With the introduction of the Forsaken expansion, Destiny 2 is turning the page to year 2. This came with the introduction of the pursuits bucket to our inventory screens. It was a complement to the flurry of bounties added to the game, a feature from Destiny 1 that didn’t make it to the launch of Destiny 2. While its existence is a current necessity, it isn’t without faults.

So why do I call it a pursuits bucket? That’s the language Bungie used when referencing their shift from utilizing the milestones tab for quests to moving that stuff into your inventory. The main reason for the shift is due to the overcrowding of the milestones tab. Thanks to all of the new bounties and quests, they now needed more space.

The Imperfect Perfection

To set the stage of my arguments, I want to make it clear that while I love the addition of a dedicated place for pursuits, the current implementation is severely lacking. Mainly from a UI and Quality of Life standpoint. The pursuits tab was clearly their best solution to implement the concept of quests and pursuits into a game that didn’t have the fundamentals of those systems designed into it, and it was clearly tacked on

This and other issues are what I crassly refer to year 1 scar tissue, as in, systems and features that are left behind. Other examples include the concept or prestige remaining in the leviathan raid and lairs, and Ikora not having much of a purpose any longer. The most egregious of the scar tissue is year 1 gear setup and especially masterworking, which I think will only confuse new players. This is because they will encounter both year 1 and year 2 gear while playing through the campaigns.

A different way to also think about it is when looking at weapons like the exotic/legendary weapon pairs like Mida Multi and Mini Tools, or the Sturm and Drang. Those weapons were designed for a game that was locked into a double primary setup and don’t serve as useful any longer. Although, I took Sturm and Drang into the Crucible and was surprised at how effective they were, but still you get the point.

For instance, if they kept the Destiny 1 weapon system for Destiny 2’s launch, the mini tool for instance would have probably been a shotgun or sniper. So it’s these little remnants of old year 1 systems that collectively make up that scar tissue.

The Sloppiness

In short, my issue is with the sloppiness of the pursuits tab. At times, especially when full, it can give you a headache to look at. In that tab you have your quests, then you have weekly bounties, daily bounties, wanted bounties, scrapper bounties, legacy quests, and special non-transferable items. It has become a catch-all for anything that doesn’t have any other place to go otherwise.

It’s kind of like a kitchen that has everything jammed into a giant box. You need salt? It’s in the box. You need a coffee mug, frying pan, stand mixer, or a bag of chips? It’s all jammed into that box, and you have to look for it every time. You find it eventually because you know what you’re looking for, but it’s not the most efficient way to go about it.

The Solution

The progress tab should to return to the game, and bury triumphs into a secondary menu on that screen. I’d like to see quests treated like they were in Destiny 1. Weekly and daily bounties also need to be given a good hard look. Especially if some weekly bounties only ask you to complete several daily bounties. They don’t seem to have the sense of purpose they were perhaps intended to have.

Even I’m not sure what the full solution is. However, I do know the experience I’m looking for. I want to log in every day and quickly get a sense of what I need to do next. And that can only be accomplished through a system that showcases the different activities or pursuits in a more general sense. Initially, with the ability to dive in deeper and get more specific once the decision is made.

In the endgame, most pursuits should be designed behind specific loot choices. Whether I want to chase the perfect Dreaming City armor, or hunting a strike-exclusive weapon. Bounties will only remain relevant if they encourage the chase for gear.

If nothing else, Black Armory provides this in a great way. While some aspects are still a little convoluted, its clear that Bungie is understanding what carrots it’s player-base prefers to chase. If the rumors are true about Bungie wanting to lean more into the hardcore RPG aspects of the game, this is an area that needs to be overhauled and perfected. If they want to enable it as a long-term, enjoyable hobby.

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