Destiny 2 Subclasses — Rework Design

Note: This is speculative. I like to think about the behind-the-scenes process, but I have no personal window into what goes on at Bungie.

I think one of the trickiest things to navigate in the game design space, at least as far as AAA studio games go, is community response to change and how to go about implementing change without a massive negative backlash. Something I've seen said often and by many people is that "players often don't know what they want". It shouldn't be a player's job to propose changes, and it is in fact not their job. Most players do not understand tech debt, how much a new feature might require of multiple development teams, or the general cost of things even if they seem trivial at surface level. And so, as I've seen many developers say the following (roughly):

Feedback should tell developers how you feel. Why do you like or dislike this aspect of the game? Don't tell us how to fix it — that's our job; tell us why it is or isn't working for you.

The "why it is or isn't working" answer can take a variety of forms, and this is largely dependent on that part of the game's context. Is an economic system too costly? Does acquiring something in game feel random and unattainable, or does it feel too deterministic? Generally this all boils down to am I, as a player, having fun?

I think the approach to design must be especially tricky at Bungie because of how volatile the community can be at times. Subclass changes are rolling out, quality of life changes are constantly being made, new PvP modes added, new seasonal gameplay loops, the works. It's a constantly evolving game, and that brings some unavoidable negatives. There will always be players against change. And in the most recent case, with the Solar subclass rework, this came to a head with Warlocks specifically. Disclosure: I play all three classes, but I main Titan.

Prior to the subclass reworks, picking a jump, grenade, and subclass branch was as far as build customization went. Sure you could swap out your exotic armor piece, but there was only moderate synergy between the subclass build and the exotic. Generally the exotic armor would do its thing, and the subclass would benefit. Now you can be specific with your build choices. You can delve into niches, and I'm sure with the way the current subclass rework is being developed there's intent to add aspects and fragments in the future after Arc receives its update.

But this change came with consequences. How do you condense a class & subclass identity such that it is highly customizable but still distinctly, for instance, Warlock? I think the way Bungie has gone about this is quite clever:

1. Titans specialize in melees. Stasis has a sliding uppercut aspect; Void received a shield throw melee; and Solar has a sliding uppercut/slam aspect.

2. Warlocks specialize in grenades. Stasis has a turret grenade aspect; Void and Solar both have an overcharged grenade aspect.

3. Hunters specialize in neutral game. Stasis has a dive, slow dodge, and grenade upgrade aspect; Void has an invisibility dive & dodge; Solar has an empowering dodge and a bunch of basic melees.

While there's definitely some overlap I didn't include, this is how I generally view the classes and I'm sure this trend will continue with Arc.

The consequence, following the above design philosophy, was that Warlocks lost a lot of their mobility, and healing became ubiquitous between classes. Everyone has access to healing grenades now, and Icarus Dash & Phoenix Dive aren't as available as they once were. I'm sure this is in part for balancing, specifically PvP balancing, but I can't help but notice that the mobility nerfs line up with having Warlock's focus be on grenades over neutral — Hunter's specialty.

But I'm more than 100% positive that designers at Bungie knew the community wouldn't like the nerfs to solar Warlock mobility. With less confidence I'd say that making healing grenades ubiquitous was also a change they thought would be received poorly, at least by Well of Radiance mains (no one likes getting their toes stepped on). I'm sure they're aware of almost all design decisions having wide-ranging impact, and can predict community response with a good amount of accuracy. So why go against community wishes? Why develop things that might be received poorly? I'd say there are at least two reasons why:

1. Experimentation: for growing the game; expanding and introducing new things for players to learn and master

2. My quote earlier: players often don't know what they want

I used to think #2 was preachy at best, condescending at worst, but I generally agree with it now. A great example of this, and one of the reasons I agree, is the entirety of the FromSoftware 'souls' lineup. Demon's Souls was largely panned when it released and didn't see success until much later in its life. It was remade as one of the PS5's launch titles. Why? They stuck to their design decisions, iterated on them, and captured an audience that now adores their philosophy. They were willing to experiment with things that could be (or were) received poorly.

I'm not saying that Destiny 2 development has stuck to a singular philosophy over its lifespan. It certainly started out with a drastically different direction than where Destiny 1 ended. What I am saying, though, is that Destiny 2's development is an iterative process. Things improve with time — trial and error. I think most players fail to see beyond the immediate future, and their present enjoyment of what there is. I know plenty don't understand the concept of "taking a break"; I used to be one of those people. But now, I look at the bedrock that the subclass rework is providing for the future of the game. I can see how the developers intend to iterate, improve, and introduce things into the system. It's such a massive step forward for the game in terms of player expression, and so when solar Warlocks have their mobility options weakened, I can't help but examine those changes through a wide lens and see them as part of a larger shift towards focused design goals for each class. Maybe I'm off base here, but it seems like a reasonable assumption.

These changes also represent a move to deeper game systems through complex build crafting. After these base systems have settled, before any future aspects and fragments (assuming they will exist) are added, I'm sure we'll see plenty of expressive and powerful builds tailored to all sorts of player preferences. Personally, I'm having a lot of fun with a Solar Titan build using Severance Enclosure & the Consecration aspect. That alternate melee bangs. Literally.