Category: Bungie News

Happy Friday, Guardians! I don’t know about you, but these Community Focus posts have been such a fun addition to my week. Just speaking for myself, I have found dozens of communities that I would have never seen without them. As Liana mentioned last week, the variety of the Destiny community is magical, and today’s Community Focus is nothing short of that. 

Hullo, I’m Caseyroo! Also known as Casey, Gremlin, Gam Gam, and sometimes Grandma. Don’t let my youthful appearance fool you, I have a not-so-secret affinity for house slippers, naps, and early bird specials. I’m from Portland, Oregon, though I grew up in Southern California.  

Gaming started early for me, with my childhood best friends that lived up the street. We spent summers playing anything and everything on their N64 and sneaking in games on my eldest brother’s off-limits Xbox (Trevor, if you’re reading this, I swear I’m innocent). Many an afternoon was spent still in swimsuits wet from the pool, playing Goldeneye, and cackling at the top of our lungs. Our gaming preferences expanded alongside the evolution of consoles and eventually, I saved up to buy an Xbox of my own and started playing Halo. I was hooked.  

Content creation came much later, once I built my first PC. I was working from home and wanted to make more friends to play games with. Over the years, this has evolved into a creative outlet to share my photography, cooking, and art.

One of my favorite things about asking “How did you get started in gaming?” is reading those responses. As a kid who totally didn’t play on their parent’s PC when they weren’t home, I love that you totally never played on your brothers Xbox either.  

So how did you find Destiny and when did you start playing?   

Destiny 1, upon first hearing about it, felt like a side mission. I was still playing a lot of Halo with my friends and when one of them mentioned the upcoming release to me, I scoffed. There was no way I was going to sink any significant amount of time into that (if my life had a narrator, this would have been a perfect opportunity for them to point out how wrong I was). I preordered anyway and found myself completely in love. 

In June of 2017, I built a PC with a very specific purpose: Destiny 2 gaming. This evolved into gaming and streaming and connecting with friends online but originally it was, well, destined for Destiny. 

That almost sounds like Destiny was made to inspire friendships, I love it! So, what type of content do you like to focus on?  

If we’re talking about the content on my stream, I tend to jump around a lot. My passions away from my PC are cooking and art of all kinds, but my love for Destiny sort of trickled out and found its way there, too. 

I find tremendous enjoyment from painting impactful moments in the game. To take a single frame, study it, put brush to canvas, and share it for others to feel that same thing… That’s pure joy to me. That’s what really inspired me to paint the single frame of Cayde’s final stand. I’d be lying through my teeth if I said that I don’t shed a tear every time I watch that cutscene. Packing all of those feelings into a painting, it’s a sort of catharsis for me.  

As far as cooking and Destiny, I’ve spent ages going through the lore and finding any little mention of food so that I can take inspiration and cook delicious things. I’ve been planning a series of Destiny-themed cooking streams just to share a little bit more of the lore that some folks might have overlooked. 

If we’re talking about what sort of content I enjoy in-game, I love PvE and PvP each for different reasons.  

I enjoy casual PvP with my friends, goofing around and either rolling or getting rolled. For better or worse, we stick together and get those Iron Banana bounties finished. PvE of course has all of that juicy lore, and that has always been a driving factor in my love for the game. Raid day with my clan is every Friday, and it’s a day I start looking forward to on Saturday morning the week before. I’m lucky enough that my best friends play the game, and we’ve gotten to experience so much of it together. From everyday bounties to day-one raids, it’s just nice to be able to connect with the people I love despite the distance between us.  

I’ve said it so many times before, but Destiny provides a universe in which I love to exist. The depth of the lore, the beauty of my surroundings, engaging activities like dungeons and raids… I love it all.  

I’ve been into a few of your art streams and honestly (as seen in the photos above) you are magically talented, and your community is filled with some of the kindest beans I have met on the internet. 

Alright, you know I’ve got to ask. What is your main class and your absolute favorite weapons? 

Oh, boy. “Who do you main?” or anything along those lines is always a polarizing question and I am afraid I might have a rather boring answer. I have mained Hunter from the very beginning, creating my Titan and Warlock a few months into Destiny 2. This Season, however— with the release of Void 3.0 — I have a much harder time picking one character over the others. I’ve been saying a lot recently that before Season 16 I have never experienced a Season where I didn’t prefer one over the rest. Right now, I honestly love them all for different reasons. And I always keep my characters lookin’ fresh… Calliope’s Lullaby on Orpheus Rigs with the Seasonal Eververse armor? Chef’s kiss.  

 As far as weapons go, Huckleberry will always be my baby and I still very much enjoy using Cartesian Coordinate, despite no longer having the particle deconstruction mod (insert “look how they massacred my boy” meme here). Back in the day, Better Devils was my PvP mainstay, and 21% Delirium was a blast in PvE. You’ll still find me zooming around the crucible with some kind of Hand Cannon in hand. Also, my friends and I have an understanding that if I put on three Shotguns, it’s gremlin time and I will be booping everything off the map. Let me live my life.  

You may have to teach me the way of the Shotgun because this (*cough* I’ve been playing for 6 years *cough*) Warlock still cannot figure out how to hit the broad side of a barn with one. What kind of vibe does your channel maintain?   

