The Destiny 2 showcase revealed a mountain of good stuff coming to Destiny 2 in February 2023 with the Lightfall expansion. From long-awaited in-game Loadouts to an entire LFG system being integrated into the game, there’s a ton of new quality of life features to get excited about. But one reveal has tongues wagging more than others: the new Commendation system.
Explaining the system during the showcase, Tyson Green, Destiny 2’s systems creative director says, “At some point, your journey as a Guardian involves other Guardians and what they think about you. That is just a whole new dimension to your journey through Destiny.”
Essentially, at the end of an activity, you’ll be presented with a screen that allows you to rate each player in your fireteam based on how you felt they behaved and conducted themselves in the activity. For example, one Commendation is Level-Headed, while another is Knowledgeable.
Right now the Commendations are split into four categories: Ally, Fun, Mastery, and Leadership, although what we’ve seen may contain some placeholder content. Lightfall is still six months away, after all.
However, the reveal of Commendations has had a mixed early response from Destiny 2 players.
One pessimistic player started a thread on the Destiny 2 subreddit, claiming they feel “uneasy” about the Commendations system, but wouldn’t mind it too much if it was an opt-in feature and voting wasn’t mandatory.
In the replies, there is a mixture of agreement and disagreement. One says that Bungie is in “fantasy land” for believing the community would be so helpful to new Guardians, and also highlights the potential issues that could arise if it offers rewards. Others, however, believe Commendations are a good thing.
“I would have loved a way to show gratitude in game to the Sherpas who helped me start out in endgame content and find my clan,” says one Guardian.
On Twitter, there were some slightly stronger opinions. “I see no possible future where the Commendation system goes well at all,” says ‘Sc Rub’.
On the other side of the coin, ‘SaintsWorkshop’ is excited for the feature to arrive in Lightfall. “I really like the first look at the commendation system for destiny. I love it in FFXIV and this version for destiny looks great,” they say.
Recently, members of the Apex Legends community have been calling for a similar system, so there’s definitely something in the air. Giving players ways to congratulate each other without adding the opportunity to grief or abuse one another can only be a good thing in the long run.
“It’s going to make the game much more social,” says Alison Slavin, a production lead at Bungie, “and really make Destiny players feel like they’re on one team.”
Whatever your thoughts on the Destiny 2 Commendation system, one thing is clear: Lightfall is going to shake up the game in a lot of ways. And with all the toxicity prevalent in online communities, a little positivity can only be a good thing.