A Destiny 2 clip shows how gear from the Red War campaign fares in the game's current sandbox. Several Destiny 2 expansions have launched in the six years that proceeded the Red War as Guardians reclaimed and rebuilt their home near the old Tower.
Year 1 of Destiny 2 began with the game's launch in September 2017 and lasted until the release of 2018's critically acclaimed Forsaken expansion. During the game's first year, Guardians repelled the forces of Dominus Ghaul and the Cabal Red Legion in the Red War campaign. The power level and gear systems would change drastically in subsequent years due to the appearance of several powerful threats in the solar system. Additionally, the development team at Bungie introduced new features, subclasses, and gear that would allow Guardians to face these new challenges head-on.
Destiny 2 player Smelly_Old_Hat shared a clip of their Warlock in Red War gear being quickly dispatched by low-level Fallen Shank enemies in the Cosmodrome. Common gear from the Red War campaign gave Smelly_Old_Hat a measly power level of 208, which is nearly 1,400 power levels below the recommended level for patrol destinations. Additionally, the gear did not supply any bonuses to the Guardian's stats, leaving the player completely vulnerable with maximum cooldown times and zero resilience. The player was unable to damage any of the enemies in the Cosmodrome due to the low power level, leading to their quick demise after firing at a Fallen Shank.
Smelly_Old_Hat's power level received a minor increase from Season of the Deep's seasonal artifact, which grants additional mods and bonuses after meeting certain XP requirements. Without this artifact, the player's power level would likely be under 200. The artifact's power increase is mostly beneficial to players approaching the seasonal and pinnacle power level cap, however. At such a low power level, the artifact power boost is inconsequential.
The new Destiny 2 clip shows how impractical Red War gear is in PvE content during Year 6, which began with the release of the Lightfall expansion. This old gear set is still viable in Crucible playlists since power levels don't matter in most match types, but the lack of stat boosts might pose a problem for some players due to lengthy ability cooldown times.
Browsing through classic Red gear may invoke nostalgia for Destiny 2 players as they await the conclusion of the "Light and Darkness" saga in The Final Shape expansion. Bungie will share more information about The Final Shape and Cayde-6's return this August.
Destiny 2 is available now for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.