#Rocket launchers are heavy too.... but also power armor helps that a little...

[vanlegion]

No, he deserves all the power! Muhahah! He never really got the character arc/growth people were asking for, so I'm giving him everything he wants/needs~

simmons can be ginger and he can be a twink but he should never be both is that a rule can we make that a rule

[tabdabble]

DOOM ETERNAL AU pt 2/2

Part 1 -- all pics and quotes from Doom Eternal enemy list 

Tommy is a Marauder 

“My eyes have been opened. Let me help you to see, Slayer."

“One of the most challenging and deadly foes the player will face over the course of the campaign. . . . allyied themselves with the Maykrs . . . Those Sentinel warriors who fell in battle, having sided with the Maykrs, were . . . Resurrected by the Divinity Machine of Maykr design . . . recreated with a singular purpose: to hunt the Slayer, now reborn as Knights in Hell's army. He notably wields a large battleaxe, using similar energy to the Slayer's Crucible. He also wields its own double-barreled shotgun. . . . The Marauder will also summon a wolf to chase the Slayer after he blocks the Slayer's, or another demon's attacks.”

(Grab a soda, it’ll help you see faster! -- Also, I feel like the connection between this character and g-man’s is a bit sad, if anything. What if the Makyr became attached to one soldier, who allied himself with the Makyrs, but then fell in battle, only to be resurrected. Also, very deadly, and has a gun and a dog :) ) 

Benrey’s initial form is a Revenant 

“The Revenant program, a bio-weapon experiment utilizing re-animated necrotic human tissue, was believed to have been destroyed . . .  a tall skeleton combined with a UAC Jetpack and dual rocket launchers. The Revenant's jetpack allows it to gain a bead on the player in a way few other demons can, targeting them from behind low walls and other demons, as well as allowing it to dodge out of the way of the Slayers weapons. The Revenant is also one of the playable demons in Doom Eternal's Battlemode”

(It was only after picking this one that I realized it was a skeleton! Perfect for Benrey- also, it looks frail, but is classified as a Heavy enemy, making it difficult to kill if you don’t know how, not to mention it’s unique and annoying way of attacking the player-- Plus, it’s almost human, but not really- being reanimated necrotic tissue). 

Benrey’s second form is the Icon of Sin

“The Icon of Sin appears as the final boss of Doom Eternal . . . Near the end of the game, Samuel Hayden informs the Doom Slayer that Khan Maykr is awakening the Icon of Sin as a last-ditch effort to destroy the Earth. . . . the Slayer destroys the heart, causing the Icon of Sin to go berserk and travel to Earth independent of the Khan's control. The Slayer battles the Icon of Sin atop a skyscraper, destroying the Maykr-made armor protecting it. . . . The Slayer uses a portal to teleport to it to continue the battle. After a lengthy battle that results in most of the Icon of Sin's flesh being destroyed, it is left weakened enough for the Slayer to climb onto its head and bury the Crucible into its exposed brain, breaking off the blade to finally defeat the Titan.”

“The Icon's presence warps reality, damaging the intricate order of our dimension merely by existing within it.”

(This was another intuitive assignment, if only because I knew it was the massive final boss of the game, but the extra details really pull through, from G-Man’s character being unable to control it, to the final fight, and then to the fact that it existing breaks reality.)

Gordon is a Blaster Soldier 

“Soldiers (Also referred to as Hell Soldiers) are former human beings possessed by an unknown demonic power, turned against their human allies to fight on the frontlines for the demonic invaders. Once frontline infantry fighting to protect Earth from the demon invasion, the Hell Soldiers have been claimed by darkness, turning them against their fellow soldiers in the midst of battle.  . . . Sporting kevlar under armor with pieces of armor plating on their chest, shoulders, and lower legs. Blood, bullet dents and tears in their uniforms that expose their flesh are littered throughout their bodies. They have an arm-cannon attached to their right arm.” 

“While bulkier than an Imp or zombie, the Soldier can still be dispatched with little effort. A point-blank Combat Shotgun blast will always stagger the Soldier, allowing for an easy Glory Kill.” 

(Yes! Gordon is not the Slayer! He switched roles several times, but I landed on this for multiple reasons, firstly the right-gun-arm, but otherwise mostly revolving around how Gordon would fit into the story. I couldn’t imagine him trying to fight and kill everyone, so he didn’t! He failed, and was brought back to fight alongside them. This also makes the character dynamic between he and the other characters interesting because I imagine they’d welcome him into their ranks, and while he’d initially be wary, he’d try to fight with them eventually? This would also add in the essential detail of the others protecting Gordon. All of them are extremely powerful enemies, while Gordon would be much more killable- much more mortal. So the others would help him out!) 

And finally, who could be the Slayer- and not just any slayer, but the one with the patented Ab Window?

Forzen. 

I honestly don’t have much evidence to back this up with, since the Slayer is technically the Good Guy who’s going to save the earth from demons by slaughtering them all, but I do have a few. 

