I have mentioned this repeatedly, but I'll sum it up with by saying this, "Destiny was never terrible, but had so much potential that was never reached and I choose to look past it and play an amazing game; then it suffered a slow death by a thousand cuts (read "nerfs")."
Some of my observations:
Year 1 (Vanilla) was grindy, but rewarded you well for your effort and everything seemed relevant even if it was considered overpowered, but everything was based as a PvE game. Year 1 also had enemies that had a lot of health so powerful weapons were a must! Perks on weapons and gear also provided useful benefits and made you think about what to equip.
Year 1 also was a great introduction into the Destiny universe even if the story (what story?) was lacking. The lore was terrific, but was mostly left out only really being present in Grimoire cards. Most people looked past it and played the game for what it was, even if it felt incomplete. (I bought half a game?)
The Dark Below added more, but also added a lot less with the first real nerfs to auto-rifles and fusions. The overall experience was fun, but was frustrating in the fact that it really only added a quick Raid and exotics had to be upgraded again.
The House of Wolves brought everything together in a neat bow by allowing everything to be upgraded and made relevant. PvP and PvE both were relevant as well and Trials arrived which was fun, but also showed the beginning of a trend of PvP focus. The enemies and weapons all felt solid, but the addition of a semi-horde mode felt lackluster even though it was different.
Year 2 The Taken King, finally brought a good big bad and more quality lore. It made Year 1 irrelevant with the mandatory retirement of hard earned gear, which felt like a betrayal. Exotics became a dime a dozen and besides being unique became less useful than legendaries.
Infusion was nice, but flawed. Elemental primaries were removed for balance purposes, but only contributed to rewards from activities feeling underwhelming. Besides the oppressive atmosphere that accompanied Oryx, the lack of direction on Bungie's part only contributed to player frustration.
Finally Year 3 arrived, the so titled Rise of Iron which finally got something right with story and relatable characters, but it came across as too little, too late. It also felt short and a rehash of ideas that didn't make it into the other expansions.
Weapon balance only lead to further nerfs based around PvP making PvE suffer as a result. Friends that once played seemed to disappear and weapons felt worthless. The icing on the cake should have been becoming an Iron Lord, but even that was unrewarding.
Destiny 2 is around the corner as well Age of Triumph, but by this time I feel a little "meh" about everything, even if Bungie has "fixed" every little problem... I just wish this wasn't the case...
Sorry for the text wall! Just voicing my opinions, for the record... Thanks for reading, Guardians!
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Agreed. I, too still love this game.