Bungie is adding compulsory matchmaking for Destiny's Weekly Heroic Strikes in the next update, which means players will no longer be able to solo or play through these missions as a pair from here on in.
This change won't apply to the Weekly Nightfall Strike. While there are many who'll be delighted that Bungie has listened to fans and then implemented this matchmaking feature, others are disappointed that it wasn't added as an optional feature, and that by making it compulsory the studio has limited player's options.
"We wanted the Weekly Heroics to be a challenge that pushed you and your buddies, but what we observed was that these strikes don't demand the same cooperation of a cohesive pre-made group. The overwhelming community response was such that many players didn't have the numbers on their friends list to experience the activity on a weekly basis," design lead M.E. Chung said in a post on Bungie.net.
Chung also confirmed the omission of matchmaking in Nightfall and Raid missions: "we know that it's challenging for many players to find groups for Raids and Nightfall today. We are thinking hard about how we can help make that an easier experience in future releases."