1- it frees up Gordon to have his new demon family

2- Forzen is a himbo and would have that ab window

3- Forzen is probably one of the biggest, divisive threats to the science team- plus he’s the only one that’s kept coming back after trying to kill them- and it is apparently his specific job to eradicate the science time.  

4- Forzen is the only member of his team, which is also true for the Slayer most of the time. 

4.5- they look a bit similar I guess 

That’s all I got! if you read this far you must be procrastinating too! I hope you enjoyed my ideas! :D 

[miu-paras]

Lvl. 4 ⋮ Kalar // Chapter 4

Mission: Crush ♪ - Sidewalks and Skeletons / Disappear

TW: violence

[ This is by far the worst decision you’ve ever made in your entire life. ]

So. It seems my plan was unpopular amongst the rest of my party members.

Shortly after agreeing to the deal, the shop owner handed the mech over to us and explained the rules of the crusher battles in more detail. Two mechs take to the ring and battle until the other is damaged to the point where it can’t continue (or until its pilot is dead… hoping it never comes to that). Leaving the ring, whether it be stepping out of bounds or flying away in fear, earns you an instant disqualification, and your precious bot gets shot down and melted for parts. Winner gets bragging rights and whatever parts from the loser’s sorry hunk of metal is still intact.

They also get a hefty supply of a drug named ‘Crush’. Which, if I had to guess off the top of my head, is the origin of the tournament’s name.

And one more thing: anything built with Ulterian steel is illegal. Wouldn’t be fair, with it being the most indestructible material known in the universe. Which means no tsanista. No Red.

And they certainly weren’t happy about it.

“You haven’t even known me my entire life,” I shot back at the judgmental voice in my head. “Besides, this is gonna be fine. I can win! I know I can.” I smiled confidently at no one, and Xhen continued to stare at me quizzically with a single brow raised.

“Anyway,” The taller one interrupted, grunting as she towed the massive mech along in the cart granted to us by the shopkeeper. I knew Xhen was strong (the strength of her punches still rang loud in my memory), but actually seeing the extent of that power was… quite mesmerizing, to say the least.

“This plan is only good if you win,” she said sternly. “How are you so sure you will anyway? You’ve never seen a crusher fight.”

I shrugged off the question, “I don’t need to see one. The shopkeeper’s description was more than enough. And after looking at the controls, I know exactly how to redesign this baby.” I grinned and slapped the side of the mech, the metal making a loud clang. “Judging from the rules, it’s more or less just like any fighting game I’ve ever played, so—”

[ ...Miu, this is not a video game. ]

“But it is one! Sort of. Only in real-life. With giant suits of armor.” I shrugged again. “Look… I need you—both of you—to trust me on this. I know what I’m doing, okay? I promise.”

[ I don’t think you do. ]

“Yeah, well, who asked you?”

[ I know. Why don’t we just steal the supplies instead? Or better yet, use me to fly back to Earth. Who cares how many centuries it’ll take! ]

“I’m not stealing from him! And you know I can’t. I made a promise.”

“Okay, Terran, who in twelve Xh’icani are you talking to?”

I tensed, my head turning to meet Xhen’s glare. “Uh… my tsanista?” I held up Red with a free hand, the device dangling from the end of my necklace. “We’re, uh… ‘linked’ or whatever. They’re kind of… alive? It’s hard to explain.”

Xhen narrowed her eyes. She looked even more confused than before.

“It’s… a really long story, okay? Like, super long. My whole life long. But if you give me time, I’ll explain everything. I owe you that much.”

Her face softened some, and I was stuck thinking of how delicate her features looked whenever she wasn’t scowling. She was like one of those renaissance paintings, only more ethereal-looking. The way the light illuminated against her golden brown skin, the pinkish hue of her hair, and the smooth violet markings etched elegantly along her face helped with that. My first impression of her still remains the same; she was like nothing I’d ever seen.

We reached the large, rickety elevator and rode it up to Xhen’s apartment, silent for the first time since we left the parts shop. Though, it looked less like an apartment and more like one of those public storage units. Lifting the heavy metal door, Xhen nodded towards the interior. “Inside.”

It was quite spacious. Very minimalist too. Xhen hardly had any furniture, safe for a bed in the corner and what appeared to be a kitchen space. The rest was empty, telling from its echo. On the other side of the studio was a window large enough to take up a good portion of the wall and overlooked the entire city. The windowsill was decorated with comfortable blankets and pillows, a few books scattered everywhere as well. Above it hanged a dozen little trinkets. Maybe Xhen spent most of her time here. Her bed looked less used than the cushions laid out here.

My attention was immediately drawn away by the sound of banging metal, and my head whirled towards the direction of the noise. Xhen was setting the mech against the wall, supporting it enough to help it stand on both legs.

“You have all the tools you need. If you need any more, don’t hesitate to ask.” She moved in closer, face still as soft as before, though there is an emptiness to her expression. She looked tired. I was too.

“You are free to start now or later. After some rest... it’s getting late.” I glance out the window. The two suns that balanced in the sky were beginning to disappear behind the clouds. I hadn’t even noticed how late it’d gotten.

