Category: Bungie News

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Before we begin today’s TWAB, we wanted to acknowledge the horrific events in Uvalde, TX, earlier this week. We are all shocked and saddened by this unprovoked madness and our hearts go out to the victims and their families. 

It’s our hope that games and supportive communities can provide respite, and we encourage everyone to prioritize their own mental health needs right now, whether that means gaining comfort from your hobbies or taking a break to focus on yourself and your loved ones. Take care of one another. 

Finally, we also wanted to provide some resources to help with mental health:  

Season of the Haunted, it’s finally here. But before we dive in headfirst, let’s all just take a second and take a deep breath. An- OH MY GOD, THE NEW TRAILER DROPPED. Earlier than originally intended, but still—just in case you missed it and the newest ViDoc about Season of the Haunted:  

Season of the Haunted dives deep into the philosophy of what it means to be; the duality of existence. Are you ready? Good, because it’s about to get intense.  

With the new Season comes new activities, as well. Let’s start with the weekly mission, Sever. Sever challenges a team of up to three Guardians to navigate the seedy Underbelly of the derelict Leviathan to battle it out against hordes of foes to find and sever Calus’s power. His connection to the Nightmares that he can control is strong, sure, but we’re stronger. At least, we hope so… 

The second activity is called Nightmare Containment. This is a free-to-play public event aboard the Derelict Leviathan that is designed to be just as chaotic as it is fun. Take on intense battles against Cabal and Scorn and dive a little deeper into the nightmare reflection of our world. The team is excited about how this activity will play out through Season of the Haunted. Nightmare Containment is specifically designed to be always worth the player’s time because it scales depending on the number of Guardians participating. More Guardians? Faster boss burns and even more loot potential.  

Light Attack: 

With every Season also comes new ways to show off that customized Guardian style, and Haunted is no different. From a Haunted aesthetic to getting in touch with your inner Eris Morn, here is a closer look at some of the different looks you can make your own. Can we also just take a second to appreciate the Nightmare Seasonal armor ornaments, because wow:

The Season Pass also includes a new Seasonal ornament for Trespasser, new shaders, emotes, and more to unlock simply by playing Destiny 2. As shown off in our official reveal earlier this week, here’s just a small recap of some of those rewards:  

Just like Void 3.0, Aspects and Fragments will be your best friend when exploring unique new playstyles, perfecting existing combat choices, or just going ham on a new iteration of a subclass that maybe hasn’t fit your niche in the past. The choice to dive all-in on that fiery action is yours, but—and we may be biased here—Solar 3.0 is pretty darn nifty, so we hope you check it out. Plus, you can quite literally fight fire with fire, who doesn’t want to do that?  

By now, many Guardians have already started diving into what Solar 3.0 means for new combat possibilities. Just like with Void 3.0, Solar’s revamp can be done through Ikora in the Tower before meditating at the kiosk near her to lock in the newly learned disciplines. You may or may not have noticed that there are a few select Fragments are locked. Don’t worry, it wasn’t Telesto this time, this is actually intentional. Since we’re a one-team-one-fight type of bunch, there are four Fragments that can be unlocked via the community working together. How? Glad you asked, dear reader.  

Guardians can unlock additional Fragments for Solar 3.0 by completing a number of Nightmare Containments. Each Guardian that fights the good fight will count as a completion, so having a full fireteam that is focused on the objective will benefit groups greatly. Basically, double the progression for a team of six versus, say, a team of three. The goal is to hit 20-million completions as a community. When we hit that goal, those four Solar 3.0 Fragments will be unlocked and ready to pick up from Ikora.   

That being said, there is one thing to note about the Fragments. There was some confusion during the launch of Season of the Haunted and we wanted to explain what happened and what is intentional. The four locked Fragments were always intended for this particular community-driven initiative, but there was a small hiccup on day-one. To clarify this, the four Fragments that will unlock after the above community effort are:  

The team has made the decision that they don’t want to remove any Fragments from people who have unlocked them, and the goal is for all six Fragments to unlock when we hit the community goal mentioned above—we’re sure it’ll happen in no time. Fire can’t be tamed; and apparently, that is also true in Destiny 2.  

And, of course, a Guardian should always arrive in style with these Eververse options, which can also be found in a bundle for anyone looking to have it all:  

We’re also disabling Power level, so that sweet gear you’ve been holding onto—you can go ahead and dust those off. Iron Banner also comes bearing a new PvP map alongside Rift. The new map, called Disjunction, will be available for all modes, though Rift is just for Iron Banner until Season 18. We think you’ll really enjoy this new area, and not just for the intended design that allows for more ways to strategize. Not only does it continue the Throne World theme, but it is also one of the largest maps we’ve ever had in PvP. It’ll be a good time, but we’ll also be keeping our eyes peeled for any feedback you have for us! 

You know us, we’re always down for a good charity initiative and we’ve got even more gameplay goodness that you won’t want to miss. From 09:00 AM PT on June 3 to June 10, there will be a shiny new gaming marathon stream for St. Jude’s Hospital during our GCX celebration. Interested? Good! You can join in on the streaming madness right here during the official GCX stream!  

Some sweet prizes are on the horizon for those that want to chip in and do a little good. For those wanting a little added flare, a $20 donation to charity will land you the Spectra Sea emblem. A $60 donation will land you the Euclidean Theorem emblem. The best part? All proceeds go to help St. Jude in its mission to give children and their families hope and strength through trying medical times.  

We hope you stop on by during the latest GCX celebration and enjoy the event!  

We are Haunted by leaks.

 

It’s another week filled with new content from the Bungie team and glorious creations from you, the players, that make it all worth it. We love seeing them, so please don’t stop creating them. The funny, the inspiring—we want to see it all. This week, the themes in Season of the Haunted are heavy, so the latest picks are leaning hard on the funny and the calming. Oh yeah, and a bonus round to playfully poke at one particular journalist that I’ve known since my journalism days, and I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to have a little fun at his expense. With love, of course.  

Anyway, let’s get into it!  

Movie of the Week: Void 

Movie of the Week: Last Wish Raid, But Make It Minecraft

B-b-b-BONUS round: 

Movie of the Week: The Tassi Grassi 

 

Happy TWABsday Guardians! As you know, we are just a few days into the Season of the Haunted and the Solar 3.0 art has been… shall we say, on fire! We are still giving you some time to see all of the things and explore before we share any spoiler-type art, but for now, enjoy! 

