Destiny 2 is once again at a crossroads. With the announcement of shifting teams and the rollback of major changes like sunsetting, it’s anybody’s guess how the game is going to evolve over the next year. For me, the big question is how Bungie can make Destiny feel like more of a living world. The fundamentals of the game are as tight as ever, owing to Bungie’s mastery of the FPS genre, but it’s become painfully apparent to me lately that despite moving towards becoming an MMO, there just isn’t much to Destiny beyond shooting. That’s a shame, because the world laid out in the visual design and lore is an incredible place. So, here are a few things that would go a long way towards making loading up the game feel like actually participating in the world of Destiny.

1. Private Spaces

We got an instanced staging zone with the H.E.L.M. this season, which provides a lot of convenient features in one place. But there was really no reason why things like the War Table, the Umbral Decoder, and Crow couldn’t have been in other parts of the city. If we’re going to continue down this path, though, why not give players private spaces they can truly call their own? Imagine having a little apartment in the City that your guardian could return to between missions to check your postmaster, store items in your vault, or even just relax with your friends. Throw in the ability to place mementos of your various exploits around the room — like at Elsie Bray’s camp on Europa — and our Guardians would feel much more like people and less like mobile gun platforms.

Destiny 2

2. Emote Wheels

Simple. Easy. But I constantly forget about all of my emotes, and being able to use them on the fly rather than only being able to bind four at a time would open up a lot of expressive possibilities.

3. Side Activities

Destiny is first and foremost about shooting, which is fine because it’s a lot of fun. But bringing in some other activities would help the world feel more complete. Even other combat-focused titles like Warframe offer activities like fishing, hunting, raising pets, crafting, racing, and more. Bring back Sparrow League Racing, or let us pet a War Beast, or even just add an underground arm-wrestling contest run by Amanda Holliday.

Destiny 2

4. More Dialogue

The first time I played Destiny 2 this season, I approached Crow in the H.E.L.M. There he was, decked out in his mask and new outfit, actually in the Last City. What did he have to say to me? Nothing. It’s awkward to go up to characters in the Tower — characters our Guardians have been through so much with — and have interacting with them produce a screen that reduces them to an empty quest vending machine. Have them recap the Red War, tell us about something they’ve been working on, anything. Speak to me, Ikora!

5. Romance Mechanics

What if we kissed in the Drifter’s stinky basement? Just kidding… unless…?

5 Things That Would Make Destiny Feel More Alive

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