The seasonal model in Destiny 2 has been under intense scrutiny in recent weeks, but Season of the Seraph is still finding ways to excite a fan base otherwise burned out by the cyclical releases. Released earlier this week, the core seasonal activity Heist Battlegrounds has been praised by players for the significant upgrade in difficulty that it represents.
The activity’s more challenging encounters aren’t owed to a high Power Level requirement either, instead using a new modifier that permanently caps every player’s Power at five points beneath all enemy combatants. With no way to over-level and trivialize the new seasonal activity, Destiny 2 players are already finding it to be a much better experience.
“This seemingly small change in my opinion has made the Heists much more interesting and engaging,” said Reddit user u/steave44, who posted their praise in hopes of Bungie putting a similar modifier onto a new Strike playlist. “Had they just been another low power activity, I think they’d be quite boring. I’m sorry but there’s only so many times I can throw a lightning grenade and it effortlessly kill the room before I get bored.”
“Seasonal activities can be a drag but I find myself actually wanting to play Heist Battlegrounds,” reads another post written by u/Dahvoun. “You are always at -5 power compared to the enemies, and this can be a steep gap at times and offers the perfect amount of difficulty. I can say that I’m consistently engaged, and this extends to my friends.”
Multiple comments underneath the post added that the combined factors of the difficulty modifier and the heavy density of enemies in the majority of encounters are what really make Heist Battlegrounds work. “A lot of the difficulty for me is how hectic the medium sized rooms get when you jam so many mobs in there,” reads one reply, while another called the enemy density the “best part.”
One more comedic post that gained traction even sees Heist Battlegrounds as a “call to arms.”
“It is our job as try-hards, gentleman and ladies, to ensure that Heists are completed efficiently and promptly even in the face of blueberry incompetence and New Light inexperience,” wrote u/chuck5. “Put on your big boy loadouts and let’s keep this going. Don’t give Bungie an excuse to water things down and make things soft again.”
Irrespective of other grievances with the seasonal model, though, it’s understandable why they see it this way. Difficulty has been a topic of debate in Destiny 2 for a long time now, and Bungie has rarely offered a challenging activity to players for the base seasonal offerings. The change to the pacing and challenge that Heist Battlegrounds represents seems to be a major win, and fans will have to wait to see if this influences Bungie’s approach to difficulty going forward.
