There was an article not too long ago on Kotaku about how Destiny has progressed over the past four months:
"The player's greatest adversary in Destiny isn't an alien warlord or a reanimated moon monster, it is Bungie themselves"[1]
I purchased Destiny in the middle of January, after hearing that critics bashed it but fans of the game really enjoyed their time shooting through the alien hordes. I had a friend who was already raiding end-game and offered to help if I ever needed it. All the pieces were in place for this to be a hit that I would absolutely enjoy.
Then I hit level 20, the cap off for experience gain progression, and reached the situation so many found themselves in; grinding over and over to gain rep and procure gear for the end-game content.
If you have never played Destiny, the only way to level up past 20 to the level 32 current cap is to get gear with "Light" attribute. The more light you have, the higher level you go. This acts as a gear check so you cannot simply hop into the first true raid, Vault of Glass, with a few greens and too little damage to matter.
Vaults made of glass should be easier to get into
After hours of grinding reputation and getting a few lucky drops from the regular Strikes, I had finally reached level 26, the minimum requirement to run Vault of Glass. I was pumped. Finally I could see what Destiny was about, finally I could play fights that required more coordination than the simple bullet sponge bosses of the heroic strikes.
I formed up with a group using a third party site, let them know it was my first time running it, and dropped down to face the unknown. The foreboding feeling I had was similar to my time in World of Warcraft instances, wandering into a dungeon with no clue what to expect and only the guidance of experienced players to assist you. I had watched a video before on the raid, but actually playing it is the only true way to get an understanding.
The first encounter was by the book, and with higher levels in our squad it was no real trouble. These guys had a "been there, done that" mentality about them, like most I would encounter on group events. We finally progressed to the first real boss. The first phase was by the book but after that we were instructed to all hop off the stage. They instructed me where to stand and what to shoot for the next two phases. The tactical, legit method I had watched before suddenly transitioned to standing on a cliff and shooting things from afar.
I am not sure what surprised me more, the fact that I am standing on this cliff clearly in view of the boss, out of range of all attacks taking potshots when his shield drops; or the fact that Bungie has nothing to safeguard players from doing the boss this way. No curse that requires a cleanse, no enemies spawning to ruin your dreams...nothing from stopping the simple tactic of standing high and away from the boss.
I would have preferred to do it legit, but hey, not my raid. Not my place.
He went behind the pillar! Let's wait here for him and not move!
The rest of the raid featured far less exploits, but the frustrations of the experienced players began to shine through. We wiped a few times on the final boss, and the leader of our group groaned and raged at some of the deaths that occurred. A lot of our deaths were...unexplainable. These were usually followed by the rebuttal "Yeah that happens sometimes" or "It glitched, again".
The mentality to exploit the game didn't stop there, even the friend I mentioned was kind enough to run me through a Nightfall Strike and Crota Raid and used every cheese method and exploit possible to make the run a breeze. I actually confronted her about it at the start of Crota to which she replied, "You see, Craig, you don't understand what we've gone through. Playing through launch I have poured a lot into this game to get good gear and in one day it was all worthless as new players just bought better gear. I felt cheated."
...I don't....I don't understand...
She was right...I will never know that feeling. I do not know the feeling of running a raid at launch from Destiny, dying over and over to get vault of glass just right, and celebrating the victory of finding an exotic. I was that new player, gaining really good gear with ease and being able to run the big raids with minimal effort required. It was not fair. Vendor gear is now more powerful than anything you get from the raid. So why waste the time and effort wiping when we can sit back and breeze through to get materials to purchase new guns.
The general populous of Destiny hate how Bungie treats the game, and are showing it by taking advantage of every cheat the game can offer. Just google search "Destiny cheese method" and you will find thousands of guides, walkthroughs, and "whats up guys" YouTube videos of how to exploit every single encounter. It is insanely large in scale.
I enjoy the raids of Destiny, and as a whole, the game can be fun. The more I play, the more frustration from the community I see as people get awarded the same gun the sixth time in a row, work hard to finish a raid just to get more materials for upgrading something they already upgraded, or throw their hands up as the player with the most kills gets nothing but the player with two kills gets an exotic. I remain hopeful that Bungie's decision to delay the DLC will improve the next set of raids, because as it stands this is a game that people play out of frustration, and much less for enjoyment of the gameplay itself.
Yet, here I stand, the new guy; and right now I feel like a optimistic soldier in the trenches, surrounded by a unit that is already defeated.
[1] Full article on Kotaku - Destiny Review Update: Four Months Later
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