Category: Bungie News

It’s been a long while since I’ve been to the Tower. Much has changed. I pray my departure hasn’t created an irreparable fracture. 

Ikora… you must forgive me.

I’ll tell her what I’ve uncovered—where I’ve been. She’ll see the meaning behind my actions.

“When I heard your ship was approaching, I didn’t believe it. Yet here you stand. It’s good to see you.”

“Ikora, my absence was necessary. What I have learned, discovered… Danger lurks closer than you realize. You must trust me. We’ve stood too long ignorant of the cataclysm brewing before us. If we do not act, we face yet another Collapse.  We must attend to that which the Hive have unearthed down below the lunar surface—”

“Eris. Breathe.” 

Her words bring a fleeting rush of relief.

“We know  about the Hive, as well as their recently erected Keep .”

A Keep ? They mobilize. It’s far worse than I knew.

“Then you will come with me, Ikora.” 

“Eris, you’ve barely had a moment to rest.”

“You must let me show you the truth. Then you will understand.”

“I have responsibilities here. A lot has transpired in your absence. We’re still recovering from our… losses.”

What lies behind pales in comparison to what we face ahead.

But I won’t fight with her. Not again.

“Then I will go alone.”

“Eris…”

“On this I cannot negotiate.”

I can see Ikora measure her options. She does not seek an argument either.

“At least allow me to help you mount an adequate response to a threat that, mind you, we don’t fully understand. Let the Vanguard support you.”

That will take time. Always time. The one element we don’t have the luxury of.

“But you’ll be gone before they can mobilize, won’t you?”

“We all do what we must.”

“Promise you’ll stay in communication with me. I don’t want this to be like last time.”

I nod to Ikora. Always the beacon of benevolence.

She deserves more than I can offer. My calling is not here. There is still work to be done. One last stop.

“I have to go.”

Her concern is palpable. It reassures me, oddly. The wound between us can heal. If we live long enough.

“Eris… This thing you’re willing to risk everything for… What is it?”

“I warned of a storm. Can’t you hear the thunder?” 

This week at Bungie, we went on the record about our plans for the third year of Destiny 2.

It takes a big team of talented people to make a game that truly feels alive. You can see a bunch of those team members, either hard at work or talking about our goals, in the newest Bungie ViDoc. If you missed this invitation into our studio, give it a watch now. Or give it a watch again.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEvVKCKdtfw?wmode=transparent&rel=0&fs=1&w=1136&h=641]

Shadowkeep is just the beginning—and it begins in under two weeks!

They’re Not Belts

On Saturday, October 5, Guardians will venture into a new raid: Garden of Salvation. Many of you have been to the Black Garden before, but don’t be fooled—an entirely new challenge awaits you. 

After the 24-hour period ends, we will disable Contest mode, and players can take full advantage of their higher Power to overcome the raid’s challenges.

As always, we will be watching as fireteams race to claim the prestige of being World First to complete the raid. Their prize, besides bragging rights of course, will be this custom-made Garden of Salvation World First Belt.

If you are not first, you don’t have to be last. All Guardians who complete the raid within the first 24 hours will be able to show off this exclusive emblem.

We also have this emblem available to anyone who completes the raid at their leisure. 

Stay tuned as we reveal more Bungie Rewards in Season of the Undying!

Applied Science

There has been an annoying bug in the UI where you would try to apply something like a shader or a mod and nothing would happen. The bar would fill up, but the desired action would not be applied. Sometimes it would fail multiple times. You could feel your blood pressure rise with each futile attempt. Back in update 2.5.0, we issued a fix for this issue. And it worked… kind of. But any fix that doesn’t completely solve the problem is no fix it all. So we went back to work. We have a fix that should squash this bug for good coming up with Shadowkeep on October 1. Here is the Destiny Dev Team to give you some behind-the-scenes info on what was going on with the apply button and what we are doing to fix it.  

Destiny Dev Team: The inconsistency of the apply button stems from overly aggressive safety features designed to protect your character from accidental UI interactions. 

The first safety feature was cursor movement detection. If we noticed any amount of cursor movement while the apply button was held, we’d cancel the action to prevent you from accidently applying your action to the wrong item. Because it is fairly easy to experience a small amount of mouse movement while clicking a mouse button, this restriction impacted PC players much more than console players. We removed the cursor movement detection in 2.5.0. Now we only check to see if the cursor has moved off the item.

The second safety feature is a bit more complicated. Let’s say you’re applying a mod. While you’re holding down the button, a new mod shows up in your inventory at the start of the list, and shifts all the other mods displayed in the UI over one slot. The cursor is now hovering over a different mod, but the cursor hasn’t moved. In this kind of situation, we want to make absolutely sure that we don’t insert the wrong mod because that action can’t be undone. To protect against this, we cancel the action if we detect any change to your character page. This is problematic because there are a myriad of stats we track and countless things happening around you that can cause a number on your character page to change. Even if you’re sitting in orbit, getting a clan XP notification is enough to cancel the apply button.

While the protection described above serves as a good general safety net, it has clearly reached its limits. In 2.6.0, our plan is to tweak this protection. When we detect an update to your character page, we will check if the cursor is still hovering over the same item. If the cursor is still over the same item, we won’t cancel the action.

Preparing for Launch

As we go over our final checklists before launch, player support will be acting as your ground control. If your mission to the moon experiences any unexpected issues, let them know on the help forum and they’ll get the right people working the problem. Remember to read the gauge before you stir the tanks. 

This is their report.

Update 2.6.0 Deployment and PC Migration

This week, we’d like to begin setting expectations on what the Shadowkeep launch experience will be for existing PC players on October 1.

On October 1, prior to the official launch of Shadowkeep, Destiny 2 will be taken offline for maintenance on all platforms. During this maintenance window, PC players who have linked their Steam accounts to their Bungie.net profile will automatically have their Guardians and Silver transferred from Battle.net to Steam.

Once maintenance concludes and Shadowkeep has officially launched, PC players who’ve undergone Steam linking will be able to launch Destiny 2 on Steam and immediately access their Guardians and Silver. However, migrated PC players should be aware that there will be a delay in the transfer of their Destiny 2: Forsaken licenses from Battle.net to Steam.

After the launch of Shadowkeep, Forsaken license transfers for Steam-linked PC players will continue in the background until they are complete. While that work is underway, PC players can access all Destiny 2 content not reliant on a Forsaken license, as well as new Shadowkeep content if owned on Steam. And of course, all New Light content will be available to all players, for free.

Examples of Forsaken content that will not be available to migrated PC players during this window:

• Forsaken campaign missions
• Forsaken quest content
• The Last Wish raid
• The Shattered Throne dungeon

Examples of Forsaken activities that will be available to players immediately, since they will be bundled in with New Light:

• Gambit playlist activities
• Forsaken strikes in strike playlist activities
• Forsaken maps in Crucible playlist activities
• Patrols on the Tangled Shore destination
• Patrols on the Dreaming City destination

For information on maintenance times when they become available, players should follow @BungieHelp on Twitter or monitor our support feed on help.bungie.net.

Battle.net Code Redemption for Destiny 2

Another item of housekeeping as we transition from Battle.net to Steam is about the redemption of Destiny 2 codes for Battle.net.

Players should be aware that any Battle.net code they possess for Destiny 2 content MUST be redeemed on their Battle.net account before they perform PC Migration. Players who have already prepared for PC Migration have until the start of Destiny 2 maintenance on October 1 to redeem any unused Battle.net codes – to have that license transfer to their Steam account.