If you were to ask my community, I think the top descriptive words would probably be cozy and friendly… and Ruby (my little canine companion, she’s honestly the star of the show).  I have a relatively soft voice and a lot of people seem to find it relaxing, so adding the gently detailed brushstrokes of an art stream or the rhythmic sound of a knife on a cutting board makes for an especially tranquil setting. Destiny streams vary widely, sometimes they’re calm and sometimes they tend to be full of… I’m not sure what to call it, other than manic gremlin energy. Some days I will laugh-cry until my makeup is running down my face.

Whatever the feel of the stream may be that day, it will always be a safe space. We’ll respect your pronouns, we’ll celebrate your wins, and we’ll commiserate with you on the days that feel like losses. We can have open and honest discussions about mental health and laugh at cat meme videos in the span of one stream.  I couldn’t even begin to say how grateful I am for my community.  

I’ve just started a new painting of the Nine Lives Shell! I’m going to do a charity raffle for it once it’s finished. I haven’t quite nailed down the details, but I’ll have all of the info on my Twitter at the end of the month. 

Beyond that, I have about a million different Destiny-related art pieces I want to work on in the coming months, so there will be a lot of art streams to look forward to. I do cooking streams pretty often (they’ve been on pause alongside the release of The Witch Queen), and so Sundays will soon be for cooking streams once again. The March 27th stream will be Destiny themed! 

I stream on Twitch four or five evenings per week, usually starting between 4 and 6 pm Pacific. My schedule does vary though. The easiest way to keep up with me is on Twitter or Discord! 

You can also find me on TikTok and Instagram. If you’re swinging by Taco Bell, I’m two spicy potato tacos and some chips and cheese (and a Baja Blast, obviously), thank you. 

Destiny has brought an immeasurable number of enriching moments to my life. With each passing Season, I find more things to love about the game itself and the community at large. I am so grateful for the friends I’ve made and the bonds we’ve forged.  

To all of the Bungie employees that have and continue to make Destiny what it is: I am incredibly grateful to be able to enjoy every bit of it. Thank you for bringing a little bit of magic into our daily lives. I am so enamored with what you’ve created, and I am so excited for everything that’s on the horizon. 

To my stream community:  Your support over the years has been unconditional and invaluable. I feel endlessly lucky to know and interact with all of you every day. Thank you for allowing me to share with you, grow with you, and experience this game I cherish with you. To be able to share my passion for games, cooking, and even art… I’ve struck gold.  

Clarification of Account Security Policies

Player Support Report

Winter is over!

 

Another week, another report from the ever-diligent Player Support Team. This is the team that works tirelessly to track down all reported issues from players, no matter the size of the issue. They don’t have capes, but maybe they should. While we look into cape sizing, the team’s latest report centers around Rahool’s destination materials, Devour timers, and more.  

This is their report. 

Raid Emblem Update

We have hit a snag in our processes to send players who completed the Vow of the Disciple raid during the 48-hour Contest Mode. We hope to have a resolution soon and will notify players once the emblems are distributed. 

Hotfix 4.0.0.5

PS4 HDR Update

Known Issues

Takedown Clarifications

Google has confirmed that the accounts that have submitted fraudulent legal requests to YouTube have been terminated and will no longer have access to Google products. All fraudulent submissions from these accounts will be reversed (some have already, the rest should come through shortly). The processing of these takedowns was an enforcement mistake by Google, and beyond rescinding the strikes and reinstating the videos, they are also working on process improvements to reduce the likelihood of any similar mistakes in the future. Please be patient as we work with YouTube to correct the fraudulent DMCA notices. In the meantime, we ask that you please refrain from harassing any member of the community or any employee of CSC. 

Going forward we will be allowing certain Destiny music tracks to be uploaded to channels for archival purposes. For those creators interested in this type of content creation, the guidelines below should be reviewed:  

Movies and Thangs

 

Sam: Happy Twabsday, Guardians! Every single week you all make our lives so much brighter by submitting movies and art for us to go through. This week was another where we totally could have picked 4,000 winners, if we could, but honestly, I think out blog might crash if we hyperlinked than many posts. So, instead, you get these! 

Movie of the Week: Time to Improvise

Movie of the Week: Axion Bolts

If a Tree Falls in the Forest but No One Is Around to Hear It, Can It Win AOTW?

 

Hippy: What does the title of this week’s AOTW section mean? Who knows! Moving on. This week’s art picks are a hodge-podge of creativity, clever meme-ness (that’s a word, don’t look it up), and continued tributes to the Vow of the Disciple raid boss with legs for days. Here is this week’s Art of the Week picks!

Art of the Week: Drown in the Deep

Art of the Week: You Dropped This, Queen

B-b-b-b-bonus round! 

Art of the Week: Now we want basketball in Destiny, thanks…

Want a chance to get your art or nifty videos nominated for some limelight goodness? Don’t forget to tag and share with #MOTW, #AOTW, and #Destiny2Art to get noticed. Go on ahead and tag those Bungie channels to feel extra cozy with your submissions. 

News | Bungie.net”>

News | Bungie.net”>

Making Drifter proud, one ding-ding-ding at a time. 

One thing that I personally love about the Destiny-verse is that it isn’t just one thing. There is PvP, PvE, and PvPvE for Guardians to enjoy (or in my case, die horribly in – Iron Banana, I just can’t quit you), but one particular player has carved a name out for herself for being the Queen of Gambit, and it’s pretty easy to see why. When I say she is a legend, I mean it, so let’s dive right into the shenanigans with our latest Community Focus feature: Silver, the Gambit Queen.

