7 basic things I'd like to see addressed in Destiny 2

Now before you read the headline of this text and get the impression that I'm unhappy with the state of Destiny 2, or disappointed with The Witch Queen, I'd like to state that as was the case in my review, I believe the game is possibly in the best state it ever has been. But, it's not perfect and there is room for improvement, and the countless hours I've indulged into the fabulous looter-shooter ever since the new expansion dropped has highlighted some areas quite clearly. So, with that being the case, here are seven things that I'd like to see addressed and improved in Destiny 2.

1. Gambit

Anyone who's anyone in the Destiny community knows that this is both a divisive and volatile topic. For some, Gambit is the devil and needs to be removed from the game pronto. Others don't understand the problems and like a quick round of its combined PvP and PvE action. Regardless of where you stand on this spectrum, it's hard to dispute that this game mode has its problems, and the varied criticism simply highlights that. Personally, I think this iteration of Gambit is a fair one. It's not the best it has been, and it's not the worst, but there are a few key areas that should be tackled.

Predominantly, the heavy ammo economy is all out of sorts with players having far too much access to it, which ultimately leads right into the next issue which is with invasions and the incredibly lethal and effective tracking weapons such as Gjallarhorn and Eyes of Tomorrow. For example, you grab two or three bricks of heavy ammo while clearing the opening couple of groups of enemies, invade and use it to wipe the opposing team, and that's about it. The game should probably just end there, because it's incredibly difficult for anyone to claw back after a good invader has done a number on your team.

Otherwise, the bounties need addressing, as it just becomes even more challenging to win when members of your team are using terrible gear and playing in bizarre ways all in the effort to complete challenges that deject from the core Gambit experience. It's tiny things like this that affect and turn Gambit into a chore to play, rather than a pleasure, and that's why I'd like to see it put under the microscope once again.

2. More matchmaking options for PvE

It might seem silly to say this, but anyone who has used LFG (Looking For Game) systems will know that it's essentially just a more complicated form of matchmaking, which begs the question, why isn't there matchmaking for some of the more challenging playlist and multiplayer activities? Whether it's a Nightfall on a harder difficulty, Master Wellspring runs, Legend Dares of Eternity, all of these game modes could matchmake people, and all there would need to be is a slight restriction on queuing. Have a minimum Power level in place, and require Guardians to come sporting at least one weapon that can tackle Champions, for example. It's simple things, which could make LFG far less of a necessity, and only required for the true warriors looking to face Raids, Grandmaster Nightfalls, Trials, or any other truly challenging endgame activities.

3. And... better matchmaking for PvP

While I'm at it, matchmaking needs to be better in PvP game modes. PvE is far easier to find a competent crew, but in PvP when you are frequently matched with or against people that are significantly better or worse than you, it can be seriously noticed in-game. Anyone with a kill-to-death ratio in the Crucible of 1.7 or higher will know the feeling of constantly being at the top of your team's leaderboards and yet getting clapped in team score, because two or three members are rocking K/Ds of anywhere between 0.3 to 0.7. A lot of people will just say "be better", but that's hardly a solution for an imbalanced PvP matchmaking system.

4. We need a consumable cleanse

My character screen is an absolute mess. For the most part, I have very little space in my weapon, armour, and Ghost slots, as I have a variety of different items for different scenarios. But that's meant to be the case. What isn't is the actual Inventory, which is oversaturated with a list of pointless consumable items that could and should be removed from the game. Finest Matterweaves and Rainmakers should be replaced with simple Enhancement Core drops and Glimmer showers, respectively, when they are originally found, and likewise, there should be a separate tab for actual items that are tied to quests or side objectives.

I don't know if I'll ever use Tincture of Queensfoil again, or Charges of Light, or Phantasmal Fragments and Cores, but having them take up space in my Inventory where I'm looking to amass Enhancement Prisms and Upgrade Modules, and now Risen Umbral Energy and the likes, can be, and is, frustrating. Add to this the fact that the actual Modifications section is pretty much pointless these days, and you get an Inventory system that could do with a bit of a revamp and tidy up if you ask me.

5. Seasonal anti-Champion modifications need to be waaaay more versatile

It really does feel like a bit of a lucky dip as to whether the modifications that come with a new season are going to fit well into your build or not. Season of the Risen's are pretty so-so. There's a good variety, in how you can build your character (largely with the Void subclass in mind) but you're still required to use gear you probably don't want to, especially for endgame activities including lots of Champions.

I think it's about time that anti-Champion mods become more versatile. Whether that be making modifications that fit Fusion Rifles, Grenade Launchers, or Machine Guns, for example, or instead having mods that cover more areas - i.e. Anti-Barrier mods for bows, SMGs, auto rifles, and hand cannons in one package. Either way, having to use two primaries, or weapons that lack great damage, just to be able to deal with the deadly Champion enemies is still a little tiresome. Sure, there are some mods that apply to melee or grenade abilities, but if a Fallen Overload Captain dodges out of one of my Void Vortex grenades before it stuns him one more time, I might just crush my own Ghost.

6. Vendor progression needs improving

First of all, I don't think this applies to all vendors. If you play a couple of hours of Gambit, Crucible, and Vanguard activities each week, you'll make decent progress over the course of the season, and should prestige each vendor a couple of times - especially when taking into account the double-XP weeks for the respective activities. But, this isn't the case for all the Vendors.

As of late, I've been working on finally getting the Forerunner Exotic weapon Catalyst, and also on prestiging Dares of Eternity, and boy is it taking absolutely forever. Even when you have a streak going, you'll be rewarded with around 175 points towards the ranking system, which when considering you need 10,000 to prestige, means you need to play at least 58 rounds of Dares of Eternity to reach the cap. If each run takes around 8-14 minutes, that's anywhere between 7.8 and 13.5 hours invested in Dares to complete just one of the maximum five prestiges you can achieve (not counting the time it takes to matchmake and load into a game), which believe me, becomes mighty boring very quickly. So, why not make this similar to the other playlists, and essentially double the amount of base points you get, as this would just make Dares feel more rewarding and far less exhausting to complete. And this is coming from someone who achieved the Vidmaster title before even racking up 7000 total ranking points. The whole system is awfully weighted.

This even extends to the Gunsmith as well, who has a ridiculously slow progression rate. Despite being over level 170 this season already, I'm yet to be Mythic in the Gunsmith ranking system, meaning I'm probably around 2/3 of the way to completing the first prestige, and we're about halfway through the season at this point already. The point is, certain vendors need their progression adjusted, and hopefully soon.

7. Swords have lost their way

This might be the most picky of all my listed improvements, but what I have noticed come the launch of The Witch Queen is that Swords feel completely irrelevant. This weapon type was already competing in the incredibly important Heavy item slot, and now they are also having to stack up with Glaives in the Energy slot as well. You don't want to run two melee weapons, and don't want your big damage weapon to be a melee one at the moment, so why ever use this weapon type? For simply cheesing it around complex platforming sections, or peeking corners in PvP perhaps? That's about the only time when I'll pull out The Other Half or The Lament these days.