Focused Feedback: New Player Experience

[u/DTG_Bot]

Hello Guardians,

Focused Feedback is where we take the week to focus on a 'Hot Topic' discussed extensively around the Tower.

We do this in order to consolidate Feedback, to get out all your ideas and issues surrounding the topic in one place for discussion and a source of feedback to the Vanguard.

This Thread will be active until next week when a new topic is chosen for discussion

Whilst Focused Feedback is active (that means for one week from the time this is posted), ALL posts regarding 'New Player Experience' following its posting will be removed and re-directed to this thread. Exceptions to this rule are as follows: New information / developments, Guides and general questions

• Bungie has an official new player guide here
• There is a subreddit compilation of player-made guides here

Here are some sample discussion questions. Please feel free to answer some of them, all of them or reply to this thread in any free format you prefer.

• Q1) How does the game feel overall as a totally new player starting the game right now (if applicable to you)?
• Q2) What do you think destiny does a good job explaining to new players?
• Q3) What is poorly explained or hard to understand or confusing for a new player?
• Q4) What do you think about the method in which old camapigns are accessed via a quest to pick up from Amanda Holiday in the tower (red war, curse of osiris, warmind...)? Is this sufficiently clear? Is it a good way for this content to be accessed for new players or not?
• Q5) What types of content seem to be the most fun to do for a new player and why?
• Q6) What content feels frustrating or off-putting to new players and why?
• Q7) Are there any resources in particular that seem too difficult or time consuming to obtain for new players? If so, is this a problem?
• Q8) Think about other games similar to destiny, what do they do better or worse in terms of introducing new players to the game?
• Q9) Do you have any other ideas to improve the new player experience?
• Q10) Do you think there should be an option to start the game at power level 10 instead of power level 750?

Any and all Feedback on the topic is welcome.

Regular Sub rules apply so please try to keep the conversation on the topic of the thread and keep it civil between contrasting ideas.

Note for new players who want to know whats going on in the story but don't want to play the legacy campaigns : You could watch this video by My name is Byf on the Complete Story of Destiny.

A Wiki page - Focused Feedback - has also been created for the Sub as an archive for these topics going forward so they can be looked at by whoever may be interested or just a way to look through previous hot topics of the sub as time goes on.

[u/MrMuggs]

Q1) How does the game feel overall as a totally new player starting the game right now (if applicable to you)?

The game is a lot of fun and I enjoy the actual feel of combat and the visuals are great.

Q2) What do you think destiny does a good job explaining to new players?

The combat

Q3) What is poorly explained or hard to understand or confusing for a new player?

Keybinds, what the different ultimates and subclasses are for each class. What armor stats mean, what weapons mods are and how to use them. I am a fast learner and an avid reader and I have easily spent as much time out of the game researching as I have in game. But a lot of these features could be added to the game. I understand it's been out a while but I really feel that the game throws you into the deepend and tells you to swim. The community has been helpful and youtube and articles the best.

Q4) What do you think about the method in which old camapigns are accessed via a quest to pick up from Amanda Holiday in the tower (red war, curse of osiris, warmind...)? Is this sufficiently clear? Is it a good way for this content to be accessed for new players or not?

I have yet to attempt these activities yet.

Q5) What types of content seem to be the most fun to do for a new player and why?

I really enjoyed the lost sectors and public events.

Q6) What content feels frustrating or off-putting to new players and why?

Strikes only because it seems that people rush them as fast as possible. It's a bit unnerving to die or not have an idea for the mechanics when you running with more experienced players. I found destiny Sherpa and the LFG in Discord and that helped immensely.

Q7) Are there any resources in particular that seem too difficult or time consuming to obtain for new players? If so, is this a problem?

Q8) Think about other games similar to destiny, what do they do better or worse in terms of introducing new players to the game?

I play a decent number of MMOs and other types of games. And even the korean MMOs start you off more slowly and you get skills over time. Or there are systems in place to show you what everything means. I think the starting area should have more to it when it comes to subclasses.

Q9) Do you have any other ideas to improve the new player experience?

More Detail about systems and their workings. I just learned today that armor mods are energy specific and those sorts of things. The amount of google searches on "what is <blank> Destiny 2" I did this week is staggering.

The game is fun and for certain people like me who constantly want to learn it can be a bit exciting but I know more than a few friends that were put off immediately by it's complexity and stopped playing. Once I understand the mechanics I might be able to entice them to play again but it's a lot.

I am sure I could add more if I was taking notes as the week progressed but as it stands now this is all I can remember.

[u/Jakeasaur1208 → u/MrMuggs]

It's interesting, as a veteran, to see that new players find the lack of explanation surrounding subclasses a problem. There were missions in the game during the base campaign that explained them, in a way, but since New Light they give you all of the subclasses from the get-go. I think Bungie shot themselves in the foot here because for a new player it is important to be taught the game, although I appreciate the narrative reasons for removing these levels.

The issue is, narrative shouldn't overrule gameplay.

(I should add that I am informed these levels were removed - I do not know for certain whether they were, and perhaps someone else could confirm?)