Starting with Shadowkeep, Seasons in Destiny 2 will now have a Seasonal Artifact for players to grow more powerful. Luke Smith, Destiny 2’s director, detailed the new mechanics in his Director’s Cut Part 2, which was posted to Bungie.net today.
“As the artifact levels up, it can do a few things: First, it becomes a source of seasonal artifact mods—unique mods that can be equipped only during that Artifact’s season,” Smith wrote in the post. “These mods may be brand new experimental mods or powerful mods with reduced energy cost enabling players (and us!) to experiment further in the build crafting space.”
Seasonal Artifacts grant players access to an account-wide Power bonus. It does not apply to gear or Guardians, but a player’s entire account. This opportunityu gives less-active players who can’t play as often access to a new “path to Power.” The Power bonus resets each Season, and new seasonal mods are available for players to experiment with their playstyles.
The overall ways to get Powerful Gear will also be curtailed to deal with the current creep affecting their value. Pinnacle rewards are the only place you can earn Gear that comes in over 950 Power. What seems to be at play here is design philosophy. Pinnacle activities need to have good rewards, but there need to be other ways for people to grow more Powerful. If not, they permanently lock themselves out of ever doing those activities as the rest of the player base becomes more powerful without them.
It is an exciting time to be a fan of Destiny 2. The game is changing right before our eyes, with Smith detailing the thinking behind the changes in great detail through the Director’s Cut series. It seems Bungie is trying to turn Destiny 2 into a game that feels rewarding based on player choices and does not limit the players.
Destiny 2’s Shadowkeep expansion launches for all platforms on Oct. 1.
