"I f*cking hate this game. It makes me feel like an idiot, and I don't know what we're doing."
"I never know what mission we're supposed to be doing, and I just feel like a detriment to you and your friends."
"My inventory and postmaster are always full, and I shouldn't need to use a damn website to manage that."
"If you want to play any other game, let me know, but I'm done with this game"
- My dad
*Prepare yourselves for a big 'ol wall of text*
I love D2 and I was beyond excited for cross-play, because I could now play D2 with my dad and my Xbox friends at the same time. Unfortunately, I was completely unprepared for how bad the New Light experience is. Hell, I didn't know how insanely confusing the post-campaign experience would be for anyone without years of Destiny experience. I didn't expect my dad to jump in to D2 and immediately "get" it, but I thought a F2P game would do a little more hand holding for new players. Now, he's lost all interest in the game and I'm back to splitting my gaming session between Xbox and PC.
Let's get some basic backstory out of the way. My dad has been a PC gamer for the past 20+ years. He built the foundation of my gaming knowledge brick by brick starting with the Sega Genesis he bought me as a kid. More recently, we have played through Borderlands 2/3/Pre-Seq, Far Cry 4/5/6, L4D/B4B, you name it. He understands the basics of looter shooters, but inventory management is not his strong suit. We have already played through all of the old (available) D2 "campaigns", and he sits around 1270 light level. I'm not saying he's the most gaming-literate person in the world, but he does have literal decades of experience.
As soon as the sequential campaign quests ended, so did any of his interest in the game. He's in the driver seat now, because I've completed these old quests and have no idea what he needs to do to progress the story. Every time we play, I have to get screenshots of his available quests and research which quest leads to what reward with a quick google search. There is no guidance, and I'm constantly explaining which of the 2 dozen icons on his screen relate to which activity in the game.
He's constantly flooded with useless loot that piles up faster than he can delete it. All of his quests revolve around bounties and have no logical relation to the story. We spend more time flying from destination to destination than actually firing our guns. We can't do the activities that he enjoys, because they don't help his light level. Most activities force match making on us, so he's always getting pulled forward by veterans speed-running everything. He's getting destroyed in PvP/Gambit because he doesn't have good weapons/mods/masterwork materials/high stat armor/etc.
More than anything, I just want to play my favorite game with my dad. I want him to enjoy this game at his own pace, and I want him to feel rewarded for his time. I hate that he feels like he's hurting my experience, or that he's playing the game "wrong". It sucks that he feels so lost in this game that he just doesn't want to play it. If Witch Queen has a high light level requirement, then I'm screwed. My dad, and my friends that are newer to D2, are NOT going to do the light level grind, and I really don't blame them. The sad fact is that I can only recommend Destiny to people already playing it.
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I don't really know where I was going with all of this... I guess I just wanted to vent my frustrations. Hopefully Witch Queen delivers, because that is the make or break moment for my friends and family playing D2 with me.
Good luck out there Guardians!
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1 ReplyEdited by kellygreen45: 1/12/2022 3:54:09 PMNot sure where you’re going with this either. I’m 53 and a Day One player. What’s going on between you and your Dad isn’t a generational thing. It’s the difference between someone with a casual interest in the game (your dad) and someone who is a dedicated player. Part of this is Bungie’s fault—-The Milestone and Pinnacle systems, as well as lack of skill stratification in pvp game modes——but part of this is due to being a new player in a game that is seven years into its run. It seems to me that the best solution is to talk about it with your dad, and come up with a compromise you both can live with. [i]What is your time in the game together going to be about?[/i] Is it just being together and having fun? Fine, go enjoy the parts of the game he enjoys while you’re playing together. Or is going to be about end-game play. In which case you’re probably going to need to help him gear up and complete the content where meta gear is dropping. Neither approach is right or wrong, better or worse. It just sounds like there needs to be some communication and getting both of you on the same page so to speak. Oh, and speed runners are a problem we all face. Just don’t let them ruin your experience. If you feel you are being dragged behind these selfish players, just leave and go to orbit. The re-enter matchmaking until you find someone who actually wants to play the game as intended.
