One ofDestiny 2’s biggest strengths is that it’s hard for the game to become stale, and that happens thanks to the many seasons that launch throughout a year, as well as annual expansions like last year’s Beyond Light and the upcoming The Witch Queen. This is not the only reason, however, but there is another important factor to seasons and yearly releases when it comes toDestiny 2, as the game often goes through big sandbox changes and several meta revolutions. An example comes from the upcoming release of the30th Anniversary Pack on December 7, which will be accompanied by a major sandbox update set to drastically change the state of the game with a shift in how abilities and Supers work, as well as plenty of item buffs and nerfs.
Every time something like this occurs, the whole meta in both PvE and PvP has to adjust and undergo alterations that will make the game more diverse for a while. Themeta inDestiny 2is something many players look up to in all game modes, meaning that many Guardians will end up adhering to it in some form because the very definition of “metagame” is to offer the highest level of strategy and power within a game, which makes sense. If a specific loadout or a few items or even abilities are meta, it means that they are often the strongest options at the moment. However, following the meta is not necessarily a good thing.
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Destiny 2’s PvE Meta and Seasonal Mods
The meta forDestiny 2’s PvE is often dictated by seasonal mods and how strong or useful they are, as well as if they require specific weapon archetypes to be triggered or not. A great example comes fromseasonal mods like Breach and Clear and Particle Deconstruction, as they both granted so much extra DPS potential to a specific weapon archetype that players are sort of forced to use it if they want to succeed as much as their peers. Breach and Clear turned grenade launchers into extremely potent weapons for an entire season, even though some of them already were, like Anarchy and Salvager’s Salvo, and it was especially powerful because grenade launchers come in every slot - Kinetic, Special, and Heavy.
The same principle holds true forParticle Deconstructionand fusion rifles, which were never in a better spot than they are now in Season of the Lost, as they can enjoy a very valuable 40% damage increase thanks to the seasonal mod. The problem with this superimposed meta is that some players might feel like they must use what is currently the best option in the game, but that doesn’t mean that using those guns or loadouts feels as good for every single person. In fact, many weapons and abilities inDestiny 2can be exceptionally good in the hands of a skilled player, but most players tend to be very skilled with a handful of weapons or abilities, not all of them.
Because all weapon archetypes andabilities are so fundamentally different inDestiny 2it’s nearly impossible to excel at every single thing in PvE. Thus, players who follow the meta for more DPS and more optimal choices might be shooting themselves in the foot because they don’t really like using grenade launchers or fusion rifles, but they feel compelled to. Maybe they prefer using hand cannons and sniper rifles, and they might be doing much better than - or as better as - someone using meta options because those loadouts are what truly works for them. Furthermore, games should also be about what players have fun with, rather than what’s effective, and that’s another very important point when it comes to the meta.
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Destiny 2’s PvP Meta and Sandbox Patches
Destiny 2’s PvPis not too dissimilar in terms of general subscription to the meta, but in PvP what determines the best options are sandbox changes rather than seasonal mods. With sandbox patches, Bungie can dramatically transform the essence of a gun, an item, or ability, and that happens thanks to a set of changes that either improve the way those things perform or aggravate its weaknesses to make them less powerful. The current meta inDestiny 2’s PvP is about a handful of weapon archetypes and a few Exotic guns or armor pieces to complement the build and make it stronger.
For example, some of the most used weapons inTrials of Osirisare shotguns, which can one-shot players if used at short range for pellet shotguns or medium to long-range for slug shotguns, and sniper rifles, which can one-shot players with an aimed headshot. Another popular option is to use hand cannons to fill in as a primary weapon, considering there is a limited amount of Special ammunition inDestiny 2PvP matches. However efficient it might be to use these weapons, the meta can often define how well some players perform in terms of their KD ratio, for better or for worse.
Destiny 2players willing to get into PvP more might feel compelled once again to resort to the meta options as they go, but that can be even more harmful in PvP than it is in PvE. This is because PvP targets are not AI, and players should feel good about using their weapons and abilities before taking on other players. What this means is that using a sidearm and an auto rifle might seem like the worst possible combination to some players, but to others, it might be the best loadout they ever tried. Ultimately,Destiny 2players shouldn’t feel discouraged to try new combinations out because one of the game’s most important values is to let everyone play it as they please.
Destiny 2is available for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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