Hey! My name is Silver and I have actually been gaming since Destiny 1. I was not one of the lucky folks that have had the privilege of gaming their whole life, so I came into gaming primarily through Destiny and that has not changed at all over the years. One day, my best friend at the time streamed Destiny for me and I remember just loving the way it looked. I can’t explain what it was, but I remember over the years asking people: “Hey, what should I get, an Xbox or a PlayStation?” After that, it was super obvious how polarizing some of the opinions are in this space. Luckily, I had some pretty cool people around me to help me figure out my place in it. It was actually my best friend who  made the choice easy to dive into the Destiny world and go Team Blue, which eventually led to when I got my first PlayStation with that game and a whole bunch of others that I didn’t get to even play because it was just love at first sight with my Guardian. On my first day as a new player in the Cosmodrome, I drove my friend nuts running around everywhere instead of using a Sparrow because I just thought it was such a beautiful place and it truly felt like home. 

I love Gambit because it is just so unique. It takes the two sides of the Destiny coin, the PvP and the PvE sides, and marries them together into a really fun online experience. If I am in the mood to PvP, then I can put on a Sniper Rifle and go ham! It is the greatest feeling coming back from an invade with an Army of One Medal. If I don’t really feel like I am vibing with the PvP side because we all have off-days, then I can just play Reaper and kill as many enemies as possible so that my teammates can bank the Motes.  

One thing I do want to add is that Gambit has the potential to be competitive because it really is a team-based effort. You could have one or two players really push the advantage, but in the end, it is a team-based experience. Playing in a more competitive way can be fun and good, but I primarily approach Gambit with the mindset that anyone can play it and have fun, especially if they have the right company! It isn’t about winning, though winning is a great feeling. It’s really about helping people find ways to love a game mode, at least to me, and I think I’ve done a pretty good job at making a safe place for others that feel the same.

Nah, nah. We can absolutely make a full-fledged Dredgen out of you! I love meeting new people and seeing them enjoy themselves. I would love to see Gambit move more in the direction of its origins. Gambit in its greatest form, to me, was Gambit Prime, and I have seen the changes that were implemented in Season of the Risen, and they’ve been an interesting pivot to adapt to. That being said, I would love to see another Season dedicated to Gambit because if I could go back in time and bring back one thing back into Destiny, it would be Gambit Prime with its armor and its integral roles that live on in the Gambit community even long after Prime went away.  

The new changes this Season have put Gambit in a strange place for most of the people I know who have been even more passionate about it than most. I’m talking about crafting builds, mapping the best places to push waves, best loadouts; the same kind of strategy you see in PvE exists in Gambit as well and a lot of it feels like it went out the window in its current state. Something I’d like to see taken away is the excess Heavy ammo because it’s always been an issue that seems to have gotten worse with time. At the end of the day though, I love Gambit and I just want to come home from life, sit down, and have some fun. I love this mode no matter what and I hope to see it get more love in the future! 

Shifting gears from the game for a sec, tell us a little more about your journey into streaming and becoming the you that you are now in the Destiny community? Any epic highs or teachable lows you’d like to share? 

So, like I said, I’ve been in it since the beginning but it started because I used to be a big lurker in Twitch chats for the longest time. I didn’t escape lurker status until I switched over to PC gaming, but once I made that swap it was easier for me to interact with the folks I wanted to support.

It started with me watching a friend of mine play competitively back when people were still going for Not Forgotten. I would just watch and mod for them while he ran with his super talented friends and because of him, I met people like illPhysics. It was awesome because it was then that I noticed that I started to open up more, eventually leading me to a place in my own life where I thought, “Hey, let’s give this streaming thing the “‘ol razzle-dazzle.” Physics is actually still one of the content creators I look up to because of the way he conducts himself and how he truly cares about building a community. I’d like to think that it inspired me to find my own approach to bringing people together. At the end of the day, I don’t know about becoming a staple in the Destiny community, but I love meeting new people, interacting with people on social media, just hanging out, laughing over the silliest things, and just putting smiles on people’s faces. I don’t particularly have any epic- high moments except this one actually – because to be recognized by Bungie is truly the biggest honor. 

Your community is incredible, and I think that’s an important aspect of creation that gets overlooked sometimes. What inspires you the most about your community, and what advice would you give to anyone in it that is looking to carve their own mark into the world of games? 

Thank you! My community name is actually called House of Wolves – based off of not only the DLC, but wolves as well, as I consider them my pack and my home. It also helps that wolves are my favorite animal and one of the biggest things I love about my community is that it is very family oriented. What inspires me the most about my little gaming microcosm is how much they truly vibe with my values on just overall being better people. I not only preach, but practice kindness, and I do everything in my power to deliver kindness and truly be the person that I would’ve looked up to when I was younger. I sometimes teach members of my community about the importance of being “the better person,” showing kindness even in situations that may be difficult to show it in. I love how with that, my community is able to turn around and show that kindness to others and whenever people message me or just come to me and say that being in my community has done a lot for them in life, it means the world to me. In many ways though, my community and the Destiny macrocosm have saved my life over the years and that’s what inspires me to give back as much as possible. We can only be the best version of ourselves that we can be, and I hope that I am doing a good job teaching these things, especially to the younger generation. At the end of the day, my community humbles me because I wouldn’t be where I am without them and my appreciation and gratitude is endless!

Are there any challenges you’ve faced in gaming that you’d like to share? A hard game, challenges with being more public, finding a niche? 

