Maybe ‘Destiny 2’ needs fewer weapons, but better

Alright, I guess I should prepare for a take that could get me crucified, but at least listen to me.

I was trying to think of a list that would include my favorite weapons in Destiny 2’s Season of the Deep and could only come up with three. I went to light.gg look at the list and just… wow. There are so, so many new weapons this season, so how could I really feel strong for some of them (mainly the exotic Centrifuge, Chattering Bone, and the Until His Return shotgun).

Adding up the grand total of new and repeat weapons this season (the vast majority repeats), 43 weapons were released or re-released this season. Some old ones featured, some existing ones with new perks, and a small handful of new ones. Also, three exotics, standard in season these days.

I wonder if at this point, Destiny is getting watered down with weapons for its own sake. Do you want loot? Well, here’s a whole truckload of weapons to go through. We already have a vault full of existing favorites, many of which are exact copies of these, just with old perks. Although sometimes even better advantages, when certain things are removed to make way for new disappointing ones.

I wonder if part of Destiny’s loot problem would be better solved with fewer weapons that are just… more interesting. Crafting has opened up some possibilities here, but I feel like there’s a better way to do this, somehow. Fewer weapons that you invest more in, that you can customize more, that feel unique to each other as opposed to the in-game 45th 120 hand cannon or the 53rd rapid fire pulse.

I think there’s another half to this as well. There is too much, too much weight put on weapons as loot, and not enough on armor. In other loot-based games, armor is half of what you’re farming, if not more, since you typically have more armor slots. But in “streamlining” armor for accessibility purposes, Destiny 2 has pretty much eliminated it as a loot quest for anything other than cosmetic transmogrification. You don’t need to chase mods, you get them all by default. Once you get maybe two solid stat spreads on the sets you like, you’re done… forever, other than maybe an activity to farm artificial armor again, just another small stat boost.

The only real armor “chase” each season is a new exotic for each class, where you make 3-10 Lost Sectors and they give it to you. The exotic approach has been a total dud and again… it’s just not interesting to chase two specific stat spikes in armor after all these years. Oh great, this armor is a 69 instead of my 66. There’s just nothing exciting here. “Amazing” armor drops are people getting 25 stamina, 29 discipline, and 2 mobility. Wow.

I’ve touched on the subject of armor before, but between the bloating of weapons and the utter uselessness of most armor (it’s almost turned blue by now, my old foe), I think looting in Destiny is in a bad place. Maybe not the “fixed roll” days at launch, the most baffling decision in series history, but it’s not a good one either, and I think we need some change.

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