May I offer an alternate perspective? I don't believe D2 is "inferior" to D1 at all. Different, yes, but not "worse." Barring "random rolls," the weapon system and quality/quantity of loot are superior - there are more archetypes, less repetition within those archetypes, and at least 1-2 builds of all major D1 options within those archetypes (PLUS rare/blue guns, which are often straight imports of D1 weapons with popular perks - e.g. the Hopscotch Pilgrim full-auto Pulse floating around, or the Fang-style Armillary PSu Scout [I'm running a 335 on my Hunter], or the Ill Will-style Ballyhoo HC). Along with the new subclass system, the new loot system requires players to CHOOSE how they want to play, rather than just picking an OP weapon that will make up for their lack of specialization. There's less "one size fits all," and more "think about your choices." If anything, it actually [u]increases[/u] player variety, specifically on the role-oriented side, if more players would take a moment to recognize that. A Ranged Hunter, for instance, benefits from running top-tree Nightstalker with Orpheus Rig, dual-Scouts, and a Sniper (using invis for rezzes and cover, rather than rushing CQ with Quickfang in PvP), where a CQ Hunter may benefit from running Crimson, Annual Skate, and a sword with Raiden Flux or Lucky Raspberry and bottom-tree Arcstrider to keep the grenades flowing and the Arc Staves connecting. I've yet to find a build that feels less satisfying than D1's builds, but I feel like the gameplay itself is more rewarding for playing TO those choices, rather than despite them. Rather than a "step backwards," I see D2 as moving the slider from "Casual" to "Normal" difficulty - weapons and abilities to a little less damage, enemies are a little stronger, there's opportunity for skilled Fireteams to split into specialized roles to offset the new damage mechanics. A good fireteam composed of a CQ player (usually Titan, Auto/HC + Shotgun), a mid/support player (usually Warlock, Pulse + Fusion/Rockets), and a ranged player (usually Hunter, Scout/HC + Sniper/LF) can tackle anything this game throws at them, and with style. As a solo player, I feel like the decisions I make about the weapons I use and the subclass trees I choose actually make a difference - as a solo player for the last 1/2-ish of D1, I never felt those decisions mattered, and being able to change them on-the-fly took away any sense of consequence for making the wrong decision. The only thing that mattered was "loot," and 95+% of that wasn't any good anyway. Raids and NFs are fun (if somewhat repetitive and time-consuming), and PvP is what it is - the thing D2 brings to the table is a greater diversity of PvE non-endgame activities. There are 57 Adventures to run daily (and chasing those 330 Adventure-specific Blues is a worthy dedication of time!), plus 72+ Challenges, Planet-specific gear sets to collect, and the fun of having a more diverse way to spend a few hours daily than D1's limitation of Patrol, Strikes, or PvP. As a D1 player, I often found myself straying to other games, picking up Fallout 4, Horizon:Zero Dawn, Far Cry 4, Skyrim, even going back to Halo:Reach a few times, because there just wasn't anything to DO - plenty to GET, not much to DO. And with D2, I've found myself thoroughly engaged every day with something new to do, pulling random guns out of the vault just to try them (and knowing I won't get boned by a "bad" roll), and enjoying the gunplay and gameplay themselves more than I ever did in D1. (If you've never run dual-SMGs or dual-Sidearms with a single-shot Grenade Launcher, you should do it for a day - might be surprised how much ridiculous, silly fun it can be.) I don't at all feel "D2 is worse than it should have been," I feel it's exactly what it is - a sequel, with changes. It's that simple. Those changes don't appeal to all, but not a single one of them has made me enjoy the game any less than D1. All games have change, it's up to the player to either adapt to them or choose not to like them. I've chosen to enjoy the game for what it is, and I'm enjoying the hell out of it. I agree that D2 is "better than many players say it is," but that's always a matter of opinion - I think the game moved in a direction that turned some people off ("random rolls" being a big one, for the looter-shooter kids), but also brought more RPG-oriented players who seek replayability for the gameplay itself into the fold. I guess time will tell whether that decision was the right one or not. Just my $0.02 - I've seen you pop up in a few other comment chains, you seem like a reasonably rational person so I thought it worth the time to express how "the other side" sees things. (Plus, I think you might find a lot about D2 to enjoy, if you accept it on its own merits - absent comparisons to anything else, it's really a quite remarkable game.)

Expect you'll take some crap for defending D2. Even I get accused of working for them because I offer a balanced stance instead of savage, mindless hate. However, I value your different perspective, obviously intelligently stated. And I did indeed find a lot about D2 to enjoy, even if I didn't really like some of the new mechanics.

Have been since I showed up around here - the way I see it, if everyone else feels compelled to fill this place with everything they dislike about the game, I'll keep reminding them that their opinion isn't the only one that exists. I realize I'm giving some people too much credit, but all the "Luke Smith?" comments, and the accusations of being a shill, apologist, or defender of Bungie, only show some of the arguments I keep making aren't easily dismissable. It's up to the player to make a game fun, and D2 did a reasonably good job of providing the tools to allow an enjoyable experience - it's up to the player to use those tools, just like any other game. Funny thing is, I don't even like Bungie all that much (don't dislike them, just completely indifferent about a bunch of people I don't know - I've played a few of their games, that's about it), and when I bought D2 I was expecting a semi-engaging experience much like D1 - play the campaign a few times, run some Strikes, maybe run a Raid or two, get my money's worth, and go back to Horizon or Skyrim. I came in with middling expectations, and found a game that stands up well on its own merits - still don't quite get where that makes me a "fanboy," just a customer that chose to enjoy a purchase. And when I'm ready to move on, it won't make me think any less of the game - I'm actually looking forward to getting "bored" with D2 so I can get back to some other games, but so far that hasn't happened. (Which, by Destiny Community logic, means all those other games are "broken" and "trash" or something...I kinda have a hard time discerning exactly what point they're trying to make most of the time.) Anyway, better get back to my side-job as a paid advocate for Bungie, Bethesda, Guerilla, Hello Games, and SquareSoft...I have a deal with all of them to play their games, and purchase them at standard market price like everyone else. So not really paid. Or advocacy.

And I'll get back to being periodically mistaken for Luke Smith.

😂 😂 😂 what planet are you from 😂 😂, how much do they pay you??, the game is crap that's why 8 million players left 😂 😂 😂 😂