“Thanks,” I responded softly, turning to look up at her. She nodded, and moved towards the window, settling down on the many pillows and blankets. “Feel free to use my bed if you like. I, um… I never do.” She shrugged gently and stared out the window, taking in the sunset for as long as she could.

I made my way to the free bed in the corner and did my best to make the small mattress comfortable. No pajamas to change into, so my dusty and tattered sweats would still have to suffice. I laid down and wrapped the blanket around me, still watching Xhen as she peered down at the world. And before I knew it, my eyes had fallen shut, and my mind slipped away into the land of dreams. Dreaming of home. My family, my friends, my dogs. Dreaming of happier times.

Five Ulterian days of straight work. And finally, I was making my last finishing touches on the mech.

It was new and improved. A beast made for speed, mobility, and durability. I added more joints on the limbs for more flexibility, beefed up the metal armoring for better protection too. The legs were now capable of jet-boosted flight and arms were now equipped with projectile launchers. I would’ve gone with lasers, but rockets was all the shop owner—whose name I still haven’t learned—was willing to supply us with. He has a surprising amount of belief in us. A belief in me. It felt good.

In my time working on the robot, I got to learn more about Xhen. I thought it’d be hard, getting her to open up to me, but she more than obliged, answering every one of my biting questions. Maybe she wasn’t as dark-and-mysterious as I originally thought… or maybe there wasn’t much for her to hide anyway.

She never met her parents. She was instead raised in an orphanage that trained fighters, most meant to be sold off to the military once they were of age. Others that were unfit were simply… “discarded” as Xhen so kindly put it. But I knew what she really meant. Xhen, however, was able to escape both fates and become a ‘chaser’—her official job title. People who found work wherever they could and did whatever was asked of them by their clients. They worked mostly as mercenaries and bounty hunters, although many do some cargo and escort jobs as well. Like her current job with retrieving the hildar.

Xhen doesn’t have many hobbies outside of her duties. She does like to read, but hasn’t finished a single book she owns. She likes travel, but is only able to travel for work. And her skill with language is the most impressive I’ve ever seen in anyone. She taught me a bit of all 37 of her known tongues. And I taught her a 38th. In her free time, she plans to study more Japanese.

I also learned Xhen isn’t particularly fond of ‘she’. Or at least, not always.

“In Talur, there are several gendered expressions,” she stated, “But I tend to go between all of them… no one has ever stuck for me.” She shrugged, crossing her arms and staring down at her feet. She looked almost... nervous admitting this to me. It’s the most vulnerable I’ve ever seen her. Even speaking about her childhood didn’t put her in such a state.

I listened and nodded, then smiled at her, hoping it offered some comfort. “Are there any pronouns you’d prefer I call you? I know exactly zero Talurian languages, but—”

Xhen waved me off nonchalantly. “You needn’t think much of it… but perhaps, in your tongue at least… ‘they’ fits me best?”

“No problem. ‘They’ it is.” I nodded at them with another grin and returned to my work. From the corner of my eye, I thought I saw a semblance of a smile grace their features. But maybe it was a trick of the light.

I did my best to open up to Xhen too, like I promised. I told her I was Camerian, about how my mother came to Earth to escape Urrali. I talked about my childhood, my powers, my career, how Red and I became… whatever it is we are. A set pair, I suppose. And they listened. Never asking questions, simply… absorbing everything I threw out. It was something I was growing to appreciate about them; Xhen lived a simple life and did what they needed to maintain that simplicity. It could be felt in the atmosphere around them. It was why they were always so sure of themselves, of what direction to take. Almost the exact opposite of me, a walking disaster waiting to happen it seems. Everything about them felt… so simple. It was rather calming. I liked the feeling a bit more than I wished to admit.

One fresh paintjob later, and the mech was officially done. It was better than I could have ever dreamed. More streamlined and modern than the bulky dinosaur we carted in earlier. I sighed happily, gushing at my own excellent work. But then I caught Xhen’s expression. Their brows were knitted together, tense as they studied the newly polished machine.

“Oh, come on… what now?” I whined, my shoulders dropping as I pouted at them.

They looked towards me, their face unchanged, “It’s small… how will you fit in?”

I grinned. “Simple: I’m not going to.”

From behind the mech I pulled out a large control panel, almost like a fightstick but with far more complicated controls. Controls I had no problem learning and memorizing over the past few days.

“Technically, there isn’t a rule stating that I’m required to be in the mech. It’s just assumed. So they can’t penalize me for it. See, Red? Just like a video game. Have some faith.”

Red deadpanned. [ Of course. How foolish of me. ]

Xhen studied the controller in my hand, eyes flickering back and forth between me and the device, saying nothing.

My smile fell, and my face turned more serious. “Xhen? I need you to trust me. And to back me up on this. I promise I can do this.”

Their eyes stayed on me this time, their face attenuating in the way I always liked seeing. “I trust you.”

