One of my biggest regrets of the last 10 years is never forming a consistent group to play Destiny with. I had some sporadic acquaintances over the years, but sadly I had so many negative encounters that it ultimately made me very hesitant to invest the necessary time and trust needed to form a real group. Not trying to throw myself a pity party here, but back then I wanted nothing more than to raid and play trials with a good group of friends. I easily put in thousands of hours between D1/D2 and it got increasingly difficult to enjoy the game solo. It's definitely partly on me because I'm a serious introvert that often expects too much out of people before I feel comfortable in their presence. That has subsided a bit over the years partly because I became a pretty capable player, but by then my interest in Destiny was waning.
With that being said, it's nice to hear about your journey with Destiny. It's one I can relate to wholeheartedly. At the time I picked up D1 I had no idea I would end up playing for a decade plus and those early days running around the Cosmodrome have a special place in my heart. It might sound corny but it's true. There was a sense of exploration and possibility that I hadn't experienced before and it's been hard to replicate since. When I read about other peoples experiences playing the game and how glowingly they talk about it, it takes me right back there. In the grand scheme of things it's a relatively small group of people, but for those of us that became mildly obsessed with Destiny, we understand what it was like. I've been out of the loop for a while now, but it's really sad to hear it's winding down. As they say, all good things must come to an end.