Art of the Week: Season of the Spoopy

Art of the Week: The Crown

B-b-b-BONUS round two: 

Art of the Week: The Witness Comes Bearing Gifts

Oh look, some news here too! We love a good emblem just as much as the next Guardian, so we have a few new unique ones to share for those Guardians that are bursting with creative energy! Check out the two new emblems for AOTW and MOTW below:  

Want a shot to earn one of the new emblems? Don’t forget to tag us in your art and video creations with #Destiny2Art, #AOTW, and #MOTW for a chance to be featured and don a new player profile look. 

If you’ve found yourself moseying on over to Tess at the Eververse store, you may have noticed an adorable new emote that actually lets you pet the dog. For that reason alone, it is an awesome grab, but what makes this deal even sweeter is what this particular emote offers in terms of putting out a little good out into the world. Here to talk about the latest charity initiative is Bungie Foundation’s Christine Edwards.  

Christine: Season 17 kicks off with a heartwarming in-game opportunity for Guardians to further the Bungie Foundation’s mission of supporting children’s health and wellbeing by purchasing the Loyal Companion emote from the Eververse. Not only do players get an adorable canine companion to interact with in the form of a cute new emote, but 100% of proceeds will also be donated to the Bungie Foundation.  

As we head into Bungie Day in just over a month, you’ll be hearing far more about the origin story of this adorable emote—but for today, we’ll just give you a bit of a teaser.   

The Loyal Companion isn’t just any dog. He’s a real-life Belgian Malinois named Artemis and the best friend of a very special Guardian whose story we will share with you in the coming weeks. A story of resilience, recovery, and triumph only made possible by the Destiny community and his dog Artemis.  

We can’t wait to share this heartfelt story with you on Bungie Day, but until then, we hope you all get a Loyal Companion of your own so that we can continue to help other Guardians in need. 

Joanna: After three exciting weeks, the Guardian Games are over, and we have the winners of the inaugural Guardian Games Cup activity too. A massive thank you to the 42 teams from around the world who joined in on the fun and games, and to all of you for supporting your favorite teams and raising over $222K USD for Direct Relief in partnership with the Bungie Foundation. 

Here’s a look at the teams that put it all on the line for their class:  

The winning Guardian Games Cup team will receive lovely, personalized gold trophies (as seen below), as well as a special piece of artwork of their fireteam by Gammatrap. Each winning class team will be receiving similar prizes, with their trophies bringing that silver flare.  

The team that raised the top amount is team Punch-a-Bunch led by Datto himself, with a whopping $30,150 raised. They will be receiving a custom piece of artwork by PherianArt. 

To learn more about the first-ever Guardian Games Cup, check out the full blog post here. 

Our full statement, and pledge that all profits from the “Be Heard” Pin on the Bungie Store will be donated to the Southern Poverty Law Center for at least one year, can be found here: 

This week at Bungie, Guardian Games is coming to a close, and we’re but days away from a new Season.

That’s right Guardian Games is nearing its end. Warlocks are dominating as of this writing. Will they hold on for their first Guardian Games victory? Only time will tell. Actually, not true—our social media channels will also tell. And you might be able to do the math by visiting the podium in the Tower, as they might have such a commanding lead that Titans and Hunters couldn’t possibly catch up to their space magic. 

There will be a day where many of your questions will be answered, but today is not that day. It’s a scary, but fun, balancing act in the grand scheme of things. I’ve said it before, but player discovery is one of the most potent things in gaming. Do we spill the details in TWABs and tweets, or do we hold things a bit closer to the chest with each Season to let players dig in on day-one and find out some cool things in the game itself? 

If you’d like to go dark, this should be one of the last Bungie communications you read before Tuesday at 10 AM Pacific. If you’d like to get a quick taste before launch, tune in a bit earlier on Tuesday morning and keep an eye out for a countdown for our next trailer. 

So, what will be our final TWAB before launch? We’ve got some details on how Seasonal Events will be evolving, a quick spoiler free patch note preview, a rundown on when our next dungeon is going live, and a preview of upcoming Trials of Osiris armor sets. Keep an eye out for our Player Support section too, as we’ll be breaking down the timelines for Destiny 2 Update 4.1.0 (which kicks off Season of [Redacted] on Tuesday)! 

Destiny Event Updates 

Once a Season, Guardians get the chance to take a break from our galaxy-saving duties to relax and reflect in special annual celebrations. These themed events—which include Guardian Games, Solstice, Festival of the Lost, and The Dawning—have become an integral part of the annual flow of Destiny 2, where players can celebrate together and collect cool rewards along the way. 

Over the past year, the team has been working hard on giving many of these events a makeover. This effort began with last year’s Festival of the Lost, which featured new twists like the Monsters vs. Dinos community poll and Glint’s ghost stories. Our goal is that every event provides joy and discovery for new and veteran players, and the enthusiastic reaction to the 2021 Festival of the Lost reaffirmed our plans to keep evolving our events to keep them fresh and fun. While not every event will get a big update this year, we wanted to share a high-level look at our plans for the upcoming Solstice event, which begins on July 19. 

Solstice. Just Solstice. 

That’s right, we dropped the “of Heroes” from the name of our summer event and are just going with “Solstice.” While we’ve got a new name and will have some beautiful new floral arrangements adorning the Tower during the event, those familiar with Solstice events from the past should still feel right at home. As in previous years, there will be an awesome set of armor to pursue; only this time, instead of completing armor objectives and collecting keys and packages consumables, you’ll be completing Event Challenges (more on those in a bit) to make progress towards your ultimate glowing masterpiece of bodily protection.  

One of the biggest changes you’ll notice with Solstice is we’ve changed the armor experience a lot. Players will only upgrade one set of Solstice armor throughout the event. While you can get multiple instances of a helmet, for example, upgrading armor will allow you to reroll its stats and the stat potential of the armor will be shared across those drops.  

Another new feature coming to Solstice is an activity in the European Aerial Zone called Bonfire Bash, where Guardians will be building and stoking what can only be described as “paracausal bonfires” while the enemies of summer fun (including the Taken, Cabal, Hive, and Fallen) will be attempting to crash the party and extinguish the fires. In your mission to guard the flames from wave after wave of incoming enemies, we’ve made it easier to transverse the EAZ, adding floating islands and removing building-barriers for maximum maneuverability. 

