In the first Destiny, Public Events were a smart idea with a flawed execution. Because players never knew exactly when a Public Event would trigger (without using outside sites for reference), it was rare for a player to seek one out. And once players reached a certain status in the game, the incentive to complete Public Events was very low.

Destiny 2, however, is taking a simpler approach to Public Events, making them easier to find and better suited to the emergent gameplay approach Bungie promised in 2014. Put another way: Public Events no longer feel like disposable tasks, but important tools for Guardians on the grind.

Public Events Are Now Active

As part of an early preview event for Destiny 2, Game Rant was able to go hands-on with the sequel and see what the European Dead Zone area has to offer. There were many new features that stood out, but the new approach to Public Events was certainly a highlight.

The main difference with Public Events in Destiny 2 is that the Public Event areas appear on the map, which can be viewed via the game’s new Director. That means players always know where Public Events can spawn, and more importantly they can look at the Public Event and see when it will trigger.

destiny 2 - public event with cabal

This may seem like a small change – and in some ways it is – but in our early experience with Destiny 2 it helped draw players to the area. As a fireteam may be venturing through the EDZ, they may look at when a Public Event spawns and time their trek based on that.

Admittedly, this was our first experience with Public Events so the draw to complete any and all activities was there, but the approach is no doubt a vast improvement over Destiny 1. It also helps that players can fast travel to any of the landing zones in the EDZ to be closer to a Public Event – rather than have to trek on foot or by sparrow to the next active one.

New Public Event Objectives

As one might expect, the actual Public Events are revamped as well, and more focused on teamwork. Whereas in Destiny 1, any public event could be completed with a single player, the ones we saw in Destiny 2 were more challenging and were easier to accomplish with a group.

What’s more, Bungie has added a second Heroic tier for Public Events to reward those players that are more efficient at completing the objective. If the group is quick completing their task, a Heroic Public Event will trigger that offers a greater challenge and the promise of greater rewards. For example, a Public Event involving a Walker tank may trigger two Walker tanks if the group eliminates the first one fast enough.

Speaking of rewards, Bungie says that it is still working on a balance, but in our experience the Public Events felt worth the time to stop and help some fellow Guardians. If you watch the video above, you will see that Public Events might even drop some of the best items in the game.

Check Out Game Rant’s Destiny 2 Coverage:

Destiny 2 releases September 6, 2017 for PS4 and Xbox One, and October 24 for PC. Game Rant was provided travel and lodging for this preview event.