It’s hardly a secret that Destiny 2 and Bungie are in a bit of a pickle right now. Most years, the big “State of the Game” blogs used to signal big batches of positive changes coming to the game with the next paid DLC. This did not happen this time around. Instead, the community raised pitchforks after Bungie clarified that, no, there wasn’t a big PvP content drop on the horizon. And no, there was no yearly ritual armor refresh because the team was too busy working on microtransaction armor.
The release of 2023’s Lightfall DLC already soured things for a non-insignificant number of players. The game became more expensive to play on top of failing to reach the heights of 2022’s Witch Queen expansion. This set the stage for some big disappointments, then, with the State of the Game simply underlining them further still. There’s a flicker of goodness on the horizon, though, which Bungie’s new “This Week in Destiny” blog highlights.
This comes hot on the heels of Destiny 2‘s game director Joe Blackburn promising to work on some of the game’s biggest problems. This includes, but is not limited to, a downright ridiculous lack of investment in its PvP content. Blackburn also promised to deliver occasional Q&A streams where he’d play Destiny 2 and interact with the community to the best of his abilities – another unprecedented change.
Will Destiny 2’s Season 22 correct its course?
Players who are unhappy with the current state of Destiny 2 won’t need to wait until The Final Shape to see (potentially) positive changes, either. The latest TWID went into some details on what to expect out of Season 22, which is due to kick off on August 22, appropriately enough. Some of the most notable highlights include:
- The Exotic mission rotator, allowing players to enjoy old Exotic missions and reap the rewards for their troubles
- A revamp of Destiny 2‘s resource economy
- A comprehensive rebalancing of many old Exotic armor pieces and abilities
- Relatively light PvP changes focusing on respawns, matchmaking, and related features
These are all supposed to launch with Season 22. Additionally, there’s a mysterious Raid coming back over the course of the season, too. Blackburn promised that Bungie would deliver on his promises for further PvP improvements with yearly map packs and beyond.
The big question, of course, is whether Bungie will pull through on all of its new promises. The studio is now working on a Marathon revival in the form of an extraction shooter, of all things, and Blackburn already confirmed that Destiny 2‘s seasonal content model will undergo big changes with the 2024 release of the Lightfall DLC. Fans may need to prepare for a rocky rest of the year, with that in mind. Even though Bungie is now seemingly trying to pivot towards things that the community considers important, it’s anyone’s guess whether the studio will be able to follow up on its promises.
Destiny 2 is available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
