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Our recent visit to Bungie provided us with hours of hands-on impressions detailed in this month’s magazine cover story, and one of the major changes we learned about is a new approach to leveling. Players earn XP by killing monsters, completing missions, and turning in bounties, as has always been the case, but that experience now feeds directly into your level progression all the way from 1 to the new level cap of 40.
Meanwhile, weapons and armor continue to provide increased power to your character, with new gear unlocking for use as you level up. “The conflation of gear and character level led to this place where your identity was determined by things outside of your control,” says creative director Luke Smith. “We don’t want to do that.”
We were also told that Destiny’s loot system will now pay closer attention to the loot you have already received when determining an appropriate drop, so that players will more consistently receive armor and weapons that provide meaningful power growth, items that vary their gear slot from one drop to the next, and fewer drops of items that a player has already attained.
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The NorthGhost, Leveling revamp and the previously-announced Questification of content will apply to all of Destiny in the 2.0 update
— Luke Smith (@thislukesmith) https://twitter.com/thislukesmith/status/628607635495890944
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The NorthGhost, Leveling revamp and the previously-announced Questification of content will apply to all of Destiny in the 2.0 update — Luke Smith (@thislukesmith) https://twitter.com/thislukesmith/status/628607635495890944
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Our recent visit to Bungie headquarters confirmed what many fans have suspected for some time. Older legendary armor and weapons from across Destiny’s first year are not set to progress in power as Year Two begins. Simultaneously, dozens of new weapons and armor pieces are entering the game in an effort to revitalize the collection and discovery experience of the game.
Based on our time with the game, strong Year-One gear will serve players well for the opening hours of The Taken King, but new weaponry and armor will rapidly replace older items, both because of interesting new perks, but also for increased attack or defense values. The change also resets the gear progression flow through new Taken King-tier white, green, blue, and purple gear, providing meaningful distinctions between new items as you level up through the new content.
While Destiny has never strictly been considered an MMO, this approach for Year-Two gear echoes common practice in the MMO genre, including games like World of Warcraft or Final Fantasy XIV. Even so, it remains to be seen if fans are open to experimenting with the new arsenal if it means leaving old favorites behind.
“I definitely feel like some of our players are ready to play with some new toys,” says creative director Luke Smith. “And we’ve built a whole bunch of new toys. There are definitely some weapons that you are going to find better versions of – there’s going to be something that replaces that sniper rifle that you love.”