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Imagine trying to give a boomer a free to play shell of of the game and wondering why their experience wasn’t like yours. Destiny reached the point where the community is so intoxicated with nostalgia and rose tinted memory’s. Selling gjallorhorn is evidence bungie is highly aware of this as well. Destiny is far from a few to play game. Bungie claims that to justify the mtx but to actually have the destiny experience you need to pay the mmo price tag. Lucky for your dad he got out at the best time. Don’t drag him down with you.
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I’ve been playing the same characters since D1’s release so never really thought much when they introduced the New Light stuff recently. Kinda the same boat I had a few friends pick up the game and listening to them go through hell to finish the “tutorial” of the game was grinding my gears because I figured it couldn’t be that bad. [i]I was wrong[/i]. Deleted one of my characters and started from scratch to experience it myself. Holy - I can’t blame anyone for jumping ship after dealing with that campaign. The constant back and forth, not having anything to REALLY do, lack of context around any current story. Yeah, Bungie kinda ruined the intro for new players and managed to make it as overwhelming as possible right off the bat.
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Me too. Only I am the 67 year old guy that struggles with all that. Even though I have more than a few hours playing there are some things I just can't get the hang of. PvP and inventory management are nearly impossible because I am too slow and my short-term memory is non-existent. I enjoy the game and love the graphics but with a friend count of 1 and the issues your father mentions I have never played many (most) parts of the game. I pity the Fireteam that ends up with me in a Raid or any PvP match!
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4 RepliesI’m a 69 year old retiree that’s been playing Destiny since it’s inception and it’s the only game I enjoy currently. My experience with a family member is quite the opposite, I’ve tried getting my 42 year old son involved with Destiny 2 and he just can’t seem to wrap the leveling, the weaponry uses, the importance of armor or the perks nor the mods that can be applied in his brain. Heck I’m no expert but he frustrated me something terrible lol.
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I`m 74 and play daily, but I know my limitations. Hand eye coordination and reaction time deuteriation means PVP, Raids, and some of the more "hectic" elements of the game are not just difficult, but damn near impossible for me. I don`t care what weapons or armor you have, they`re no match for the human body`s reaction to the passage of time. They`re No Fun when all you do is die and get frustrated, angry. So I don`t do them..period. Dirty Harry said It`s a wise man that knows his limitations... You might pass that bit of wisdom to your Pops.
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If only Bungie would just play their own game...
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1 ReplyHow long has he been playing D2? I'm 53 and have been since 2021-12-19. Initially I was pretty lost in the Cosmodrome with a whiny "Han Solo" and I thought to myself "okay, now what? How do I get out of this? What am I going to do?" But that was quickly figured out. Being thrown right into Dares of Eternity as a beginner was really cool. And I'm enjoying D2 so far because the gunplay feels good, as well as the graphics. Plus, it doesn't feel as empty and meaningless as D1 did when I played it after release (which I played briefly). I find out new things every day about what works and how. Here you have to learn to accept that some things aren't explained, which can be irritating. When I found out that you can look at your own ship in the hangar - that happened to me rather by accident - I was baffled. The game is quite usable solo, I love collecting sparrows and trying out weapons. Interestingly, the interaction with other Guardians is the biggest sticking point. In PVP - if the group has a good basic understanding, then it's fun, even if you have the survival time of a squirrel on the highway. In Vanguard Strikes, you're shredding through unknown realms because the other players are in GoGoGo mode ... and I would like to have a look at it all in peace, but I understand that. You don't have to worry about that, your dad just has to loosen up and look a little bit himself. Then it will work better.
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1 ReplyTotally agree with this, sadly I am the only one in my group of family and friends still playing. ( or maybe just the dumbest! ) Tried over the years to get others interested in it. ( even bought it 6 x times ) All agree it looks and plays fantastic, especially the gunplay. 👍👍👍 But OMG not "new light" friendly by any measure. Even with a guide helping. 👎👎👎
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1 Reply
FartykusDEAD - old
I'll be 60yrs old this year. Playing video games since the 1980's and Destiny since TTK and love it. That said the new light experience could do with improving as does item management. But lots of games have these issues and it's not the end of the world as far as I'm concerned. -
7 RepliesI'm roughly your dads age, and although I've played this for 7 years straight, I'm finding it overwhelming if I'm being honest. I used to love a new season, when you started at zero level with a couple of white weapons and armour, did the story to get some "better" green loot, before branching off to all the other content to collect the legendary stuff. The grind to max power was the best part of the game. Now it's just a continuation, only having to do pinnacle reward stuff to level up 10 power. And the fact that they keep adding more and more perks and mods and artifacts, and even a new subclass ( which has destroyed Destiny) makes most weapons and gunplay irrelevant. I always look forward to new seasons, but the more they add, the more is lost in game experience. Destiny has become a soap, rather than a series.
