Destiny 2 undergoes so many updates that it can be hard to keep up with the game sometimes. And since it's launch, those changes have built on top of one each other, making it a little different year after year.
It's worth mentioning that the innovations that Destiny 2: Beyond Light will bring can't really be expanded upon, given that it's not out quite yet. The changes that took place in the first three years of the game definitely left their mark nonetheless.
New Light and Free-to-Play
First and foremost, the game has gone free-to-play since the launch of Destiny 1 all the way back in 2014. This was done in the form of New Light, a refurbished and free form of Destiny 2 that everything else is sold on top of. Customers no longer had to buy the game or earlier expansions to experience the latest ones; in other words, common prerequisites were eliminated.
New Light included every piece of year 1 content including ones that were formerly sold as DLC, which also granted access to free roam on every single destination and activities such as Gambit, Menagerie and Black Armory Forges. New Light players also no longer had to play for long periods of time before getting a chance to experience the latest pieces of content. Upon downloading and doing an introductory quest, they could jump right into whatever activity they liked.
A Drifter's Gambit
Gambit is the first, and currently only, true core playlist activity that has been added to the franchise post-launch. With it came new questlines, a vendor, armor and weapon sets, and more. Furthermore, it was unlike anything the game had ever seen regarding the activity's structure: two teams competed in ad-clear stages boss battles in real time.
Gambit not only made PvE "competitive," as it also mixed a bit of PvP into the match by letting players disrupt the other team via invasions. To this day, no other game mode lets Guardians kill aliens as well as each other. Many players who don't enjoy the Crucible have come to love Gambit which has had a positive effect on player numbers.
Weapon Slots and Ammo Economy
After quite clear feedback, Bungie reverted the double primary weapon slot system from Destiny 2 year 1 and reintroduced special weapons into loadouts. Moreover, after this change, they could now be equipped in either the first or second slot just like primaries. This meant that people could play as they did in Destiny 1, running two special weapons or using two primaries.
This radical change had to come with a re-balance of ammo distribution as well. Orange health bar enemies no longer dropped heavy ammo as frequently as they did, and players also no longer had to open a heavy ammo crate to use snipers or shotguns in PvP.
Armor 2.0
Shadowkeep introduced "Armor 2.0" into the game which completely revamped the gearing system. Armor now dropped with randomized stats but no perks. Said perks, after unlocking them, could now be applied to any armor piece. Fans could much more freely craft builds and use the armor pieces they want to wear without worrying about perk selection. Plus, every legendary armor now accepted universal ornaments, allowing players to customize their look without affecting their gameplay.
Eververse and Bright Dust
All Eververse armor pieces were converted into universal ornaments which also meant that the store no longer sold armor that could substitute those earnable in-game. Store items no longer dismantle into Bright Dust, preventing players from building a stock by buying Bright Engrams. Instead, Bright Dust became another currency grindable from bounties, but one that could be spent in the store. This made earning Bright Dust much more predictable but also effectively capped the amount fans can acquire in a given week.
Cross Save
This feature became a huge boon for those who had Destiny 2 friends on more than one platform. Essentially, player progress is synced up across devices connected to the same Bungie.net account, allowing fans to, for instance, play on PS4, close the session, then resume it on PC.
This is also helped by the fact that Destiny 2 is free to download. So, those who want to try the game on a different platform but don't want to start from scratch can simply install it on their new platform of choice, and pick up right where they had left off.
Destiny 2 is available now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One, with PS5 and Xbox Series X versions also in development.