Thank you, Bungie

I didn't want to return to Destiny 2 for one last ride, but I'm glad I did.

It’s been difficult for me to come back to Destiny 2 over the last couple of years. Besides recording a video for Xur every week, I haven’t played at all since shortly after The Final Shape. I’ve been angry all that time. Angry about layoffs. Angry about the fact there won’t be a Destiny 3 in the foreseeable future. Angry about how the game I adore has been mismanaged to its death. Too angry to play.

That changed this weekend. The final update is here and everything I’ve heard has been sparkling. That’s not why I returned, though. I came back because I realized I was missing out on Destiny 2’s funeral. A chance to mourn the loss of one of the greatest live service games in history. An opportunity to remind myself of all the incredible memories and let go of that anger.

A few hours into my return and I’m wonderfully lost. I have no idea what’s going on with new weapons and armor. I’m still rocking a build that’s two years old. I’m fumbling around the menus and trying to figure out what to do next. And the truth is I don’t really care what I should be doing or what the optimal path is to whatever it is I should be chasing. I’m just happy to sit in the Tower and see other Guardians moving about. I’m content lingering in Orbit listening to Deep Stone Lullaby, recalling the first time I heard that song in the Deep Stone Crypt raid.

x-Rumpo-x on Cortex

Everything I see in Destiny 2 is bringing back memories now. My Celestial Nighthawk reminding me of when I was deleting Sedia with a single shot during The Corrupted. My god rolled Riiswalker Shotgun giving me flashbacks to terrorizing people in the Crucible. Equipping Xenophage and remembering the feeling I got wiping four Guardians as an invader in Gambit.

It sounds sad, and it can be, but it’s also fun to see what’s new. I have no idea when or why Drifter got old, or when he properly hooked up with Eris. Last I recall they were sweet on each other but I’m not sure if they were official. It’s nice to see that gap in the middle of the Tower where I fell to my death 1,000 times has been replaced by the four Tenets. I also don’t know who Lodi is or why he’s floating, but I’m skeptical.

I’m relieved that I decided to go back to Destiny 2 one last time. I think if I missed out on this moment I would have regretted it. I would have held onto an anger that would hurt nobody other than myself. The difference this time is that, for the first time ever, Destiny is finite. For years Guardians existed on an infinite timeline where we knew we’d always be fighting the next dork that wanted to destroy the universe. This time there’s an end. A moment will arrive sooner rather than later when there’s nothing left to see or do. I’m glad I’m going to be a part of that moment, and I want to thank Bungie for making it and all the moments that came before it possible.

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