It’s safe to say that for Destiny, the last year has been full of ups and downs. The game’s highs included massive hype at launch when it introduced a unique first person shooter MMO experience, but it hit lows when gamer criticism stabbed at the poor execution of Destiny’s first two expansions.

So as Bungie prepares to enter Year 2 of Destiny, the developer is naturally looking to incorporate player feedback and inject new energy into Destiny, starting with next month’s expansion, The Taken King. In preparation for that launch, the folks at Game Informer sat down with The Taken King's creative director Luke Smith and executive producer Mark Noseworthy to discuss the changes gamers can expect with the expansion, and how the developer is working to make the game better.

As the video interview shows, the biggest discussion point was about Destiny’s storytelling, an area that’s been a thorn in the side for many Destiny players. According to Noseworhty, that’s something Bungie recognized and sought to overcome. One of those ways was to introduce additional storytelling avenues by way of the game’s quest givers like The Dark Below's Eris Morn.

While those storyline arcs didn’t necessarily correct the disappointment many gamers felt about Destiny’s original story, it sounds like it at least helped enhance gamers’ experience within the game. Based on that success, it looks like Bungie will be making quest givers a focal point of their storytelling efforts in The Taken King and beyond.

Smith and Noseworthy go on to share a few more of the various changes they’re making in Destiny to help improve player experience. In fact, Noseworthy mentions that even though Bungie is making a few big changes to Destiny, it’s really the “100 little things” that will make Destiny a better, more compelling game.

One of those little things is a visual marker indicating which character is talking to the player through voice-over. In some cases, those story notes are delivered by Eris or another Tower vendor, but mostly those will be coming from the Ghost, who is now voiced by Nolan North.

Smith also discusses Bungie’s vision for Oryx, who will be the primary villain in The Taken King. By introducing a character who’s seeking revenge on players for killing his son - the Dark Below raid boss Crota - Bungie is hoping to make this villain more personal to Guardians, and in turn immerse them further in Destiny’s story.

It willbe interesting to see how these changes affect players as they begin Year 2 in Destiny. Hopefully, Bungie has learned from the last 12 months and will make the necessary adjustments to makes Destiny’s second year better than the first.

What do you think about the changes Bungie has planned for Destiny? Are you excited for The Taken King? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Destiny – The Taken King is set to release September 15, 2015 for PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.

Source: Game Informer