One day, development studio Bungie will shut down the servers for their 2014 game Destiny. Years of content will disappear forever when that happens; a consequence of being an entirely online game that cannot be played offline.
Destiny remains accessible for as long as Bungie is willing to keep their systems active, but I don’t want to take this time for granted. I spent the last few weeks replaying strikes, competing in the Crucible, and hunting new gear from the Rise of Iron DLC, which I hadn’t played before.
My relationship with Destiny goes back to 2013, when the first gameplay reveal trailer was released. I followed the game religiously after that point, participating in the Xbox 360 beta and enthusiastically reading every update on Bungie’s development blog. Everything about Destiny felt “next-gen”, with the promise of dynamic open worlds, seemingly endless content, and one of my favourite settings ever. The game world was wrapped in intrigue and offered an aesthetic that I swooned over. I still have a folder of concept and character art I saved before the game’s release.
The two DLCs included in the first official Expansion Pass, The Dark Below and House of Wolves, were incredible additions to the base game. I can’t fathom how many hours I must have put into the “Prison of Elders” game mode from House of Wolves to grind the unique armor sets.
The third and largest DLC was The Taken King. The storyline in this expansion was probably the best that Destiny ever offered. Many late nights were spent on Bungie’s LFG forum tracking down groups to play the DLC’s six player raid with.
Just before the release of Rise Of Iron, the fourth and final expansion, I set the game down and never really picked it back up. Eventually I’d pick up Destiny 2, but I quickly fell off it due to the over-monetization and the shift in game direction.
In contrast, the original Destiny feels like a second home, in a sense. Seeing the story missions once again has transported me back a decade, and it’s been a fun little time machine to experience. All these years later, Destiny still feels responsive and cutting edge in light of being a 30fps first-person shooter (which, in all fairness, did require a period of adjustment). The characters, lore, and aesthetic still have a hold on my heart. But above all, coming back to Destiny in 2025 has been the perfect reminder for me to revisit the earlier years of my life.
Not every game, album, or form of art in your life will have aged wonderfully, but it’s worth putting in the effort to occasionally return. The added time and perspective you’ll have gained can strengthen your appreciation, and in the case of online service games like Destiny, it’s important to do so before you no longer have the option.
“Even old wolves still bite.”
– Lord Saladin