Bungie will reward Destiny 2 players who drop levels to help rookies trapped in ‘Burning Hell’
I think it’s a reasonable rule of thumb that forcing players to engage in any game activity is a risky move based on experience. But for a massive live-service game like Destiny 2, I can understand the motivation: you want to make sure no one misses out on the exciting new stuff you’re adding. That’s what Bungie decided to do with Dares of Eternity, a six-player matchmaking event that arrives with the 30th Anniversary Update on December 7.
Eternal Adventure is free — although you’ll need DLC in order to get all the associated cosmetic loot — and may be the most fun quasi-horde mode event since the Zoo. However, there is a substantial problem for new and returning players.
In normal mode, Dares of Eternity’s power level is set to 1150. For those who play games a lot, this will not be a problem. (My current power level, including artifact boosts, is 1363). However, the new Guardian Power starts at 1100 – well below level 50 – which means that even junk mobs will be hit like space cargo ships, and those players will deal almost minimal damage.
The Eternal Challenge also includes “championship” enemies that can only be stunned with matching weapon mods that new players don’t yet have access to, further complicating the issue. The same goes for players who have been off for a long time but decide to restart their game. They find themselves engaging in an activity that is supposed to be fun, but endlessly single-handedly. not ideal.
The Reddit thread first alerted the wider Destiny community to the issue, describing it as “burning hellFor new players. Since then, veteran players keen to help have been deliberately downgrading themselves (it’s easy to do, you just don low-light gear from the collection) to match the rookies.
Side note: I don’t know why Destiny is putting players of the same power together for an interesting PvE mode, and mixing experts with fresh blood seems to make more sense, but here we are.
A Bungie community manager acknowledged the problem:
Players with lower power levels will need some help during the “Eternal Dream” event. How can you help? Grab some low-powered gear from your collection and join the matchmaking. Once you find a match, you can switch back to normal loading. pic.twitter.com/pk9VMBCzhBJanuary 5, 2022
That’s how I do it. I dropped my power down to 1133 and sure enough, it matched… five other very experienced guys doing the same thing. Still, it was heartwarming to see players in action for what has been dubbed Operation New Light. (New Lights is what Bungie calls the Guardians of Freshly Baked.)
The studio said it’s working on ways to fix the problem as the development team returns from vacation, and will also be issuing commemorative badges for those helping with rescue efforts and those trapped at the event.
thanks Game Radar+.