In defense of secrecy (Destiny)

by Kermit , Raleigh, NC, Friday, November 11, 2022, 15:47 (749 days ago) @ cheapLEY

I just don’t think secret missions or puzzles are the thing that’s missing, although I can see why so many people think so. Destiny has been pretty rote for years now. The seasonal model seems to working for them, and there are things to like about it, but it seems like it has them stuck in a rut a little bit. There aren’t surprises any more. We now thoroughly understand the cadence of Destiny, and people missing secret stuff is a desire to see that routine change in some way. I agree with that desire, I just don’t think it has to be a secret thing. A season not built around grinding the main playlists so I can in turn grind the season playlist to then unlock the weekly mission would be enough.

Back in the DeeJ era, Bungie used to advertise Destiny as a "living world" in which you could explore and discover the "secrets of the golden age." The story missions reflected this. I love the moment when the Archive doors start to open, shaking the ivy that's grown over them, and seconds later you hear, mysteriously, "Welcome, Dr. Shim...." That excitement wore off with repetitions, but what made the Whisper of the Worm mission so great was it renewed the perception that this worlds of Destiny had surprises has unexplored depths. It's just a great feeling to experience unexpected content.

Destiny isn't the first game that had its secrets leaked with data mining (Hello, New Alexandria!), and it's a tough problem, but for me unexpected, unadvertised events help Destiny be the game it was supposed to be.