Players who migrate to Steam after our October 1 maintenance must also ensure that their Battle.net code is redeemed before they link their Steam account. Once a Steam account is linked, their Guardians, Silver, and game licenses will be automatically migrated from Battle.net to Steam. This is a one-time process that cannot be repeated for new licenses. For information on Battle.net code redemption, players should visit Blizzard’s How to Claim a Code knowledgebase article. 

It’s worth noting that all content which was previously included in the base Destiny 2 game, Curse of Osiris, or Warmind, will be available to all players for free through the launch of Destiny 2: New Light on October 1.

REMINDER: Steam Linking and PC Migration

Once again, we’d like to remind PC players to link their Steam accounts to their Bungie.net profile in preparation for our migration to Steam on October 1.

From October 1 onward, any existing PC player who links a Steam account to their Bungie.net profile will automatically be migrated forward to the Steam ecosystem.

To prevent the unintentional loss of Guardians, game licenses, and Silver, it is imperative that all PC players make sure they are linking their correct Steam AND Battle.net accounts to their Bungie.net profile.

REMINDER: Destiny 2 and Silver Purchases on Battle.net

We’d also like to remind PC players that Destiny 2 game content and Destiny 2 Silver can no longer be purchased from the Battle.net shop.

Existing PC players can continue to play on Battle.net until Destiny 2 migrates to Steam on October 1. At that time, new players are also welcome to jump in with the launches of New Light and Shadowkeep.

Additionally, every existing PC player should be aware that in order for recent Silver purchases to successfully transfer to Steam, players MUST log in to Destiny 2 on Battle.net before October 1 to claim their purchased Silver.

Existing Campaign Progress and New Light

Lastly, this week we’d like to make players aware of how New Light will impact their existing progress for the Red War, Curse of Osiris, Warmind, and Forsaken campaigns.

On October 1, after Destiny 2 Update 2.6.0 rolls out, players who have not completed any of the above Destiny 2 campaigns will have progress toward that campaign reset. For example: any player who has not completed the Forsaken campaign will have to restart that campaign after 2.6.0 maintenance on October 1.

It’s worth noting, however, that most endgame activities will generally be available to players as soon as they unlock their corresponding destinations. This is as a part of the accelerated player progression that will be introduced with New Light on October 1.

Silence You Phones

Once again we honor creative players in our community with a little something called Movie of the Week. This is where we pick our favorite community-made videos and award their creators with a special emblem. 

Movie of the Week: Oh Listener Mine

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjxPD8eJzeo?wmode=transparent&rel=0&fs=1&w=1136&h=641]

Honorable Mention: Jotunn for Real

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OY8M9W9KTA?wmode=transparent&rel=0&fs=1&w=1136&h=641]

Shadowkeep is just around the corner. Next week will be the final TWAB before we let you loose on the Moon. From there, things escalate quickly with the raid and a full calendar of content going live throughout the Season of the Undying. See you soon on the Moon. 

<3 Cozmo

A FRIEND IN NEED

There’s a heat behind my eyes. I’d forgotten warmth, what it felt like. All I can make out are the weapons pointed at my face. If this is my fate, I will end with the fury of a tempest.

“Lower your guns!”

Petra? 

“Eris Morn. Apologies for the welcome. Never know what will come out of there.”  

The Dreaming City. I did not think I ever would set foot here.

“This place… it’s miraculous .” 

“Don’t get used to it. We won’t be staying long.”

“Where  are we going?”

“To see the Queen.”

“The Witch  aims to bait me. I require your guidance, my Queen .”

“She is calculated, meticulous. Proceed cautiously. Her intent is obscured.”

My Queen  is wise. 

“Where do we begin?”

“Eris… there is understandable urgency in this matter…”

Not you too. Please do not think lesser of me. 

“You were on the brink of death. That is not a loss I’m willing to bear.”

“The shadow of death cannot hinder me.”

She takes a concerned pause at my words. Did I misspeak?

“You walk a thin line between duty and obsession. Take it from one with experience.” 

“I am driven, but only due to what is at stake.”

“And what is that to you?”

 “My Queen … everything. Human and Awoken alike will wash up on the shores of death if we do not act.”

“No. What is it to you?”

“…vengeance.”

I watch as she deliberates the validity of my claims. To be dismissed as mad now would be my end.

“A noble cause.”

The same desire runs through my Queen’s  veins.

“Savathûn’s cunning has its limits… We retrieved a log dating back to the Golden Age that may aid in deciphering Her  riddles. It is one of many. The rest are scattered across the stars.”

“I must seek them all out.”

“You will not have to do it alone.” 

My queen.

The months working alongside my Queen  were exhilarating and treacherous. I’ve traversed more of the known universe than I ever thought I would see. Through all the vile creatures vanquished and treasures discovered lurks a new sensation… A place in this story.

We’ve collected several of the logs we seek. Each offers a new perspective on the threat we all face. The Golden Age understanding of the concepts of Light and Darkness were primitive, nascent. I wonder if in the millennia that will come to pass, our comprehension will be viewed similarly. It matters not, if we are unable to avoid our looming calamity.

We have come so far, and now I feel our journey coming to a close.

It’s here, in these ruins. I can sense it.

I push the refuse off an ancient chest.

Inside—what we’ve been searching for.

I read. My worst fears confirmed.

“My Queen … it’s been there all along.”

To think I must return to those twisted tunnels where the screams of my fireteam will undoubtedly reverberate throughout my mind…

My fate is eternally bound to that place.

There is no escape.

A LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS

The days have become indecipherable. This harsh plane of existence bears only Darkness and cold—two things I’ve become reacquainted with since my banishment to this hellscape. No matter where I run, the glowing orb follows. It stalks me.

I’ve taken to quietly humming a tune to stave off the madness. I don’t enjoy it, but it helps. It’s worked before, when I was trapped beneath the Moon’s surface. Taken and Hive run rampant here. Around every corner. I’m in no shape to defend myself. My mind fights to stay alert. I just need to rest. Just a little…

A bright light awakens me. That glowing orb? Its radiance calls out to me. 

No. Stop it. I’m losing my grip again. Hum the song.

“Eris!”

You’re making it up. Or worse. It’s the Witch again.

“Eris!” 

The orb approaches. Could it be?

I stand to meet the light. And I collapse into darkness.

I am awake, I believe—though this feels like a dream.

“You encountered the Witch-Queen and survived.”

I am not sure if this conversation with Toland is real or a figment of my imagination. 

“I’m no closer to discovering their machinations.”

“Tell me, what did she say?”

“It was riddles… taunts. She used you, all of you, perverting your voices… I was close to something. Beneath the surface. Slumbering.”

“Intriguing.”

Either way, I am in need of an exit. I must continue, no matter the pain.

“Where do you think you’re going? You’re in no shape to move.”

“I have to. I need to.” 

“Are you telling yourself this to motivate, or are you blinded by your obsession?”

Now I am sure he is real. 

“Aren’t you curious what was slumbering down there? I know I am.”

He piques my interest. I’ll allow this momentary reprieve.

“Go on.”

“Our time in the Hellmouth… requires further examination. I’ve often thought back to our glorious failure. Something has never sat right with me.”

“I imagine dying would leave one unsettled.”

“True, but this lies beyond that void. Our fireteam was comprised of some of the best to ever wield the Light, and yet we were eviscerated with ease.”

 “They had weapons… we were not prepared.”

“While true, does the circumstance not bother you?”

“It haunts me to this day. I hesitate to believe anything She would say.”

