Destiny 2’s New ‘Episode’ Format Seems Like Bonus Timegating, For Now

We are in the course of week 2 of Destiny 2’s new “episode” format, heading towards week 3. And to date, I’ve seen…virtually nothing that differentiates it from the seasonal mannequin. There was an additional cutscene at the beginning, however that will have been extra Final Shape-related, however elsewhere? Everything appears similar.

Well, really, trying forward it looks like it’s primarily doubling down on seasonal timegating. Some followers hoped this may do the alternative, shedding the week-to-week nature of missions and the story in favor of three “Acts” you might play at your leisure. That’s not the way it works. It’s the identical weekly cadence as earlier than, as in you do 4-5 steps within the seasonal story to inch it ahead, then wait.

And now there are new technique of timegating, different than simply storytelling. We have:

• More weapons being added to present episode swimming pools that won’t unlock till future acts.
• A timegated battle cross with rewards that can not be earned till different Acts start.
• The above consists of issues just like the Red Death catalyst being timegated for a future battle cross stage that can not be earned for weeks.
• New artifact perks unlocked which is able to go above and past present ones however once more, it’s one thing it’s important to look ahead to fairly than the artifact being extra enjoyable up entrance.

I get it, it’s a superb line between protecting gamers engaged and never letting them be over-frustrated by a ready-set-wait story or locked objects. And even exterior of the timegating, I simply suppose gamers had been hoping for extra of a shakeup to seasons than what simply seems to be a…longer seasons. Same format, identical HELM dwelling base, identical all of it.

We may all be confirmed unsuitable right here and the idea might evolve each over the course of this present Echoes episode, but additionally sooner or later. Specifically, we’ve to recollect Echoes is one thing developed totally alongside The Final Shape had been 95% of assets had been going, so it stands to motive the second two episodes could also be bigger and extra considerably totally different. They sound that means, at the least, plus I feel I’ll be extra engaged with a non-Vex-based story, given what I’m seeing from this to date.

Like it’s…superb, I’ll maintain taking part in, as a result of I’m me. But I do suppose followers had been hoping for one thing extra totally different and fewer counting on continued, and even elevated, timegating than what we’ve seen to date.

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