Look for more details on Solstice armor upgrades and Bonfire Bash as we get closer to the launch of Solstice. 

Introducing the Event Card   

With our Solstice event, we’re introducing a new feature called the Event Card. In much the same way that Seasonal Challenges introduces an easy-to-understand (and find) list of goals you can complete in a Season, the Event Card does the same for Destiny 2’s annual events. When Solstice begins, players will gain access to this Event Card which includes new points of interest to explore, including:  

Every Event Card will be available for free to all players and can be accessed by interacting with Eva Levante in the Tower or via the Quests tab (right next to Seasonal Challenges). Event Cards and their associated challenges and rewards can be accessed for the entire event before disappearing once their corresponding event ends.

Let’s take a look at some of the individual parts of the Event Card in order to better understand how they tie into events overall.  

Event Challenges  

Like Seasonal Challenges, Event Challenges are objectives that players can complete to earn rewards. Certain Event Challenges will award players with familiar items such as event shaders, emblems, or other gear, and they’ll also grant Event Tickets. 

Every Event Challenge will be available for players to complete right when the event starts, so you won’t need to wait until the next week for additional Challenges to become available. Event Challenges can be completed in any order and at any point while an event is active.  

Event Seals and Titles  

In addition to Event Challenges, we’re also going to be introducing event Seals and titles that you can earn. There are two types of event-based Seals that players can work towards:  

Starting with Solstice this year, each Destiny event will come with a seal that players can complete as well as gild. Completing these event Seals is as simple as completing all the Event Challenges on its Event Card. Finishing every Event Challenge will automatically earn you Seal progress and unlock the title for that Seal. Gilding event Seals will require completing additional Triumphs that will only become available once the standard Seal has been completed—gilding lasts until the event begins again the following year. Progress on individual event Seals can be tracked directly in the Event Card by hovering over the card on the left-hand side of the screen or by viewing the event Seal from the Triumphs page.  

There’s also a new multi-event Seal that event-loving players will be able to work toward. Starting with Solstice, players can complete a certain number of Event Challenges in each of the four yearly Destiny events to complete this Seal. This means that the earliest players can complete the multi-event Seal will be in Guardian Games of next year and doing so will also earn them a unique event title.  You’ll also be able to gild this new Seal after completing the standard version and we’ll be sharing more details on how to do this in the coming year.  

Upgraded Event Card Rewards  

A new event means new event-themed cosmetics for Guardians to customize their experience. While those items have traditionally been part of the Eververse store, with the upcoming Solstice event, we will curate a collection of these items as unique rewards through the Event Card itself. These rewards will only be available through the Event Card during their initial release but, like most of our cosmetics, there’s always a chance they’ll become available again via Eververse at a future date.  

While the Event Card and Event Challenge rewards are free for all players, acquiring these extra cosmetic rewards will require players to purchase the upgraded Event Card. Upgrading the Event Card will cost 1000 Silver and immediately grants players an Exotic reward bundle. Players can then acquire even more rewards by spending the Event Tickets they collect from Event Challenges.  

The overall value of the upgraded Event Card will vary somewhat but is expected to regularly exceed 3000 Silver. 

Hint: If you aren’t sure whether you will complete the event, wait until the last week to make the purchase and see how many Event Tickets you have accumulated! But don’t wait until the very last minute because Event Tickets will expire once an event ends and the Event Card goes away. 

We can’t wait for everyone to jump in and experience all the new Solstice changes we have in store. See you in July!  

Another Patch Note Preview 

While we’ve already gone over quite a few changes, ranging from ritual streak bonuses to a behemoth of a TWAB covering sandbox, we still have a few smaller patch notes to share with you before Tuesday comes around. This will be a mash-up of fixes with no specific theme. It’s all just Destiny 2, baby. 

UX/UI 

Dares of Eternity 

Power and Progression 

Vault Space 

Xûr 

Scorn 

Dungeon Diving 

Next week, we are launching a brand-new dungeon on Friday, May 27 at 10 AM Pacific. The recommended power to enter for normal difficulty is going to be 1550. Master difficulty will be live day one as well, but we’ll leave those entry requirements for you to see in the game next week.

We’re going to let you discover where you will be going and what you will be doing for yourselves, but we wanted to give you a quick tease at what rewards you can expect to earn once inside. 

Here is a high-level look at all of the rewards available from the dungeon next Friday: 

Assuming you plan to brave the challenges that await you, these are the treasures you can claim. 

Best way to get this dungeon as well as the one coming in Season 19 is to have the Digital Deluxe Edition of The Witch Queen. If you have that, you are already good to go! If you want to experience an entire year of Destiny 2 content and haven’t purchased the Deluxe Edition yet, starting next Tuesday, it’s going to be on sale for 25% off (exact timing and duration may vary by platform). 

If you just want the dungeons, totally fine, you can pick up both as part of The Witch Queen Dungeon Key in the Eververse store for 2000 Silver. 

Trials, Trials, Trials 

This weekend, we have some fun lined up for Trials of Osiris. Over the last two Seasons, we’ve been experimenting with Freelance and Zone Capture weekends, learning some great lessons about the Trials ecosystem and population as it waxes and wanes over a given Season. This weekend, we’re mixing things up just a little more with another Freelance weekend, with Zone Control enabled. This will be your final weekend of Trials for a while, as the mode will have a short hiatus through June 10. 

When Trials comes back around, there will be some new loot to earn. While we’ve already announced that a Fusion Rifle and Sidearm will be up for grabs, we’ll also have some new armor for your fashion game. We’re leaning deeper into the Trials themes that you’ve seen over the years, and excited to see how you mix and match these new sets with pieces from activities throughout the game. 

But wait! There’s more! 

If you’d like to kit out your Guardian a bit more with the Trials theme, we have two new cosmetic rewards coming online next Season. You may have already noticed the Ghost in the armor preview above, but we also have this beauty to introduce…

Falcon’s Chase Sparrow (that I can’t stop looking at. It will be mine. Someday…)

We’ll see you out there (and maybe even duke it out a bit) on June 10 when these rewards go live.

