The verdict is in on Destiny 2’s new Episode format—and players aren’t loving it

They don't seem much different.

Destiny 2 Echoes new character reaching hand towards screen
Screenshot by Dot Esports via Bungie

With The Final Shape expansion, Destiny 2 switched from seasons to Episodes. The Episodes are supposed to be longer and more content-rich, but players are already unimpressed after three weeks.

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On the Destiny 2 weekly reset on June 25, we got to play the final story mission of the first Act of Echoes. The Episode is far from over, but you have to wait three weeks until it continues in the second Act, and nobody’s happy with that. “That’s kinda wild to go almost a month with no content, when they could have easily had the act lead into the next act with no wait in between,” a player wrote in a Reddit thread, highlighting there’s going to be nothing to do for the next few weeks.

A roadmap showing the three episodes coming to Destiny 2 in 2024.
Dates on this roadmap are pre-delay. Image via Bungie

The Episodes are supposed to be larger and more innovative than the previous model with four seasons. Even though Echoes brought an interesting storyline, new weapons, and an updated Nessus, it also added more timegating. “Yeah, Episodes are literally more drip fed than seasons were,” a player wrote.

Even if we accept that the story has paused for the next three weeks, the remainder of the seasonal weapons and season pass rewards are locked behind the second and third Acts. This means there’s practically nothing new you can do during the break aside from wrapping up the grind for the first Act.

Something might be planned to fill the void at the end of every Act. The Exotic missions, annual events (e.g. Solstice), and new dungeons are something we can expect during Episodes, but all that doesn’t seem to be that different from seasons.

Others pointed out this is the first Act right after The Final Shape, and every season that launches alongside the expansion is “weak.” This is understandable because all eyes are on the expansion, but it puts more pressure on the following Acts.

Author
Image of Edward Strazd
Edward Strazd
Freelance News and SEO Writer for Dot Esports, covering everything from live service games like Destiny 2 and Fortnite to new releases. Writing about games since 2021. When he's not writing, he's probably grinding for loot in Destiny 2.