitches with a humorous nod to the Animal Kingdom, like Error Code Weasel, which occurs when Cross-Save is enabled on players' Destiny 2 account and they try to log into multiple platforms simultaneously.
Examples of Player Exploits
Some exploits can help rather than hinder players. An example of this is the accidental ability to add 12 Guardians into things like raids, dungeons, and Strikes, which were originally designed for (and supposedly limited to) up to 6 players. Although the process for this exploit was quite straightforward, the ensuing chaos was anything but. Players relished the chance to get more of their friends in on various activities, and even suggested that Bungie make 12-person raids a recurring event. However, as of March 2021, Bungie has officially fixed this glitch.
Trails of Osiris, a Crucible event that is available in both Destiny and Destiny 2, provided players with another interesting exploit. Some of the loot drops were meant to be hard-won and exclusive rewards, but players were able to work out a way to farm loot like sought-after weapons and other coveted items. However, this only worked on PCs due to an exploitation of Steam and was quickly spotted by those tracking PvP stats, as more players than expected were going "flawless" despite decreasing player numbers. Other exploits are just as harmless, like the unexpected power-hike on the Prometheus Lens trace rifle which led to players engaging in a "laser tag" weekend in the Crucible as they flocked to try out the overpowered weapon. Likewise, Bungie was quick to correct this unintentional outcome.
A Whole Host Of Post-launch Issues That Just Keep Coming
This year's Season of the Lost was another example of glitch-tastic gaming for Destiny 2. It was the third major update in the fourth year since the game's release. Seasons feature new events, weapons, and activities to undertake, but along with all the exciting new content came a large amount of brand new bugs. Yet again, Bungie was quick to provide a hotfix for the majority of issues as soon as they were flagged, but that still came too late for lots of players.
From UI issues on the Elemental Well mod to Ager’s catalyst falsely reporting completion when it was only at 90%, the update brought with it plenty of frustrating new glitches. To date, Bungie has been fairly good at patching and hotfixing its way out of these issues, but the fact that they keep coming is exasperating to many loyal players and fans. Over-powered weapons, the ability to save "finisher" moves to take out bosses after rapid melee attacks, and Exotic emote owners of Coin Flip being able to turn invisible can be fun and add to the unpredictability of gameplay, but they also mean some players are ridiculously outmatched. With an MMO game that features PvP modes, this takes away from an equitable and enjoyable experience for everyone.
Game-breaking Glitches That Players Can't Ignore
One example of a recent glitch is serious enough that players found to be exploiting it will potentially be banned by Bungie. Although it has only recently been brought to the attention of a wider number of players, it has reportedly been used by a small group for months. The glitch allows players to award themselves with infinite orbs and extend countdown timers to give players more time to deal damage in boss fights and PvP matches. A community manager at Bungie announced on Twitter that players caught using this min/max glitch will be faced with "escalating restrictions," highlighting how serious the developer is taking this. Other similarly serious glitches that undermine gameplay are rife throughout Destiny 2's post-launch career, like a glitch that showed battle-damage to the Tower before a battle had taken place, acting as a spoiler for future content.
There are still positive exploits among these much more frustrating examples, like infinite heavy ammo or glitches where players made a single Super last for over two hours – an admirable and extremely useful achievement for a power that's only meant to be a short burst based on players' consumption of Super energy. However, peppering these unusual and unplanned exploits in between much more serious and hard to handle glitches doesn't compensate for the anger that players rightly feel when they come up against an unexpected design flaw. Players will no doubt be interested to see if February 2022's The Witch Queen expansion will also come with a fresh wave of bugs.
Destiny 2 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