The Gauntlet 2022 

Rounding out our week of Bungie news, the Bungie Foundation brings wonderful news of our 8 anniversary participating in the Gauntlet Tabletop fundraiser. If you’d like to help our team in the competition, while also helping to raise funds for important causes, check out the information below! 

Bungie Foundation: This weekend will culminate in a head-to-head tabletop tournament full of fun, competition, and most importantly, supporting a great cause. Help us raise funds for this year’s recipient, Zeno Math. Zeno’s mission is to spark joy and inspire a love of math in youth children and families through racial equity, family engagement, and play, all centered in the experience of communities of color. Zeno changes the landscape of early math through a unique play-based approach, and they believe that math skills and abilities are essential to leading a full and robust life. 

Head to our team’s Donation Page to commit your support on or before this Sunday, May 22 at 11:59 PM Pacific!  

Anyone who donates $25 in a single donation to our Team Page will receive the Venn’s Pulsar emblem, which will be distributed by Friday, June 10.  

Rules of the Road: To be eligible for the emblem, donations must be made to this campaign between May 15 and May 22 at 11:59 PM Pacific. A unique redemption code will be emailed to the email address used to make the donation. One redemption code will be distributed per email for qualifying donations.  

Thank you in advance for supporting this amazing organization! 

Love, 

Bungie Foundation 

Release the Update! 

 

It can be difficult to wait for the goods, so to speak. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve looked at the clock just today wondering how much longer we have until the new Season is out. Patience, my friends. Patience. 

In the meantime, our Player Support team has a roundup of timelines and need-to-know updates in preparation for your upcoming downloads. 

This is their report. 

UPDATE 4.1.0 RELEASE SCHEDULE  

To prepare for the launch of Season of [REDACTED], Destiny 2 will undergo scheduled downtime from 9 AM PDT (1600 UTC) to 11 AM PDT (1800 UTC) on May 24. Below is the scheduled timeline for this release:  

LAST CHANCE BUNGIE REWARDS  

Players looking to earn certain Bungie Rewards should complete the associated in-game achievement before 10 AM PDT (1700 UTC) on May 24: 

These rewards will be available to purchase from the Bungie Store until May 31, 2022, at 11:59 PM PDT (0659 UTC). 

CLAIM YOUR (IN GAME) REWARDS 

Players should make sure to claim all engrams and other rewards before the new Season begins. Any rewards not claimed from ritual vendors (Zavala, Shaxx, Drifter, and Saint-14) will be removed at the beginning of the next Season.  

VOW OF THE DISCIPLE EMBLEM 

The Cleaver emblem and associated Triumph for the completion of the Vow of the Disciple raid during the Contest Mode extension have been successfully distributed to all qualifying players.  

Destiny Player Support has investigated reports of players who believed to have qualified for the emblem and Triumph but did not receive them, and in all instances the players had at least one encounter of the raid that was not successfully recorded as complete during the Contest Mode window. 

For players to have earned this emblem, they had to receive a reward in every raid encounter during Contest Mode. If players did not receive a reward after completing a specific encounter, the game did not count them as completing the encounter, and so The Cleaver emblem could not be granted. 

KNOWN ISSUES  

Get Your Mad Scientist On

 

Sam: Happy TWABsday, Guardians! (Does anyone else say that out loud, or is it just me?) Anyway, this week we have some super rad movies! Starting off, we have one of the coolest custom PC builds, with some of the most solid video editing I have ever seen. I am a huge fan of customizing your gaming setup, but doing so with Wardcliff Coil, that’s some “mad scientist” stuff right there. After that, we have a PvP montage that not only shows how rad Warlocks are, but it also really captures the essence of space magic. 

Movie of the Week: Wardcliff Coil PC Build:

Movie of the Week: Trampoline: Trampoline

A Hunter, a Warlock, and a Titan Walk into a T-Rated Bar 

 

Hippy: Guardian Games is all about which class can come out on top when it comes down to taking home that big W. It’s fun, especially when you get a chance to (playfully) dunk on Hunter mains, but it’s understood by the community that this is all done from a good-natured place. In actuality, the three classes are pretty dope and so, for this week, we wanted to share three gorgeous pieces of art that make this ‘ol Titan’s heart proud. Whether you rep those Jumpy Beans or like to Thundercrash alongside those Space Wizards, at the end of the day, we’re all just here to game and have a good time. 

Wow, that was way wordier than anticipated, so let’s just jump right into it, shall we?  

Art of the Week: Titan Love 

One of my favorite pieces #Destiny2Art #AOTW pic.twitter.com/KsqlVX3xHI

— ItsaMePistola (@pistola_me) May 9, 2022

Art of the Week: Red String of Fate 

B-b-b-BONUS round.  

Art of the Week: A Peaceful Date Night 

As always, make sure to tag us in those glorious Destiny 2 videos and art by tagging #Destiny2Art, #AOTW, and #MOTW. Go on, do it. We dare you.  

Before You Go, We’ve Got One Last Spear to Throw  

Hippy: That title is funny when you realize we’re talking about an actual spear. The Synaptic Spear is pretty cool, right? But what if we made it real? Well, not us, but we did commission two vastly creative fabricators to create a life-size model of this particular piece of gloriousness. It’s not just one spear, either. We’ve got seven of these bad boys to give away as a super-exclusive product to be distributed worldwide. US, UK, Italy, Germany, France, Japan, and ANZ regions will be utilizing their socials to partake in this speartastic endeavor in order to give away these powerful 1:1 props. Each region will partake in these giveaways with their own unique flare, so make sure to keep a lookout for your local social channels to see some exciting opportunities surrounding this particular spear. Who knows, maybe you’ll be one of the lucky few that wins one!   

Designed to stop the unstoppable.

The Synaptic Spear expertly crafted by @hasfoundry. pic.twitter.com/2HO78ltaJp

— Destiny 2 (@DestinyTheGame) May 18, 2022

Because this is Destiny 2 and we love our lore, here’s a special snippet from our Narrative team about the history attached to this spear:  

Guardian— 

My Psions toiled to affix the ruins of Ghaul’s Light-suppressing device to a weapon frame. 

A war axe would be too heavy for weak Human arms. A maul lacked the resonance to pierce the psionic sphere. 

Finally, I held the Synaptic Spear in my hands. Untested. I frowned. 

It was meant to be wielded by a Lightbearer in the Mindscape, where their power would change it into a gleaming beacon. Even Savathûn would shield her eyes from its glare, they told me. 

