Mikkel's Penultimate Final Writing on Destiny
I logged in to the original Destiny on September 22, 2014, unaware about how much it would influence my life.
On June 28, 2025, I logged in Destiny 2 to collect a series of pertinent stats and screenshots and then promptly uninstalled the game. This was a long time coming. 3,932 days to be precise.
So of course, I’ma write about it. But I’m not going to write about in the way I anticipated.
I first heard of Destiny at a Gamestop back in 2013 when I was buying my friend a copy of Injustice 2. I did not pay too much mind to it back then because I had never played a first person shooter, let alone Bungie’s previous flagship franchise Halo. However, after moving back to St. Louis in 2014, I saw footage of the game and something about seeing a titan pop a Ward of Dawn spoke to me in a way I didn’t expect.
The bulk of this narrative will occur in Part 2 (so come back next week), but the key takeaway for this exact juncture is that my love of the game got me my first byline at Intelligame which eventually lead me to several bylines at Black Nerd Problems. And for now, I wanted to collate everything in…
A Mostly Comprehensive List
https://intelli.game/destinyD-make-myths-mikkel-snyder/
Notes on Leaving 'Destiny 2': How Did We Fall So Far From the Traveler's Light? - Black Nerd Problems
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Destiny 2 Forsaken is The Golden Age of Content We Needed After a Dark Year One - Black Nerd Problems
6 Shares Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email By the Traveler’s Light; the grind is real and the grind is good, y’all. ...
Ludiomania / Destiny 2 Forsaken's Gambit May Just Be the Best Game Mode I Ever Played - Black Nerd Problems
6 Shares Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email All right, all right, all right. After almost 64 hours of game time according ...
Restoking the Forge: How Destiny 2 Armed Itself for the Future - Black Nerd Problems
With Destiny 2 getting ready for the future, William and Mikkel discuss what they want and see for the future of the game.
Ludiomania / Destiny 2 Forsaken's Gambit May Just Be the Best Game Mode I Ever Played - Black Nerd Problems
6 Shares Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email All right, all right, all right. After almost 64 hours of game time according ...
Top 5 Dead or Alive: The Drifter - Black Nerd Problems
In this edition of Top 5 Dead or Alive, we let one of the BNP staff tell us why he is on the Drifter's Destiny 2 team all day.
Ritual / (Ar)Rhythm(ia) / Reset - Black Nerd Problems
When every day feels the same, what hurts is lack of choice to make it different. But the inverse is also true: we can choose to reclaim the reset.
The Last Array is My First Memory - Black Nerd Problems
There are hundreds of moments I could talk about when it comes to Destiny 2 and undoubtedly, there will be a hundred more. But here's to the Level 6 Story Mission that could. Here's to the question of "what will humanity leave behind" and the myriad of forms that the answer takes.
Transcript from a Fireteam's Comms - Talking About Destiny 2: Beyond Light - Black Nerd Problems
If you like the feel of Destiny 2, you’ll probably like Beyond Light, but to fall in love, you’re gonna need to commit a little.
Reverse Engineering the Ship of Theseus in 'Destiny 2' - Black Nerd Problems
Destiny's evolution has paralleled the life of BNP writing Mikkel. So, like him has continued to get better and keeps people coming back.
A Little After the First Reset of 'Destiny 2: The Witch Queen'- A First Impressions Retrospective - Black Nerd Problems
Destiny 2: The Witch Queen takes the existing foundation of the game and has built a veritable fortress of content right on top of it.
Dissecting the Design of Destiny 2's Duality Dungeon - Black Nerd Problems
Destiny 2's Duality Dungeon employs several different pedagogical methods to help guide players without explicit instruction.
An Ode to 'Deep Stone Crypt' - Black Nerd Problems
With renewed interest, Deep Stone Crypt holds a special place for its design, aesthetic, and the memories formed.
Reviewing the Current Meta on How to Write About Buildcraft in 'Destiny 2' - Black Nerd Problems
Writing about buildcraft is appropriately analogous to buildcraft itself. How to inform, what to highlight, what examples to use.
One Month in Neomuna - Looking at the State of 'Destiny 2' - Black Nerd Problems
While not the best, Neomuna remains an iteration of the game that I can’t wait to log into and get just a bit more optimization out of.
Every End is a Beginning - 'Destiny 2:' The Final Shape Showcase Breakdown - Black Nerd Problems
As you get prepared for the end, check out this breakdown of the Destiny 2 The Final Shape showcase and all you can look forward to.
The Lingering Legacy of the 'Destiny 2' Mission Exotic - Black Nerd Problems
Mission exotic became one of the best part of Destiny 2, and its lingering legacy continues to be something that was extremely memorable.
A Para-causal Ludonarrative Dissonance - Black Nerd Problems
BNP member Mikkel has some feelings about the current state of Destiny, and the final confrontation to come.
One Month After the Final Shape: A Decade-ish of 'Destiny' in Retrospect - Black Nerd Problems
It's been a month since Destiny released Final Shape. After a decade-ish of gameplay, let's take a moment to look back in this retrospective.
Bonus Fan Fiction
https://www.reddit.com/r/DestinyJournals/comments/9z3yis/a_cold_wind_blowin/ https://www.reddit.com/r/DestinyJournals/comments/awwo2o/dredgen_acquires_ranged_combat_implement/ https://www.reddit.com/r/DestinyJournals/comments/cewkx7/the_notion_of_perfection/A Pivot
It was shortly after compiling this semi-exhaustive list that I realized, there wasn’t much left to actually write or say. I’ve been saying it. I’ve been living with it. I’ve written about it and I have the tattoos and trinkets and t-shirts to prove it.
My intent month’s ago when I realized I was stepping away from the franchise that had consumed several thousand hours of my life was a two pronged approach. One newsletter doing an in depth numerical analysis. One newsletter doing a more personalized narrative.
I was going to ramble about my favorite weapons, my favorite aesthetics. I was going to inventory everything and show progress on a quilt (the more ambitious version of me would drop progress. The pragmatic version of me knows that is folly). Tier lists, favorite memories, wishes, hopes, dreams. But when when I looked at my raid.report and dungeon.report speak for themselves. My favorites are easily inferred.
And much like my interest in the game, my interest in writing about the game has waned. I do not actually want to wax poetic about the time. I do not need to announce my exit as an active participant to passive observer.
And I guess I still am, but as it goes, the collation of links is more than enough of a reminder of everything I’ve done and then some.
Although, I am still very much attached to what my actual final writing on this subject matter will be, so tune in next week for that.