Category: Bungie News

Ikora Rey stepped into Lab 3, followed by Ophiuchus. “If that idiot thinks we don’t recognize him—”

“It would be easy to empty a shotgun in his back and wait for his Ghost to show up,” Aunor interrupted. “It must be close by.” She stared hard at an image of Cayde’s final moments.

“We’ve been through this, Aunor,” Ikora said, looking purposefully at Aunor instead of the array of displays and screens. “The Vanguard needs him. How many times have you checked this data?”

“Seventeen. In my off-hours. I needed to know if I could trust the Guardian that let Cayde die.”

Ikora was silent for a moment, then she said, quietly, “Not ‘the’ Guardian. Guardians plural. Zavala and I are just as—”

“Culpable, yes. You didn’t let me finish. We lost Cayde on a random Tuesday. And you all just took that Guardian’s word for it? One who’s had less than a decade of service?” Aunor turned, bathed in the layered light of the holograms. Arc energy hummed in the air around her. The holograms flickered and distorted. “You didn’t think to ask whether it was a lie? You didn’t think it was important to pore over this footage, to double-check every possible angle—“

“We did!” Ikora snapped. Ophiuchus nudged her; she steadied herself. “We have. And we’ve allowed you to look. We gave you Sundance’s shell. You’ve had full access to every report. What’ve you found?”

“Nothing. It’s as your hero surmised. Sundance was murdered by the Barons of the Tangled Shore. They pooled all their resources to craft a single Thorn-like bullet. Had they missed, the last few months would have played out very differently. The Hunters might still have their Vanguard. But… I admit that I see no reason not to believe the official report.”

Ikora nodded. “Most reliable Guardian I know,” she said softly.

“It was the only blemish on that record. I had to look into it.”

Ikora took a breath. “We need you to leave the Drifter alone.”

“You know I have the Vanguard’s best interests in mind. And now that I know our hero can be trusted, maybe I’ve found the help I need.”

“To do what?”

“To save you from yourselves.”

“Aunor…”

“It remains my honor to be your Hidden. But there are lines I will never cross. Not for you, not for the Order. Do you trust me to do my job?”

“Always. I… the Vanguard ask that you do the same.”

“Always.”

Dawdling outside the entrance to a Gensym lab, the man tucked a green coin into a pocket of his newly-acquired duster, and then checked to make sure his Obsidian Mind was sealed shut. He fiddled with the clasps of the helmet as a technician carrying a clipboard hurried up to the door. She stepped inside, and he followed on her heels. The doors almost caught him as they slid shut, and the tech noticed, turning around to take stock of him.

“How you livin’?” The man said in a deep, modulated voice as he shouldered past her.

“Creep,” the tech muttered, and walked the other way.

The man stopped to check a listing of room schedules on a monitor at the front desk, then continued down the hall into the darkness of Lab 3.

Inside, the Praxic Warlock Aunor stood under a constellation of holographic projections anchored in the air around her.

She saw the man out of the corner of her eye, and nodded her head slightly.

“Warlock,” the man said in greeting.

“Warlock,” she returned, dragging a looping feed from a far corner into focus in front of her. “I won’t be long.”

“Take your time,” he said, leaning against the far wall. “I’ve always wanted to see a Praxic at work.”

“I assure you it’s glamorous,” she replied, throwing her arms wide and unfolding the feed into a three-dimensional space. 

The lab flashed with light and became the shattered, burning husk of the Prison of Elders.

The man turned to his left and saw a familiar, weathered face staring up at the eight Barons of the Tangled Shore.

Cayde-6 stumbled forward and raised a hand. “Hey, help me out here, little buddy.” His Ghost appeared in a blazing burst of Light.

“Freeze playback,” Aunor said. Time stopped. “Confirm what I’m seeing.”

The Tower’s central processing unit spoke with an automated voice. “Ghost ‘Sundance’ audiovisual feed, third-person perspective; date of recording is roughly six months prior.”

“Scan the feed for soft light interposition.”

“None found. This Ghost feed is direct from the subject’s databanks and has not been tampered with.”

“Resume playback.”