The smile that came to my face was wider and warmed than the one before. I nodded towards them. “Let’s do this then.”

[ Let’s not forget that my life is on the line here. ]

I rolled my eyes and mumbled, “No one has forgotten, Red.”

The stadium. It’s massive. Bigger than any stage I’d ever stood on. And it was packed full of zealous fans eager to watch machines rip each other to shreds.

Suddenly I was feeling nervous.

Perhaps it was the atmosphere. Just stepping inside, you could feel the entire vibe shift in the room. From the colorful, quirky charm of the Western Zhu’drak streets to grimy underbelly of the city’s hidden death battle scene.

Beneath the seating of the arena was where most of the competitors convened, working on their mechs and making improvements wherever they deemed necessary. If you asked me, a lot of these mechs needed more than just a quick polish or a tightened bolt here and there. But I remained silent, only because of the looks I was getting. They threw scowls in our direction. I heard some huffs, some scoffs, and saw plenty of side eyes. One guy even spit at my feet, which startled me, causing me to move closer to Xhen and link an arm around theirs. They didn’t seem to mind much.

I wasn’t sure of the reason for such hostility. Maybe they knew I was “fresh meat.” Or were jealous of the shiny new mech I had in tow. The mech walked on its own, guided in the right direction by the joystick on my control panel. It had a new coat of paint: a crimson red that matched my hair. And on the back was written, in large Talurian lettering, the name of the shop owner: “Dan.”

Even I had a new look to premiere. Xhen traded my tattered sweats for some fresh, clean clothes. A plain white shirt that hugged my figure, and tactical leather pants, complete with straps, buckles, and pockets to hold anything I would need, along with a matching brown jacket. The shoes weren’t too bad either, although they fit a little snug for my liking. Despite this, the new clothes had me feeling renewed and more confident, ready for whatever the day threw at us. I wouldn’t let my nerves get me down.

We approached the tall counter, where plenty of players were lined to register. My nerves started to settle the longer we waited in line. This felt just like one of my tournaments. A different game in a different scene, but still very much the same. Sticking with this mindset kind of helped to keep me focused.

Once we approached the front, I looked up to meet the face of the registrar. She was an old, lanky woman with a permanent scowl. She didn’t even look in our direction.

“U-um, excuse me,” I spoke up, keeping my voice nice and sweet, “We’re here to regist—”

“Umivarrki rrimoorva saalmnarr,” She stated bluntly, holding out a digital tablet with names listed in holographic letters.

“Check for your name,” Xhen guided, but I was at a loss. I still wasn’t good with the script.

“Umm… which one is…”

Xhen sighed and pointed to a name on the list, spelling out M-I-U aloud. They checked the name and handed it off to the lady behind the desk, who simply grunted and gestured for us to enter the arena.

“Thank you, ma’am.” I bowed gently and followed Xhen inside, Dan’s mech following closely behind.

The energy shifted once again the moment we entered the arena. From thick tension to exhilaration. The crowd roared loudly as they all spectated the ongoing fight. And what I saw before was better than anything I ever expected.

Metal banged and skidded against each other loudly as the machined duked it out. It was like a dance, more rigid and robotic compared to the elegance and sharpness in Xhen’s fighting. There was more roughness, more edge that made simply watching the brawl feel visceral and alive.

I was on the edge of my seat, and I hadn’t even started fighting yet.

Xhen touched my shoulder, leaning in to tell me something over the noise of the arena. “I’m going to talk to the announcer,” they pointed to the jumbotron overhanging the ring, “You’re next.”

I looked up and gulped, seeing the lettering M-I-U at the top of the list of names.

No nerves. Not now. Shake it off.

Xhen left, and I sat with Dan’s mech as close to the arena as I could be. I watched as the larger mech tore his smaller opponent to shreds. The pilot crawled out of the destroyed bot. It looked like his leg—or legs—were broken from the series of heavy impacts. Once he was carried out on a stretcher, the victor showboated around the ring.

I looked up to see Xhen arguing with the announcer, about me not manning the mech, no less. But as promised, they were backing me up. They whispered something into the announcer’s ear, and I saw his face drain ghostly white. All the clues as to what Xhen most likely said were written clearly all over his face.

Okay, maybe they were backing me up a little too much. But I still appreciated it.

“ZHU’DRAAAAK! IMILI VA’RAK KOOOOONNTA’AANIIIIII… MIUUUUUUU!!! VAR’MILNA KILI—Eh…" He turned to ask Xhen something, and Xhen looked down at me shouting, “What’s the name of your mech??”

“Uhh… ‘Dan’s Mech’?”

They rolled their eyes and repeated it to the announcer, who nodded and continued with the introduction.

“VAR’MILNA KILI… DAAAAAN’S MEEEECH!”

I inhaled, then exhaled, then walked the mech into the ring.

“Showtime.”

My bot was considerably smaller compared to the previous winner’s massive, hulking beast of a fighter. So small it barely reached its hip in height, and my opponent wasted no time in teasing poor Dan’s Mech.