For me, it’s been about acceptance. Communities have a lot of different sides to them, they’re complex, living entities. For a while, it was about finding that oft-sought-after acceptance but then as I became more public and watched other members of the community, I realized there was more to it and began to see that the power of social media is a responsibility that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Don’t get me wrong, I will never pretend to be someone else to please anyone else, but that doesn’t mean that the message of kindness isn’t at the epicenter of everything I do.  

I value honesty and those with a genuine heart, even though both of these attributes can be difficult to uphold. Because of that, some of the challenges I have faced in gaming have been in realizing that there are some things I am never going to be great at and that is perfectly okay. Just because I can’t solo difficult content (nor do I enjoy it as much as others do) doesn’t make me any less of a player. I see a lot of people feel down on themselves for that and I try, while battling my own self doubt, to help others know that there’s value within them. At the end of the day, I thrive best when I just do my own thing, surround myself with good people that don’t make me feel bad about being myself and accept me exactly as I am.  

I knew there was a reason I loved your energy! Switching gears a bit, online games feel like they are becoming more and more of the norm, and that doesn’t look like it’s changing any time soon. How do you feel about the current state of games and how do you think the industry could do better?  

Honestly? I just mostly play Destiny, so my focus is pretty much on that game, but one thing I do agree with is that accessibility is important. I play controller on PC, and I know plenty of people that might not like that but it’s important for the gaming industry to continue to make games accessible to all players because whether you play one game or play them all, everyone should have a chance to experience these incredible stories being told in video games. It is a place for people to escape the hardships of life, at least that has been the case for me. Destiny is only the beginning of my journey, and it has helped a lot when it comes to battling issues with things like mental health. I’m just really thankful that gaming has been becoming more the norm, especially during the pandemic, and I really do believe that it’s because of that home away from home that gamers have been at the top of the list of people that thrived more in the face of hardship. 

Alright. So. This is probably my favorite question to ask people because honestly, the answers are so limitless: If you could create your own dream expansion and subclass, what would it be? No idea is too strange, trust me! 

I would definitely love to see SIVA tech make a return from Clovis Bray, maybe even as a subclass! That’s an idea that I have been blown away by with some of the creativity that I’ve seen in the community, everyone takes the lore in-game and takes it to entirely different places.  

I would also just love to see another expansion where Gambit plays a big role again, or even an expansion that really dives into history like the fall of the Golden Age. We have lore, but I’d love to be able to experience that in the actual game and see more of the origins of the Vanguard (RIP Cayde!) and characters like Lord Shaxx. Other than that, I have no idea. This is definitely something I will have to think about now that you’ve planted that seed in my brain! 

[Evil laughter] My master plan of making others obsess about the “what could be” theories is coming along nicely I see. Next question! Favorite character, and why? Nerd out hard, my friend, this is the place to do it! Also, because I love love, who is your favorite “ship” (relationship in-game, both cannon and non-cannon), because I would die for Osiris and Saint, haha!  

My favorite character over the years has always been Lord Shaxx – I know, I know, I’m sorry Drifter! There’s just something about him that I absolutely love and the fact that we don’t know enough about him is part of that fascination. I just love his personality and how he is someone that would definitely be the type to give me a big hug whenever I’m not feeling great. He’s got the big papa bear energy that I need sometimes! That encouragement in PvP? Come on, tell me that isn’t the most epic thing ever. I’d let him whip me into shape any day if he were real and like a personal trainer or something! As for “shipping,” I don’t really have one, but I do think that Osiris and Saint are absolutely adorable. Saint’s devotion to Osiris is the type of love story I’d love to have, and I’m excited to see where that goes next with the current storyline! 

Thanks so much for chatting with us and letting the community get to know yet another amazing Guardian! Anyone special you’d like to shout out? Also, where can people find you to support you on future Gambit conquests? 

Ah, thank you! I want to start by giving a special shout out to my clan, Dredgen. While we started out as a Gambit clan, it is primarily and foremost a place for my closest friends and the people that make this place feel like home. You know what I’m about, you know that you mean the world to me, you know I keep it real, and I just want to thank you for being the people I call my crew. Not to do the Oscar speech thing, but I want to give thanks to: Thank you (get ready for it) Em1, Chace, Notoes, Jimbo, Deadcatwalking, Gamer, Nyxzy, and Pr0cess.  

Another special shoutout to my homies in Talent Show – I may be the Gambit Queen amongst a bunch of non-Gambiteering folks, but you guys have always made me feel welcome and happy. There are a lot of great people there who deserve more love. Thank you Ill F4ted for giving me a place to be myself. Trust, thank you for being you and everything you do for me. I want to say thank you to House of Wolves, my community, my people, my home away from home. I wouldn’t be where I am without you. Thank you for having my back and for continuing to strive to be the best you can be. You make me proud every single day and I feel like the luckiest person for just being a part of something that impacts people’s lives in many different ways. 

In the meantime: stay fresh, stay kind, and go out there and make ‘ol Saladin and Drifter proud!  

“I should go,”  

<3 Hippy

This week at Bungie, there’s quite a bit to do in Destiny 2. 

Hello, and welcome once again to our weekly installment of Bungie news. I’m going to be up front with you, I’ve been spending quite a lot of this week diving deeper and deeper into The Witch Queen and Season of the Risen. Between the Vow of Disciple raid, PsiOps Battlegrounds, weekly repeatable story missions, Throne World secrets, Master Vox Obscura, Wellspring, Iron Banner, Altars of Reflection, and our rituals… it’s difficult to think of how to even kick this TWAB off. Let’s stick to what rolled out on Tuesday at the weekly reset and go from there, shall we?

