I would very much like to escalate. (Destiny)

by cheapLEY , Monday, August 20, 2018, 18:35 (2223 days ago) @ CruelLEGACEY

Here’s the thing; in order for me to reach the point where I could casually jump into EP with a group of randos, I needed to treat D2 like a checklist for 3 solid months. Thats how long it took me to get my characters leveled to the point where the final waves of EP are not an absolute train wreck, while also acquiring the diverse range of gear needed to be able to slip into any group and fill a needed role. I’m totally with you when it comes to the desire to just float around the game and do whatever you’re in the mood to do. I LOVE Destiny when it gets to that point. I just can’t actually play that way in the true sense until after I’ve climbed the power ladder, and Bungie keeps making that climb longer and slower with each release.

I'm with you there, too! It wasn't that long ago that I made a post saying that the soft cap system is complete shit. Hell, I've made the argument that power levels add basically nothing worthwhile to the game anyway.

I know they've made the climb even longer in Forsaken, and I'm curious to see how that will play out. The problem isn't necessarily the time it takes to climb, the problem is that in Warmind, there weren't enough steps on the ladder. As long as there is a steady stream of content that opens up as you make the power climb, and don't have to rely on repeating the same activities for weekly milestones to get to the next step, I'll be okay.

Escalation Protocol is a perfect example of how to botch that, I think. It feels so obvious that EP could have been built to facilitate that climb, rather than just being available at the end of it. It could have scaled so much better, with most people only being able to get through Wave 1 for a week, with it actually having drops that give you more power, so you can make it through Wave 2 the next week, which leads to drops that will allow you to get through Wave 3, etc. It seems like a no-brainer.

I just want a clear path to max level, without having to farm weekly milestones for weeks to get there.

While I don't feel like they've been super clear about it (even in that meaty update from a few weeks ago), I get the impression that the climb to max level might be longer, but also more steady (like it was in The Taken King). That seems like an okay middle ground, at least.

I'm still not even at 380 on any of my characters on either platform, because at a certain point, I got tired of chasing the milestones every week. It is a shit system. Just let me do what I want, Bungie.

That said, reaching max level has never meant much of anything in Destiny. Nothing in the game has ever required max level (Prestige raids, I guess, which I don't particularly care about). 3 manning Escalation Protocol would require it, too, but I've never felt like I was under powered or useless being in the mid-to-upper 370s in our big group.