Summary
- Destiny 2's The Final Shape delivers on storytelling and gameplay, but issues like Exotic class items need addressing.
- Farming Exotic class items is a frustrating grind due to low drop rates and lack of loot protection systems.
- Bungie must make changes to Exotic class item farming to avoid community dissatisfaction and improve player experience.
Destiny 2's The Final Shape was a highly hyped-up release before launch, which is something that stayed true throughout its first couple of weeks thanks to great storytelling closing the chapter on the Light and Darkness saga as well as gameplay improvements, new activities, and locations. Although the game is in a much better state than it was post-Lightfall, including community morale, there are a few issues that Bungie should address sooner rather than later. One of them is the Exotic class item farm in Destiny 2, and Exotic class items as a whole, as they were one of the biggest selling points of The Final Shape, and now they're the most recent low in the game.
While Destiny 2's episodic model is also under scrutiny from players due to how it seems more of a rebrand for seasons than anything else, and while this is the first time in the series' history where no official confirmation of new big releases exists, Exotic class items remain a huge pain point. There are multiple reasons for this as well as a few potential solutions for Bungie to tackle, and it's something that should be done both well and very quickly to turn things around.
Why Destiny 2's Exotic Class Item Farm is Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Destiny 2's Exotic Class Item Farm Lacks Activity Diversity and Loot Protection
The reason Destiny 2's Exotic class items are controversial is that they are first and foremost obtainable via a two-player activity that requires a lot of communication, which is not what many fans expected. On top of that, Exotic class items have a total of 64 possible rolls due to their 8 perks per column, meaning that players have a 1-in-64 chance of getting a specific roll. This problem is made all the more evident when attempting to farm these coveted items, as the 1-in-64 chance applies to every single roll obtained by players.
Because there are 3 classes in Destiny 2, each with 64 possible rolls of their respective Exotic class item, the grind becomes exponentially longer and more frustrating if one wants to get their god roll for each class - even worse if a given player is a collector and wants all the possible rolls.
There is no knockout system or loot protection system in Destiny 2 for Exotic class items, meaning the probability will always stay the same. Unlocking Exotic class items by completing the Exotic Dual Destiny mission once gives players the ability to obtain them very rarely from Pale Heart chests as well as at the end of the three Saga co-op missions from The Final Shape used to unlock Destiny 2's Microcosm Exotic trace rifle. With the overall random drop chance being extremely low, sitting on an average of 30-50 Pale Heart chests, quick runs of the original mission are still the best method.
Knockout systems are used to make given items not drop anymore once they have been acquired, so something like this would address the duplicate issue when farming Destiny 2 Exotic class items, meaning one would potentially only have to acquire 64 copies of these items to have every roll. Loot protection, on the other hand, is used to give players better chances at getting what they want after a bad streak.
Regardless of one's chosen farming method, running Destiny 2's Dual Destiny mission, Saga missions, or opening chests in the Pale Heart many times can get quite repetitive and boring. To add insult to injury, one might have to do it a potentially infinite number of times if a specific roll eludes the player. This long grind can become increasingly frustrating the more time one sinks into it, so the community has found several methods to make it easier - but not all of them are in line with what Bungie wants for the game. These methods include:
- The original Destiny 2 Dual Destiny glitch for double Exotic class items, which was patched relatively fast
- A new glitch that provides players with another Exotic class item at the end of Dual Destiny, but it's more convoluted and requires specific set-ups to do
- AFK farming with macros that allow Guardians to open chests in the Pale Heart without playing, but this is a gray area that may get players banned
Destiny 2's Exotic Class Items Are Brewing a Tempest in a Teapot
Why Bungie Needs to Address Destiny 2's Exotic Class Item Controversy Sooner Rather Than Later
As such, the current farming sources for Exotic class items are not great because of how repetitive the process can get, and even then, the chances of getting what one is looking for are rather slim. There are ways for Bungie to address this, such as granting two Exotic class items per run of Dual Destiny, essentially bringing back the original glitch in an official capacity. Another method could be to increase the number of sources to get these Destiny 2 Exotic armor pieces, seeing how a knockout system seems unlikely and loot protection may not be enough.
Yet another option would be to make class items part of the new Destiny 2 Exotic focusing system at Rahool in the Tower, with the caveat that Exotic class items must be acquired first. This would allow Guardians to play other activities to acquire both Exotic Engrams and enough resources to focus-decode Exotics into class items, making the process more diverse.
Exotic Engram focusing at Rahool normally allows players to obtain a specific Exotic armor piece if they spend one Exotic Cypher and an Exotic Engram, even if they never unlocked said armor piece. This is only available after resetting Rahool's rank at least once, and Exotic class items are not currently available for decoding.
No matter what kind of choice Bungie makes, it is bound to make some changes to the farming of Exotic class items because the community has been quite vocal about how upsetting the current system is. This showed even in a recent Destiny 2 tweet asking players what their favorite class item combo is, to which came a lot of replies saying that Bungie needs to "read the room" and that it's too hard to get what one wants without some sort of improvement. What follows is that the longer Bungie ignores this problem, the bigger it will get, and thus the less satisfying a possible solution may end up feeling.
Destiny 2
- Released
- August 28, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
Dive into the world of Destiny 2 to explore the mysteries of the solar system and experience responsive first-person shooter combat. Unlock powerful elemental abilities and collect unique gear to customize your Guardian's look and playstyle. Enjoy Destiny 2’s cinematic story, challenging co-op missions, and a variety of PvP modes alone or with friends. Download for free today and write your legend in the stars.
An Immersive Story
You are a Guardian, defender of the Last City of humanity in a solar system under siege by infamous villains. Look to the stars and stand against the darkness. Your legend begins now.
Guardian Classes
Choose from the armored Titan, mystic Warlock, or swift Hunter.
- ESRB
- T For TEEN for Blood, Language, and Violence
- Developer(s)
- Bungie
- Publisher(s)
- Bungie
- Engine
- Tiger Engine
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
- Expansions
- Destiny 2: Forsaken, Destiny 2: Shadowkeep, Destiny 2: Beyond Light, Destiny 2: The Witch Queen, Destiny 2: Lightfall
- Number of Players
- 1-6 (Co-Op)
- Platform(s)
- PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC, Stadia
- Genre(s)
- FPS
- How Long To Beat
- 100+
- Metascore
- 85
- Platforms That Support Crossplay
- PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S
- PS Plus Availability
- Essential, Extra, & Premium (The Witch Queen)
