[b]Disclaimer! This post contains my (lengthy) opinion based on my experience with the beta. Your mileage may vary.[/b] My current playtime in Destiny stands at 2159h and I've been around since vanilla. I've done everything there is to do in PVE and PVP, both solo and with friends and clan members. I'm a competitive person by nature and I get most enjoyment in overcoming challenges, but I also acknowledge that the game is in its' best state when challenges and balance go hand in hand. That is my background in a nutshell for those interested. I don't usually express my thoughts on forums or other public mediums, but since I saw so much excessive negativity and outcry I wanted to give my two cents on the topic, especially because my cents seem to be vastly different from the general consensus. [b]Graphics, framerate and connections[/b] My biggest concern going into the beta was how the game would look and feel after learning there is no 60fps nor dedicated servers. However, D2's 30fps is so much smoother and more consistent than D1's, that the difference is tangible. Paired with better visuals and improved audio the overall package definitely feels and looks much better, even on basic PS4 at 1080p. After logging in 50+ crucible games both in Quickplay and Competitive I only had a few encounters with laggy players, and even then it was certain individuals and not the whole lobby like in D1. The new connectivity settings seem like a big leap forward and I'm feeling confident that the end result will please most players after they tune down SBMM for the casual playlist. All in all it's not going to equal the quality of a high-end PC if you're on console, but I'm no longer worried that we would have to endure all the same problems we have in D1 at the moment. [b]New weapon loadouts[/b] One of my lesser concerns was special weapons moving into the power slot. It took a while to get used to it, but now I really like the change and it creates the opportunity to make all power weapons super badass since you don't need to compete with/balance around the special slot any more. One of the best examples is the Main Ingredient fusion rifle. The thing feels like a proper power weapon now and reminds me of the pre-nerf fusions in D1. Bungie can freely create "op"-level stuff knowing 2/3 of your loadout is still reasonable and balanced. [b]PVE[/b] At first I felt totally powerless like most of people seem to feel compared to D1. It took me over half an hour to complete the first strike and the difficulty level seemed way up from what I was used to. However, after starting to actually think about what I was doing and implementing all the tools I was given, things changed. Does it have a shield? Use energy weapons first. A grenade? Make it count. Super is up? Chain it with your fireteam. After a couple of runs we finished the strike in around 16 minutes, and considering we are below the recommended light level for that activity an easier experience would have felt a bit disappointing. I can see why the outrage though. You basically go from demi-god to a peasant when it comes to your space magic. Having two primaries instead of a sniper and another heavy weapon means you need more team shooting and managing your range better. But for me the new PVE settings put more emphasis on player skill and teamwork, which I appreciate way more than just spamming abilities and supers all the time. If you die too much you probably aren't using cover properly. Shielded enemies seem to tank a lot of damage? Sweet Business might not always be the right answer. My only problem was power ammo economy, but that was already addressed in TWAB. Bungie is also tweaking PVE damage and boss vitality, but I hope not too much to the easier side. After all we are shooting what are essentially rhinos on steroids in a battle armor and a giant robot with lasers, and for the first time in a while I felt that damage was balanced well around enemy types. A few bullets from an auto rifle is not supposed to be killing everything left and right. Even though Destiny is a fantasy space shooter, a bit of realism on the side just makes it feel better. All in all I wouldn't want PVE to be any easier than in the beta, on the contrary, but I also wouldn't mind if Bungie made abilities and supers to charge just a bit faster. Just a tad. [b]PVP[/b] I'm not going to write too much about it because pretty much everyone agrees that it's a vast improvement over D1 both in balance and playability. Two primaries did wonders to the game and the new ability recharge time means smart and tactically sound players prosper more. Yes, it hurts to waste a grenade or your only super, but maybe in time people will recognize how and when to use it better and it won't be such a bit loss anymore. Besides, if you are good with a gun it won't even matter that much. [b]Subclasses[/b] I'll start by saying that all classes look and feel amazing. Yes, some are harder to use than others and some provide more group utility than others, but all in all there isn't too much to dislike. There are a lot of things that can be tweaked, but I wouldn't say that anything needs actual fixing. Hunters need the most of the tweaking though, in my opinion. [b]Weapons and armor[/b] My experience and opinion as a whole about D2 has been getting better and better the more I've played the beta and adjusted to the changes. But I still have one concern that has yet to go away. Luke Smith said that they have ideas of how to make us excited about duplicate drops in D2 now that all weapons (and seemingly armor as well) have the exact same perks. I really hope they implement it before the game ships. From a balance point of view I understand that having all versions of a certain item be identical makes it way easier, and at the pinnacle of PVP you know that if you got outgunned it wasn't because the other guy has better perks on his Nightshade than you have on yours. However, Destiny is a game that revolves around loot and progression. If I know there is no possibility of me getting anything new or different from a certain activity I'm not likely to return to it after the feeling of new and shiny is over. A good example is the Wrath of the Machine raid. After getting all the weapons once I never felt any excitement after getting them again. It was an auto dismantle. The same thing happened in less than a week of beta. After I got all the weapons there is I no longer even care about the reward. It takes away a big part of the game that I personally enjoy, and in my opinion is crucial for the longevity. One of the greatest suggestions I've heard is perk infusion, which would work even if the basic perks on each weapon are set. For example I have the Does Not Compute and the Nightshade. I could make my own version of the Does Not Compute by infusing the Nightshade into it while transmitting the Kill Clip perk into my scout. This way people could make their own unique combinations and everybody would have access to the same version by infusing correctly if they want to. PVP purists could just agree to use the vanilla weapon for balance purposes. Or just bring back RNG. Bungie said that they can tune each weapon individually, so I think RNG rolls would not mess with anything too much. All I want is a small hope of getting something new and different each time I get a reward. This is what kept many D1 players hooked and there are countless of other games that live off this system. I'm placing high hopes on Bungie on this one. [b]Conclusion[/b] All in all I can't wait for D2. The beta was spot on and had enough to do without spoiling too much. Most of the changes were great in my opinion and while there is a huge learning curve along with it I think the new settings will eventually produce better and smarter guardians. [b]Afterthoughts[/b] I'll leave small bits of random thoughts in no particular order: - A slight buff to universal charge rates would go a long way in both PVE and PVP - Abilities and supers could use a small damage buff in PVE to give us that moment of power now that we are not spamming them anymore - Mobility should affect maximum sprint speed and weapon handling speed as well - Hunter class ability could maybe have a small disorienting AOE when used, like a Nightstalker smoke type of effect - Six-shot Golden Gun could maybe last a couple seconds longer and do more damage - Arcstrider dodge while in super could be slightly quicker - Sidearms could use a bit of love - Not getting thrown out of the menu while flying into an activity would be great Thank you for reading.