“Xh’imdri cota’lli um’drikk? Semta’vri mo!” He chucked and jeered, turning away to work up the crowd, who joined him in his mockery.

Idiot.

While he was distracted by my size, I pressed a few keys, and my controller emitted a holographic screen: a first-person view of what my mech could see, complete with the necessary information on fuel, the durability of my shields, and a crosshair. What my unfortunate opponent doesn’t realize about his own mech is its very obvious flaws; the joint at one of its knees made a questionable noise every time he merely walked on it. The very foundation of his mech was faulty, and falling apart, and the joint could easily be undone with the slightest impact. But I’m not “slight.”

Dan’s Mech aimed its arm directly at the knee joint. I fired a rocket, and just like that the leg was blown off completely. All that was left of it were scattered shards of metal.

My opponent’s taunts were cut short when, without warning, they fell forward. I surged towards him, and with one swift movement, Dan’s Mech’s arm shifted from a launcher to an elongated blade, and quickly removed both of the mech’s arms. With its free hand, it pulled the pilot out of his seat and tossed him out of the ring.

There was a long, pregnant silence. But I sat with the largest grin on my face, watching as the loser crawled away in the same miserable fashion. Only difference being I was nice enough to leave both his legs intact.

[ Oh my. ]

“You should trust me more~.” I beamed.

After a while, the cheering returned, and the battles raged on. Each one was more different than the last, but I had no problem adjusting. Everyone had a fighting style that was easy to read thirty seconds into the match. And no matter which opponent it was, I was always too fast for them, too quick with my thinking. They were easily outmaneuvered, outgunned, or simply overwhelmed by how well Dan’s Mech could fight. I felt pride swelling inside me with every victory, and with every boisterous uproar as the crowd chanted, “Dan’s Mech! Dan’s Mech! Dan’s Mech!”

From the corner of my eye, I could even see Xhen smiling proudly. I smiled too, and felt my face go all warm.

There were sweeping away the remnants of my last opponent’s mech when the cheering got even louder. I looked around to see if maybe the next unlucky guy was approaching, hence the sudden excitement. Maybe he was some big shot. The John Cena of Crusher tournaments, or something.

But I saw no one.

I looked up at the jumbotron to see there was only one name listed at the top, spelled in the letters M-I-U.

“I… I won?! I mean, holy shit, I WON!”

I shot up from my seat, my controller hitting the ground as I started jumping and waving my arms in the air. The elation could be felt all around the room. From the roaring of the crowd to the announcer’s loud calls, it was like no victory I’d ever had. And to think I started doubting myself for a while. I wanted to say it was a miracle, but it wasn’t. I won on my own, based on my own skill. And that’s always a good feeling.

But I guess it couldn’t last, could it?

From the crowd, a man rose to his feet, his eyes shot blood red, breathing heavily out his nose. I could see from here the blade he had fashioned at his side. And the image became clearer once he started running for me.

“Vhish’lar!” He shouted, “Vhish’lar! Vhish’lar!”

“What does that…”

[ It means ‘Cheater’. ]

Xhen was already starting towards him once he pulled the blade from its sheath. Deftly, they unarmed him and had him pinned to the stands. People were screaming, running away from the quickly ended fight.

I wish they didn’t run. I wish Xhen stayed near me instead of causing all the panic. I wish they hadn’t made it so easy for another man swiftly move behind me, unnoticed, brandishing a small blade of his own. He grabbed me, and before I could think to defend myself, that very blade buried itself into my side 3 times.

It wasn’t until I screamed, until the surge of electricity shot through my skin to dissuade my attacker, until Red began to encase in a sphere of protection, that I saw Xhen running towards me, leaping and pushing through the crowd while they shouted my name.

But it was too late.

Once again, everything went black.

[lostsolsdestinyblog]

Destiny 2 is dead! Long live Destiny 2! A 6 months look at where the game has been, is and still needs to go (PvE)

April 4, 2018

Destiny 2 has been out for 6 months and so I think it's a good time to talk about the experience so far, where the game has been, is and still needs to go. Let me first say that I've played a lot of D2. I'm well over 500 hours already and I've leveled 6 characters to endgame (by comparison, in 3 years of D1 I played just under 2200 hours). I have differing views of PvE from launch to character number 6 and I'm going to start there with the campaign. D2 has a very good campaign and it's probably one of my favorite from Bungie ever, but I think it was mishandled and largely undermined. I was very disappointed and vocal before release that I thought the content release schedule post-launch was wrong and I believe looking back (especially after leveling later characters) that was 100% correct. What the campaign got right with a real story, truly beautiful worlds to explore and levels of epic scale and design like The Almighty were by and large hugely undermined by Bungie's decision to release both the raid and Trials within the first week. Neither needed to happen and it led to the inevitable rush to endgame power level to be endgame ready. One of the biggest issues D1 had over 3 years was content pacing and Activision had stated at their pre-release earning call that they along with Bungie had a plan in place to keep content flowing in D2. That ended up coming back to haunt them (more on that later) but it was exacerbated by the initial release schedule. Destiny 2 should have released with the story, worlds and base PvP the focal points for the first 3-4 weeks. Along with that, all the Adventures that were part of the original campaign should have been left in. I know the reasoning was that there was too much content to level up over and to that I say, why make leveling last until the final level? I think it would have been fine to hit max level before ever setting foot on The Almighty and going after Ghaul at our full power. This would have changed the dynamic of early D2 in so many ways, not the least of which being that 3-4 weeks in, Bungie could have been releasing the Leviathan Raid and Trials instead of fielding the first barrage of “ok, what now?’’ I understand the coolness of the raids and the desire to get into them immediately, but I just feel that just moving them back a little would really give not only the campaigns and new areas time to shine, but the buildup of anticipation for the raids would not be a bad thing either. Also, with the way EoW Prestige ended up being moved back, in hindsight it probably would have been better to stagger its release a couple weeks into CoO as well to better pace things.

