Though plagued with problems from launch, Destiny was and is a wildly popular game. It could be frustrating for Guardians to reach that max Light level, but thousands of players would still log in each day to run strikes, compete in the Crucible, and earn the gear necessary to progress their characters. Clearly, Bungie had done something right, even when so much of what Destiny delivered felt wrong for a high-profile, AAA video game.Those initial missteps, however, only work in Destiny 2's favor, highlighting just how much Bungie has improved with their sophomore effort at blending first-person shooter gameplay with the mechanics more often found in MMORPGs. Destiny 2 only released on consoles this week (the PC edition is out October 24) and already it's better than Destiny 1. Its predecessor may not have set a real high bar, but the ways in which Bungie has improved on Destiny 1 demonstrate that the developers have been paying close attention to players' gripes.What's most obvious from starting up Destiny 2 is that there's a story here worth telling. Right from the get go, Guardians find the Tower -- a social space which had more or less been home for players in Destiny 1 -- under attack by a new and powerful Cabal faction called the Red Legion. It's the same introductory mission as was featured in Destiny's 2 open beta and it still does a great job of setting up the game's campaign. With the Tower in ruins, the Guardians stripped of all their gear and powers, and the Vanguard leaders scattered throughout the galaxy, Destiny 2 kicks off with some surprisingly high stakes.Dominus Ghaul, leader of the Red Legion, has come to Earth to steal the Traveler's Light in hopes of giving himself and his armies the very ability that makes Guardians so special -- resurrection. He's a straightforward villain with a clear motivation, striking yet another contrast to Destiny 1's mostly bland villains whose evil plans were never thoroughly explained. Swapping Ghaul in for "the Darkness" gives players a conflict to feel invested in, making it a personal vendetta rather than some all-encompassing fight between the light and the dark.To wage war again the Red Legion, players' Guardians must seek out new allies and regain their connection to the Light -- something which does happen relatively quick. This fast turnaround does somewhat hurt the narrative, but it's more a function of the game than anything else. After all, it wouldn't be much fun if your Guardian couldn't throw grenades or use their super ability. With the Light returned, Guardians are able to access one of three subclasses: Arcstrider for Hunters, Dawnblade for Warlocks, and Sentinel for Titans. These are basically revamped versions of three of Destiny 1's subclasses and opinions will vary about whether or not the changes are for the better. However, as Guardians progress, their original Destiny subclasses as well as those from The Taken King expansion do become available to unlock.The new characters from whom players will receive missions and rewards are another great addition, livening up the new destinations with their dialogue and banter with Destiny's more familiar faces. Adding another wrinkle to Destiny 2's world-building, most of these new characters are not themselves Guardians, but regular humans who've managed to survive without any special powers or Light. These characters and their stories help to further expand on what Destiny 1 only ever hinted at, developing the game's world to include elements of a society and culture apart from the Guardians in their Tower. Don't worry, the Vanguard are still around, and even though Cayde-6, Ikora Rey, and Zavala were easily the most developed of Destiny's characters, they are given even more to do and say in Destiny 2.

destiny 2 cayde-6 nathan fillion

Within Destiny 2's new destinations -- the European Dead Zone, Saturn and Jupiter's moons, Titan and Io, as well as a planetoid called Nessus -- players will find many of the most welcomed additions to the game. For starters, there's an accessible map that players can pull up at anytime to gauge where they are in relation to missions, patrols, etc. Even better, the map for each of these destinations allows for fast travel between locations, letting players easily navigate the game's open world. No more jumping back and forth between orbit and a planet's surface to start missions or needing to ride a sparrow across the entire map just to find the next step. And this may not seem all that revolutionary for new players, but for those veterans of Destiny 1, it's a long-awaited and desperately needed change.

In addition to the updated (now existent, really) map, Destiny 2 also makes sure to include more things to do while in its new destinations. Missions now start within the open world, requiring Guardians to locate the start point on the map. There are still patrols, but there are also Adventures (which are basically beefed-up patrols with a bonus story) as well as Lost Sectors to explore, rewarding players with even more loot. Public Events are still found throughout each destination, but they now appear on the map with timers that alert players as to when they'll begin. These events can range from low level to heroic, with the rewards increasing with difficulty. There are other surprises throughout the worlds, too, like the occasional high level enemy who'll pop up for Guardians to take out, spawning a chest of goodies. It's early days, but already the destinations to explore in Destiny 2 are more realized and offer more activities, making them feel more alive than anywhere Guardians went in Destiny 1.

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Speaking of loot, perhaps one of the best changes Destiny 2 has incorporated is an update to how engrams break down. Previously, Guardians needed to equip their weapons and armor with the highest Light levels to better ensure that the gear gained from engrams would be better or at least comparable. Now, the game gauges a player's best possible Light level, not necessarily the one a Guardian currently has equipped, and decrypts the engram into weapons or armor of a higher Light level. This makes the games' real progression -- which after reaching the level cap of 20 (something that usually happens upon finishing the campaign, if not sooner) switches to the Light level as an indicator of the Guardian's strength -- nowhere near as frustrating as it was be in Destiny 1. No longer need Guardians fear that their Legendary Engrams will decrypt into some lower level garbage they really don't need.

Destiny 2 hasn't even been live for a full week, but already there's many signs that this sequel will be a huge improvement over its predecessor. Still, the game isn't entirely without flaws. Players on the PS4 Pro are also reporting game crashes, and it's a bug currently under investigation. Sadly, crashes aren't unheard of for just-released games, but Bungie will want to rectify this one sooner than later. And while the campaign has a good story and tells it well, it's a little on the short side, and the final boss fight with Ghaul isn't nearly as difficult as one would expect of the game's big bad.

Then again, the real challenge comes from strikes, which are only getting started, and the raids -- the first of which releases next week. And good news for solo players, matchmaking has been reworked to make it easier to find other players when a full fireteam is necessary. They've also introduced a Guided Game system which will allow more experienced Guardians to lead their newer recruits on missions, strikes, or raids, making it possible for just about everyone to take part in the tougher, end-game content. Then there's also the Crucible (Destiny's PVP matches), but this humble Guardian has yet to enter so there's little to add about it here.

Most surprisingly, the biggest complaint dominating the Destiny community is the change made to shaders. In Destiny 1, shaders could be unlocked to apply new color schemes to a Guardian's gear. The same is true for Destiny 2, however, the shaders now drop as consumables, meaning they're a one-time use item. So were you to use the shader on a low level piece of gear, the shader is locked to that piece of gear, and when a player finds a newer, higher level piece gear (something that's pretty my guaranteed to happen), they'll need to apply another shader to get back their look. The switch is a strange decision, and one that Bungie is already being forced to explain. The only upside her is that shaders can now be applied to individual pieces of gear instead of an entire ensemble, so there's a silver lining (maybe?).

All in all, some launch window crashing and this shader debacle aside, Destiny 2 is so far on the right track. Surely, as the weeks continue, more issues and complaints will likely arise, but hopefully, Guardians will find more to love and less to hate in Destiny's follow up.

Next: Destiny 2 Live-Action Trailer From Kong: Skull Island Director

Destiny 2 is now available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and will release on PC and Battle.net starting October 24, 2017.