Bungie has spent too much time and effort listening to the small but fanatic group of players who only play to do Raids A large majority of Destiny 2 players rarely do Raids. They do the weekly items plus Dungeons, strikes, Lost Sectors, Gambit and Crucible.
This needs to stop. Bungie would have a lot more regular players in Destiny 2 if they spent more time on the Campaigns, making new maps for strikes, Gambit and Crucible.
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I hate that you've made me come out in bugies corner, but it’s understandable to feel like Bungie focuses heavily on niche, high-end content like Raids and Trials, but the reality is more nuanced. While those activities are designed for hardcore players, the majority of development effort still goes toward broader, more accessible content — and the numbers back this up. It’s true that a relatively small segment of the player base engages with Raids or goes Flawless in Trials. But that doesn’t mean Bungie is catering exclusively to them — these activities are aspirational, competitive endgame content designed to retain long-term engagement and give the game prestige. In a given week, only ~10–15% of players complete a Raid. Trials of Osiris participation in 2023–2024 ranged from 200k to 500k unique players per weekend, out of ~1.5M to 2M total active weekly players — that’s 10–25%. However, Flawless completions were much lower: usually less than 5% of all Trials players go Flawless in a weekend. So yes — these modes are niche. But they’re not the dominant focus some suggest. Bungie does listen to that community — but not to the exclusion of everyone else. Campaigns Are Getting Better, Not Ignored The claim that Bungie should “spend more time on campaigns” ignores the fact that they've significantly increased narrative investment: Witch Queen introduced Legendary difficulty campaigns for the first time, with strong praise. Lightfall had a full Legendary campaign (though divisive). The Final Shape brought Destiny’s most cinematic and emotionally resonant campaign yet — praised by critics and players alike. Post-Final Shape, Bungie transitioned from the old seasonal model to Episodes, expanding story content throughout the year. PvE and PvP Balance — Not Ignorance Bungie isn’t ignoring Strikes, Crucible, or Gambit — but content refreshes are paced due to development bandwidth and actual player engagement patterns. Strikes and seasonal PvE content are among the most-played activities every week. Gambit sits at the bottom of player engagement (under 5%) — which is why it's currently in maintenance mode. Crucible sees ~20–25% of players weekly, but only a fraction play Trials consistently. Bungie has said PvP updates will be more curated, with fewer but more meaningful changes (e.g., gunplay tuning, matchmaking updates, map refreshes like Multiplex in 2023). Raids and Trials appear overrepresented because they’re loud, visible, and competitive — but they make up a minority of actual player activity. Meanwhile, Bungie continues to improve campaign content, create Dungeons, support core playlists, and evolve the game’s structure (as seen in The Final Shape and Echoes). Calling for better support of strikes, campaigns, and maps is valid — but suggesting they’re being ignored in favor of Raids and Trials just doesn’t hold up under the numbers. While the campaign is a one-and-done for just about most players these activities That Keep Players Around (Retention Drivers): Dungeons and Raids (Endgame PvE) Reason players stay: Chasing god-rolls, armor sets, exotic catalysts, and challenges like Master difficulty clears. Staying power: Weekly lockouts, rotating pinnacles, and triumphs keep hardcore players engaged for months. Examples: Ghosts of the Deep, Duality, Root of Nightmares, The Final Shape’s Salvation’s Edge. Even players who don’t Raid regularly still aspire to do it — it’s a long-tail engagement tool. Seasonal/Episodic Activities Reason players stay: Ongoing story progression (now via Episodes like Echoes), seasonal loot chases, vendor upgrades. Staying power: Weekly missions and time-gated narrative progression. Examples: Riven’s Lair (Season of the Wish), Breach Executable (Echoes), and future Episode missions. These are typically the most played activities by the broader base, because they’re accessible and narratively driven. Core Playlist Activities (Strikes, Gambit, Crucible) Reason players stay: Pinnacle farming, bounties, reputation grinds, seasonal challenges. Staying power: Always available, easy to matchmake into, and tied to rewards like Nightfall weapons and shaders. Strikes and Crucible are especially sticky for casual players and solo queue farming. Lost Sector Exotic Farming Reason players stay: Target-farming new or missing exotics solo. Staying power: Rotating daily activity, especially when tied to new subclass exotics (Prismatic in Final Shape). A low-effort but effective retention tool, especially post-expansion. Trials of Osiris and Iron Banner (PvP Events) Reason players stay: Prestige, loot (adept weapons), cosmetics, flawless titles, competitive grind. Staying power: Time-limited, so people return on weekends or monthly rotations. PvP mains stick with Trials or Iron Banner during off-seasons, even if they skip PvE. Exotic/Secret Missions Reason players stay: Puzzles, lore, timed events (like Presage or Zero Hour). Staying power: Often become repeatable for catalysts or secret triumphs. These bring players back in bursts — not constant engagement, but high spike appeal. TL:DR Campaigns = Onboarding + Narrative Foundation Dungeons/Raids = Endgame Loot/Challenge Episodes/Seasons = Ongoing Content Loop Core Playlists = Daily Habit Loops Trials/Iron Banner = Competitive Engagement Bursts Lost Sectors/Exotics = Targeted Grind/Replayability The content that draws people in is what the core players are sticking around for is raids for pve and Trials for PvP. Campaigns are a one and done, but set the tone of the game for the expansion.