Over the last few weeks, the Vanguard has entertained a shaky alliance with Caiatl and the Cabal. A trusted Psion has been exploring the minds of Hive Lieutenants in the Tower, searching for clues on what the Lucent Brood are planning. The final PsiOps Battleground has been revealed on the Moon, and Saladin is calling for Guardians to stop whatever the Hive have started within the walls of the Scarlet Keep. If you haven’t logged in this week, now’s your time.

 

While some Guardians are just now hopping into The Witch Queen for the first time, a few of you are beginning to look at the next few weeks of the Season with excitement. This week, we’ll be looking through the calendar, and we have some news from the team on crafting currencies, with some additional notes on feedback that they’re monitoring. 

Save the Date(s) 

We’re just a few days away from our one-month anniversary of The Witch Queen. Some of you have blasted your way through the Legendary campaign, while others are still dabbling in side quests and secrets throughout the Throne World patrol area. We’ve still got a few months of Season of the Risen left, so there’s no rush in completing content. Finish things at your own pace and enjoy the ride! If you’re wondering what’s coming over the next few weeks, we’d like to plant a few dates on your calendar for things to look forward to. 

We have some Iron Banner dates to share, raid challenges to complete, and Guardian Games coming towards the end of the Season. As a quick note, dates are subject to change. We’re also planning a few Gambit Labs weeks to sprinkle in, but want to let the dust settle from balance changes introduced at launch and a few tuning changes/bug fixes that are coming online. 

Stay tuned to our “Next Week in Destiny” within the game and keep an eye on @DestinytheGame for future announcements. Who knows, maybe we’ll have a few Bungie Bounties and community playdates to look forward to in April and May. See you soon! 

Crafting – Let’s Talk Trait Element Caps

Over the last few weeks, Guardians have been crafting some spicy weapon rolls at the Enclave on Mars. Patterns have been discovered, traits have been enhanced, and Exotic Glaives have been shaped! As with all things Destiny, the team has been keeping an eye on player conversation around crafting, planning next steps, and looking towards the future. We’ve got a hotfix coming next Tuesday with a few minor changes, and some commentary on feedback items that the team will be looking to address in future patches and tuning passes. 

Development Team: Since the launch of The Witch Queen, we’ve been watching some feedback on crafting currencies required for specific traits. One piece of feedback in particular deals with crafting element caps, as some players have been maxing out their elements frequently. Starting next Tuesday with Hotfix 4.0.0.4, we’ll be increasing element caps from 250 to 1000, and for Neutral Element, the cap will move from 8500 to 10000. 

Next Season, we are removing Ruinous, Adroit, Mutable, Drowned, and Energetic elements. Only Neutral Elements will remain. 

Our initial goals for these currencies were to sustain the interest in non-crafted weapon drops, and to retain the chase of weapons with well-rolled perks in a post-crafting Destiny 2. The desire was that the player would continually chase for combinations such as Subsistence plus Rampage to fuel their crafting progression through Deepsight weapon completion. 

While not the only reasons we’re removing the specific currencies, there were two design changes pre-launch which made elements ineffectual: 

We initially had a currency per trait perk (e.g., to craft with Rampage, you needed a weapon with Rampage), however due to technical and usability issues (too many currencies to track, for example), we opted to heavily simplify the element currencies to the handful we shipped at launch. This unfortunately resulted in a decreased interest in chasing a specific trait perk element. 

Ascendant Alloys, the Exotic-quality crafting material that can be found through high-end content or purchased from Rahool for a high price, made the remaining condensed elements obsolete. The Ascendant Alloy currency was added after we had already condensed the elements, and we were unable to resolve the experiential issues between these two currencies prior to launch. 

Specific elements such as Ruinous and Adroit became redundant and, in some cases, in conflict with Ascendant Alloys and Neutral Elements, so we’re removing them altogether. 

Since launch, we’ve also been watching the player conversation and keeping tabs on backend data. While we don’t have specifics to share on future changes, we did want to note a few areas that we’re looking at: 

Many thanks to all who’ve been sounding off with feedback. Even after these changes go live, we’ll continue to monitor the conversation. Pairing feedback with data will help inform our next steps as we continue to iterate on crafting. 

Another Hotfix in the Pipe 

 

Launch windows are always a thrilling time. Tons of content for players to chew on, and lots of ways to break things! We have a quick report from our DPS team, covering our next Hotfix timeline and some issues that we’re tracking. 

This is their report. 

HOTFIX 4.0.0.4 

Next Tuesday, March 22, Destiny 2 Hotfix 4.0.0.4 will be released. View our Destiny Server and Update Status page for maintenance times, as well as the timeline below:  

BUNGIE REWARDS 

KNOWN ISSUES 

The Synaptic Fanatic Triumph may not unlock for some characters after unlocking 25 Artifact mods. Players can log into alternate characters to complete this Triumph if the characters haven’t unlocked all the mods yet. We’re investigating a fix if all characters have unlocked the mods and haven’t received the Triumph yet. 

Movie of the Week Title

(This is totally placeholder, I swear.)

 

Hippy: Okay, okay; I won’t do a meme overload like I did last week, mostly because this week has been flooded with incredible Vow of the Disciple raid tributes, sick plays in PvP, and more than a few nods to this week’s storyline for Season of the Risen. Did we mention it’s hard to just pick a few videos of the week? Because you talented globs of goodness make it very, very difficult. And that’s a good thing, keep ‘em coming!  