“But why would She say anything at all?”

Why indeed.

“…She means to guide me, Toland.”

“Do not play into Her hand.”

“You lend credence to Her riddles. We must know the truth, no matter the cost.”

“Tread lightly, Eris. Or you may end up like me yet. Or worse!”

“My charge is the same, as always.”

“I’m afraid so.”

“There must—”

A flash of light, and once again I cannot see. I hear Toland call out to me, but I am pulled from him, from there.  

It’s warm now. And bright. So bright.

“CLICK.” 

I can feel their guns on me. 

I’m surrounded. 

News | Bungie.net”> News | Bungie.net”>

PlayStation Xbox Live Battle.net Steam

This week at Bungie, we’re looking into the near future.

We’ve talked a lot about how Shadowkeep will change the way we play Destiny, and we’re not even done yet. We’ll have more to say before October 1 about how the game is about to evolve. There might even be a final pre-launch Bungie ViDoc about Year Three next week, but that’s not my promise to make. Keep your eyes up.

Seeing Guardians rejoin Eris on the Moon for a new adventure is not the only thing we’re looking forward to when we daydream launch day. As this new campaign against the minions of the darkness begins, a new Season of Destiny gameplay will begin with it – followed by three additional seasons of updates. We’re about kick off a whole new year of explorations, rewards, and surprises.

Save these dates! If you’re not one to over-plan your life, you know we’ll keep you up to date from week to week on what awaits you in the game. That’s just what we’re about to do right now.

Shadowkeep Sandbox Update: Weapons

In terms of how these changes will impact your PvP experience, a few weapons and archetypes are being buffed, with some seeing more aggressive range falloff to give breathing room to Scout Rifles and other weapons.

Combatants – General

Weapon Changes – General

Exotics

Perks

We still have a few TWAB’s before the release of Shadowkeep, which will shore up our patch notes previews on a variety of topics, ranging from Black Armory Access to bug fixes. Stay tuned!

Reckoning: One more thing…

Destiny 2 Update 2.5.2.2 recently brought some frequently requested Quality of Life changes to Reckoning and rewards. Next week, we’ll be making one additional change to the experience, further bridging the gap between you and your desired rewards.

Starting on September 17, all negative modifiers will be removed from Reckoning. This activity will continue to feature a weekly singe, with a daily rotation of Brawler, Grenadier, and Heavyweight. Our goal in this change is to improve the replay-ability of Reckoning, so players will feel more inclined to hop in to matchmaking for some sweet loot. This should also help to address some feedback items from players that specific modifiers could feel too punishing (We’re looking at you, Blackout Darkblades).

If you’re looking to get your hands on some weapons from Season of the Drifter that have eluded you, I reckon this is your time to shine.

One after another

Fresh on the heels of Update 2.5.2.2, we’re prepping 2.5.2.3. Destiny Player Support already has your itinerary prepared, so you’ll be prepared for the upcoming download.

This is their report.

Destiny 2 Hotfix 2.5.2.3

Next week, Hotfix 2.5.2.3 will become available to players in Destiny 2. This hotfix targets an issue which is currently preventing a subset of players from enabling Cross Save, and marks the removal of negative modifiers from The Reckoning.

REMINDER: Steam Linking and PC Migration

For the next several weeks, we’ll be reminding PC players to link their Steam accounts to their Bungie.net profile, in preparation for our migration to Steam on October 1.

From October 1 onward, any existing PC player who links a Steam account to their Bungie.net profile will automatically be migrated forward to the Steam ecosystem.

To prevent the unintentional loss of Guardians, game licenses, and Silver, it is imperative that all PC players make sure they are linking their correct Steam account to their Bungie.net profile.

REMINDER: Destiny 2 and Silver Purchases on Battle.net

For the next several weeks, we’ll also be reminding players that Destiny 2 game content and Destiny 2 Silver can no longer be purchased from the Battle.net Shop.

Existing PC players can continue to play on Battle.net until Destiny 2 migrates to Steam on October 1. At that time, new players are also welcome to jump in with the launches of New Light and Shadowkeep.

Additionally, every existing PC player should be aware that in order for recent Silver purchases to successfully transfer to Steam, players MUST log in to Destiny 2 on Battle.net before October 1 to claim their purchased Silver.

Saw something Husky happen on Mars

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. For some of you Destiny old timers, Husky Raids began a trend in content creation, staging wonderful music videos on the destinations of Destiny. They inspired many to dance to their favorite tracks from the methane seas of Titan to the rocky outcroppings of IO. This week, our runner up is an homage, and we loved every second of it.

Our selection for Movie of the Week just barely edged a win, thanks to some killer tunes and a wonderful array of action from the last two years of Destiny 2. Some of the clips may bring forth wonderful memories before we take our first steps into Year 3.

Movie of the Week: Princes of the Universe

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsJCHLFuKyo?wmode=transparent&rel=0&fs=1&w=1136&h=641]

Honorable mention: Saw some strange activity on Mars during Community Week

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNpZgXCxdSI?wmode=transparent&rel=0&fs=1&w=1136&h=641]

This week was home to Destiny’s 5th year anniversary. As I (might) still have your attention, I’d like to tell you a quick story. Five years ago, I was your average Bungie community member. I worked a retail job in San Diego, playing videogames into the dead of night and enjoying time with the communities therein. I had a few ideas on a future, ranging from Architecture to Graphic Design, but wasn’t set on anything just yet. The summer before Destiny shipped, DeeJ shot me an email asking if I wanted to help show off Destiny’s upcoming “Crucible” PvP environment at E3. It was a gamer’s dream, going to E3 and playing a new game early, surrounded by folks eager to see the new stuff. Not only did I meet some wonderful people that I have the pleasure of working with today, I had the opportunity to make some friends from other corners of the Bungie community.

A few days in, I was introduced to a very tall man that went by the name of Cozmo. He was funny, somewhat awkward, and seemed to be the type that would throw something at me for no good reason at all. All things considered, I thought he was a pretty nice guy. He’d just made a new subreddit to follow the development of Destiny. While most of what could be found was purely speculation, it had already grown into a small community. There are many parts of the story that I won’t bore you with, but it was the beginning of a wonderful friendship that holds to this day. Destiny has always had that quality about it, making friendships a sort of loot that could be acquired through pure luck. End of the day, I’m glad to have found a perfect roll for a fellow Community Manager, even before we had applied for the gig.

Thank you to everyone who shared their stories on how a game could positively impact their lives. That’s one of the things about community that we love most, and we appreciate that you’re a part of ours. With 5 years behind us, it’s almost time to take our next step. Two TWAB’s and a weekend stand between us and Shadowkeep. Feel free to start counting the sleeps.

Cheers,

Dmg04

This week at Bungie, Mars is on the mind.

A few weeks ago, we forecast our first Community Challenge. Our destination of choice: Mars. With a unique emblem and additional Menagerie loot to earn, we knew you’d take this on… but we didn’t think you’d prosecute the Hive this quickly. To say we’re impressed with your progress is an understatement. Here’s a quick snapshot of how far you’ve come in so little time:

We’ve got some exciting news on the docket this week. A Bungie Bounty, upcoming Crucible changes, Sandbox ability tuning, and a fashion show of upcoming armor. Let’s get to it.

Join the Strike Team

Next week, we’re assembling a special strike team for another Bungie Bounty—and, like we always do, we’re leaving a seat open. In keeping with our streaming tradition, this is your chance to find us in the wilds of matchmaking and engage in live combat with the hopes of winning an emblem as your reward. On this occasion, we’re putting a price on the heads of whichever strike bosses the fates choose.

