Today we’re going to talk about the current solo player experience in Destiny 2. This is a primarily cooperative game, yet a large chunk of people play it all by themselves, either by preference or because they don’t have friends to play with. Most players have played solo at some point. Destiny 2 has a lot of prerequisites for obtaining gear and weapons, but sometimes grinding to the proper Power Level isn’t enough. Especially if you want to complete something like the Vow of Disciple Raid. Because of that, some D2 fans miss out on the satisfaction of visiting some of the most iconic locations in the game, such as the aforementioned Vow of the Disciple.
So, what’s the solo player experience like in this game when it comes to struggles, and are there ways to improve this going forward? Believe it or not, only 7%-15% have completed a raid. This means that a vast majority of gamers play the game alone, sticking to matchmaking. They never had a fair chance of taking out the Vow of the Disciple raid boss.
There’s a lot of content that solo players cannot obtain. When the game first came out, you needed to complete raids to reach the maximum level. That was way before the Destiny 2 Vow of Disciple and is no longer a thing. Since then, the game has surely become much friendlier to solo players. The only things in the game that a solo player can’t get are:
- Raid weapons and armor
- Dungeon weapons and armor
- Adept Nightfall weapons
- Several ships, emblems, and shaders
- Certain seals, such as Conqueror
The True Reason Why People Are Leaving Destiny 2
The developers have made solo playlists for Trials of Osiris and Iron Banner, and there are plenty of ways to get pinnacle loot drops. Besides, some of the best weapons are simply worlded drops! Still, the exotic missions, dungeons, and raids like the Vow of the Disciple raid are D2’s best content. Even though the vast majority of content is available and obtainable by solo players in terms of quantity.
Raids and other similar content that requires you to have a full high-level fireteam is one of if not the biggest reasons why people stop playing the game. Most of those who quit playing did so for one of two reasons:
- The game got expensive.
- They didn’t have anyone to play with.
The interesting thing is that D2 has largely remained in the same price range for 8 years – yearly $40 expansions with more expensive deluxe editions plus the seasonal content that costs another $30-$40 per year. Even at its most expensive points, like right now with its Witch Queen raid and expansion, D2 is still cheaper than Netflix or HBO Max subscriptions. Considering that Bungie continues to support the game by constantly releasing content all year round, it’s not too farfetched of a comparison. So, if the game doesn’t get any more expensive, why do people say that? It’s probably because some gamers believe that they’re not getting their money’s worth of content. They pay the same amount as everyone else, but since they can’t do the Destiny 2 Witch Queen raid or any dungeon, they feel less incentivized to grind and continue to play past the expansion’s story campaign, which is where most of the fun and value of D2 is. Without five or more people to play with who are grinding alongside you, the incentive to keep playing and keep paying dies out.
Why is it that no one likes LFG?
But sure, technically you can do the Witch Queen raid using LFG and complete that exotic quest. But if it’s possible to do all of that, why don’t players do it? Aside from general social anxiety or the desire to play with friends instead of strangers, there are a lot of other reasons why LFG doesn’t work for a lot of people. And the biggest reason consists of four letters: KWTD, or Know What To Do. Forcing someone to know what to do or get kicked is just kind of toxic. Sure, some players put this in the description when looking for a party because they might have other things going on and don’t want to take the time to teach someone. They just want a smooth run or get the destiny 2 vex mythoclast catalyst as fast as possible. But everyone is a beginner at one point or another. Everyone has a first run, and everyone should have the opportunity to learn. All it takes is playing a group activity for five measly minutes to be reminded why you shouldn’t ever use LFG. Some players just have this intimidating God complex issue. There’s a difference between teaching and carrying. Teaching allows that new person to contribute so that in future runs they can improve and hopefully become a teacher one day. Having half the team sit there dead while you go and shoot all the Oracles by yourself doesn’t help anybody. Wipes are okay, but mistakes are going to happen. Unfortunately, it’s more common for people to tear one another down, kick them from the group or have them sit out than to work through wipes and mistakes as a team.
This is why paid coaching and carrying services are in such high demand. Not only can solo players get their Vex Mythoclast catalyst way faster, but by using these services, people will not be grouped up with anyone with toxic personalities. On the contrary, paid professionals are extremely helpful and friendly, so going through a raid with them is always a positive experience. If you have recognized yourself as a solo player while reading this, you might want to check out the LFcarry website and see what these guys offer. Who knows, maybe your D2 experience will never be the same.
