Since splitting from Activision, developer Bungie has tried to make it clear to Destiny 2 fans that there are limited resources available at the studio. The company has been as transparent as possible explaining why content is created a certain way, and why some bugs are fixed immediately while others take weeks or months to be addressed.
Now, Bungie is trying to help players understand why ritual weapons are no longer part of the core Destiny 2 experience, and again it's part of a trade-off. Because Trials of Osiris' return has put demands for its own loot pool of weapons and gear, Bungie had to make the tough choice not to offer any new ritual weapons for Season of the Worthy.
Bungie Community Manager DMG was surprisingly candid when responding to a Destiny 2 fan on Reddit who had asked about whether the developer would address the small weapon perk pools and the lack of ritual weapons. DMG confirmed that the developer is well aware that some fans would love to see ritual weapons return to Vanguard, Crucible, and Gambit but there is a balancing act involved.
The Community Manager contextualizes things through the lens of a balancing act with limited resources. If one area gets attention from the Destiny 2 devs then another area is going to receive less attention. When it came to making sure that Trials of Osiris had new rewards, Bungie had to make sacrifices elsewhere. He doesn't outright confirm that Trials is the reason for the lack of new ritual weapons, but DMG does use it as an example.
Although many PvP fans are happy to see the return of Trials of Osiris, others have expressed disappointment with Destiny 2's Season of the Worthy and the lack of content available. Bungie tried to bolster that content by adding more Year 1 and Faction gear into the loot pools, but ultimately that is repurposed content. When it comes to genuinely new stuff for players to chase and do in Destiny 2, Season of the Worthy is not as “packed” as some of the other seasons.
Ritual weapons are just a small piece of that “missing content” that players hope to see return for future seasons, but considering Trials of Osiris is here to stay that may not be the case. If Bungie chooses to continually refresh the Trials loot pool in future seasons, there will be an associated loss elsewhere in the game.
Ritual weapons going away may not be a total loss, though, as the concept has diluted over time. Originally, these weapon quests unlocked Pinnacle Weapons with unique perks that made them highly sought after. Now, they are mostly passable weapons that many players don't feel are worth the grind.
Destiny 2 is available now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.