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Destiny 2 UI for buffs and debuffs needs a major update, players say

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Oct
28
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Guardians are taking to Reddit to share their frustrations over a longstanding Destiny 2 UI element that’s grown increasingly burdensome as the FPS game has continued to add and iterate on buffs and debuffs via Aspects, Fragments, weapons, and armour mods.

The issue arises when a player has numerous buffs or debuffs at a time. Typically, when a player triggers only a few such modifiers, they can see these on the lower left-hand side of their screen. In many cases, they can also see the amount of time remaining on the buff or debuff.

As Destiny 2 has increased in complexity, introducing several new buffs and debuffs with its Arc, Solar, and Void overhauls, players can often customise their characters and loadouts to trigger numerous buffs at once. Or, in cases such as raids, Guardians might experience multiple debuffs at certain points while completing specific activities. This information helps players make decisions in the game. For example, a player buffed with Devour may make a risky play to get a kill, knowing that Devour will regenerate their health should they take damage.

Unfortunately, the Destiny 2 interface does not appear to be designed for players to sustain numerous buffs and debuffs at once. The screen limits the number it can show at one time, and when the interface runs out of space, the oldest buffs and debuffs disappear from view to make room for the others. This means players occasionally need clarification on which buffs or debuffs are currently applied to them, impacting their in-game decisions.

Players have offered numerous suggestions to address the issue. Some suggest Bungie could increase the allocated screen space to account for more status effects. Others want effects to appear as visual indicators on the weapon or abilities to which they apply. The counter to this is that many of the suggestions could introduce additional UI clutter, which designers try to avoid. Some players have also suggested they would like to see the buffs listed separately from the debuffs.

Although this has been a longtime UI issue, it’s becoming more burdensome due to the ever-increasing number of ways players can trigger such buffs and debuffs. Players using our guides to the best Destiny 2 Hunter builds, the best Destiny 2 Titan builds, and the best Destiny 2 Warlock builds may see these issues firsthand, as many of these top-notch builds involve chaining buffs for maximum damage output.

It appears Bungie has yet to address the issue. Content updates such as the forthcoming Lightfall expansion and Strand subclass and immediate fixes in the current season have likely taken precedence over overhauling the game’s basic interface. However, as the game evolves, Bungie will want to find a way to help players get the information they need to make better in-game choices.

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