Bungie cannot help but make the game as complex as possible, as if the appeal was in being as hard to unwrap as a hermetically sealed clamshell package with about 3 security devices latched on it. I remember starting out in Shadowkeep and being fairly lost to Armor Stats, Weapon Rolls, and the gameplay in general but I couldn't even fathom starting now, I'd probably drop the game within an hour and get a refund. Not asking for "yellow paint" or annoying/persistent objective dialogue, just make it easier for new players to pick up any weapon and armor and not have to do calculus to figure out what their next steps are, as the bare minimum. It really doesn't need 12 modifiers engaged for us to feel anything while we parkour over 50 enemies in a cramped room. Will that be "boring" to some? Possibly, if you are a long time player, but difference is that they should be knowledgeable enough to take steps down to meet the challenge rather than newer players having to climb a massive mountain.

As a returning player on a new account, I can say that they need to simplify game access and makle timelines clear on what to play "in sequence". The Onboarding for this game is a convoluted mess. And all this endless currency and do dads really have to go. All this unecessary hogwash between gearing up and goin on missions has gotten completely out of hand. More menus than a Dennys in here.

“ARC Raiders” fill in all those gaps. I care less about the game voice actors, they eventually get replaced.

I agree as a new to any game i bumbled thru this along the way found help from others. But in my case i didnt know any other game so i didnt know this was different. Maybe the aim to build a community with others to survive. But some out there are too driven to help new players. But others are very helpful.

They should start publicly listing the gamer tags of people they’ve supposedly banned for cheating and the clans they’re affiliated with. Cause honestly I dont believe theyve ever banned a single one.

People aren't coming back in numbers. They moved on. I see it firsthand with my old clan.

[quote]ALSO: former players would return if we could access and play the story modes that we paid for. I would love to campaign the storyline from start to finish again. Red war and beyond[/quote] They'd return for a week at most, then leave because this game isn't very good.

Thing is, that's what the Portal was meant to do: Log in, select an activity, get straight to playing. No worrying about the over world map, no trying to demystify the symbols next to planets, no wondering about how to get pinnacle gear or what expansion is the newest, just drop in and play. I'm all for more simplification, assuming we can keep the nuance and the detail oriented build crafting, but the question is [i]how?[/i] Because the how matters. The Portal was a simplification of the over world and people hated it for all that it removed and changed, now player counts are at all time lows. So the question is [i]how[/i] should systems be simplified, and how can it be done in a way that doesn't turn off long time players?

[quote]Simplify the game. We convinced a friend to join D2. His career is with software / tech. He played one night WITH OUR GUIDANCE and felt it was too complicated. Things that we take for granted (easy) because we know the game - understanding armor, mods, weapons, weapon perks, etc were too complicated to understand (as a new player). I can’t imagine how he would feel if we weren’t helping. The game takes a major commitment to play (the grind). It is not casual player friendly. Battlefield and COD are simplified games. You log in. You play. Make fun of it if you want, but they are dominating the scene right now (PvP). Casual players are spending money buying and playing them. ALSO: former players would return if we could access and play the story modes that we paid for. I would love to campaign the storyline from start to finish again. Red war and beyond…[/quote] I wish this post would reach the decision makers at Bungie. Perhaps someone would do something about it and save this great game