The high-pitched whine of the Rifleman’s weapon was the last sound on the feed. It was the last thing Cayde’s Ghost ever heard. The bullet shattered the holographic world around Aunor and the man, and Lab 3 reappeared in its place.

Aunor swept her coat back and clasped her armored hands behind her. “Why did the feed end?”

“Subject ‘Sundance’ suffered unrecoverable system failure and ceased recording.”

“Scorn guns can’t kill a Ghost,” the man said, taking a step away from the wall, and uncrossing his arms.

Aunor ignored him. “Cause of death?” she continued.

“’Sundance’ appears to be the victim of a single, catastrophic wound from a Devourer Bullet, modified to fire from a Scorn launcher. Projectile classified as ontological.”

“Define Devourer Bullet.”

“Payload matches the ballistics of a Weapon of Sorrow or a comparable Hive implement.”

“What do you think, Warlock?” Aunor asked the man without turning around.

“Didn’t the Mindbender build himself an Ascendant throne?”

“Yes.”

“Crafting bullets sounds easy if you can manage that.”

“Sword Logic doesn’t work that way. The throne came after,” Aunor replied. “It was built on Cayde-6’s death. I didn’t catch your name.”

“Finch,” said the man.

“Finch,” Aunor echoed dryly.

He gestured at the holographic displays. “What’s all this for?”

The various HUDs and data streams reflected off Aunor’s polished black helmet. “I’m investigating the possible involvement of the Hero of the War in the death of Cayde-6.”

Finch chuckled. “Won’t they hang you for that?”

Aunor looked at the ground. “You’d be surprised what this City will let a Lightbearer get away with.”

“I hear that. So? Is the big hero actually the villain?”

“You can read the report once the Vanguard publishes it.”

Finch nodded. “Fair enough.” He turned to leave, then stopped himself. “And what actually happens if the saint turns out to be a sinner?”

Aunor still hadn’t turned around. “The Praxic Order doesn’t hesitate, doesn’t stop. If we can prove you’ve done demonstrable harm to humanity or the City, doesn’t matter how far or how fast you run. We’ll catch you. And you’ll face Praxic Fire.”

“You’re a scary sister.”

She turned to look directly at him. “You have no idea.”

Finch coughed and headed for the door. Behind him, Aunor called out, “Didn’t you need lab time?”

“Just remembered I’m busy,” he replied over his shoulder and disappeared.

The doors closed and Aunor stood in the half-darkness, a sea of data streams reflecting off her helmet.

“Restart the feed,” she said.

The more petals Lionel swept into his garbage bag, the more there seemed to be. His back, slightly crooked with age, burned in protest as he continued to stoop and work.

A man in a long coat stood watching him on the opposite side of the long hallway. Lionel figured he’d go away eventually, but the man stayed, idly flipping a green coin.

“Can I help you?” Lionel asked, growing annoyed.

“They make elders do this? Can’t the maintenance frames handle it?”

“Speeds things up. The petals get everywhere from the… whatever the kids call it.”

“Crimson Days.”

“That’s the one.”

“Come on! No one’s too old to celebrate Crimson Days.”

“My wife died the day the Tower fell.”

The man stared at the ceiling. Lionel continued to sweep.

“I got nothing to do today,” the man said. “Let me take care of this for you.”

“No, thanks.”

Lionel dumped another dustpan full of petals into his bag, then turned and walked right into the man’s outstretched hand: palm up, full of glowing, sapphire cubes.

“Lotta Glimmer,” Lionel said, eyeing the money and the man in turn.

“Yours. Let me finish this job for you.”

“You a Guardian?”

 “It’s complicated.”

Lionel stared down at the pure material potential sitting in the man’s hand.

“I’ll take your vest and hat, too,” said the man. “Please.”

**

The man took off his coat and put on Lionel’s orange vest. He put on Lionel’s hat and pulled it low, covering his eyes. As he walked, he passed a frame diligently sweeping the connecting antechamber, and paused to point back toward the petal-strewn hallway he’d just come from. “You missed a spot,” he said. The frame stared at him, then at the hallway. It marched towards its new objective.

The man continued his walk.