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2 Replies
Manslave2ErisThe dark below groans and churns - old
I'm not that much younger than your father and I have been playing video games since Pong came out. I was shoving quarters into the first Asteroid machine hit the area I grew up in. I have been playing up to 4 separate accounts in Destiny since Dec. 21, 2014, Yes, it had enough of an initial impact that not only do I remember the date I also remember that I completed A Guardian Rises at close to 7:45 pm on my first character on my first account. I honestly still have periods in this game where I get pretty confused as to just exactly what the hell I should do next so I can progress in a better manner and I have over 4500 hours in D2 on this account alone. I would imagine that pretty much ANY New Light player would be rather confused. Add some older age into the mix and that confusion would be quite easily compounded. While I will say that your father is not necessarily ancient, he's definitely not young when it comes to gamers. [quote]We can't do the activities that he enjoys, because they don't help his light level.[/quote] WHY CAN YOU NOT? DO THE ACTIVITIES YOUR FATHER ENJOYS! It does not matter that it does not help his light level. If he enjoys it then let him play it, play with him in those activities and enjoy the time you have with your father in the game. You say you want him to enjoy the game at his own pace and feel rewarded for his time? Could he possibly feel rewarded for his time by just enjoying the game with his son who is playing with him in the parts of the game he enjoys? You might ask him that. If you truly enjoy playing with him then I don't see that hurting your experience. My own father (in his 80's, btw) has told me to go do other things in the activities we do together (not video games) because he has felt that he would be holding me back in the entertainment side. Nope, I never let that happen because I go at his pace and thoroughly enjoy the precious moments that we have together. You could also let him know that there is NO wrong way to play the game as long as he is enjoying the parts he is doing. If that means his light level suffers some then who gives even the tiniest little bit of a flying -blam!-? If you have some 'more relaxed' friends then maybe y'all could get together with your dad and hop into some of those activities that have have matchmaking, go in with a fully formed team, chill with 'the old man', run at his pace and have a lot of fun. Don't pester him about mods and such but mod recommendations can be made. Protect him in the rougher fights but also let him get a bunch of kills of his own. I can solo LoS (normal strike) in less than 5 minutes but I can also leave time normal on the PS, hop into matchmaking and take 15 minutes with a couple low light players and still enjoy the experience. There is no need for him to go into PvP or Gambit if it's just going to frustrate him. Been there, done that. I truly enjoyed PvP in D1 but it's a rare evening I go into that mess in D2. I can do with or without Gambit but I can definitely see how it would be frustrating for him. Bottom line on all this is that if your dad enjoys nothing more difficult than lost sectors and patrols then go do a bunch of them with him. He's the only father you have and the time with him is shorter than you might yet realize. Sorry if any (or all) of that comes off sounding like an old guy, but yeah... I am one. 😏 -
Please ask your dad to join a new xbox club I started: Destiny 2 Over 40s Started it recently, search it up!
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The point is when someone with a very objective perspective plays Destiny, the experience is a shyt-show. Agree.
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but inventory management is not his strong suit. lol it just sounds like you have to just play and walk along with him
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i stoped reading after >My inventory and postmaster are always full, and I shouldn't need to use a damn website to manage that just Delete Everything, What are you doing ?!?!!???? i don't use a website....
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They really should’ve kept the red war campaign in at the least. Shorten it, fine. Trim the fat, sure. But remove entirely? Mistake. The acquisition of subclasses and why we’re all there. The context of content was explained. There was a linear path of basic understanding with options of branching out of so desired.
