Releasing on May 23, Season of the Deep will bring a laundry list of requested features and new content toDestiny 2, chief among them a change in philosophy to Bungie’s Power Level progression system. With the new season keeping the Pinnacle Power Level unchanged, the subsequent grind through Season of the Deep forDestiny 2is becoming untethered from a static, arguably arbitrary number, replaced with a more meaningful sense of progression.
Destiny 2has gone through many ups and downs, with Bungie diligent in its wack-a-mole approach to bug fixes, addressing feedback, and expanding its premier live-service title. The release ofLightfall brought many changes toDestiny 2, reaching its highest active player count on Steam. Although myriad issues remain, the fan base is largely optimistic as the game sets up its conclusion to the decade-spanning Light and Darkness saga. With Season of the Deep releasing at the end of May,Destiny 2’s millions of fans are eager to dive into the latest iteration of Bungie’s seasonal content model.
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Between leaks and official press releases from Bungie, much of whatSeason of the Deep has in store forDestiny 2is a known quantity. Coming on the Tuesday reset of May 23, Season of the Deep will include new and reworked Subclass Fragments and Aspects, balance changes, a fresh 100-tier battle pass, a new Dungeon, new and returning weapons, a seasonal Pinnacle Activity, the continuance of the Lightfall story and questline, and much more. Typically, a new season forDestiny 2means a bump to the max Power Level that players can achieve, though Season of the Deep will upend that pattern, keeping the hard-capped Power Level at 1800. While some lament Bungie’s new stance, its application sounds like it will be amazing for the health of the game long-term.
How An Unchanged Power Level Cap Makes Destiny 2 Much Better
With the Power Level staying put for now, the need for Pinnacle Engrams lessens for Guardians, and to replace those Pinnacle rewards will be Powerful Exotic Engrams. This opens the door for players to grind for breadth instead of height, in a sense, as variety in Guardian builds and min-maxing multiple load-outs takes the focus away from having to chip away at a static number. There are multiple long-requested benefits to this shift in philosophy, and it opens the door to Bungie’s alleged desire to eventuallyremoveDestiny 2’s Power Level systemaltogether.
Exotic Engrams inDestiny 2are a hot commodity, even for players who have been at it since launch. Now that Exotics are replacing Pinnacle Engrams as rewards for certain activities, the ability for build crafting expands significantly, with more opportunities to find a high-rolled Exotic armor piece to create viable builds for any situation. What would previously require endless grinding of Legendary Lost Sectors can be gained through a more uniform approach to the game, feeding players Exotics through the normal seasonal grind.
Bungie is showing how adept it has become atDestiny 2’s fluid, live-service model, as its systems are fine-tuned and the game becomes the vision that the studio set out to create. With Season of the Deep’s unchanged Power Level cap, two nagging issues from beforeDestiny 2’s mid-season patchare being solved in one fell swoop. Grinding to the Pinnacle cap and grinding relevant high-rolled Exotic Engrams are two chores now condensed to one that is less of a chore and more just the natural progression of the game. While the verdict will remain out until the actual release of Season of the Deep, there is a great deal of optimism surrounding the upcoming changes toDestiny 2.
Destiny 2is available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