The campaign and strikes

The campaign also should have been fully replayable and this is the first point I will make for where I believe the game needs to still improve. One of the things that always gave Halo longevity for my friends and I was going back and replaying the campaigns at higher difficulties. Hell, I used to do the same in GoldenEye back in the day and I'm not sure why Bungie got away from that with Destiny... I believe that not only should we be able to fully replay the campaign whenever we want, but I think there should be difficulty levels for doing so ranging from normal to insane (or prestige if you want). Where the majority of players burned through the Campaign as released, those who weren't raiders were suddenly left with an endgame vastly different from D1 without endless weapon variations to chase or materials to grind to level everything and I think this is where finishing the story and suddenly having it locked away outside of Ikora's 3 random missions really came back to haunt because the Lost Sectors, much improved public events and unique planetary gear sets weren't enough to give players the fix they needed after 3 years of D1 grind. Had the Campaign been the initial endgame and setup as a way to really gear up for eventually going to The Leviathan and Trials, I think the first month and reactions would have played out a lot differently, particularly if there were unique gear sets and weapon variants available for completing various targets within the different difficulty tiers. I'm not going to go too deep into loot as it is something Bungie has addressed and know needs to be better and more meaningful, but I will say a couple things. 1) There needs to be just so much more. The fact that the planetary vendors still have the same weapons and armor as at launch is a problem. The fact that they all shared the generic alternate drops to begin with was also a problem 2) Strikes are not rewarding enough and have not been since launch. This is both true in regular play and during events like faction rallies were by far the quickest and most efficient way to rank up is to just farm Lost Sectors. That's a huge issue in my opinion and makes no sense for trying to keep players logged in and engaged in the game. Why not give 20 faction tokens and a guaranteed rank up from each strike? Beyond that, with the advent of Masterworks, I find it mind-boggling that Heroic strikes aren't a guaranteed drop for Masterworks cores. I can understand that maybe Bungie want them to be limited and not just pile up like Legendary Shards, but at the cost per re-roll and the huge cost to swap PvE/PvP... Who cares if they pile up? Players want to set up their characters how they want and min/max whatever they can and this is an opportunity to really add that back to the game and at the current pretty standard 1 core per dismantle, it's really not realistic to do right now. Give Heroic Strikes a guaranteed drop of 3 cores and I think suddenly there's a huge reason to run them (particularly the deeper the MW system gets) Also, strike specific loot. Game needs more loot.