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Edited by Divine_Majin93: 1/13/2022 3:59:35 PMThe DCV is both the greatest and worst thing that's happened to this game. On one hand, it allows the game to continue going without growing too big to sustain. Though it's not without problems. On the other hand, it completely -blam!- over new and returning players. As it stands right now, if I ever miss out on story content that is inevitably cut from the game, I'm done with Destiny. I'll quit before I watch someone else play a story mission on YouTube. That's just terrible design and Bungie should be ashamed that's what players have to resort to in order to have some idea of what's going on.
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18 RepliesProbably a perfect time to find a new dad.
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19 RepliesI don't think Bungie should be making games for people in their sixties if they want to be successful commercially, but hey thats just me
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Most players would sympathise, there’s near zero direction for so much of the content unless you google it. I returned half way through season of the splicer, and I can say I had the exact same experience as your dad. I still think there’s a lot of quests I still haven’t done. Like forsaken: I killed the scorn leaders… then… that’s it??? Nothing pointing me what to do next.
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6 RepliesI think long time players have got use to putting up with a lot of crap that new players wouldn't.
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I can't even begin to tell you how incredibly blessed you are to have a dad that played Sega Genesis with you. That is awesome!
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1 ReplyIt'd be SUPER helpful if there was some kind of button on everything you can hover over (buy, inspect, whatever) that would generate a quest to get what you need to get there. I started to write out how I actually tried to explain things to my son who just started playing as a new light and it was utterly unreadable. But basically, there are like 20 kinds of money (some seasonal), nothing that explains character or item progression, stats, or appearance. Little or no indication of how to get things you see that you like on other players, or how to even see what it was. He has a really hard time deciding what to keep and what to destroy and why. "What does that number means next to everyone?" (season pass level) Even when there was an explanation, it was a series of flashing buttons that were either not convenient at the time or gone by the time he actually needed to go back and learn it. I have to constantly tell him which missions he should do for what and which ones to ignore. We spent a lot of time just trying to get him a basic bow and he sharded a near-God rolled Other-Half when I left the room because it was lower light level than a sword he already had! List of things that I had to explain, at least once so far and he has barely started... Glimmer Legendary Shards Enhancement Core Upgrade Module Enhancement Prism Ascendant Shard Bright Dust Silver Gunsmith Materials Planetary Materials (No, there are like seven different ones) Mod Components Weapon Mods Armor Mods Elemental Damage Elemental Affinity Warmind Cells Elemental Wells Charged with Light Synthweave Sunset items "I don't know why that went to postmaster, and that stayed on the ground." "Postmaster is full, but you don't know until you get back to the tower, so let's go check every other activity." "Blues are good until they're not. I don't know if you have to wear it, or keep it in your inventory, or just have looted the highest number." "Save the purple amor, but only if they're >60 in that bottom number. No, the other number." "Don't just delete the lower number purple weapon, it might be better than the higher level one. We have to look up on line if other people think it's good first." "Yellows are good, but not if you get them from collections." "You can get that from collections, but not that." "You can get that one randomly sometimes, but not that one." "I don't know where shaders come from anymore. No you can't get that one I have. They don't make it anymore." "Don't spend your resources on that gun from a vendor, it's not a good one. Yes, the one I have is good, but that one isn't. I don't know, check light.gg." "Check your artifact. You can unlock something new." "That's a seasonal thing. It's only good for a couple months." All the different kinds of engrams. "Yeah, the armor numbers matter, you have to add them all up, then try to make them higher. More is better. Until you get to 100. Then it goes higher, but it doesn't matter." Quests, Triumphs, Collections, Inventory, Consumables, Challenges, Seals, Medals, etc. "Oh yeah, so you pretty much need a cell phone and third party websites to play, even if you want to find a group of other players or know if your postmaster is full."
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4 RepliesOnly the truly commited can understand the point of this game... I'm not one of them. The story line has becpme fractured to the point that everything we do appears to have no meaning. Coupled with an overwhelming mods that you need to have university degree to understand, the game has lot its "fun" factor (a long time ago).
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Edited by CRADLE MOUNTAIN: 1/12/2022 12:14:37 PMI’d stick with something simple yet fun enough like Far Cry 5 or 6. At least to start with. Destiny does not explain things well, if at all. Even then it’s normally vague. YouTube is used to tutor what the game should. Apps used for inventory management like the game should. I can understand your Dad’s frustration with this nonsense.