What this old tortoise knows… D1 was fun! The vibe was to get stuff done with a regular bunch of mates from all around the world. Before reset…plunder the loot chests where the gargoyles roamed…on H / W / T…upon reset, acquire the blue hair flambé, then NFs / Raid…then do some PvP if still awake! Trials - to see if we could get some drops at 3 or 5…and reach 7 if one had the chops / inclination to do so! Then came the Sunset debacle…and D2 Beta / LS etc al / D2…and the vibe changed… Friends List evaporated as the days dragged on. Players bounced. Me, too…hello WarFrame (MR24)… Some Time Later…a wave of nostalgia brought me back…but things were different now…D2 was not about ‘fun’ anymore…it was an overtuned hamster wheel fuelled by a cascade of bad decisions by the swamp denizens of the BHQ ‘C Suite’ - who even sacrificed their own worker bees at every turn…all driven by EverWorse motives. 🤑 My own engagement with the game became less and less…there was more stuff that I didn’t want to do than stuff that I did…🤔 I still loved the Destiny Universe - what was left of it…and enjoyed pootling about doing vanilla stuff on my basic vanilla builds. It was a familiar place for this old tortoise to spend some time catching up on nearly done titles / seals / triumphs / etc. And there’s only so many ‘cat’ videos one can watch…besides, surfing the U-tube videos and the Net, meant one was but a click or two away from potentially, inadvertently, heading down a wrong road…🚫📛🚫 So, in a way, Destiny was a relatively ‘safe’ space to while away a few hours. And being an old tortoise, I had lots of hours to while away…😁 That said, D2 was plagued by ongoing issues: P2P / Lag / Latency / C Suite shenanigans / Cheats / Glitches / spaghetti code / steam engine problems / silly missteps by BHQ / taking Guardians’ for granted 🤨 / etc…etc. Finally, TFS…did the campaign on just my H (normal mode)…did the epic 12-man mission 👌 And that basically closed the book for me…as my 10-year compact was now done! 😎 I’m still here…pootling about…just got Conqueror done (yay! It only took 10 years 😂)…and I’m just marking time…to see what Sony does or does not, to secure Destiny’s destiny. I have no clue about BHQ or what the reality is behind the garage doors…🧐…but I sure as heck know that I would not like to be a worker bee, there! IMHO: put D2 on life support mode…open the loot floodgates so players could have some fun; then announce D3 as a ‘work in progress’…upgrade and future proof it in extremis…put Gamer Devs and Executives in senior positions…engage with this Community in a responsible and respectful manner, and seek our input about what WE want to play and HOW WE WANT TO PLAY IN D3… Explore the best bits from other successful games and incorporate such into D3. Include a ‘Fast Pass’ option (think Ski Resorts / Theme Parks)…Player Trading…DRSs for PvP…a possible Subscription model…etc…etc. Any Guardian who has been around for more than a F2P minute* - is a Customer…and a Legend! Remember that, Sony / BHQ…👈 Otherwise… Winter’s coming…❄️🥶❄️ That is all. TLDR: 🖖 Ease Springs! 🫡 * edit

There was also a feeling of us the player being brought into a world that is much further into our possible future. The understanding in the game that guardians don't remember their past. Yet we as players have the inherent perk of knowing since we are playing the game outside their world. Heck even our ghost in D1 at times was confused as to how we knew things of older technology and how to work them even though it didn't. It was even hinted at when D2 was getting interesting with the Envoy and The Nine talking about us the player. That seemed to have gone out the way side but I hold onto hope that this thread is pulled again as it is the only thing in lore that I still care about.

D1 was focused on fun D2 is focused on stockholders and money

Had to stop reading once you critiqued fortnite. Literally the biggest game in the entire world with constant free updates and fun events. Sure I'll agree the witness's design is abysmal but indirectly dissing them when they've done more for their playerbase than any other game in recent memory is a crazy hot take. Like do you guys live under a rock? Fortnite is what destiny should be as far as fun goes and events and activities.

I love D1, and I'm happy it affected you so profoundly. I won't sit here and tell someone how they feel. My suspicion is that we might be looking at D1 with rose colored glasses. D2 in its current state is objectively better in every way.

There are games who deliver what you want OP, but not Destiny 2 anymore. 2, in my opinion, is nothing more as a "heartless" instrument to prime consume and fear of loss. I'm sorry, for being this direct, but that's what it looks like to me. The game only exists off the ruins of its predecessor. It's sad, but Bungie changed the claim to challenge themselves as artists - to salesman with a mix of marketing instruments and formulas. What's left are horde modes everywhere and an Episode not even worth the announcement with what of story it delivers. It's just another horde mode with a few (story) fragments. Nothing substantial. Sorry, but Bungie overrated themselves monumentally. They disjointed their game only to recycle it again, and relied on microtransactions for balance. They had to dismiss their best staff. And now, they are without a core, depending on every decision to Sony. Pride goes before fall.

you guys must’ve played a different Destiny

Someone didn't do the Thorn quest on a Hunter I love D1, more than D2, but id be lying if I said it didn't have its chores and boring tasks, where do you think the term grinding comes from

Destiny 1 was designed to draw you in so you'll by stuff just like destiny 2. Difference is destiny 1 was a more refined game and thus was more rewarding for your Time and felt like it had direction but destiny 2 feels like they are just going with the motion most of the time. But at its root destiny 1 was just the latest product for bungie to make money of.