I listened to their claims before taking the weapon for myself. They raised their voices in protest, but I silenced them with a look. 

On the far shores of Sorrow’s Harbor, I waded into the hordes of ravening Hive. Though the dull metals of the spear would not speak to me, I still made it sing. 

I may not have the Light. 

But I have strength. 

—Empress Caiatl  

The Anticipation…

Well, that’s a wrap! Your final TWAB before Season of [Redacted] ships. Now all that’s left is a weekend of Freelance Zone Capture Trials, and maybe a few Triumphs standing between you and the Season of the Risen title. 

We’ll see you again next Tuesday, patch notes and all. 

Cheers, 

dmg04 

This week at Bungie, we think it’s time we talk about Iron Banner, check out the new PvP Map, and introduce the Cosplay Cosmodrome. Trust us, it’s really cool. 

But first, Iron Banner.

Season 17 is just over the horizon, and we’ve talked extensively about weapon changes, Gambit tweaks, and more. With the events of Season of the Risen showing Lord Saladin in a new role, it seems fitting that there be a few changes to Iron Banner as well. Here to talk about what’s next, including the return of Rift and core philosophies that surround modes like Iron Banner, is Bungie’s own Principal Designer Alan Blaine.  

Alan: Hey there! So, funny story. When we were looking for the first thing for the newly formed Rituals team to focus on and make an impact, we had originally aimed at refreshing Iron Banner. Then, the first  Häkke Casino weekend happened, and we pivoted to Trials of Osiris and started on what would become the Season of the Lost revamp. Nine months later, and here we are – back at Iron Banner!  

Iron Banner is a celebration of PvP for everyone. We want people playing every day, playing with their friends, wearing their flaming Iron Banner armor, and using Iron Banner weapons. When you land in the Tower, we want it to feel different and special – same as all of our annual events like The Dawning or Festival of the Lost.  

Iron Banner is one of our core entry points for adding new and different ideas into the Crucible. We love the Hunt aspect of Control, even if it has snowballing issues. What if we did the same thing with other modes, what about if we add new modes?  

Lower the barriers and widen the funnel for players. Everyone should be able to play Iron Banner and access the core reward paths – New Lights and Destiny 1 alpha veterans alike. We want core rewards that are focused on team play and participation, not just winning matches and skillful play. Those should accelerate rewards rather than lock them off.   

Without further ado, here’s what’s up next. Picture this: when you first land in the Tower in Season 17 for Iron Banner, you’ll notice something new – what’s that music? (Oh my god! It’s Bracus Forge!) Upon landing, you will see players clustered up around the area where Eva Levante (a.k.a. Space Grandma) usually stands. But, instead of the usual festive decorations, it’s all smoke and fire. Guardians gather around in all manner of flaming armor, and in the middle stands Lord Saladin, now known as Bracus Forge.  

Power level in PvP has always been confusing to new players, and it’s quite different than the normal Crucible. We want to open the mode to more players, so Power level is now disabled in Iron Banner. To clarify, Power level will still be active in Trials of Osiris as the PvP endgame mode.  

We also know that having Iron Banner be Control for the last few years has grown a little stale for some, so for Season 17, we are bringing back an old favorite: Rift. More on the mode itself later in the TWAB, but our intention is to switch out the Iron Banner mode every Season. Sometimes it might be a brand new or returning mode, sometimes it might be an interesting twist on an existing mode.  

Earning Rewards: Iron Banner tokens will be removed starting in Season 17 and those will be replaced by a similar ranking system likened to Saint-14 and Shaxx. Earn Iron Engrams while ranking up and unlock cosmetic rewards and materials for your time playing. But it’s not just the reward track that’s changing, Saladin is also getting a full focusing implementation, as well. Players will be able to convert Iron Engrams into any current Iron Banner weapons or armor set that have been earned previously, for a cost with in-game materials. In future Seasons, we will be looking at adding more, including legacy Iron Banner gear and cosmetics.  

To break it down simply, here is how the revamped Iron Banner reputation will work:  

• Play matches with each match earning more towards Iron Banner reputation.  
• Win matches to earn a small bonus based on your current Iron Banner rank.  
• Wear Iron Banner armor (or just as ornaments on your own non-Iron Banner gear) and equip Iron Banner weapons to max out your gear multiplier at 200%.  
• Five total pieces must be equipped, though please remember this includes Iron Banner armor and Iron Banner ornaments.  
• Complete the daily Iron Banner challenges to tack on 100% to your challenge multiplier for the rest of the week.  
• Yes, this means for each challenge.  
• Use an Iron Banner emblem for an additional 10% emblem multiplier.  

All modifiers will be listed on the launch screen, seen below:  

Daily challenges: For the first four days of each Iron Banner week, Guardians will unlock a new daily challenge. These challenges unlock each day whether you complete them or not, so if you log in on Friday, you can do them all in succession if you want to. Rewards will also stack reputation bonuses for the remainder of the week alongside a Pinnacle Iron Engram. The weekly bounties that typically award Pinnacles have been deprecated appropriately to balance out this change.  

Becoming an Iron Lord: It’s not easy being cheesy or an Iron Lord, so there should be something a little extra spicy to reflect that hard work. With these new Iron Banner reworkings, a new Seal and title will also be available to earn. Don’t expect this one to be simple or an “easy grab.” Being an Iron Lord is no joke; it requires dedication, gumption, and some spiffy gear. To set expectations for this new Seal and title, Iron Lord hopefuls can expect to spend around 15 to 20 hours to unlock this flair. Some of the more hardcore players could unlock this in one week if focused, but we expect most players to need a second week – maybe even a second Season. Intrepid Iron Lords will be able to gild the title in Season 18. 

Becoming a Young Wolf: “New quest, who dis?” For anyone that may be scratching their head at some of these changes, Lord Saladin will offer a brand-new quest that will introduce all of these features and demonstrate how they work. You only have to run through it once per account, but with this reset we wanted everyone to get the same introduction, even Iron Banner veterans will need to do this. In fact, you’ll need to start this quest to even access the Iron Banner node.  

