Destiny 2 - PC/Xbox/PS4

On July 20 2017 00:42 {CC}StealthBlue wrote:
Why are Raids still only 6 players? Surely Consoles have increased in power to offer 12+ at a time, no?

The Destiny 2 beta is in the last day of its 'closed' portion before opening up to the teaming masses tomorrow.

I've played it pretty extensively, trying out all three classes and their various powers and abilities, completing the story mission 'Homecoming' and the Inverted Spire strike several times, and spending far too much time in the Crucible playing the Domination and Counter-Strike modes. (That's what they're called, right?)

In any case, I played much of this at the big Destiny 2 reveal in LA back in May, but my ability to really sink my teeth into it there was cut short by the sheer number of people in attendance and by my other reporting duties. This time around we have more Crucible and a longer Homecoming mission, also. The version of that mission during the reveal event was cut short.

So I've had more time to sink into the game the past couple days, and I've come away with more comprehensive impressions. There's lots I love about the game so far, including just an overall sense that it's much more polished this time around. I also like the new class abilities like the Titan's barrier. And that moment during 'Homecoming' when suddenly, briefly you're playing with other players defending the Tower alongside Zavala truly is a cool moment.

And there are things I dislike, too, like the far-too-slow cooldowns and an overall sense that the game itself just drags a little more than the previous one.

I've also found myself thinking a great deal about the number "4." Partly this is because the Crucible's PvP matches have been changed to 4 vs 4 rather than 6 vs 6. This is an odd change, and one that I both like and dislike.

A sequel absolutely should have had one new class, and the game's fireteams should have been increased to four members. A new class with a new major NPC (to join Cayde-6 and co. in telling the story) would have really made the game feel a lot more like a sequel.

And since the Crucible is now 4v4, it would have made excellent sense to increase fireteam size as well. That number 4 would have been so perfect if it just applied to everything---four classes, four-player fireteams, 4v4 PvP.

What we have instead is the same three classes with one new/swapped subclass, one old subclass, and one missing subclass. It's a step backward.

Sigh.

On July 19 2017 22:14 Foxxan wrote:
Its a game i might buy and play actually. Deponding how they do the pvp and just overall feel of gameplay.

After the console beta for Destiny 2, there were a few common critiques and question marks shared by many of the game’s fans, which revolved around Destiny 2’s new weapon system and ability cooldowns. While ability cooldowns felt far too slow in the beta and some walked away unconvinced of the rearrangement of weapon slots, Bungie assured fans that the beta was a months-old build of the game and that many of those complaints had already been addressed. But in a new interview with Edge Magazine, Destiny 2 game director Luke Smith detailed more about the weapon slots, abilities, and how exotics and perks and meant to work together to keep players active.

Some common feedback about the change to Destiny’s weapon system is that the adjustment was made to make PvP easier to balance. Smith acknowledged that the change does make it easier on Bungie’s design teams to more easily predict how much damage players will be able to dole out. But Smith also said the change benefits both PvP and PvE.

One of those ways it affects PvE, says Smith, is that it further emphasizes planning and communication ahead of an activity. In addition to locked loadouts coming to some higher level activities, weapon choice becomes a point of discussion within a team of players.

Smith used the example of Destiny 1’s Vault of Glass raid. Because weapons that previously went in the Special slot in Destiny 1, they will now be grouped in the Power weapon slot alongside things like rocket launchers. In the scenario of the Vault of Glass, it may become more important to make sure one player has a sniper rifle for taking out threats at distant ranges, while another brings a fusion to quickly take out shielded, bigger minions. Bungie is hoping players will think more about their loadouts and what is most effective along with their subclass and perk choice.

Speaking of perks and equipment, ability cooldowns (which will get an overall increase from those seen in the console beta) will be much more dependent on players taking an active role increasing their recharge rate versus it being dependent on the Intellect, Discipline, Strength armor stats from the first game. To demonstrate, Edge writes about the Dawnblade and its perk that increases the recharge of grenades when enemies are killed while airborne. Pair that with an exotic chest piece that causes the Warlock to hover in air while aiming down sights, and suddenly it takes just four to five kills to fully recharge a grenade with the perk and exotic working synergistically.

That news will ease the worries of some, but many will likely wait to see the whole game in action before making a final judgement on the changes present in the sequel.