Destiny 2 made many changes to the core DNA of the Destiny experience. Random rolls were missing, characters moved much slower, Special weapons were nowhere to be found, and customizable subclasses were all removed to create a much different and more forgiving experience.
As most fans know, this backfired tremendously. Fans and casuals alike left the game in droves until the Forsaken expansion fixed most of these issues, and Destiny 2: Shadowkeep has made great strides to allow build crafting by reintroducing older systems. Even still, many systems from the original Destiny have not returned. From weekly Raids to Armor 2.0, here are features we love or desperately want back in Destiny 2. This article contains spoilers for Destiny 2 and its expansions.
10 Missing: Strike-Specific Loot
Strikes are one of Destiny 2's core activities. These short missions have various objectives that culminate in a boss fight. It is nothing revolutionary, but these missions are enjoyable to do.
These missions would be more enjoyable if they had exclusive loot, however. Nightfall variants do, but most of these missions from launch have cosmetics or static-rolled guns. Destiny had Skeleton Keys players could earn while playing Strikes to earn an exclusive piece of gear for a certain Strike. These items ranged from guns to unique armor pieces. Destiny 2 lacks exclusive loot altogether in its Strikes and its Nightfall loot is mostly lacking in uniqueness compared to most Legendaries.
9 Perfect: The Moon
Nightmares have taken hold of the Moon since players last visited in the original Destiny. Players return to the iconic location in Destiny 2: Shadowkeep, complete with new locations and the ominous Scarlet Keep.
Revisions to the location are extensive, ranging from new Lost Sectors to entire zones. The Moon isn't as large as the Dreaming City, but it is a sizable location that rivals the Tangled Shore or Nessus. It is a great mix of nostalgia and originality that makes the Moon a fun place to return to.
8 Missing:Â Weekly Featured Raid
Every major Destiny expansion comes with a new Raid, introducing new bosses to fight and items to earn. When this happens, previous Raids are often forgotten about since they no longer drop pinnacle gear.
This issue was already solved in the original Destiny during its Age of Triumph update. Raids were on a weekly rotation to drop unique Exotic weapons and ornaments for those who could best the activity. Destiny 2 is missing this entirely. Only the newest Raid drops content-relevant powerful drops with cosmetic incentives nowhere to be found.
7 Perfect: Artifact Mods
In an effort to allow build crafting, Bungie created the Artifact system to allow powerful mods that only last for three months. Generating Warmind Cells on Arc ability damage or grenades that weaken targets are just some examples of what these mods can offer.
Not every mod is desirable, but most of the choices on offer allow for much more experimentation than what was possible in Destiny 2:Â Forsaken. Artifact mods aren't exclusive to armor, either. Weapons can equip anti-champion mods to counter deadly enemies in Nightfall: The Ordeal missions or the Garden of Salvation Raid.
6 Missing:Â Tying Up Loose Ends
Loose ends are everywhere in Destiny 2. Every DLC has introduced a new plot thread only for it to be abandoned for the next one. Many fans are fatigued that so many plot threads have not been addressed since their inception.
Will a Hunter Vanguard ever be recruited? What is Uldren doing and where is he? Is Mara Sov ever going to resolve the Dreaming City Curse? Shadowkeep made this even worse by teasing the long-awaited Darkness faction and leaving their intentions frustratingly vague through an underwhelming cutscene. Bungie promised Seasons would address these concerns, but they have only exasperated this issue by adding even more plot threads around Osiris, Saint 14, and now Rasputin.
5 Perfect: Nightfall: The Ordeal
Allowing players to choose their Nightfall modifiers sounded like a great idea at the time. Unfortunately, it resulted in most players using the easiest modifiers to speedrun these missions.
Nightfall: The Ordeal has addressed these issues by making modifiers on a weekly rotation once again. New enemies named Champions have been added to the fray, requiring anti-champion weapons and perks to take down. Completing these tough Nightfalls grants Exotic armor and Masterwork materials. It is a great system that allows those with min-maxed builds to push their builds to the limit.
4 Missing: Faction Rallies
Progression systems, in general, have been systematically removed and reintroduced throughout Destiny 2's lifespan. One system was Faction Rallies, a time-limited event based on showing allegiance to one of three factions.
It will never return, either. Bungie has made it clear that this time-limited event that only occurred twice in Year 1 will be abandoned, instead opting to make the gear available in Legendary engrams. This is a massive waste of potential. Factions were persistent vendors in the first Destiny and offered some of the best guns in the game like Hung Jury. Removing these Rallies means these NPCs have been abandoned altogether.
3 Perfect: Lectern Of Enchantment
Target farming items is a key part of Destiny 2. One major improvement Destiny 2 has made over its predecessor is the many ways of earning specific items rather than waiting for weekly vendor refreshes or Skeleton Keys.
Black Armory introduced weapon bounties, Menagerie allows for specific masterworks to be crafted on guns, and now the Lecturn of Enchantment allows for players to farm weapons that interest them. Most weapons from the Moon can be crafted here after completing a short challenge. Dreambane armor can be crafted here as well if players wish to make Nightmare Hunts easier.
2 Missing: A New Enemy Faction
Players have been fighting most of the same enemies since Destiny's release in 2014. Only two enemy races have been added since then: the Taken and Scorn. Taken are a glorified reskin of the other enemy species while the Scorn are Fallen with an undead twist.
Bungie has yet to introduce a new enemy race that is truly unique and doesn't rely on a pre-existing race as a framework. In other words, players have been fighting the same enemies for 6 years now. The Darkness is a great opportunity to introduce new mechanics to the enemy roster that have yet to be seen. Shadowkeep had the perfect opportunity of introducing Guardians to this enemy through a boss fight or Raid, but their absence is nothing short of wasted potential.
1 Perfect: Armor 2.0
Armor lacked the impact weapons brought for most of Destiny's lifespan. While Forsaken brought back armor perks, they weren't enough to allow proper build crafting.
Meet Armor 2.0. This system replaced random perks with a collection system. Players acquire mods through gameplay and store them in their armor, granting bonuses to ammo economy or game-changing bonuses with seasonal or Artifact mods. Intellect, Discipline, and Strength stats also made a return from the original Destiny to let players fine-tune their cooldowns. The system was too RNG heavy at launch, but changes made to Armor 2.0 in Season of Dawn and Season of the Worthy have made it a great addition to Destiny 2.