I finally decided to play Destiny 1 for the first time because D2 just isn’t cutting it atm. Here is my take: - I think I figured out why the portal feels bad to play. It doesn’t have context in most cases, and feels heartless. Traveling the solar system feels good. It makes you feel part of the world, instead of just navigating a menu. I’m literally doing a ton of the portal activities as missions right now in D1, and they feel way better because there is context and story behind them. - The tower and planets are alive and well with players. That was a surprise right out of the gate. - Power level maxes out at 40. No power grind like D2. I like it because you just focus on story missions. This is a plus and a minus imo because grinding has always been part of Destiny, but feels boring in D2 right now. - Lakshmi-2 in the tower is the same voice actress as the Conductor! Hmmmm… somehow a correlation, or just Bungie recycling? - It’s so much easier to be a new guardian in D1. It’s easy to figure out where to go and what to do next because of the leveling structure. Prob being a veteran of D2 helps as well. - So far, what I miss most is finishers, and exotics. I’m level 9 and haven’t found a single exotic weapon or armor yet. Not even a legendary item yet. I’ll be stoked when I finally get one. D2 beats D1 obviously in graphics and has smoother game play. Also the sheer chaos possible on the screen is unmatched. But what it lacks in shine, makes up for it in Lore, and story. All of a sudden, places I’ve travelled too 100 times in D2 make sense now. I’m enjoying it a lot.