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In the recent Destiny 2 Showcase, Bungie showed off news that will forever change the MMO. Among other plans for the final expansion, Destiny 2: The Final Shape, Bungie also announced their plans for the series following this. In 2024, Destiny 2 will do away with the normal season structure in favor of a new episode-based formula. While this may not sound like a huge adjustment, it should completely change the way content is delivered to Destiny 2. Being so far into the game’s lifetime, it’s hard to get used to any major new changes. However, based on Destiny 2’s previous failings, this episodic structure may just be what it needs to survive.
What Is Destiny 2’s Episodic Structure?
In years past, Destiny 2 provided new content through seasons. Usually, each year would be split into four seasons, providing a smaller drip-feed of content between each expansion. However, the episodic structure will completely adjust this. Starting in 2024, players will instead have three episodes per year, each with three acts. These are said to be content-filled and provide a much more substantial experience than previous Seasons. Additionally, these episodes will tell self-contained stories that are easy to follow. Bungie has already announced the names of the first years’ worth of Episodes, which are titled Echoes, Revenant, and Heresy. The first of these should start by following the consequences of Destiny 2: The Final Shape.
Episodes Bring Slower And Self-Contained Content To Destiny 2
One interesting thing to note about these episodes is the focus on more frequent story beats. With the previous big bursts of storytelling through expansions, it can be difficult to keep players interested in Destiny 2 after the expansion is over. However, if the Episodes deliver more frequent content as they promise, this may help the series retain its much-needed player base. Although it’s currently difficult to tell, the Episodes may end up providing more content in the long run, giving players more Destiny 2 experiences over the years. Each Act will also further expand on the episode giving even more content and rewards. Though some players may like the bursts of content of previous years, Destiny 2 wants to make a steady stream over time.
On top of this, the new structure of Destiny 2’s episodes seems to be a more friendly system for new and returning players. Rather than needing to play through content chronologically, like before, these new updates will all be self-contained stories that are easy to follow for all players. This tactic may be an attempt to get more players back into the game. With a dwindling player base, it’s hard for players who haven’t played in years to hop back in. However, this new Destiny 2 episodes system seems to want to give players a starting point to jump into the series.
In the end, with such little information, it can be hard to make a clear decision about Destiny 2’s episodes. T nature of the self-contained stories and three act structure of content should be great for new and returning players. The episodes will give these players a great starting point to get into the game. Hopefully, as more content releases, it’ll be a bit easier to tell. For now, however, it seems like Destiny 2’s episode structure was a smart change to make and one that guarantees it will have a future after the Light and Darkness saga comes to an end.