The first pick is just an epic video of impressive takedowns in PvP but with a beautiful backdrop consisting of lulling music and expert edits. Those that can’t do, teach – and nominate for MOTW, apparently.  

The second pick is a booty-clenching moment in both the worst and best way possible when a fireteam managed to take out the raid boss on day-1 seconds after they thought all was lost. Epic. 

Movie of the Week: Drown 

Movie of the Week: Charging

Rhulk smash. 

 

Sam: If you told me six months ago that part of my job would include looking for artwork and memes that showcase our community and the incredible things in game, I would have told you that you were a silly goose. However, you would have been right and goodness gracious am I thankful for that because it is one of my favorite parts of the week. This week we have some memes from our boy Rhulk.

Art of the Week: So, the lore…. 

Art of the Week: The ol’ razzle dazzle.

Enjoy a bit of Air 

While many of us have been huddled inside watching the launch of The Witch Queen and Season of the Risen, we’ve almost missed the changing of seasons out there in the real world. We’ve just had to change our clocks here in the states (which still doesn’t make sense to me, and likely never will), we have been enjoying some spring weather between a few cold fronts and rain showers. While there’s a strong desire to stay inside and level up my Forensic Nightmare SMG, it’s also been nice to step outside for fresh air. Maintaining that balance is key to success, you know? Sometimes Cozmo tells me to go out and admire the feel and textures of a nearby park. 

Game hard, but take care of yourselves. Sometimes a quick break is the thing you needed all along after being stuck on a difficult boss in higher level content. Good luck to all who are still taking on Legendary difficulty in The Witch Queen’s campaign, and cheers to those who are hopping in to their first-ever Destiny raids. We hope you’re having a good time. 

Much love, and see you next time. 

dmg04 

This week at Bungie, we are celebrating World First, talking raid stats, and showing off a new weapon rotation for Trials and Iron Banner.  

Guardians have been diving into The Witch Queen and Season of the Risen and discovering a wealth of new story content and lore to dig into that makes us cry. Despite some server issues and a few hiccups in-game, the latest step of the ever-evolving story of Destiny has been a wild one, but we are far from done when it comes to making it even better. From the Seasonal quest continuing towards its own conclusion to a new hotfix going live today full of bug fixes, there are a lot of reasons to dive in. Because of that, we wanted to talk about some of the different weapons coming to Trials of Osiris and Iron Banner, returning maps making their way downtown (er, to the Crucible), and talk about what issues have been addressed (link to patch notes) and what’s still on the docket.  

But first? Art.  

Off to the Races

Minor spoilers ahead if you haven’t got a chance to play the raid yet. The final encounter introduces a new challenge, the likes of which Guardians have never seen before. He’s very good at yeeting people off the map, I’m speaking from experience here, and the world got to see it in real-time as players from all around the globe raced to be the World First team to clear Vow of the Disciple. We saw a record number of players attempting their blind runs, diving head-first into the fray without a guide or clear path in sight. To say that those that participated did an incredible job is a massive understatement, but only one team can win. A huge congratulations to Clan Elysium on their well-deserved win, taking the crown three short minutes ahead of the competition.  

Saltagreppo, Slap, Kyros, Moople, Quazz, and Cruz banded together and strategized, shot, dodged, dunked, and solved their way to victory – one kick to the face at a time. And you know what? It paid off! Congratulations again to this amazing team!  

Speaking of the new Vow of the Disciple raid, this new raid explores new themes and experiences, including facing off against a boss that makes taking out Guardians look fluidly effortless, beautifully haunting locations to explore, and more than a few secrets hiding within. For those interested, we’ve got a few stats to share from the first 48 hours of a brutally challenging Contest Mode, including record-breaking numbers for Guardian participation!  

Vow of the Disciple raid 48-hour stats, let’s break it down:  

For those that may have missed the reason why the 24-hour Contest Mode window was extended, day one started out strong but eventually we saw a plethora of ANTEATER error messages. This made it difficult to complete the raid runs, especially when tension was already high from trying to be the first to win. While we know this did upend some players’ weekend plans to play the raid on non-Contest Mode, we felt it was fair to extend the period since the “normal” version of the raid is always available. Contest Mode, however, is very limited and only exists after the introduction of a raid. Because of this, the team discussed and decided that an extension was the right thing to do. Now that Contest Mode is over, however, raid runs are up for grabs! Good luck out there, Guardians, and don’t forget to bring an Outbreak Perfected to the gunfight. (Source: Dude, just trust me.) 

All Is Fair In Trials And Loot

A new Season means a good excuse to add in some new incentives for PvP activities like Iron Banner and Trials of Osiris, so we have added a few new weapons for players to earn. There is also a new shiny Legendary Scout Rifle for players to earn in Trials of Osiris to make PvP dad proud (who wouldn’t want to make Shaxx proud, come on!) alongside a returning favorite Auto Rifle.

Trials of Osiris

Trials of Osiris will be returning this Friday, so let’s check out what’s on the way: 

All six weapons in the upcoming Trials pool will have the Alacrity and One Quiet Moment origin traits. Alacrity increases the reload, stability, aim assist, and range when running solo or as the last Guardian standing (which, if you’re like me and not the best PvP player, is a nice bit of help. No shame). One Quiet Moment grants players increased reload speed when not in active combat.

