Destiny 2’s Episode 3 is Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Destiny 2's Episode 3 is Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place



Summary

  • Episode Heresy in Destiny 2 must launch without bugs to retain player engagement before Frontiers.
  • Revenant issues and Dawning bugs signal a need for polished game improvements in Heresy.
  • Heresy’s success hinges on addressing past problems and launching a bug-free, engaging game.



With 2024 being almost over, it’s a good time to reflect on what the year brought to Destiny 2 and how the game has evolved over time. The release of The Final Shape expansion arguably reshaped the game in big ways, from ending the 10-year saga of Light and Darkness to adding groundbreaking features like the Prismatic subclasses. This was arguably the highest point for Destiny 2 in its history, but it was unfortunately followed by various lows that started with Bungie layoffs and are culminating now with Episode Revenant and the Dawning 2024 event being filled with bugs. As such, while the next big release is Frontiers, Episode 3 is not in a great spot.

Episode 3, which is going to be called Heresy, will launch in February 2025 and is expected to run for around four months, meaning that Frontiers will come out sometime in early June, barring delays. Though February is not exactly around the corner, Episode Revenant has been suffering from various in-game issues as well as Destiny 2‘s Tonic controversy or the perk-weighting scandal. The common denominator for the various problems the game has gone through recently is bugs, and with Bungie’s active developers on the game having shrunk, it’s possible that Heresy won’t be as polished as it needs to be.


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Destiny 2’s Revenant Bugs Are a Bad Omen For Episode Heresy

After Revenant and Destiny 2‘s Dawning 2024 debacle, Heresy would need to launch in a bug-proof state to ensure that players are not pushed away from the game. Revenant has multiple unavailable items or features that still need to be addressed, such as the Warlock Exotic Ballidorse Wrathweavers gauntlets being disabled after a boss-melting glitch was found or the Hunter Super Shadowshot: Deadfall not being usable in Vesper’s Host.

The Dawning 2024’s State Means Episode 3 Needs a Big Win

The Dawning 2024’s baking and weapon-focusing bugs are making it borderline unplayable for many fans, and with Bungie closing shop for the holidays, it’s likely that some glitches will stay in the game for the event’s entire duration. Between previous issues and current ones, community morale is more on the lower side, and Heresy should be a win before Frontiers to get the hype going. Instead, if Heresy launches in a state similar to Revenant and the Dawning event, it may leave a very little active playerbase ahead of Frontiers.


What follows is that Heresy is in an unfortunate position, as it has little time to ship in a fully polished state after the existing Destiny 2 Revenant bugs are fixed, but it needs to in order to better pave the way for Frontiers. One of the issues listed by Bungie during the layoff situation was that not many players pre-ordered The Final Shape, and this can carry over with Frontiers if morale stays low and major game-breaking problems are not addressed.

Why Destiny 2’s Episode Heresy Can’t Miss The Mark

Considering that Destiny 2‘s Episode 3 will mark the return to The Dreadnaught, Oryx’s ship, after many years since its Destiny 1 debut, it already has a lot riding on its shoulders. Revenant’s story also caused some discontent among fans due to Eramis being freed by the Guardian, so it’s important that Heresy’s plot lands on its feet.


Hive-themed releases for Destiny 2 tend to do well among fans due to the faction’s prominence within the game’s universe, and returning to The Dreadnaught to presumably take control of it could be an interesting turn of events. With plenty of Hive-themed armor and weapons, Heresy has a chance to hearken back to Destiny 2‘s The Witch Queen expansion, which was another very high point for the franchise. All of this would be felt even more if Heresy manages to launch in a good state with little-to-no glitches, but it remains to be seen.

Destiny 2’s Episode Heresy is likely to make Guardians take control of The Dreadnaught due to admiral-like armor being showcased by Bungie. It also makes sense after Revenant saw the destruction of the HELM.

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