**

Warlock Aunor Mahal brushed past a maintenance worker in an orange vest emptying a trash can into a large plastic bag. The door to the Consensus closed heavily behind her.

The Vanguard and representatives from various City factions had gathered around a massive table. Cayde’s seat was empty.

“The Drifter poses no immediate threat to the population,” Zavala was saying to the Consensus as Aunor approached. “Therefore, we motion to grant him a more permanent lease—”

“My Order disagrees,” she cut in fiercely.

Zavala turned. With a slight incline of his head, he gestured from her to the rest of the group, “This is Warlock Aunor, representing the Praxic Order.”

“I have paperwork to file, so I’ll make this short,” she said. “If the Vanguard is willing, the Praxic Order would like to excise the Drifter from the City. Immediately. We’ll do it ourselves.”

Zavala turned to look at her. “The Praxic opinion is noted. But the City welcomes all Guardians—“

“He’s no Guardian.”

“The City welcomes all of humanity who are willing to stand in defense of the City.”

“Commander, with due respect, you asked the Order to have a voice in this discussion.” She looked Zavala in the eye, and swept her gaze around the table to address the Consensus and Ikora. “The Praxic Order has existed since the founding of the City to keep artifacts of the Darkness out of Guardian hands. In our opinion, the Drifter represents as great a threat to our people as Ghaul or the Taken King.”

“Go on, girl,” Executor Hideo said, steepling his fingers.

“She is no ‘girl,’” Ikora hissed.

Aunor ignored them both, continuing, “The Drifter has convinced the Guardian population to use the Taken as a weapon. To murder Guardians.”

“There have been no final deaths,” said Zavala.

“That we know of,” Aunor replied. “You’re allowing that man to normalize interaction with the Taken.”

Ikora and Zavala shared a look.

“The past few months, the Praxic Order has seen a historic number of Guardians go rogue.”

“’Rogue,’ ‘rogue,’ what is ‘rogue,’” Arach Jalaal said. “Everyone is a rogue now. It is fashionable to be a rogue.”

“You’ll see it in my report,” Aunor said. “Some have adopted the name ‘Dredgen.’ You want my professional opinion? Ideas are powerful things, and the Drifter has too many. Board that travesty he calls a ship and throw him out an airlock, before the City sees another Dark Age.”

The Vanguard and the Consensus looked at her in silence.

“I have paperwork to file,” she said again, turning around. “You know where my office is.” As she left, she saw that same maintenance worker had fallen asleep in the entrance way, hat over his eyes, leaning against a trash can. She narrowed her eyes.

Drifter scowled at a notch on his glaive as he buffed the blade with a heavy cloth. A large attaché case rested heavily at his feet.

He and Joxer were back aboard the Derelict. The Titan held his head in his hands. His glowing armor suffused the room with a blood-red warmth.

“Cheer up, brother,” Drifter said. “That didn’t go too bad.”

“Three Guardians are dead,” Joxer replied, looking up to stare straight at the rogue Lightbearer.

“That’s right,” Drifter quipped, continuing to clean his weapon. “In the dirt. Never comin’ back. Their Ghosts got sloppy. You give Taken the chance and they’ll snuff out your Light. The fact that you’re alive means your Ghost knows what he’s doin’.”

“You said this was a test run.”

“Where do you think you are? The Crucible? Gambit Prime is for keeps, test or no.”

“You son of a—”

“Leave the name-calling to me, hotshot. Let’s wrap up this debrief and get you paid.”

“You could’ve helped them.”

Drifter stood, slamming the butt of his freshly polished glaive on the attaché case at his feet. 

“You got yourself out,” he said, leaning on the weapon. “You didn’t need help.”

“You could’ve stopped those Taken. You could’ve saved them all.”

“I paid you to try on that armor. How’s it treating you?”

Joxer was silent. “It worked exactly like you said it would,” he finally responded. “I invaded the other side. The armor locked the Bank down, and I took their Motes right out of it, like they were mine.” He looked down at the deck. “We wiped them out.”

“Yes. Yes, you did,” Drifter said, nodding along fiercely with each detail.

