This year marked 30 years since the foundation of Bungie, and 7 years since the beginning of the Destiny saga in September of 2014, after months of hype-inducing trailers and details. The game was a massive hit that changed the industry at its core, redefining what a looter shooter could be and creating a series of incredible narrative arcs that are still evolving and reshaping what players know about the franchise now, seven years apart, in Destiny 2. Destiny games were never only about their guns and progressively getting better ones, even though that aspect was at the core of the gameplay experience, but rather, Bungie's space magic saga was about immersing oneself into a beautifully crafted world.
Over the years, many games have seen the light of day and garnered quite the following online, all while Destiny kept on thriving with the addition of new content and stories to be told. Destiny 2 maybe was not the best game out there when it was released, but it became one of the very best in the industry thanks to that same passion and love for it that Bungie poured into its creation. With expansions and seasons, each topping one another with exciting gameplay features and compelling lore, Destiny 2 became one of the most played games across all platforms. While there are many reasons for its success, five of them are hereby explained.
Constantly Adding Content
Destiny 2 is a huge game that features plenty of locations, characters, weapons, and much more. It is so vast that Bungie had to tackle the issue of file size and loading times by removing content from the game through the Destiny Content Vault, but that didn't stop the developer from adding more content to Destiny 2 as the time passed. This is achieved with big annual expansions and seasons alike, with the former offering replayable content that becomes an integral part of the game, and the latter being bite-sized DLCs with weekly missions and activities dropping new gear.
All of this makes a year in Destiny 2 worth playing through, experiencing story development in full as time passes, while also playing through Raids and Dungeons. An example is Season of the Lost's length compared to others that Bungie is releasing its 30th Anniversary Pack in December to act as a sort of Season 15.5 that provides a lot of content to explore.
Deep Lore and Compelling Narrative
One of Destiny 2's most unique aspects is its story, which is told through the unfolding of minor or major events involving fully fleshed out characters that players learn to love. A prime example of this comes from Uldren Sov being antagonistic in his behavior in the first game, only to become Cayde's killer in the second. But his saga was not over, and the Awoken prince was resurrected as a Guardian by his new Ghost, Glint. Who once was Uldren Sov became Crow, a lovable Hunter who has always been sympathetic towards others and wants to be good.
It's not an uncommon theme for Destiny 2 to feature characters who players would address as enemies becoming trustworthy allies. Mithrax, Variks, Caiatl, all proved that Guardians too can be quick to judge and that makes for superb storytelling. Then, Destiny's lore as a franchise has always been rich to the point that players can spend hours just reading tabs upon tabs on their favorite characters and not be done with the story, not in the slightest.
Great Looter Shooter, Exciting Guns, Huge Replayability
In terms of gameplay, Destiny 2 has always featured plenty of weapons that came with different perks, but the game gradually evolved from just perks into something more. Weapons come with different Masterwork perks too, and more rolls were made available, as well as more weapon archetypes, all of which combine perfectly to create the so-called "god roll hunt." Destiny 2 weapons are not only fun to use, but they are fun to acquire.
When throwing Destiny 2's Exotics into the mix, as well as armor rolls, every piece of loot can be a great addition to a player's arsenal—or it can quickly turn into 4 Legendary Shards. Because of this, and thanks to how activities rotate in and out of playlists, Destiny 2 offers a lot of replayability. Every new activity played can pan out differently from before, and it can drop all sorts of loot, furthering the cycle.
Endless Customization and Accessibility Options
Because one of Bungie's key values is to respect everyone, Destiny 2 was built in a way that allows players to make the most out of their experience playing it. This means allowing all players to customize their characters in many ways, from their appearance when first making them to the Armor Synthesis, which makes it possible to transform any piece of armor into a universal ornament. Shaders make for excellent ways to change a character's color palette, and Exotics are awesome to shape what a Destiny 2 build can do.
Destiny 2 allows everyone to play the game as they please, from going on adventures solo or with a group of friends, or even making new friends along the way. Furthermore, players can customize a great number of accessibility options, such as implementing different colorblind modes or toying with the HUD to a degree.
Sounds, Secrets, Stories
Another renowned element that makes Destiny 2 the game it is today is sound. Destiny and Destiny 2's soundtracks are outstanding scores that embody with every note what the story is all about, conveying emotions better than words would, at times. The same level of immersion is achieved with the sounds some weapons make, with guns like Whisper of the Worm being among the most iconic and pleasing in the entire game.
Sound is not the only hidden part of Destiny 2's stories and experiences, though. Bungie's looter shooter has always included plenty of little secrets within its lore tabs, but then the developer went out of its way to make those secrets an important part of the gameplay itself. Destiny 2's Raids are full of secrets, and they incarnate the mystery of it all because, on release, no player knows what to expect nor what is there to find if they look in every nook and cranny.
Overall, while these are just some of the reasons that make Destiny 2 such an awesome game to play, the best reasons are those players will find or already found while playing. These could be that players feel represented by some characters, or maybe even by Bungie's actions, like supporting the trans community and the LGBTQ+ community in general. Destiny 2's stories are fantastic, but often it's the players' stories that make this game such a breath of fresh air—and one of the best titles to play at the moment.
Destiny 2 is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.