To even out this change and to welcome the new quest, we will no longer be producing the Seasonal Iron Banner quest. Which brings us to our next point:  

Saladin hangs his “out to lunch, be back in 15 minutes” sign: Due to his increased responsibilities on Caiatl’s war council, he now runs Iron Banner in the Tower just twice a Season. Because Iron Banner will be more in-line with those annual events, you’ll never see Iron Banner run during those annual festivities. For Season 17, Iron Banner will run during these times:  

• Week 2 starts on May 31. 
• Week 8 starts on July 12.  

Rift is back: If you’re like us, Rift has a very special place in that PvP-playing heart of yours. We’re excited to bring back this staple, but for those that may be new to what this is, here’s what you need to know. Rift is an objective-based Crucible mode that plays more like a game of soccer or rugby (but with pew-pew weapons and no passing) than it does Clash. Teams of Guardians will attempt to take the Spark from the middle of the map into the base of the enemy team and dunk it into the enemy Rift. One dunk equals one point, the first to make it to five points or to have the upper hand by the 10-minute mark wins.  

• A Spark appears in the center of the map a few seconds after a match starts or a point is scored and can be picked up by interacting with it for a couple seconds. The Spark itself is a buff that allows full weapon and ability usage aside from Super. 
• For the first five seconds after picking up the Spark, or for a few seconds after taking damage, both teams receive a waypoint for the Spark holder. After that, the waypoint only remains for the Spark holder’s own team—marking the Spark holder for your teammates is important! 
• If you die while carrying the Spark, it drops to the ground where you died (or nearby if the spot is not navigable). 
• If you hold onto the Spark too long, it detonates. 
• Team resurrections are enabled in Rift, so make sure and help your teammates in the middle of a push, or if you are playing defense. 
• There are no points for kills, just for Spark dunks, so playing the objective is key.  
• When Rift is in Iron Banner, the Hunt is on when your team has the Spark. When the music intensifies, it’s time to score! 
• There are several ways to extend matches past the time limit: 
• Continuation: At end of regulation time, If the current Spark holder could change the outcome of the match—either the game is tied, or if the current Spark holder is down one point—the match continues until the current Spark holder drops the Spark or scores. 
• Sudden Death Multispark: If there is a tie after time is up, the game enters a 90-second overtime where three sparks spawn in midfield. Who will be the first to score? Chaos reigns.  
• After the sudden-death timer is up, Sparks stop dropping on death, and any Sparks on the ground are removed. As soon as the last Spark is eliminated without a score, the match ends in a tie. 

We have had a ridiculous amount of fun testing and tuning the mode internally; it plays so very differently than anything we have in the Crucible right now. It is available during the two weeks of Iron Banner during Season 17. It will be available as a rotator in the main Crucible playlists in Season 18. 

Did someone say “new map”? In addition to Rift’s triumphant return, we also created a brand-new map specifically designed for this game made. It is one of our largest maps yet, but features areas that are made for different combat styles, particularly short, mid, and long-range combat.  

  

The map is called Disjunction and is a symmetric map with a base on either end, three lanes with plenty of crossovers, and large backfields. It takes place in the swampy Pyramid area of Savathûn’s Throne World, so expect lots of many-butted horses, transparent brown glass, and art deco designs.  

Disjunction will be available on day-one of Season 17 for all 6v6, 3v3, and Free -for -All modes in Crucible, as well as in Iron Banner.  

Other Crucible changes: Season 17 is also bringing back Zone Control to Crucible. Zone Control, for anyone that might not be familiar, is a 6v6 mode like Control, only that Guardians don’t get any points for kills. This is intentional, because sometimes matching with random players can result in disjointed team play that can obscure objective focus. To keep all eyes on the objective, players will get points every 15 seconds for every zone that is in their control – so it is very much more diving into a defensive area control game that will allow players to highlight various skill and abilities, rather than just focusing on landing that headshot.  

• Each waypoint has a timer that shows when points are being awarded in addition to which team currently owns it.  
• Because this is a team effort mode, solo capping takes 22.5 seconds versus having a full fireteam playing together can cap a zone in 7.5 seconds. “Stronger together” isn’t just said because we like Saladin’s voice actor.  
• Cap all zones and dramatic music will intensify. Spooky. 

Like with everything in the game, we’re always looking for feedback, especially as we continue making tweaks to the PvP experience. Zone Control will be launched via a new Crucible Labs node starting in Week 5 (June 21) and will be available until the end of the Season with the exception of when Iron Banner is live. Hit us with that feedback but just remember: stay together.  

In addition to what’s new, we are also making some tuning changes to various existing Crucible modes: 

Control 

• Team gains 1 point per participant when capturing a zone, rather than 1 flat point. 
• This is how it was in Destiny 1. 

Elimination 

• Time limit is lowered to 90 seconds to match Trials of Osiris. 

Mayhem 

• Points for Super kills increased to 3 (previously 2).  
• Increased score target to 200 (previously 150). 
• Decreased time limit to 7 minutes (previously 8). 

Rumble 

• Increased time limit to 10 minutes (was 8). 

Showdown 

• Increased round score targets to 15 (was 10). 

There are just a few more things. Still with me? Good. Onto Gambit.  

Gambit Reputation: With the updates to the Gambit mode with the launch of The Witch Queen, Gambit matches are taking about 60 seconds longer per match than the Beyond Light version (while still being a few minutes shorter than either Forsaken-era Gambit or Gambit Prime). We also noticed that the Gambit reputation-gain rate has dropped behind both Crucible and Vanguard, so we wanted to make some adjustments to bring Gambit back in line after making a similar set of adjustments for Vanguard at the start of Season 16: 

• We increased the base reputation gain for a match to 75, up from 50. 
• We increased the value of each streak to 20 per streak, up from 15. 

This increases the top-end reputation gain (a win on a 5-streak during Mythic/Legend ranks) to 250 a match (up from 200), and on the low end (a loss with no streak) to 75 (from 50). Overall, gains should be around 25% faster just from this change. 

Ritual Reputation Streak balancing: Speaking of streaks, we have been listening to your feedback on the activity streak system that has been used for the last two Seasons and we’ve made a few adjustments for the Seasons ahead. 

The activity streak now takes the sum of streak values across the four reputations (Crucible/Gambit/strikes/Dares) and adjusts them to a maximum of 5 total. If you complete a match that would bring the sum of these over 5, it subtracts a point from the streak of every ritual besides the one you just played. Most importantly, entering any non-ritual activity has no effect. 

