So I've been deep into Destiny since the alpha. Like most, I probably tackled the game in waves that more or less coincided with major content releases and expansions. I'm primarily a PVE gamer, and the three-player Nightfalls and six-player raids have literally been a console generation-defining experience for me. I got a PS4 at launch, but Destiny was the first time I put any significant time into the console, and I've been regularly returning to the game in the years since.
I was cautiously optimistic after the alpha. I was a little more cautious, a little less optimistic after the beta. Vanilla was... rough. High highs (with friends, new and old), LOOOOOOTS of lows. That vault space. Those bounty slots. I was there for Crota's End (heeeeellooooooo cheesy Flawless Raider). I came back for House of Wolves. I completely fell in love with the Taken King revamp and everything that followed. Collected all the new trophies to get back to 100%. Taken Spring was amazing. Rise of Iron didn't quite make the same splash, but it was all worth it for the new music and new raid alone. Collected those trophies too. Gotta maintain that 100%. Honoring Flawless Raider demands it.
So now we come to the Age of Triumph. Like many, I pretty much stopped caring once I learned that precious little would carry over to Destiny 2, despite those early promises to the contrary. After experiencing the troubles that came with an apparently troubled development and the significant complexities brought about by their apparently busted as fuck engine (as suggested by some press sneak fuck articles), I can't really say I blame them for ditching most of legacy Destiny 1. I'm sure it was a hard choice, but I'm also sure it's for the best. But it did lead to contributing to the feeling that I was DONE once the Rise of Iron record books were put to rest.
Decoupling Destiny 1 from the upcoming sequel also meant they could give this game a helluva a send off. Gjallarhorn and Icebreaker were too impossible to design against, so they had to be mothballed? Elemental primaries were too strong, and dominated the meta? None of that matters anymore, so all of it is coming back into play. As nothing carries over, and there are no more trophies to chase or unique challenges to experience, I wasn't really planning on returning to Destiny again.
But damn it, Age of Triumph looks amazing. The new raid armor looks amazing. I MISS MY VISION OF CONFLUENCE. My Fatebringer. My Vex Mythoclast. And while I have so, so, so much to play (finish Zelda, resume Horizon, Nioh DLC incoming, Neir wanting an up at bat, Persona 5 just around the corner, a new Uncharted coming later on, and so much more), I think I'd really like to tackle the new, final Destiny 1 record book. Seems wrong to not at least try to close out the Triumph record book, no? And by the Traveler, the new-old raid armor sets aren't pathetic reskins. They look GOOD.
My friends have mostly moved on. And even those that would be inclined to jump back in with me, find themselves overwhelmed by the flood of quality Q1 and Q2 games hitting our favorite platforms. So here I come to it.
Would there be any interest in putting together a small group of (mostly) East Coast U.S. DGAF veterans (preferably adult professionals that tend to work in the day and play at night and on weekends), looking to occasionally knock out the new raids, challenge modes, prison of elders, daybreak nightfall strikes, weekly rituals, and whatever else is brought up by the Age of Triumph? Not looking to obsessively dive back into the rabbit hole, as I won't be setting aside all of those games that I'm playing or soon will be playing. I'm looking for a group of laid back, fun-loving veteran Guardians to meet up with maybe once or twice a week in order to shoot the shit while knocking out content, without the breakneck, GOTTA DO IT ALL, GOTTA DO IT NOW mentality that has largely ruled my raid group for years now. Sure, I have my Warlock main and Titan and Hunter alts all at 400, ready to go. But I no longer have the time or desire to knock out three hard mode challenge raids every Tuesday night. I would, however, like to more casually knock out this Age of Triumphs record book with like-minded DGAF Guardians.
I don't check this thread much. I won't check this thread much ever after posting this. So if you're interested in something like what I propose above, let me know via PM, and I can either set up a clan on Bungie.net or a PS4 community dedicated to the cause. Or both. And once 3/28 rolls around, maybe we can start meeting up and knocking out some of these record book activities together. No pressure. We have all week. Until done, or bored.
You don't HAVE to be an East Coaster. You CAN be a "squeaker" with more free time on his or her hands than I'll have. You don't have to have the platinum, or three toons at light level 400, or 1,000 hours of raid experience, or a high ELO rating in Crucible (whatever that even means), or 30 Lighthouse visits, or even have a ton of experience with that first, rough year of Destiny (where two-thirds of the just updated raids come from). But if you're local (or accessible at my hours), have a mic, like to have fun, don't take shit too seriously, slant towards PVE, and are interesting in a casual return to the twilight hours of Destiny 1 on PS4, please let me know, and let's see if we can get at least a raid group of six going to knock out a single hard mode challenge raid a week, or some such. And dabble with some of the other new and refreshed content, for the purposes of knocking out record book progress. And I've been known to Iron Banana it up, though no promises I'll be reliably in for that this time around.
I look forward to some PMs. Or not. After all, there's a stupid amount of great new games to be enjoyed right now. And a new console. And a new Zelda!