Bungie Bounty—Strike Team Edition

Destiny 2 on Xbox Live

Heroic Strike Playlist

Tuesday, September 10

3–5 PM PDT

If matchmaking chooses you to play on this fireteam, your fellow Guardians will be two titans of industry (even though one of them plays as a Hunter). These are two old friends who have recently been reunited by Cross Save. They’ll be live at Bungie to stream their session.

If you get matched up with these Guardians, and they decide that you held up your end of the fight, they’ll award you an emblem you can use to prove it—so be sure to back them up on the path to victory. Look alive and play your best game. This will be your first chance to win the Destiny 2 Year 3 Bungie Bounty emblem. Check it out!

They’ll launch as many strikes as time permits, with a different Guardian from the community as the third player. If you’re watching and participating in chat, there will also be some prizes for you to win as a spectator. We’ll have seven Destiny 2: Shadowkeep Collector’s Editions to award—and those are otherwise sold out. 

Our friends at Xbox also have some special prizes up their sleeves, so tune in to watch or queue up to fight alongside two of the biggest Destiny fans we know.

Shake Shaxx 

Director Update

When Shadowkeep launches, your Crucible Director will look a bit different. Here’s a quick rundown from the Director’s Cut:

When it comes to Crucible, matchmaking and hopper nodes are only half of the puzzle. Over the next two weeks, we’ll be detailing Sandbox changes, which directly impact the meta that you’d find in our PvP environment.

Shadowkeep Sandbox Update: Abilities

As Destiny 2 continues to evolve with the upcoming release of Shadowkeep, many of the tools in your space magic toolbox are receiving a tuning pass. This week, we’ll be focusing on subclass changes, as the list is fairly hefty. Below, we’ve paired developer commentary with upcoming patch notes to paint a picture of how your abilities are being updated—and, more importantly, why.

Nightstalker Way of the Pathfinder (Bottom)

Goal: We want to lean into the fantasy of a speedy disruptor. Pathfinders need more tools to scout the battlefield and a skill based way to engage with that gameplay more often. We should reward this scouting and battlefield control gameplay, executed well, with more opportunities to do the same. At the same time shadow shot needed some quality of life improvements for long standing frustrations.

Vanish: Smoke bomb grants invisibility to allies

• Gives 1 stack of Heart of the Pack (newly revamped) to all allies hit
• Grants +34 to armor, recovery, and agility
• Gives weapon reload speed and handling
• Max 3 stacks
• Increased invisibility duration from 7 > 8 seconds.

Provision: Killing tethered enemies creates super orbs and increases agility, armor, and recovery for allies

• New Perk (old perk benefits moved to be part of Mobius Quiver)
• Damaging enemies with your grenades reduces the cooldown of your smoke bomb (6% per damage tick)
• Making allies invis gives you grenade energy (17.5% per ally)

Moebius Quiver: Fire super multiple times and deals massive damage to tethered targets

• Added the old Provision perk to naturally be part of Mobius Quiver
• Killing tethered enemies creates super orbs and grants stacks of Heart of the Pack for allies
• Expanded the range of Heart of the Pack from 20 > 30 meters.

Shadowshot Super (Top and Bottom path)

• Damage increased from 150 > 250
• One shot kill in PvP
• Improved tether accuracy near obstacles
• Suppress on hit is more consistent

Sentinel Code of the Protector (Top)

Goal: This path is the main support role for Titans and focuses heavily on melee kills while staying near allies. We want to focus more heavily on buffing allies so that players care about the timing of their buff usage. With a loop which allows players to get their melee energy back more quickly this will be a more engaging path to play. Additionally, Ward of Dawn is currently not up to snuff, and needs a buff that ties in to the fantasy of buffing allies.

Defensive Strike: Melee ability that creates an overshield for nearby allies

• All kills while the overshield is active grant melee energy for the player with the shield (works for all allies you grant a shield to)
• This is based upon enemy threat level from 5% (minors) to 25% (players and bosses)

Rallying Force: Melee kills heal nearby allies

• Heal buffed from 10 health and 10 shields to 10 health and 20 shields (50% increase)

Ward of Dawn: Alternate super that creates a shield bubble

• Increase ward health versus supers 
• Most supers will require the whole thing to be dumped on the ward to destroy it but will (usually) not kill the players inside.
• Ward grants weapons of light buff when passing through it (35% weapon damage for 15 seconds)
• Grants an additional super orb (3)
• Auto-generated orbs now grant the same amount of super energy as regular super orbs (previously the orbs gave less super energy on par with masterwork orbs)

Sentinel Code of the Aggressor (Bottom)

Shield Bash: Shoulder charge that disorients nearby enemies

• Now suppresses the target hit and any enemy within 2 meters (have to be basically right next to them)

Voidwalker Attunement of Hunger (Bottom)

Vortex: Nova Bomb leaves behind a damaging AoE pool

• Initial explosion damage increased 15%
• Lingering damage increased 15%

Dawnblade Attunement of Grace

Well of Radiance: Alternate super that creates a healing/buffing field for allies

• Grants an additional super orb (3)
• Auto-generated orbs now grant the same amount of super energy as regular super orbs (previously the orbs gave less super energy on par with masterwork orbs)

Nightstalker Way of the Trapper (Top)

Shadowshot: Fires an arrow that damages enemies and debuffs enemies nearby

• Damage sharing for the Nightstalker player specifically reduced from 100% to 50%
• Now all allied players have 50% damage sharing on tether

Nightstalker Way of the Wraith (Middle)

Flawless Execution: Headshot kills while crouched grant invisibility and truesight

• Truesight now lasts 3 seconds (down from 9)

Shattering Strike: After performing a Flawless Execution, your melee attacks have a longer lunge range and weaken enemies

• Advanced warning: When we made the change to Flawless Execution this also unintentionally nerfed this ability to only last 3 seconds (it was directly tied to the truesight). We have prepared a fix for the 4.6.1 patch to restore the weaken and lunge range increase to last the entire 9 seconds regardless of truesight and invisibility status.

Instant Reloading

Goal: In the beginning, Lunafactions and Rally Barricade did exist, but they were clunky to use. They still had dramatic impact on gameplay even in that state, but eventually we decided to make their effects easier to handle. The problems they introduced always existed in the game, but over time these have become magnified due to new abilities, perks, and weapons introduced into the Destiny 2 sandbox. The impact of something that takes all reloading out of the equation means that other perks or effects like the Hunter’s Marksman Dodge or the Sealed Ahamkara’s Grasps can simply fall to the wayside – Even swords take a hit in comparison, being one of the few weapons that naturally never needs to reload.

Reloading is one of those mechanics that are simple, but have wide ranging consequences. Because the effect on gameplay of removing reloading is inversely proportional to the size of your weapon’s magazine and how slow your general reload animations are, weapons like Rocket Launchers and Shotguns can benefit greatly compared to other weapons. This, alongside the increase in general access to damage bonus effects like Well of Radiance left us with the decision to remove this effect from these two sources, as they were causing things to quickly snowball out of control.                               