Gear, weapons and mods

Speaking of loot, let’s talk about it. I still like the new weapon system. I know some still hate it and want D1's back and I respect that, but I find far more variety in my play and arsenals through 6 months of D2 than I had in 3 years of D1. I love that I can use a Hand Cannon and still have an AR. I love the dynamic in say this week’s NF of running Nameless Midnight with Perseverance. I don't miss the primary, special, heavy setup, but I say that with the caveat that power weapons just are not in a great place. I know changes are coming, but still not what I would like to see which is 1) Swords that aren't from the raid having any use (and the return of exotics. Where is anything remotely on par with Boltcaster, et al?) 2) Grenade Launchers need to do significantly more damage or have deeper magazines. A GL like Wicked Sister is actually fun, but its damage output over just shooting a primary is awful. 3) Snipers, Shotguns and Fusion rifles need MUCH deeper ammo reserves. They should be in the range of 21-25 in reserve. I've stated this since launch and still believe this would instantly give them definitive advantages over RL's in many situations <coughPrestigeLeviathancough>. Rockets and Grenade Launchers should be about big impact and high burst damage, but the other power weapons should be about sustained damage and the ability to take out more mid-tier enemies. Armor has been much more diverse to this point in D2 than initially in D1, but I still don't think it's been enough. Yes the addition of ornaments has helped (particularly to breathe life back into Faction Rallies), but in all honesty, there should be new gear sets at least every other season. This game is a looter shooter and the loot is too stagnant. I do not know what it entails to create all that gear and get it into the game, but for me it would be a priority and would also serve another function of giving players those badges to show they were there. Seasons 1 and 2 have their gear sets and once they are gone, they are gone. Again, incentive to play and get sets you love and a way to show you "were there" beyond the catch-all emblems. Obviously there's a huge road-block there with storage space and there's nothing left to beat on that horse, Bungie know they need to come up with a legitimate and fully up to par system and hopefully we see it sooner than later, but... to that end, Bungie hasn't done itself any favors with the current mod system. The regular mod system (not masterworks) is a nightmare. I know mods 2.0 is in the works, but I can say (particularly from 4 current endgame characters) that the system is not good. How would I fix it? 1) BLUE MODS NEED TO GO AWAY. They are a waste in every regard. They are worthless as individual drops. They take up inventory space that could better be used by literally everything else and there's literally no reason to ever want to equip one and feel good about doing so. Then there's the cost to actually covert them into legendary mods. I found on toon #6 that I really like the Crucible armor set for the Hunter. In a month since leveling it, I have not hit 335 on that armor set because I can't get purple mods to drop that I want and that is despite spending hella glimmer trying. I dropped 80K glimmer the other day and got 4 legendary mods out of it and not one I needed. That isn't a way to keep players invested and it doesn't respect our time investment. So I'm wearing blues and don't feel good about it especially when I still don't even have a full blue set of what I really want. This locks us into holding onto armor sets that already have the mods we want on them which by proxy adds more to the storage issue. This has been exacerbated by recent changes as well with the raid armor mods. Yes it's been a fun addition and made the gear meaningful, but it's another set that we have to hold onto and use and that means another set to have to get all the regular mods for and hey, yeah... storage. So... 2) All legendary normal mods should be available at any time on every single legendary armor piece and build in a healthy cost of 10-15 legendary shards to swap them (just like the raid mods are infinitely swap-able now). This suddenly eliminates having to have a PvE set and a PvP set when we can just swap out mods if we want or even from having to have a set for a particular subclass (''I need Arc, but my gear is all set up Void... F***''). It also gives the min/maxers who were so disappointed is the simplification of D2s class setups something to really get into and play around with on even an encounter to encounter basis (again I can just spend some shards to swap my Nightstalker set to Pole Dancer) There is so much win in making that change it would instantly change the dynamic of every single encounter in the game and how we approach them. 3) just better and more interesting mods (in the works). Combine better mods with a way to really use the system and play around with different builds and again… Win. Win. Win.

The Raids/Future expansions

The Raids Leviathan was a very good raid that suffered from sub-par rewards. Eater of Worlds is maybe the single best piece of PvE content Bungie has ever produced and in and of itself is worth running all the time just because it’s so fun, but going forward raids need to have the drop incentives too. The ghost helped both raids in that regard, but there needs to be more and particularly with weapons. Future Expansions Curse of Osiris got a lot of flack, but I think did do a lot right. The Verses for the weapon forge and that grind that ended with the Sagira shell was really well done and brought back some of what D1 had with things like the Exotic sword and class item quests/grinds. The raid Lair is second to none. Past Mercury is crazy beautiful. But for all that, Mercury as a whole missed the mark. The infinite forest is cool looking, but until NF scoring was completely pointless. It should have been a patrol zone and I’m guessing was originally intended to be. Why it didn’t make it? Who knows, but it’s a shame. There should have been random section spawns with their own Lost Sectors or even world bosses with unique loot drops. There’s so much potential there that could be really developed into something cool. Same goes for past-Mercury. As for the patrol zone itself, it is still a fun place to patrol, but really could have been more and again very easily. When we first go to Mercury we traverse an area on our way to the Lighthouse that we never go back to again and it’s filled with moving platforms of immune Vex patrolling off. That entire area could have and should have been much like outside of Felwinter’s Peak and not only open to exploration, but filled with hidden secrets for those who took the time. There could even have been a puzzle similar to climbing Felwinter’s, but with moving/disappearing Vex platforms instead. The good news is that, that is something that could still be done to build onto and extend life into the area. Beyond that, once again I think pulling from the campaign and giving us parts as adventures really hurt the expansion. I can tell you that of the 5 characters I took through it, I did the Adventures on all of one of them. There just wasn’t the incentive for me to go back and yes they add to the story, but they should have been there to begin with and experienced as we played the campaign. So going forward and maybe this is too late for the next expansion, I would really like to see Bungie rethink not just adventures, but again, had CoO’s campaign been fully replayable at higher difficulty levels with rewards worthy of the effort, I think it changes the response and overall view of the campaign. I know it sold well and I’ve enjoyed it, but the potential for so much more is right there just waiting to be let loose. Also if not building the adventures back in, just again pushing the raid back a few weeks to give the campaign/strikes time to be the focus would be a better way forward.