An example: 

• You play 5 Crucible matches. You have an activity streak value of Crucible: 5. 
• You play a Gambit match. You now have Gambit: 1, Crucible: 4. 
• You play 2 more Gambit matches. You now have Gambit: 3, Crucible: 2. 
• You play 1 strike. You now have Vanguard: 1, Gambit: 2, Crucible: 1. 
• You play another strike. You now have Vanguard: 2, Gambit: 2, Crucible: 1. 

Grandmaster Rejoin: Lastly, we have some exciting news for all those Conquerors with bad connections. Starting in Season 17, if you get error-coded out of a non-matchmade Nightfall (any level), you will now rejoin after login. While in this state, you won’t be able to change builds or equipment in the game, the app, or on any third-party websites. 

We want to keep players in the loop when there are any changes to Eververse, both big and small. . In Season 17, Bright Dust acquisition from bounties and challenges will be the same as Season 16, but we are adding a voluntary option for rank purchases. 

Much like in Season 16, rank purchasing will be available starting in week three. In addition, we will be offering a new rank package that includes 10 Season ranks that you can purchase only once a Season. Available in the Eververse Seasons tab on the first day of S17, there will be the option of the Season Pass plus 10 ranks for 2000 Silver, or a standalone option of 10 Season ranks for 1000 Silver if you already own the Season. Whichever option you go with, the 10 ranks can only be purchased once per account each season. 

CRM: Since Bungie newsletter emails have become more personalized with stats players are sharing on social media, we have seen a high number of issues from players who aren’t receiving our newsletters. While we fixed some accounts in late February, we have seen that many players still are having issues. We have concluded that most players are affected due to unsubscribing at one point in time and then resubscribing later. Due to a current technical issue, those players are still considered unsubscribed. We are implementing a small update this week that we hope will help.  

If you’re subscribed, you’ve played since 5/3, and don’t get this week’s #GuardianGamesMoments email, we request that you follow these two steps to help us identify the issue: 

We understand this is not an ideal process, but this will help us to find a fix. We are excited to bring more Destiny 2 moments and memories to your inbox. Please stay tuned to Bungie Help on Twitter for updates regarding this issue. 

DPS Team still officially endorses Warlocks, we’re totally not biased.  

The final Iron Banner of the Season is here, so our handy-dandy Player Support team is offering a friendly reminder to turn in those tokens! More than a reminder, the latest weekly breakdown covers known issues like that pesky Heavy Handed mod not working on unique Exotic weapons, missing textures, and more. The unsung heroes of Destiny 2 are here once more with new findings.  

This is their report.  

 

Something is happening right now with the art submissions, and it is pretty magical to see. With the launch of The Witch Queen a few months back, we are sitting in a neat spot with Guardian Games going on now and the dawn of the next Season on the horizon. I highly recommend checking out the creations page and you’ll see what I mean. But before you do that, we are showing off a beautiful Warlock (I had to—it is Guardian Games after all!) and a really cute shot of the Cabal and Eliksni hanging out in the crowd watching the Games go on. 

Art of the Week: Warlock

Art of the Week: The Cabal and Eliksni Take On Guardian Games

As always, don’t forget to hit us with those #Destiny2Art, #AOTW, and #MOTW tags for a shot at being featured in a future TWAB. 

If you’ve been following our Community Focuses over on Bungie.net recently, you may have noticed that we’ve been down a delightful rabbit hole filled with epic cosplay creations from talented folks from around the world. Cosplay is a craft that is nothing short of impressive because of the pure love and passion that goes into every detail. The world of cosplay gives creatively passionate people a chance at becoming one with their favorite characters, and even allows them a chance to take a crack at putting their own spin on these expansive and phenomenal worlds. Destiny 2 cosplayers are no different, so we decided to celebrate this wonderful community by challenging nine epic cosplayers to put their spin on our very own Moth Mom: Savathûn.  

So, who are our talented contenders looking to show who is worthy enough to pick up that Savathûn mantle? Let’s dive right in!   

Willow Creative (Benelux)

WhereIsDanielle (ANZ)

Danielle was initially (and easily) drawn into the creative world of cosplay through her love of sci-fi and fantasy, as well as her general love of creating and crafting. With no formal training in crafting or sewing, she learned through trial and error (and sheer stubbornness). Danielle has cosplayed for over ten years and has spent much of that time attending big gaming events to show off her craft, she’s even been a judge for cosplay showcases during these fandom-filled conventions! 

In her spare time, she teaches cosplay to pass her passion and enthusiasm on to others. Danielle believes cosplay is about community and creativity, and she loves sharing her work and knowledge with the community both online and in person. Her aim is to inspire others to creativity, contributing as much fun, joy, and positivity to the world as possible. Now, she’s taking on the Hive Queen herself!  

LittleBlondeGoth (UK)

 

LittleBlondeGoth is a UK-based cosplayer who’s been making costumes from her favorite video games for about ten years. She loves creating detailed, screen-accurate outfits and entering them into competitions, which have won Masquerades at EGX, LFCC, and MCM Expos through the years.  

She’s a huge fan of role-playing games, so you’ll see her making a lot of characters from franchises like Final Fantasy, Mass Effect, Diablo, and (of course) Destiny 2. She’s been playing since just after the first game launched and is part of the Dark Will clan in Destiny 2 where they run missions, raids, and dungeons whilst not taking themselves too seriously in the slightest. We could all learn from that philosophy, but that easy-going nature will be put to the test when she becomes Savathûn herself in all of her intimidating glory. 

Lily Bean Cosplay (US)

Kamichan83 (IT)

Kamichan83 started her cosplay career back in 2013 and has been full throttle ever since. While her cosplay journey started with her courtesan from Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, she has since expanded her journey into costuming beyond just the Ubisoft title. Although she never studied in the artistic field, thanks to cosplay she discovered her love for making weapons and armor, providing a healthy vent for all of her curiosity about this exciting craft. Due to the versatility of the world of cosplay, she has mastered all kinds of different materials, including Worbla, foam, prints, and even 3D modeling. 

