The Hate ListÂ
Hunter Class Seems To Be Disadvantaged
I was, and always will be a Warlock main when it comes to Destiny, but I wanted to try out all of the classes within the Destiny 2 Beta to see how they stack up, and honestly, it’s not looking good for the Hunter. The Warlock has a good mix of damage and healing, the Titan is strong both short range and defensively, while the Hunter is just fast. Within Destiny 2, each of the classes has an extra ability regardless of their subclass as well. The Titans can deploy a wall shield to help deflect damage from enemies, the Warlock can place a ring of energy to power up and heal their allies, and the Hunter gets an extra dodge. Did you feel how anti-climatic that reveal was? While the first two seem helpful in a variety of situations, and a bonus for teammates, the Hunter’s ability can only really be used when being shot at, and is of no use to the rest of the team.
Then, while both the Warlock and Titan have pretty badass Supers, the Hunter’s Supercharged abilities pale in comparison, not offering a whole lot. The Titan Sentinel subclass has a new Super where they are equipped with an epic shield of void energy. This shield can do loads of damage up close, acting almost like the Hunters Bladedancer from the original game, and it can even be thrown! The Dawnblade Warlock replaces Sunsinger, offering a flaming sword in which players can sling fireballs at enemies, leaving nothing but dust in their wake. Although these are the most exciting subclasses for both the Warlock and the Titan, both the Gunslinger Hunter and the Arcstrider Hunter are lacking the same power. Gunslinger is the same as it was before, and even though there are more bullets, there is less time to use it. Arcstrider is like Bladedancer, with the addition of electricity, yet it doesn’t play the same way, and overall lacks the spark it once had. Hopefully, Bungie can find a way to balance the Hunter’s abilities with those of the Warlock and Titan before September.
Recharge Rates
The recharge rates for particular powers, as well as the regeneration of health, shields, and grenades, are all very slow. The two most noticeable of these, and the one directly linked to success and failure is just how long it takes to charge your Super, both within PvE and PvP, and the long cooldown times set for grenades. If you were anything like me while playing Destiny 1, you will be reaching for grenades in Destiny 2 that aren’t even half charged yet. I think this will be the hardest thing to get used to if these slow regen times are the new standard, considering this was never something you had to think twice about before. This slow regen of everything, especially health, grenades, and your powerful Supers, will have you re-strategizing just to ensure you stay alive. Much like the change in gun classes, this may be something thought to help within the PvP arena, however it is nothing short of frustrating when playing the campaign and strike.
Unbalanced Crucible Play
I’ll be the first to admit that when it comes to Destiny, Crucible is not my strong suit; however, I am concerned that the unbalanced matches of the original game will take hold once again within the sequel. Even though the main menu for PvP boasts that level advantages are disabled, weapon advantages are still very prevalent,and this is just the beta! Though there should be a reward for hard work and dedication to the game, players with exotic weapons are going to outmatch those without every time. There is no real competition in these scenarios, because often skill doesn’t even match time put into the game. While I’m not entirely sure how to fix this, except by implementing a system that matches players based on the amount of hours spent playing Destiny, something needs to be done so that the matchmaking doesn’t seem so one-sided. Who knows, maybe I’ll be proven wrong when Destiny 2 is released in September, and it will be fair for all!