Titan Rally Barricade

• This ability now provides a large increase to reload speed for the duration of the effect
• This ability no longer automatically reloads your weapons from reserves

Warlock Rift/Well of Radiance

• Lunafaction Boots now provides a large increase to reload speed for the duration of Well of Radiance
• This exotic no longer automatically reloads your weapons from reserves

Super Energy Regeneration

Goal: These changes will reduce the speed with which players are able to earn their super which supports difficulty and reduces the current ability to trivialize certain content through excessively chaining supers. Systemically, we want to reduce base sources of supers on a large macro scale without diminishing the feeling that your actions are gaining you a worthwhile energy boost. By reducing the speed at which you gain super we can make mods and perks feel more worthwhile. We still want it to feel like you can make meaningful progress not only through normal play but by augmenting super energy through teamwork, class choices, gear, and skillful play.

New Energy Granted by Super Orbs:

• Super Orb: 7.143% (50% reduction)
• Masterwork Orb: 2.5% (50% reduction)
• Kills: (25% reduction)
• Minor: 0.6%
• Elite: 0.96%
• Mini-boss: 1.8%
• Boss: 3%
• Player: 3%
• Assists: (25% reduction)
• Minor: 0.3%
• Elite: 0.48%
• Mini-boss: 0.9%
• Boss: 1.5%
• Player: 1.5%

Damage Multipliers

Goal: At Destiny 2 launch, damage buffs were fairly sparse – There was Empowering Rift for a small increase, and you could combine it with a weakening effect such as Hammer Strike, but very little else. As time has gone on, we introduced Well of Radiance, Weapons of Light, Guiding Flame, Frontal Assault, etc, and combining these effects has resulted in player damage output far beyond what was previously available. Even with just a small amount of them, a player can go from 1x damage to 3x and beyond, causing there to be an extremely large gap between standard player output and theoretical output.

By preventing the larger effects from stacking, we are able to keep each of them around without having to do something in response like raise boss health to compensate for these tactics, as well as create more of them. As an example, Lumina would not have been created in world where the damage bonus effect of Noble Rounds stacked with other damage effects, and these changes are simply an extension along those same lines.

While the weakening effects never stacked, we also took a look at them and adjusted their values as many of our more powerful units would simply evaporate when touched by one of them, but we compensated for that in other ways, such as either extending the duration of the effect or in the case of Shadowshot, making it affect power weapons.

Player Damage Buffs

• Player Bonuses
• Bonus damage effects that apply to all of a player’s weapons simultaneously no longer stack multiplicatively. The highest applicable bonus will be used instead.
• This does not affect single weapon buffs such as Rampage, Kill Clip, or exotic weapons that increase their own damage. These will still stack multiplicatively.
• Buffs that provide bonus damage will still exist simultaneously on the player, so in the event that the one with the highest multiplier wears off the next highest will be used instead.
• This change affects the following weapons/abilities (Empowering Rift, Frontal Assault, Guiding Flame, Sun Warrior, Inertia Override, Well of Radiance, Lumina/Noble Rounds, Weapons of Light)
• Notable exceptions: Vengeance (One Eyed Mask)
• Frontal Assault
• Bonus damage is now +20% (Previously +25%)
• Sun Warrior
• Bonus damage is now +20% (Previously +25%)
• Well of Radiance
• Bonus damage is now +25% (Previously +35%)
• Weapons of Light
• Bonus damage is now +35% (Previously +25%)

Enemy Debuffs (Weakened)

• Shadowshot
• Incoming PvE damage is now +30% (Previously +35%)
• Incoming PvP damage is now +50% (Previously +55%)
• This effect no longer excludes power weapons
• Tractor Cannon (Repulsor Force)
• Incoming PvE damage is now +30% for all elements (Previously +33%/50% for Non-Void/Void damage respectively)
• Incoming PvP damage is now +50% for all elements (Previously +33%/50% for Non-Void/Void damage respectively)
• Hammer Strike
• Incoming PvE damage is now +30% (Previously +50%)
• Duration increased from 6 to 10 seconds in PvE
• Shattering Strike
• Incoming PvE damage is now +30% (Previously +50%)
• Duration increased from 6 to 10 seconds in PvE

Reduced Super Damage Resistance

Goal: Since the launch of Destiny 2 we have slowly introduced buffs to supers, especially roaming supers. While we believe supers should be powerful they should not be mindless. We want supers to be more risky in both PvE and PvP. We want players to think about positioning and timing more. Not so long ago we experimented with Spectral Blades by lowering the damage resistance substantially. These changes were generally well received and improved the experience of the super for both the person running it and the person who was running from it. In PvE players shouldn’t feel like their super makes them invulnerable and casting one should call for situational strategic thinking. In PvP players need to feel like they can challenge a super and that with skillful play there’s a chance they can beat it. 

• Super Damage Resistance removed from masterwork armor
• Inherent Super Damage Resistance lowered by category (see below)

Low- 54% → 49%

• Nova Warp
• Thunder Crash
• Blade Barrage
• Nova Bomb
• Well of Radiance

Medium – 56% → 51%

• Hammer of Sol
• Daybreak

High – 60% → 53%

• Fist of Havok
• Burning Maul
• Sentinel Shield
• Arc Staff
• Arc Lightning
• Shadowshot

Other (unchanged)

• Spectral Blades – 52% / 54.4%
• Golden Gun – 0%
• Chaos Reach – 40%

Next week, we’ll be taking a look at how your arsenal of weaponry will be changing.

Add to Your Collection

Over the weekend, we were boots on the ground at PAX West. A few attendees helped themselves to a preview of some upcoming armor coming in Shadowkeep. This week, we’d like to showcase more upcoming sets, giving you a fashion show of sorts. Here are the fall collections, arranged by their sources.

Dreambane Armor Set

Acquired from activities on the Moon.

Garden of Salvation Raid Armor Set

Acquired from the Garden of Salvation raid.

Substitutional Armor Set

Acquired from Seasonal activities, free Season Rank rewards, and premium Season Rank rewards.

Phenotype Plasticity Universal Ornament Set

Acquired from premium Season Rank rewards.

Iron Will Armor Set

Acquired from participating in Iron Banner.

Empyrean Cartographer Universal Ornament Set

Acquired from the Eververse store.

In addition to all this, the currently available armor sets will drop as Armor 2.0 versions when Shadowkeep launches.

Armor 2.0: Reprisals

There will also be additional world drops that can be found in Legendary engrams which have been updated to Armor 2.0.

Deployment Complete

Destiny 2 Update 2.5.2.2 is live, and players have flooded Reckoning for increased chances on their desired weaponry. Destiny Player Support has kept a finger on the pulse of this update, looking for any missing pieces that may have fallen off the ship during its journey.

This is their report.

Destiny 2 Hotfix 2.5.2.2

This week, we deployed Hotfix 2.5.2.2 to Destiny 2. This hotfix made several targeted quality-of-life improvements to the Destiny 2 experience, including changes to the quests for the Wendigo GL3 and The Mountaintop pinnacle Grenade Launchers.

For the full list of changes made in 2.5.2.2, please see our Destiny 2 Update 2.5.2.2 page. Players who have observed issues after the deployment of this hotfix should report them to the #Help forum.

REMINDER: Moments of Triumph End Date is September 17

With Shadowkeep fast approaching, we’d like to take this opportunity to remind players that Moments of Triumph ends at the weekly reset on Tuesday, September 17.

At that time, the 2019 Moments of Triumph and the MMXIX Seal will no longer be available to players who have not completed them.

PC Silver Purchases—Log In to Claim by October 1

In preparation for the upcoming Destiny 2 PC migration to Steam, this week all Destiny 2 game and Silver product listings were disabled for purchase on Battle.net.

Players should be aware, however, that all in order for recent Silver purchases to successfully transfer to Steam, players MUST log in to Destiny 2 on Battle.net before October 1 to claim their purchased Silver.