In 2015, she started her adventure into playing Destiny with her partner and was instantly captivated by the character design. Not much time passed before she started making her first Hunter cosplay. Despite the difficulty involved with creating (and wearing) such a complicated piece of design, her Hunter was just the first of a long line of cosplay inspired by Destiny. With three sets of armor for her Hunter, the Emissary of the Nine, and Cayde-6 (worn by her partner), she has no plans to stop venturing the Destiny universe both inside and outside of the game. She has even more on the horizon, with Ana Bray and Petra Venj being the next projects to check from her Destiny’s cosplay list. 

Farbenfuchs (DE) 

Cinderys (FR)

Sonia, a.k.a. Cinderys, is a French professional cosplayer, concept artist, and Twitch partner. She started her cosplay journey not long ago back in 2014 and has won several international competitions including taking the W during BlizzCon 2019. She loves to share her passion and experience with her community through her making-of books, pattern creations, her social networks, and during her streams on Twitch. She will also be one of the competitors in the grand finale of the ALL STARS Cosplay Cup of France in July 2022, so her take on Savathûn isn’t the only exciting thing she’s got on the horizon for her! 

Anhyra (SP) 

Anhyra is a cosplayer that hails from Coruña and she’s been enjoying putting her own creative spin on cosplay since 2013. Through her passion for this craft, she has been able to find a way to combine her passion for sculpture, painting, photography, and other artistic techniques that she has discovered through experimentation. 

She specializes in creating armor, mostly centered on some of her favorite videogame characters, and her work has recently been recognized at major international events, winning the award for Best Armor during BlizzCon 2021 and the awards for Best Cosplay at DreamHack Beyond International and DreamHack Spain. 

Additionally, she finds immense joy in sharing tutorials and tips on how she crafts each new gaming tribute. This educational community she has built continues to thrive on her various social media channels whilst also hosting workshops that can be found in a wide variety of cosplay conventions. 

Solomon Taisa (JP)

This week at Bungie, the third annual Guardian Games have begun.  

Welcome back sports fans! The Guardian Games have commenced, and Hunters Warlocks have taken the lead. But it’s still early in this three-week competition and it’s anyone’s game. 

The Tower is looking spiffy with decorations up and the spirit of competition in the air. There are adventures to be had and rewards to be won. Are you pumped yet? Well watch this! 

Guardian Games Gift Shop 

9000 Words Was Not Enough for Master Rahool 

Global 

Flinch Resistance 

Airborne Effectiveness 

Scavenger Perk Changes 

Other Changes 

Weapon Archetypes 

Exotic Weapons 

Pretty Borders 

Previously on the TWAB, we spoke about some quality-of-life changes for weapon crafting. We’ve already increased the element caps from 250 to 1000 and the Neutral Element cap from 8500 to 10000. And in Season 17 we are still planning to remove Ruinous, Adroit, Mutable, Drowned, and Energetic Elements. Only Neutral Elements will remain. One other feedback item we see cropping up a lot is the desire to Masterwork your crafted weapons, if only to get those shiny gold borders that let you know that a weapon is special. 

Starting in Season 17, you will have the ability to achieve the Masterworked look for crafted weapons. To get your gold border on Legendary crafted weapons, you will need to have an enhanced intrinsic perk and two enhanced trait perks. Crafted Exotics will require a catalyst to be inserted.  

And the Winner Is… 

Earlier this week, we put the choice of what map to feature for Trials of Osiris in your hands. We love democracy and let the community choose what battlefield would be featured next. Here are the final results! 

Altar of flame wins with 44% of the vote! 

Vostok came in second with 36% 

Fragment received 20% 

Tomorrow, Altar of Flame will be the featured map for this week’s Trials of Osiris. Good luck out there! 

PLAYER SUPPORT REPORT 

The Player Support Team officially endorses Warlocks (don’t tell the Community Team) 

 

Now let’s turn things over to our analysts on the Player Support Team with important and unbiased updates on the state of the game.  

This is their report. 

GUARDIAN GAMES  

CONTENDERS BOON  

Contenders Boons earned by participating in Guardian Games playlists can drop only up to the gold level. Platinum Boons do not exist and cannot be earned even if a platinum score threshold is reached. 

SHOOT TO SCORE QUEST CLARIFICATION  

Step one of this pursuit will complete automatically when the Guardian Games: Competitive Playlist unlocks. After the completion of step one, the remaining steps of the Shoot to Score quest can only be progressed by reaching certain score thresholds in the Guardian Games Competitive Playlist. This playlist is available each week from the Friday reset to Tuesday reset. 

ETHERIC SPIRAL DEPRECATION 

With the start of Season 17, Etheric Spirals will be deprecated and no longer available to exchange for other materials or currencies. Players should make sure to exchange their collected Etheric Spirals at the Cryptarch in the Tower prior to the launch of Season 17 at 10 AM Pacific, May 24. 

KNOWN ISSUES 

Montage? No, Clantage 

 

Sam: Movie of the Week submissions are always so fun because not only do we get to see how rad our community is, but we also get to experience it alongside them in a way that’s a bit more than an “end-of-activity screenshot.” This week we have a really neat “clantage” to showcase some pretty fun PvP action, as well as a stunning Vow of the Disciple trailer with some beautiful cinematic shots, and a solo Caretaker video you just have to see. 

Movie of the Week: Way Out

Movie of the Week: Vow of The Disciple Raid Trailer

Movie of the Week: Solo Caretaker  

A Cozy Atmosphere, In My Destiny 2?!  

 

Hippy: A cozy atmosphere, in my Destiny 2?! It’s more likely than you think. In fact, it’s very likely because that’s exactly what this week’s AOTW picks have in store. I don’t know what it is about this first piece of art that is so peaceful, but it just makes me want to burrow into a blanket burrito with a hot tea whilst listening to smooth lo-fi. It’s just so cozy!  

Our second pick isn’t a meme (shocking, I know) or a Titan (don’t boo me, I can hear you), but it is a stunning piece of art that acts as a reminder of just how magical space wizards really are. Plus, “smol” Void child is the best Void child. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.  

Anyway, let’s art!  

Art of the Week: Namrask Weaves  

Art of the Week: Little Childe 

As always, don’t forget to hit us with those #Destiny2Art, #AOTW, and #MOTW tags for a shot at being featured in a future TWAB.  

It has been a minute since I’ve been hands on with the TWAB process but I’m stepping in for DMG as he walks the earth. Glad I still remember how to do it. There are so many people who coordinate together to make these happen and I always enjoy getting to watch it all come together. 

<3 Cozmo