Destiny 2’s new Exotics are an anticlimactic reward

The newest Exotics announced for Destiny 2 look really cool, but the gameplay shown feels like they’re flashy, without being powerful.

Bungie released a trifecta of videos highlighting the new chest armor coming for each class as part of The Final Shape expansion, which shows off their unique abilities.

And while each one looks powerful, there is no indication that these abilities actually feel powerful, which feels like the antithesis of how the climactic moment should be.

The Final Shape is the finale for the story of Destiny 2 that’s been building since 2014. The stakes have never been higher and how it feels to play the game should reflect that.

But these Exotics don’t seem as though they’ll succeed in doing that. Each video showcasing their abilities indicates they don’t do much damage.

For example, the Titan chest piece, called Hazardous Propulsion, sends a flurry of rockets out at your targets. It’s visually appealing, but the enemies remain standing after the barrage ends, as if it was nothing more than an irritant.

This moment in Destiny 2 demands more, so a barrage of missiles should have a greater impact than what is shown. We are at the finale, so why aren’t we given the resources necessary to end this battle? There needs to be balance, absolutely, but there should be a little more firepower on offer right now.

This is the biggest battle that players have experienced in Destiny 2, so far, and we will need a lot of guns to come out victorious. Giving the community some ultra-powerful tools to take down The Witness would be a great moment.

It would provide us with a sense of catharsis as we finally tear into The Witness’ forces, which have been beating us at seemingly every turn. It would be a feeling of achieving what we’ve been working towards for years.

Not to mention Exotics are the rarest of rare gear to find in Destiny 2, often requiring the completion of an extensive and difficult quest to unlock.

Having them be no more powerful than regular items feels like a letdown and simply not worth our time.

The Final Shape looks to be Bungie going all-out, with Into the Light serving as a wonderful way to build up hype even more. Destiny 2 can’t let that momentum disappear by putting out mid-tier Exotics.

Give the community the keys to the Ferrari, give them that Golden Gun, and let them feel like the Guardians they were always meant to be.