Summary
A lot is changing inDestiny 2’s next chapter, The Edge of Fate. Now that the Light and Darkness Saga has wrapped up, there is a new mystery to unveil, and it’s all about the Nine. Landing on Kepler, the mysterious planetoid infused with dark matter, the very energy of the Nine, Guardians will come face to face with their new fate, and maybe eventually, they will leave Earth behind for good.
Naturally, an expansion that marks an entirely new story arc is going to change the narrative a lot, but that isn’t all that’s changing. A lot of olderDestiny 2mechanics are being reworked, improved, and even removed. Overall, these changes have been received well, asDestinyhas struggled to keep its loot chase feeling fresh for a little while now, but there’s one change in particular that’s sure to make Guardians happy and settle a debate once and for all.
The Edge of Fate and Future Destiny 2 Expansions Will Not Include Dungeon Keys
One of the more controversial elements to emerge from the year of content followingThe Witch Queenwas Dungeon Keys. Quickly becoming a staple for the following few years, Dungeon Keys were not well received, giving many players a sense that Bungie was slicing content off to resell it back to them. Other players were less critical, noticing that the frequency of Dungeons and the relative quality of them made the keys worth it.
Prior to The Witch Queen, Dungeon Keys did not exist, as Bungie had only released four dungeons up to that point. Shattered Throne and Pit of Heresy came as part of their respective expansions, while Prophecy was attached to Season of Arrivals, andGrasp of Avaricecame with the 30th Anniversary Pack. It wasn’t always clear who could play what, either, as the expansion content dungeons required their DLC to be purchased, but Prophecy was free-to-play, despite coming with Arrivals.
Bungie tried to iron this confusion out withDungeon Keys, promising to deliver Dungeons on a regular cadence, but for a small entry fee. They would arrive with every other season during a year of content, and players would need to purchase the keys or the full year of seasons up front to access them.
Destiny 2’s expansion structure has changed significantly over the years due to repurposing old expansions as packs.
This created a bit of a mess, however, as there was now content that was clearly associated with a season, but not included in it. Many fans had trouble judging the quality ofDestiny 2’s seasonsbecause of this, as there was always some confusion about whether a dungeon could be included in the overall package. Simultaneously, it hurt the new player experience, as many new lights were not aware of the keys at all, and often felt they had been persuaded into spending more money than was expected.
For theYear of Prophecy, Bungie has simplified the expansion structure significantly, making expansions the only content that players need to pay for anymore, removing excess purchases such as seasons, episodes, or keys. Overall, this kind of simplification is a good move for the game, as it simplifies things for all players and removes the feeling that content was taken away, only to be sold separately. It would appear that with the recent announcements regardingDestiny 2’s future, Bungie is actively taking steps to re-engage players who may have fallen off after the Witness was defeated, and stripping away controversial aspects like Dungeon Keys is one of the best things it could do.
