In a reversal of their previous decision, Bungie, the developer of Destiny 2, has abandoned the controversial gear sunsetting feature introduced in 2020. This change imposed power level limits on weapons and armor, restricting their use in high-level endgame activities. The intention was to prompt players to try out new gear regularly, but it faced heavy backlash from the player community.
In early 2021, Bungie made changes to address negative feedback. The studio stated that new weapons would no longer have power-level restrictions. However, existing weapons that had already been sunset remained limited, making a portion of players’ arsenals unusable in the most challenging content. This was obviously a really bad thing to do since you couldn’t keep your favorite weapons.
Bungie has decided to abolish weapon sunsetting in anticipation of the release of the major expansion, The Final Shape. This decision accompanies the introduction of the Fireteam Power system, which is aimed at facilitating gameplay for players at varying power levels. Bungie cited potential conflicts with the new system for abolishing older power caps.
The decision to bring back older weapons has been met with a mixed reception. Gear that had been sidelined can now once again be used in Destiny 2’s most challenging activities. However, some players are unhappy with the timing of this decision (thanks, Eurogamer). They had dismantled their sunset weapons, assuming they were no longer useful, and now have no way to retrieve them. You can check the comments of the tweet above for specific examples.
Bungie has promised to offer ways to obtain the old gear again, but this doesn’t make up for the specific items and customization some players have already lost. Bungie shouldn’t have introduced Sunsetting; it is a way to make people try new weapons and things, but it’s also a way to make players lose weapons they care about. The only winner is the developer because players are forced to get the newer weapons the developer puts out. The player did not win in this situation.
Reversing it should have been done years ago, and now Destiny 2 has earned more ire from its fanbase. Still, a step in the right direction is always good. Let’s hope more positive steps are made.
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