What Destiny needs next according to fans
Guardians speak up
Destiny has grown substantially since it was released back in 2014. Bungie has released three full expansions that included new raids, strikes, weapons, and quests, but the plan for regular release of larger updates like expansions has changed. For the rest of Year 2, Bungie plans on adding new content in the form of events such as holiday celebrations in the Tower, and side events like the Sparrow Racing League.
With these smaller updates, Bungie seems willing to experiment with new ideas to expand on the Destiny universe. Before SRL, having an actual organized race against your friends or other Guardians online was just an idea players were dreaming up in the Bungie.net forums. And come to think of it, there are some outstanding Destiny ideas floating around on the internet - ideas that Bungie should definitely get into the game.
Let Guardians fight in spaceship battles
Right now, collecting the ships in Destiny is really just a way to customize your loading screens. That isn't to say that ships aren't a challenge to acquire. You can earn new ships by completing Crucible matches, Strikes, Raids, and by getting random drops, and they range from common, rare, and legendary types, just like any other piece of gear. But having one type or the other doesn't affect your game in any way.
With all the ship collecting that goes on in Destiny, many players have been waiting to use their hard-earned spacecraft in a way other than staring at it as they wait to load into a Crucible match. Taking your ship into space battles seems to be the obvious answer. Xiagax makes the case on Reddit: "If we're supposed to be fighting against the darkness, shouldn't we be driving them off of our planets. Why not be able to use our ships to crush our enemies in space and stop them from invading our home." And why not? We know that the ships have weapons on them. You can even see an example of how spectacular an aerial or space battle could be from the Awoken assault on the Dreadnaught in the Taken King intro cutscene. Ship battles are probably inevitable - it's just a matter of when they actually happens.
Make Grimoire comics
Reading the Grimoire cards on Bungie.net isn't the most engrossing ways to experience the Destiny lore, but right now it's all we've got. But that hasn't stopped the Destiny fans of the internet from improving the ways that the stories are told. Several artists have posted illustrated versions of the stories in the form of comic panels. And it's freaking awesome. Now, if only Bungie would take up the call and get the work done in an official capacity.
Some fans are even taking on the daunting task of illustrating the Books of Sorrow - one of the most interesting bits of lore that has come out of the Taken King expansion. This Hive bible goes back thousands of years, telling the origin and history of the Hive, Crota, and Oryx. There are about 50 Grimoire Cards involved in telling that story alone. If anything, the Books of Sorrow would be perfect for a one-off graphic novel.
Image source: tylerchampionart.com
Give us a chance to explore The Last City
Looking down at the city from the Tower is such a tease. Destiny's story spends a lot of time talking about protecting The Last City - humanity's bastion of safety beneath the Traveler and home of the Guardians' Tower. The thing is, the city is right in front of you, but you can't go to it. Sure, you get a bird's eye view from the Tower, but it would be fascinating to find out what it's like down there. Are the people living in poverty, scraping together meals while living in shacks, or are the busy alleys as shiny and pristine as the Tower?
Destiny players are eager to see more of the city, as stinkydoody mentions on the Bungie.net forum, "Give us a fully functioning last city!....The kind of place that guardians come back to after a long day of patrols or crucible and sit down to have a drink and talk with other guardians!" We haven't actually seen what the average Joe citizen of the city looks like - only a few NPCs in the Tower (but they're basically military personnel). The Guardians don't even know the people they're defending. It would be amazing to get to know the people by walking the streets of a bustling city, trading with street vendors, or dancing in a futuristic nightclub.
Give us a reason to enter the Prison of Elders again
Destiny's Prison of Elders activity runs its course rather quickly. Once you level beyond the House of Wolves content, there is no real need to go back and destroy all of the scum that's locked up in the Reef prison. But there could be. Destiny fan and YouTuber KackisHD makes the case that the Prison of Elders is fertile ground to expand on the shooter's gameplay variety for end game players.
If the prison's rewards and challenges were brought up to the Taken King level cap, there would be plenty of reasons to take on Skolas and the other baddies again. The three-man, horde mode is easy to get into, it doesn't take much time to complete, and killing waves of enemies is a blast. Bungie could just add new gameplay modifiers, shove enemies like the Taken in there for variety, and create a few additional boss fights as the game continues to expand.
Add a plastic surgeon to the Tower
Customizing the look of your Guardian doesn't always come out quite as expected. The haircut you choose might look great in the character customization screen, but when you see it out in the daylight and exposed to the environments of the game, it could just look terrible. Spending hours grinding for sweet looking armor pieces and impressive guns can feel like a waste if your Guardian looks like a doofus with his helmet off.
Destiny needs a plastic surgeon in the Tower that lets players tweak and nitpick the physical features of their Guardians so they can get that perfect Guardian they want. Also, if Bungie decides to add this new feature, it would be great opportunity to add more variety to the purchasable items in the Eververse Trading Company vendor like new hairstyles, face options, and Exo head accessories.
Many years ago, Lorenzo Veloria was a Senior Editor here at 12DOVE helping to shape content strategy. Since then, Lorenzo has shifted his attention to Future Plc's broader video game portfolio, working as a Senior Brand Marketing Manager to oversee the development of advertising pitches and marketing strategies for the department. He might not have all that much time to write about games anymore, but he's still focused on making sure the latest and greatest end up in front of your eyes one way or another.