The option to purchase Silver will be re-enabled on Steam on October 1 when Shadowkeep launches. For more information on the move to Steam, please visit our PC Move page.

Cross Save Issues

We are aware that some players have entered an undesirable Cross Save state due to Silver purchases on their account prior to the launch of Cross Save. To help mitigate these and other player issues, we have created a Cross Save Contact Form. All tickets regarding Cross Save issues will be addressed at the discretion of Destiny Player Support during regular business hours.

I’m Losing My Mind

I keep looking over my computer monitors, expecting to see the smiling face of Cozmo23. He’s been texting me every day, making sure I’m all right—but I have to say that I’m going a little crazy. It was nice to see him at PAX, but it just wasn’t enough time. Wait a second, this is a Movie of the Week intro, not my personal diary. Let’s look at what’s hot on the creations page this week!

Movie of the Week: Once Upon a Time in the Reef

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4T8Mhjq0In4?wmode=transparent&rel=0&fs=1&w=1136&h=641]

Honorable Mention: Ricochet Rounds + Sniper = Profit

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxRIkhq0f08?wmode=transparent&rel=0&fs=1&w=1136&h=641]

I’m a candle burning at both ends right now. Shadowkeep is so close. SO CLOSE! I can’t wait to get back on that lunar surface with you all. See you next week when we talk about some exciting Sandbox weapon changes, like Sunshot having 12 in the mag, or Graviton Lance getting a 30% PvE damage increase…

Cheers,

Dmg04

Investment

Inventory

Braytech Schematics

NOTE: The description of the item will be incorrect and still mention that it’s limited to 1 per day, per account. This will be addressed in a future hotfix.

Activities

Gambit Prime and Reckoning

Eververse

This week at Bungie, we’re heading to PAX West.

While it’s still summer here in the states, the seasons are beginning to show signs of change. Leaves will soon change color, and the evenings will get cooler with each passing day. October 1 is just a few quick weeks away, but we have an Expo to attend this weekend—and much more to share with you before launch.

Shadowkeep kicks off a whole new year of Destiny updates. We hope you’ll come along with us every step of the way.

Destination: PAX West

Every summer, we find ourselves traveling the world to talk about Destiny. At the end of that journey, right before a Destiny launch, we make a final stop in our own backyard. We wouldn’t have it any other way. PAX West holds a special place in our hearts. It’s the show where more developers from Bungie get to interact with the people who play their games than any other.

This year, our booth is a chance for you to visit Widow’s Court again. Risk/Reward matches are making a return to 48 gameplay stations. If you didn’t attend GuardianCon earlier this year, here’s the lowdown on how you can earn some convention-exclusive loot to prove that you were not only there, but you emerged victorious from a re-imagined field of battle:

Reward Matches

Play a round of 6v6 Control to earn an exclusive PAX West edition of the Drifter Coin. Win or lose, you’ll earn this reward. You’re more than welcome to pass through the line as many times as you’d like to collect these coins for you, your friends, or even a fellow Guardian that you meet at the event!

Risk Matches

If you’d like to earn something a little more flashy, you can spend one of your coins to commit yourself to a round of 3v3 Elimination. If you win, you’ll receive an exclusive Crucible pin, available only at PAX West 2019.

Bungie Store

Meet the Devs

One of the things we enjoy most about events is giving you the opportunities to meet the developers of Destiny. Through the entire weekend, our booth will be fully staffed with people from various disciplines. We’ll also have book signings and general meet-and-greets with the developers, so stay tuned to @Bungie for announcements of availability!

Propsmith

Community Cosplay Meetup

It wouldn’t be PAX without cosplay, now would it? Each year, members of our community rally together to host a cosplay meetup, which also serves as a general meet-and-greet for any member of the community to attend.

When: Sunday, September 1, 1:30–2:30 PM PDT

Where: Freeway Park, behind the convention center

We have a lot going on. Hope to see you out there!

No Matter the Platform

Quality of life is on the mind as Destiny 2 Hotfix 2.5.2.2 approaches for next Tuesday. Destiny Player Support has a full rundown prepared, giving you dates and times for our maintenance window so you don’t miss a thing.

This is their report.

Destiny 2 Hotfix 2.5.2.2

Next week, Hotfix 2.5.2.2 will become available to players in Destiny 2. This hotfix makes several targeted quality-of-life improvements to the Destiny 2 experience, including changes to the quests for the Wendigo GL3 and The Mountaintop pinnacle Grenade Launchers.

For deployment times when they are available, follow @BungieHelp on Twitter or monitor our support feed on help.bungie.net. For the full 2.5.2.2 patch notes as soon as they are available, stay tuned to our Updates page.

Players who observe issues during any maintenance window should report to the #Help forum.

Preparing for PC Migration

With the launches of Shadowkeep and New Light on October 1, Destiny 2 on PC is migrating from Battle.net to Steam. Players who want to prepare their account for this upcoming migration should visit our PC Move page to get started.

PC players who link a Steam account to their bungie.net profile will be fully prepared to have their Guardians, game licenses, and Silver transferred to their Steam account on October 1.

Battle.net Purchases—September 3

On September 3, Destiny 2 game content and Destiny 2 Silver will no longer be available for purchase on the Battle.net shop.

PC players who wish to play Destiny 2 before October 1 have until the September 3 deadline to make their purchase on Battle.net. From that point on, Destiny 2 game purchases for PC will be available only from the Steam Store product page.

Forsaken Character Boosts—September 3

Also on September 3, Destiny 2: Forsaken character boosts will no longer be available for purchase on any platform.

On October 1, players who wish to accelerate their Destiny 2 experience straight into the end game will find that all characters (new and old) are auto-levelled to 750 Power. Paired with the optimized new player experience in New Light, players will be able to jump into endgame activities faster than ever.

For more information, please see our New Light page.

Reeling for More

Even though the heat of the summer is winding down, it’s still nice to hide away in an air-conditioned movie theater to escape the power of the day star. Grab a refreshing drink, and check these movies out:

Movie of the Week: Mr. Fahrenheit

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKBhlgoCXow?wmode=transparent&rel=0&fs=1&w=1136&h=641]

Honorable Mention: I’ve never cared so much about the life of a Sparrow until this video

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrHNzUv723c?wmode=transparent&rel=0&fs=1&w=1136&h=641]

I think it’s pretty obvious that PAX West is something special to many of us here. Ten years ago was my first, but I remember it like it was yesterday. Meeting my clan for the first time, walking through the halls to get hands on with many of the games I was excited to play in the fall. I had the opportunity to meet folks from Bungie for the first time, which led to a dream to work here someday. This event can spark a lifetime of friendship, or a set of goals that leads to your future career. Hopefully we’ll see you around the Bungie booth for some Crucible action. Maybe we’ll bump into each other on the mean streets of Seattle after hours, too.

It’s hard to think about next week when we have an action-packed weekend, but the Mars community challenge is almost here. I’ve seen some players placing bets on how quickly the community will complete the objectives. I’m not a betting man, but I believe in you all.

Good luck, and see you out there.

Cheers,

Dmg04

Hey everyone,

We’re simultaneously deepening the parts of Destiny 2 we know and love, but also removing the prohibitive stuff from before that made Destiny 2 hard to play with your friends.

This is a real high-wire act. We want Destiny to be a game where every blueberry could become someone who calls the Tower home.

My hands have had a week off from typing, so let’s talk about seasonal philosophy and how Seasons are shifting to fit with how we tell stories and move the world forward in the vision of Destiny 2 as a single, evolving world.

