Bungie has announced that with the launch of the Lightfall expansion it is going to add new loadout systems and LFG to Destiny 2. The news was revealed during the annual Bungie livestream, and honestly, it's a pretty welcome change.
Previously, if players were looking for a fireteam for non-matchmade activities, they'd have to search through the fireteam finder on the Destiny 2 app, but that functionality is finally being introduced to the game. This will let players partner up to try dungeons, raids, and nightfalls. Since a common complaint with Destiny 2 is being unable to find a group for endgame content, Bungie hopes this will create a better new player experience where it's easier to party up.
A new Guardian Commendation system is also coming to the game, and will let you rate other players post-activity. The more commendations you get, the more that other players will know your strengths—it's a bit like Guardian reviews. If you have lots of commendations, other players will know you make for a reliable fireteam member. This system sounds like it could have some potential niggles, but on the plus side, it'll mean you can pick reliable players and guides for tough content.
The mod menu and loadout system are also getting some much needed love. Currently, you have to change mods individually on every piece of armor, so if you don't use something like Destiny Item Manager, it takes multiple armor sets, or a lot of mod switching if you want to change your build. This is something you frequently need to do for endgame content.
Bungie announced that they are introducing preset loadouts so you can change between armor and weapon sets quickly, and also that the mod menu will receive a complete overhaul to be more in line with the updated cosmetics screen. This will let players change all their mods at once and should make build-crafting a lot simpler.
"The changes we're making make Destiny easier to come into," says Tyson Green, system creative director. "Changes to how you build your characters, changes to how you see what there is to do and what there is to accomplish, and in the year ahead we're actually making it easier to form groups together so you can go and do some of the greatest content Destiny has to offer."
All of this drops alongside Guardian Ranks; an 11 rank system that guides new players through the initial stages of Destiny 2, and generally shows other players how experienced you are at the game. Along with the reveal of Neptune as a destination, and the new darkness-based subclass, Strand, things are looking pretty exciting for Destiny 2 next year.