Iron Banner

Iron Banner will return to light those flames next Tuesday, here is what Wolves can look forward to: 

All six weapons in this Iron Banner pool will have the Skulking Wolf trait, which activates during the Hunt with enhanced radar and removal from enemy radar when you land those epic final blows with it. All returning Iron Banner weapons will have updated perk pools, including the new perks from the current Season.

Oh! And one more thing – don’t forget that both the Eternity and Vostok maps have returned. We also have a new map coming up on the horizon but we’re not quite ready to talk about that yet. Patience, young Grasshopper, we’ll be talking about this at a later date.

Player Support Report

Never skip leg day.

 

It was a busy week here at Bungie and our Player Support Team has been doing everything they can to make sure your jaunts through the Throne World are as smooth as possible. We saw some performance issues, issues with vendors, and a few other bugs. While the work continues to pour through it all, here is what the team has been focusing on: 

This is their report.  

Hotfix 4.0.0.3

Today, Hotfix 4.0.0.3 was released to the world. Below are some issues that have been resolved with this release: 

Ascendant Alloy Update

With Hotfix 4.0.0.3 we resolved an issue causing Rahool to not provide a new Ascendant Alloy for purchase each week if players had already purchased one in a previous week.  

To help players catch up on missing purchases, Rahool will offer two bonus Ascendant Alloys for sale for the price of one.

Daylight Savings

Bungie Name Changes

A one-time Bungie Name change is now available for players who wish to update their current Bungie Name. Players can use this change by: 

Players may only update their Bungie Name one time. Bungie Names must adhere to our Code of Conduct or will be subject to moderation. 

Contest Mode and Emblem Extension

Players who have fully completed the Vow of the Disciple raid on Contest Mode during the 24-hour extension window will be granted The Cleaver emblem in-game at a later date. Stay tuned to upcoming TWABs for more details. 

Vow of the Disciple Raid Jacket

Known Issues

Movies? Movies

 

Sam: Happy TWABsday, Guardians! This week has been so incredible seeing all of your Raid clears and all of the times you’ve been stomped on. I can’t wait to hop in this weekend and try my luck in this beautiful raid. Today, we are so excited to share with you a gorgeous cinematic showcasing how stunning Savvy’s Throne World is and *raid spoiler alert*, we get to see … well…. go watch. 😉 

Movie of the Week: Safe Haven

Movie of the Week: Shiny Shoes

Don’t forget to tag us on Twitter and use the hashtags #MOTW and #AOTW, memes and all! 

Let There Be L-… Art! 

 

Hippy: I just want you all to know that it took everything in me not to pull nothing but memes. The new raid boss? He’s beauty, he’s grace – he’ll kick you in the face. But, alas, there were some incredible pieces to choose from, so I showed some restraint. You know what we call that? Growth. 

To the art!

Art of the Week:

Art of the Week:

B-b-b-BONUS ROUND:

It’s been a rollercoaster of emotions this month so far, but we have been loving every second of the art, memes, and discussions inspired by what’s new. Keep in mind throughout your adventures that there are a lot of New Lights coming in to see what all the hype is about, let’s help them out and show them the true heart of the Destiny 2 community. 

Before we let you go, I did want to highlight one more thing from the Bungie team. Bungie has previously spoken up about the invasion of Ukraine, and to help beyond just words, we have dedicated the proceeds from the first 48 hours of our recent Game2Give charity stream to humanitarian efforts. For those interested in learning more, you can read about what steps are being taken here. 

“For “Cоняшник,” we humbly tried to exemplify the hope and courage that has been so emblematic of the Ukrainian people during this impossible time. Alongside Ukraine’s coat of arms, impressionistic sunflowers, Ukraine’s national flower, populate the peaceful countryside – a metaphor for hope and our way of expressing solidarity.”

To grab the free emblem, use this code: JVG-VNT-GGG 

Until next time, stay kind and keep those new raid memes coming! 

“I should go,”

<3 Hippy

Bungie stands with the people of Ukraine and everyone impacted by the ongoing war.

At the time of this article being published, it is reported that over two million Ukrainians are displaced by an ongoing invasion, with no end in sight. Family, friends, homes and communities are being lost.

Through our Bungie Foundation, we are able to use philanthropic means to express our beliefs and values through the lens of humanitarian support. Last week, the Bungie Foundation committed to donate 100 percent of the proceeds from the first 48 hours of their Game2Give charity initiative directly to humanitarian aid organizations in an effort to help the people impacted by this war. Players proved once again that they’re Guardians of the world, raising $120,000, and we cannot thank each and every donor enough for their contribution. Bungie will also continue to match our own employee donations donation to any additional U.S. based 501(c)(3) charitable organizations. These proceeds will be donated to the following two organizations:

Looking forward, there is more that we can all do. We encourage you to continue supporting these two organizations in whatever way is meaningful to you. We’ve also vetted some additional organizations who are doing incredible work in Ukraine and would be grateful for your support:

Today we’re also announcing two actions specifically coming to Destiny 2. Starting today, we will be working with our partners to suspend all Destiny 2 sales and commerce in Russia and Belarus. Players in these regions will still be able to play any Destiny 2 content they have already purchased and download the free game but will no longer be able to purchase new content or Silver.

Additionally, we are introducing the Cоняшник emblem, being created for players to show their support for the people of Ukraine and all of those impacted during this ongoing crisis, and beyond. This emblem will be free to all players, and will become available on Thursday, March 10. We will share a universal code to redeem this emblem in this week’s TWAB.