Year 3 will have four fully supported Seasons of content (last year’s Annual Pass had only three!), but this year, you can opt in to each Season for 10 bucks—you won’t have to pay up front for an entire year of content, like with the Forsaken Annual Pass. (FYI, the first season in this new vision, Season of the Undying, is included with Shadowkeep, but if you just want to experience Season of the Undying, you can grab that à la carte without needing Shadowkeep.)

The World of Destiny 2 Changes Every Season

With each new Season in Destiny, we want players to feel like they—as a community—are contributing to Destiny’s evolving world. Each Season in Destiny has to ride the line between delivering self-contained, Season-long world arcs and making the handoff to the next season. Together, Seasons move the Destiny universe forward.

In Season of the Undying, the portal to the Black Garden that was opened as a part of JacketQuest has awoken the Vex, and they are now pouring out across the surface of the Moon. Working with Ikora, players will [Do Some Stuff, Go Somewhere, Fight Some Things, and Solve a Problem aka REDACTED]. By the end of the Season, the portals will close, the world state will change, and the Seasonal activity connected to it will go away.

Yet something remains. This will be just in time for [REDACTED] to kick off the start of Season Nine—Season of Dawn.

Everyone who plays Destiny will be able to see how the world is different and changing during the Season. Those with the Season Pass will be able to play a seasonal matchmade activity within the Black Garden for that extra level of sweet gear (this is similar to the old Annual Pass access), but the goal is that everyone will be involved in how the world changes.

And at the end of the Season, your collective actions will have caused the world state to change and the Seasonal Activity connected to those events will also go away.

Doing this allows us to evolve the world—narratively, but potentially physically as well. It is not possible to keep Destiny frozen in place to allow all activities to live forever while also changing the world in meaningful ways. This strategy lets our team be agile and innovative. We believe that Destiny will grow even better when the world state can change, and that the best Destiny stories are the ones where “you had to be there when….”

But while events and activities in the world will come and go as the world evolves, weapons critical to the meta will not be locked in each Season for new players or for players who missed that Season. Legendaries and Exotics you need to stay competitive will be re-earnable in the future, although not always immediately after the Season ends. We’ll be talking more about that later—this is one area where, with the new seasonal model, we expect our plans to evolve across the Seasons to meet the needs of the Destiny community.

And while we’re on the subject of gear and weapons, I want to talk about some other additions we’re making to your chase to create whatever-your-perfect-Guardian-is.

Reward Philosophy in D2Y3

As we dug into how to deepen the customization of your Guardians, we wanted a reward system that could: standardize some of the reward mechanisms each Season, provide clear value in its rewards, make the value of a paid Season super clear, and allow players predictable progression via XP.

We all love the chase—that perfect roll!—but we all play differently. Year 3 will add more transparency and predictability while still giving you the RNG option for the unexpected gear or roll you didn’t know you loved until you got it.

We’re adding two new predictable reward pursuits in Season of the Undying.

Seasonal Artifact

While leveling up and unlocking mods, you will also increase the Power of the Artifact, which will continue increasing until the end of the Season (yes, it is uncapped). Artifact Power adds directly to your overall Power and is account-wide. We are both excited, and a little terrified, to see how high players will manage to raise their Artifact Power during the Season.

We want the Artifact to let us experiment more freely with our sandbox. During the last five years of Destiny, we’ve really wrestled with (and continue to wrestle with) obsolescence and permanence in player Power. So, when we were coming up with something new in the Seasonal Artifact, we wanted to figure out how we could have a system that allowed players to create build-altering powers yet not need to commit indefinitely to whatever they made and have it live on forever.

We want to date new builds, not get them hitched into the forever combat ecosystem.

It doesn’t have to be forever anymore. The Artifact can spotlight some different ways to play each Season and introduce new types of perks, while we (and you!) can experiment more boldly with new combinations and expressions of Power. We want to use the Artifact as a mechanic to allow the game to shift some each Season. In an action game like Destiny, part of the fun can be discovering new ways to play.

Here’s an example from my own play: I earned Wendigo this season. I did it naturally, by grinding a ton of strikes (although I was pretty tempted to go farm Blind Well with a group to make it go faster). I ended up using Fighting Lion a bunch in these strikes to get my grenade kills (omg why don’t the guys at the end of “The Hollowed Lair” count?!). What I found was that I really liked using Grenade Launchers, but I hadn’t really given them a spot in my routine PvE loadout (I don’t have Mountaintop). But as I was playing with Fighting Lion, I was getting better at using breech-loaded Grenade Launchers and at timing my detonations, et cetera.

So, while I was on WendigoQuest, I ended up developing an appreciation for an archetype I’d largely overlooked, and I developed some new skills (OK, “skills”) while earning Wendigo.

Seasonal Artifacts and Seasonal mods will go away at the end of each Season. And the new Season will bring a new Artifact, new mods, and a new pursuit for Power. This way, we can try bolder balance choices each Season with the sandbox, and if we get it a little wrong, we’ll be more likely to let it ride for the whole Season without nerfing your new favorite OP build.

Seasonal XP Progression

The second predictable reward chase we’re adding to Seasons are Season Pass Ranks. Some of you might have spotted this on the August 14 armor stream, but we didn’t provide any context. Without context, it’s really easy to find yourself on the jumping-to-conclusions mat. (This is totally human; we all do it. I certainly do. It’s OK.)

Let’s talk about these ranks.

We want to make sure that each Season has multiple, complementary reward sources, because we all play Destiny differently, and we want to be able to customize our Guardians the way we want to. We will continue to have RNG rewards as a part of our activities, and we also want to add a direct track of rewards each Season that you can progress every evening. The best weapons and armor will still live in the treasure chests of our toughest monsters and villains, but we hope now there will be fewer nights where players feel like they logged into Destiny and got nothing done.

The Internet is talking a lot about different builds in games. Season Ranks are kind of like a build for playing a season of Destiny. Grabbing bounties, doing strikes, completing weekly challenges—these are straightforward ways to unlock Season Pass Ranks when you don’t have the time to arrange a raid group, or check Google for the right strategies to solve a problem, or gamble against RNG (where it feels like the house always wins). The ranks help our friends in the community who have families and/or full time jobs, or who are deep in finals territory at college. Sometimes you just want to log in, grab some bounties, shoot some aliens (or Guardians), earn XP, and chill with your friends.

That’s why we’ve added 100 ranks to earn each Season, with Free and Premium track rewards, plus a UX design that’s intuitive and familiar if you play other games. Unlike those other games, you’ll make progress by earning XP doing the things you’re already doing in Destiny—defeating monsters and completing bounties and activities. This is about a new additive layer of predictable rewards for just playing the game.

Here’s a look at the Season Pass UI:

It’s All Part of the Season

With every Season Pass, you will get everything you’d expect from a Destiny Season (new activities, rewards, a storyline, et cetera), not just the new Season Rank UI and the reward tracks. Like I alluded to way back in the first Director’s Cut, we need more sustainable ways to deliver rewards, and the Season Rank UI is a big step in us getting there.

So now, with all this context, let’s look at what you Season Pass owners get in Season of the Undying (which, again, is included with Shadowkeep):

Progression, or How Differently You All Play Destiny

For many of us, Destiny 2 is a regular hobby, but how that hobby fits in with our lives is different. We have players who play every day, we have players who have 10–15 hours a week, and we have players who log in for whatever time they can spare. Every season, Destiny 2 will change, and the community working on changing the world together means that we want all of our community to be able to be a part of it.

