Destiny 2 players are hoping that the classic feature from the first year will return to Strikes on the current Vanguard playlist. While Lightfall introduces new strikes and seasonal events, players will still be reminded of features that Bungie prioritized early on in Destiny 2.
In Strikes, a fireteam of three Guardians begins a mission to destroy high-value targets at the end of the event. Each Destiny 2 expansion pack will add new Strikes to the Vanguard playlist, allowing players to engage in powerful Paragon rewards each week. This trend continues in Lightfall, with new event modifiers and difficulty adjustments, but players have begun to remember the simpler times in the Vanguard playlist for Destiny 2’s first year.
Reddit user ashiswin wants Year 1’s Strike variant to return for Destiny 2, and many players in the community agree with the user. In Year 1, the Strike variant will allow Destiny 2 players to play through Strikes, defeat slightly different enemies or complete objectives. For example, Destiny 2’s Savathun’s Song Strike might send the player on an alternate route with different dialogue and objectives before reaching the final boss. However, Savathun’s Song Strike has been blocked, meaning players can no longer access this Strike in their playlists. As a result, some players are hoping that the Strike variant will return in Season of the Deep and subsequent seasons, allowing them to explore their favorite Strikes again with a slightly different perspective.
Some players in the community feel that Strikes are worth less now compared to Destiny 2’s previous years. Nightfalls currently offer more attractive loot at higher power levels, allowing Destiny 2 players to earn many rewards within a few runs. Others feel that Vanguard playlists need more variety to attract more players to Strikes, and the return of Strike variants could be a potential solution.
While the original Destiny game offered exclusive loot for each strike, early versions of Destiny 2 allowed players to experience different variations of the same strike. Once Beyond Light was introduced into the Destiny Content Vault, the use of the Strike variant seemed to disappear from the playlist. While Bungie is avoiding getting more content from the expansion, the lack of a Strike variant is still a disappointment to many players in the community who continue to support Destiny 2.
Destiny 2’s Vanguard playlist will still award loot to those willing to partake in regular Strikes, but it’s clear Bungie is more focused on Nightfalls. Currently, Master and Grandmaster Nightfalls offer some of the most prestigious loot in Destiny 2, and seasonal events seem to bring the variety players are looking for in Strikes right now.
Destiny 2 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.