For “Cоняшник,” we humbly tried to exemplify the hope and courage that has been so emblematic of the Ukrainian people during this impossible time. Alongside Ukraine’s coat of arms, impressionistic sunflowers, Ukraine’s national flower, populate the peaceful countryside – a metaphor for hope and our way of expressing solidarity. 

We sincerely thank everyone in our community for the ongoing support.

Making the Destiny community a little bit brighter, one epic cosplay at a time. 

Lilian, or Lily Bean Cosplay, is a passionate fan of all things Destiny 2 and Star Wars, and that passion can easily be seen through her craft. OK, OK, you’ve got me – this Titan-main must admit, she makes Hunters look cooler than they already are. More than that, her connection to her community and the larger cosplay world inspires kindness, patience, and a desire to achieve the goals nestled away within our hearts. 

So, without further ado, let’s celebrate the amazingly talented Lily Bean Cosplay! 

You are making my day by sharing more of your cosplay with us, thank you for joining the Community Focus family! Before we start, tell us a little more about yourself and how you got into Destiny and the wonder that is cosplay. 

Hi! I’m Lilian and I’m a senior in high school who loves to make costumes in my free time! I’ve been doing cosplay and prop making for about six years now. I first entered the world of Destiny back in 2015, and right off the bat, I was captivated by the designs of all the characters and locations. After a few months of playing, I also started to get interested in the idea of cosplay. I had attended conventions in the past wearing my Halloween costumes, but the designs within Destiny were what inspired me to start recreating characters by cosplaying. My first cosplay was my first Destiny Hunter. It was a joint effort between my family and myself to make, but I had such a fun time wearing it that I wanted to keep going with the craft! Through both Destiny and cosplay, I’ve realized that my passion is costume design, which I intend to pursue after I’m done with high school.

Real talk, I can’t even sew a button onto literally anything, so seeing the intricacy of some of your designs, especially your Spider Associate, is mind-blowing. We’ve got to ask: What is your process like when crafting a new cosplay? Did it take you a while before you started feeling comfy with making your visions a reality? 

That’s hard to say because there are so many great memories that have been made through my experiences in cosplaying with this community. One of my favorites is probably the first Destiny meetup I attended at Emerald City Comic Con back in 2018. I loved being able to connect with others that were also into Destiny and crafting. The meetups that this community puts together are always such a blast because of that. A close second is when I got to compete in the Crown Championships of Cosplay this past December with my Spider’s Associate! After working on that project during the pandemic it was so rewarding to finally show it to everyone while on stage, not to mention being able to share the space with so many talented cosplayers.

Thankfully, my experiences have been fairly smooth at conventions, but sometimes I encounter people who aren’t the greatest when it comes to boundaries. An important rule is that cosplay does not equal consent. Even though someone might be dressed as a character that you like (or dislike), they are still an individual person outside of that costume, and that needs to be respected.

With The Witch Queen out now, the game feels very different in a lot of ways. I don’t know about you, but it’s got us reflecting back on the road to get here. That begs the question: What is your favorite thing about the universe of Guardians so far? It can be a clan moment, a favorite cutscene; what spoke to you the most? 

I have a lot of love for the very first cutscene in Destiny where the Traveler was discovered on Mars because that was the beginning of something that essentially changed my life. When the music swelled, and the title appeared, I knew I was in for something special. Typically, it’s the narrative, art, and music that have the greatest impact on me, and there are too many moments to list them all here. If I had to choose an absolute favorite, it would be when crossplay first went live because I was able to play with my real-life friends after hyping it up for so long. I was mostly a solo player before that, which I didn’t mind because I got to enjoy the story on my own but being able to play online with people I knew was such a great addition to my gaming experience; it opened the doors to raid runs and many, many chaotic PvP sessions.

I haven’t quite gotten through the entirety of The Witch Queen campaign, but I’ll add that to my favorites too, just to be safe! The story has been fantastic lately and I’m really excited to see how things unfold.

Speaking of “new,” if you could add anything you wanted to the game – anything at all, big or small – what would it be? 

What about a Crucible mode sort of like Mayhem except it’s the exact opposite? Like, no guns, no abilities, everyone just gets into a massive fist fight. I think it could be really funny to see Guardians charging at each other from across the map to take turns punching one another. 

What about a dream subclass? 

Gameplay and story-wise, more Darkness-focused abilities could be very interesting. Stasis makes me wonder if there are other elements besides “cosmic ice,” like how the Light offers Solar, Void, and Arc abilities. Maybe something involving illusions or an ability like Taking (though, I’m not sure that would be lore-accommodating, just brainstorming here). 

Brainstorm away, some of the best ideas come from just throwing personal wants at a wall and seeing what makes sense, I dig it! Pivoting away from dreaming up what could be, you’ve got the stage right now. If you could tell the gaming community at large one thing, what would it be? 

I think it’s good to remember that people from different walks of life are what make the gaming communities their best, whether that’s the developers or the player base itself. Try to have a good time and not take things too seriously, if you can. 

Seriously, thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us! Before we let you go, is there anyone you want to shout out here in your Community Focus? Also! Where can people find you to support your work going forward? 

 Thank you again for having me! I would love to shout out to everyone in the Destiny cosplay community, especially Air Bubbles Cosplay and Perzephone, who have arranged amazing meetups at local conventions. Also, thank you to all of the people at Bungie who make Destiny what it is because the game has been such an incredible source of artistic inspiration to me over the years!

I can be found on Instagram, that’s where I share in-progress photos and finished projects. Come say hi!