More on Strikes and weapon-play and the value of fast ability cooldowns I've had a lot of thoughts on various things that are not on the list of incoming or being worked on improvements and another aspect I didn't get to is the actual play of strikes beyond the rewards. The week of Crimson Doubles was in my opinion maybe one of the best weeks there's ever been to log in and play Destiny and that includes all 3 years of D1. There were a few reasons for this and I know this post is PvE related, but I will say that it was easily the best Destiny PvP I've played since House of Wolves. Weapons mattered still (they didn't really in the last year of D1), but we had our abilities back and it completely changed the dynamic of play. Yes they were maybe a tad fast, but we went back and played D1 PvP the other day and even with the Crimson Doubles ability to spam, it was nothing like D1 because the abilities on their own are weaker and still needed to be supplemented by weapon play vs D1 where every grenade and shoulder charge are just death. It's the first time I wanted to just log in and keep playing solo since HoW and if that can be translated to the rest of PvP (along with a few other fixes), I think it honestly could be the best it's ever been. But beyond PvP, Crimson Days was incredible for PvE as well and that's because not only did we have the 2 Raids to run and the EoW as still the most fun you can have playing PvE in Destiny, but the Nightfall was as good as it got (with timers) that week and again it was for the same reason that PvP was so good, faster ability cooldowns. I know that there is the thought process that we need Special and Heavy weapons back to feel like badasses or supers more often and I know more power weapon play is coming, but honestly for me it's the ability to fully use my class more often and use snares, dodge and grenades and not be so dependent on just the kinetic/energy combo that overall I still like better than D1, but D2 is just too over-dependant on. I think the changes to the NF with the optional score challenge has been really good and I haven't really given it a full go for score yet (just completion) but my friends have spent hours running and I know they've had fun and been challenged. That said I've run the new NF twice, once solo, once in a fireteam and have a couple takaways. Solo, it was literally the most fun I had as a solo Destiny player since year one of D1. I've posted a million times on here how the first thing I used to do each week was solo the NF on all 3 characters and I hadn't done one since TTK dropped. Going through without a timer and actually having to fight my way across the Infinite Forest was fun and challenging (particularly just getting in to begin) and I was able to get to the boss and push him out of the first room once before eventually giving up 2 hours into trying. What I found is that, although it was fun, ammo and the reliance on kinetic/energy was too heavy. I had 4 Power ammo bricks drop in the entirety of crossing the Forest and with D2's diminished ability cooldowns I was running out of ammo consistently on both my kinetic and energy weapons and having the game have to auto-fill them. I think this is tantamount to the issues people have with the new system because again, I LOVE the weapon choices I have now and I'll use more combos in a weeks play than I would in a year of D1, but as great as Nameless Midnight combined with Pleiades (crossing forest) or Perseverance (boss rooms) was, ultimately they just weren't powerful enough when it really mattered and without abilities or power bricks dropping, I just couldn't take down adds fast enough to have a legitimate chance. Players want to feel powerful and badass and that doesn't mean having to super every 5 seconds or kill everything with Power weapons. They certainly help, but for me again it's having that full suite of ways to kill, stun, kite, evade, heal, shield, etc. Especially in a fireteam that coordinates. Look at how the masterworks orb generation has helped make the raids even more fun with more supers. It doesn't have to be Mayhem or whatever the Strikes were called in D1 and I understand the need to still have it a challenge and the balance there, but if Bungie want to really bring people back that have left, I think there is a middle ground there and that not being so focused on just the kinetic/energy combo is key. Edit: one more note on soloing the Nightfalls. I know that Bungie hated that players could go to cheese spots to make some boss fights easier and others guaranteed, but much like the loot cave, it was fun for players and they loved logging in and playing. I think it goes hand in hand with Josh Hamrick's comments on Shoulder Charge being reverted because the devs realize that sometimes unintended things that players end up loving isn't a bad thing and I think that fully applies here. Sure you don't want everyone cheesing everything and particularly Raids, but that said there is a line and things like making all boss rooms locked in affairs with no ability for respite, recovery or even to just hide for a minute I think can be argued hasn't really made play more fun to where it's made more people want to play them more. The loot cave was fun and what did it give away? I never got anything better than blues and it helped unlock my Grimoire bonuses. Why take things like that away if it brings players in and together? Hopefully what Josh said is an ethos that will apply game-wide and not just within balancing PvP.

TLDR

In 500 hours of D2 PvE, I’ve done and experienced probably as much meaningful content (read: not running circles farming) than I did in twice that time playing D1. The campaign needs to be replayable in full when we want. Content needs to be better spaced. Had it been paced at launch, a month in Bungie could have been releasing the Leviathan instead of fielding the initial wave of “what do we do now?’’ Certainly that would have come and we all know the issues that followed, but they’ve by-and-large been addressed and D2 PvE today is in my opinion as good as PvE has been in the life of the game with maybe TTK still holding a slight edge. D2 is not the game we expected, but it’s also not the game it is painted to be on the forums and in the media. It is still the best way I know to spend 500+ hours with people you care about and it is consistently improving. In D1 any changes we wanted went onto a wish list to sit for 3 years and die. In D2 not only are they being heard and talked about, they are being actively worked on and implemented and it’s sad that more people aren’t taking the opportunity to really give feedback on what else could make the game better instead of trashing it with no real message to better anything. Thank you