Wasn't 3 years ago when they said they wanted Destiny 2 to be a "Collectathon" or something like that? I remember them mentioning it when Forsaken came out, but I don't remember if 3 years ago was that time or not. That said, it's not impossible to make a looter shooter with quality social aspects. I think Bungie could have a better social experience if the social spaces actual felt more social and less hub. I find it confusing, if not impossible to see what direction they're taking, because everything they do with the game just feels like buying time for the major expansions. Half of their updates are fixes to exploits that make playing more convenient, and a quarter of them are nerfs that only the most hardcore players (or Bungie themselves, because "and by we, I mean I") ever thought were necessary. It feels like Destiny has been struggling to find its identity for years now, and each time something improves, a few other things go down the drain in exchange for it.

[quote]Wasn't 3 years ago when they said they wanted Destiny 2 to be a "Collectathon" or something like that?[/quote] No. That was five years ago, right before the disastrous release of vanilla Destiny 2. The vision of what that game was going to be shifted dramatically once they realized that vanilla D2 was a failure. There was a major (middle) management shake-up at Bungie. The people who wanted it to be a PVP focused game were driven out, and the "action-MMO" faction took over the game, and took over the company. [quote]I find it confusing, if not impossible to see what direction they're taking, because everything they do with the game just feels like buying time for the major expansions[/quote] Because you're trying to make the game fit YOUR expectations, rather than seeing how the changes fit what Bungie is trying to do. Don't feel bad bacause lots of people are doing that....and most of them are confused and unhappy with the game. Bungie, over the last 3 years, has been VERY open about what it is they want to do with this game. The problem is that many people don't really listen...and don't try to understand. Bungie is trying to make this game into a hybrid of a looter-shooter....and an MMO/RPG. Bungie has the shooter part down. They are trying to fix the loot part of the game....and expand the MMO-RPG elements. When looked at from the point of view of what Bungie says they wish to accomplish, the changes that they've made since Shadowkeep make perfect sense. The issue is that many people have their own agendas, and want Bungie to tailor the game to their own preferences...so they get frustrated with the game and with Bungie. Despite Bungie repeatedly telling them what they will do....and then (surprise) doing it.

They're telling us one thing and doing another. They say they want to expand the MMORPG elements but the game has only gotten LESS social. We've gotten more activities like Dares of Eternity and Wellspring with difficulties that can't be played without premade teams. The dungeons have been getting more and more complex in terms of where communication is required. They've made loot even harder to obtain, so with them trying to get that looter shooter part down, they're actively ruining the looting experience. I know it's MY opinion, but I think loot is best when it's made to be obtainable. We have what, 40 lost sectors but only a reason to play 1 a day? If they limited the pool of exotics by sector, we could have a reason to grind whichever one has the 3-4 exotics that we're after. And with there being no timer on Legendaries resetting, there'd be less pressure to say "I have to do this today or wait til next week." There would also be something closer to a guaranteed way to get the exotic you want WITH the stats you want. Etc. As for the action part, I still think Bungie needs help in that department. The shooting is nearly perfect, but it's been that way for the better part of 7 years now, so it's not like they've made any progress on that front. The action has been samey as well. Similar enemies that fight in similar ways, die in similar ways, make similar noises, and move/react with similar patterns. Throw in some relics that you either slam the ground to shoot projectiles, throw or dunk to explode, or swing like a sword. That's the formula and it hasn't changed. Best thing they added was the new buff system with the 3.0 versions of each class.