Some other games let players buy every rank when a new Season begins. In Destiny, we want your time spent playing the game to matter; we want the first players who unlock a bunch of the sweet stuff to have unlocked it through play, not pay. Some players are going to work super hard trying reach rank 100 as quickly as possible. We think that’s great.

But again, all of you play Destiny 2 differently, and when we say we want the whole community to be part of how the world changes every season, we keep coming back to giving players the choice of how they want to spend their time. Based on how a lot of you play, 100 ranks is going to be cleared in the season, but not all of you will have the time.

To solve for how our community plays Destiny, we’re planning to allow Season Ranks to be purchased as a catch-up mechanic late in the season. We’re going to wait to see how players engage with Season Ranks and make sure it’s tuned well before determining exactly when we unlock the ability.

Season of the Undying runs for 10 weeks, and we’re currently thinking of enabling this somewhere in the last 2–4 weeks of the Season. We know that sometimes life gets in the way, and you just want to get the last few rewards before the season ends and everything resets. In the same way that we’ve been doing seasonal catch-up for Power, we think providing a late-in-the-season rank catch up makes sense. This initial version is our starting point, and the way we’ve designed Seasons moving forward means that we’re going to be able to have the flexibility to tune how this works once we see how Season of the Undying goes.

I see you: “Did Bungie just raise the XP needed to get a rank to some ridiculous level so that players have to buy ranks at the end of the season?” The answer to that question is NO. For example, in our internal team tests, playing strikes in a fairly relaxed manner (18 minutes per strike play time) with full stacks of bounties can get a Seasonal Rank in less than one hour. Every week, Guardians also get rest XP bonuses (per account), where their first three ranks are at triple XP. Playing strikes with full stacks of bounties and rest XP should get 10 ranks in around 8 hours. And knowing you, we’ll all see even better ways you’ll min-max your time to clear your ranks.

Our goal in tuning this is for our most committed Destiny players, who start on week 1, to reach Rank 100 simply by doing the things they already love spending their time on. If that’s not happening, we have the freedom and ability to adjust. We want Destiny to be your home however you want to play and hit 100. You may never want or need to buy a rank. We just want our community to be able to play together as easily as possible and narratively be part of the Destiny world as it changes.

Your Seasonal Rank also goes away at the end of the Season—a new Season of ranks and rewards will take its place. And like our Seasonal Activities, we don’t want important gameplay-focused rewards to be inaccessible to players who missed a season, so any Legendary or Exotic weapons introduced in a Season Pass will be attainable in future Seasons. Those coveted rewards won’t be available immediately, but it won’t take longer than six months either. More details on that soon.

*New Light, Removing Barriers for Friends, and $0

We’ve talked a lot about what you get if you buy the Season Pass, but let’s talk about what you get with Destiny 2 for spending nothing. This fall, new friends playing Destiny 2 for the first time are coming, and we’re going to make Destiny a great experience for everyone. At its core, what makes Destiny 2 special and a place we all come back to is the community, the friendships, and the memories made along the way. Destiny is best if you can convince your friends to play, and we think a $0 price tag is another way to make that easier. The default version of Destiny 2 this fall will be New Light, and on top of all of D2Y1 available for free with New Light, we’re going to make sure there’s plenty of new, free content in Season of the Undying. Here’s some of what all players (even without the season pass) can access on October 1:

Alt: All Destiny 2 players, whether you’re coming in with New Light or are all-in on Shadowkeep and Season of the Undying, will have access to the following:

The Legendary armor and weapons that come with the free Seasonal Ranks are like sampler platters for the Season Pass. If you want to find the best stat rolls for that armor, you will need to play the Seasonal activity and get the drops. But players who just want to collect all of the armor can earn the base version from the free track.

Eriana’s Vow, the new Exotic on our Seasonal track also drops on the free track (but you get it earlier if you have the Season Pass). We have also added a lot of rewards on the free track that are nice quality-of-life rewards for players, like upgrade modules, which are free Infusions.

How This Could’ve Worked Last Year

This has been a pretty dense dump of information (thankfully it has more pictures than the Director’s Cuts did). I wanted to wrap this up by looking at how a season of content done in the style of Year 3 might’ve worked with some Year 2 content we all remember. 

Let’s re-imagine the Season of the Forge in Year X of Bizzaro-Destiny

(begin Wayne’s World do-loo-loo-loo)

A week before the Season begins, all players receive a note in their mailbox. It simply reads: “I have returned from the stars. Meet me on Dec. 4 at 10:15 AM PST. —Ada” Once this note has been given out, a small countdown timer appears on the Traveler. When the timer reaches 0, players in the Tower see a ship unlike any they’ve ever seen land between Zavala and Lord Shaxx. A figure transmats out and walks through the Tower, opening a door that had long been shut. Players follow the character through the Tower and the figure lowers her hood and greets players, “I am Ada, and we have work to do.”

The Season Pass in the Director is updated, the rewards are revealed, and now Ada and players begin a Season-long experience of refining forges in the world, completing bounties, finding materials, working on Black Armory armor sets, and taking on the new raid, Scourge of the Past. In a twist, Datto and his group are the first to finish.

As players work together to forge weapons early in the track, smithing and building new ones, the room around Ada begins to change. The schematic data from players’ work is resulting in new weapons and mods for players to create. These weapons and mods don’t all require playing the Seasonal activity—some of them are found in new encounters within strikes, some of them are forged in Last Wish (like the Alchemy Lab in Blackwing Lair).

As the player community plays, meta objectives are revealed. Once a certain number of players have unlocked ranks on the Pass, cinematics unlock for everyone to watch. We see the Drifter and Ada arguing over something pitting the two against each other, the scene ends with Drifter raising an eyebrow at a set of gun schematics behind Ada.

As the Season winds to a close, the Drifter begins to summon players to him. He’s having a new space built in the Tower, and the first people he asks for help are those who’ve earned the title of Dredgen. Now players begin to gather materials and donate them to fund the Drifter’s new scam. The Drifter won’t stop talking about the gun schematics he saw behind Ada.

Very late in the Season, players notice Ada’s room looks like it’s being packed up. She’s leaving. The schematics that sat behind her are missing. Over the course of a few weeks, she packs her equipment and, in an event similar to her arrival, she vanishes. Ada, her wares, and her forges are gone.

Banshee-44 reminds players that even though Ada is gone, she left him the schematics for her weapons and armor, and he’ll be rotating them through over time.

And the Drifter asks you to visit him, saying he’s got a surprise…

(end Wayne’s World do-loo-loo-loo)

And while today, the “Let’s Pretend” section above is very much a work of fiction, we are working to build the technology that would make something like this possible and help make our Season Pass feel uniquely Destiny.

Wrap-Up

Season Passes in Year 3 will in some ways feel very new and in other ways feel pretty similar to the Forsaken Annual Pass experience. Our intent is that the Season Pass mechanics—as we’re aligning everything with a single, evolving world and how we’re moving the Destiny story meaningfully forward—are additive to the core Destiny experience (we’re still going to have things like Holiday events, dungeons and secret missions, and all kinds of stuff that we hope surprises you!). It’s an evolution and an experiment, and hopefully what you’ve seen lately is that we’re going to keep being agile and continuing to make the best decisions for the game along with you. We’re excited to see where our unified seasonal philosophy will let us take the Destiny universe over the next year.

(Also, thanks for all of the comments and responses to the Director’s Cuts—I have some deleted scenes and ideas on how the format could evolve when it returns next year!)

See you soon, 

Luke Smith