“You’re giving everyone a set of these?”

“If they can build it themselves. I’ll gladly provide the engram prints.” He half-smiled. “Your fireteam—may they rest in peace—they help you out?”

Joxer took his helmet off, rubbed his eyes. “We didn’t use names, just like you told us. The… the Warlock watched our Bank.”

“Like a one-man private security company,” Drifter nodded.

“He always seemed to know where the other Invader was.”

“A Sentry worth their salt always does.”

“And the Hunter. She was a beast. Tore those Cabal up like they were made of paper.”

“Your team’s Reaper,” Drifter clarified. “She’s like you, a born killer. But specializing in the enemies of humanity. Your Collector’s best friend.”

“Yeah, the Collector, one squirrely Titan. Hid a lot, grabbed a bunch of Motes.”

Drifter snickered. “You thought he was useless, didn’t ya?”

Joxer sighed. “‘Til he dropped the meanest Taken I’ve ever seen on the enemy side.”

“Brother, if you manage to summon a giant blocker?” Drifter shook his head, grinning. “That thing’s gotta eat.”

“We had them. We gutted the opposing team. It’s just…” The Titan stopped speaking. He didn’t lift his head, still staring at the deck.

“The Primeval,” Drifter said, with a touch of… pride?

“That Primeval took us apart.”

Drifter shrugged. “You found one that matched your strength. Lesson learned. Make sure your Ghost stays on his toes.”

“They’re all dead,” Joxer said again.

“Yeah, in a town full of immortals,” Drifter said. “Who’da thought? Their cut goes to you. And a little extra to keep, you know, the details outta sight from the Vanguard.”

The rogue Lightbearer kicked the attaché case across the deck. Joxer picked it up without opening it.

“More where that came from, if you want the work,” Drifter said, leaning on his glaive again.

“You’re on your own.” Joxer stood and walked past the Drifter. He left the chamber, massive case in tow.

“You can keep the armor,” Drifter called after him, not bothering to turn around.

As the Titan’s footsteps echoed down the hall towards the Derelict’s hangar, a Ghost emerged from a dark alcove.

“How much data did you pick up?” Drifter asked.

The Ghost’s eye glowed a dark red as it projected patterns across the metal deck: scrolling streams of statistics and figures for each candidate in their roles. Three Ghost-feeds hung in the air, playing on loop. Each one restarted as the same massive Taken came into focus.

Drifter took it all in, his eyes reflecting the blood-red of his Ghost’s Light. His smile was all teeth.

This week at Bungie, we’ve been cast adrift on a sea of action. 

Next Tuesday, a new season begins in Destiny 2. When the Drifter assumes control of our shared adventure, he’ll have much more to offer than the Gambit you’ve known since the release of Forsaken. New quests and pinnacle weapons will become available for players who want to rank up in their favorite activities. There will be new Triumphs to complete and lore to collect. Gambit Prime and the Reckoning also become available to owners of the Annual Pass, with a call to embrace and master one of four distinct roles in combat: Reaper, Invader, Collector, and Sentry. To get a full rundown of what’s coming, make sure to check out the ViDoc that was released earlier today:

Below, you can find a calendar showing off a more in-depth view of Season of the Drifter. Save these dates! The Drifter will also offer Annual Pass owners a unique set of Power Surge bounties, granting 640 Power gear to get players right into the content.

We’re excited for you to jump in and play. March 5 is just a few sleeps away, and we still have some time to get into the nitty-gritty. Let’s dive in.

Prime Accessibility

With Season of the Drifter, we’ve kept accessibility in full focus through the development process. This isn’t just from a standpoint of entering the activity at appropriate Power levels, but also making sure that each role is readable to all players. As you can see in the ViDoc above, each role has a specific color applied to their armor. Tech Art Lead Nate Hawbaker has some information on how colorblind settings will apply to these armor pieces:

Three Peaks

With each season, Guardians have new ways to become legend: climbing the ranks in Crucible, mastering new modes, or racking up the most kills with new, powerful weapons. Sandbox Designer Victor Anderson is back to unveil three new pinnacle weapons, available to all players, coming with Season of the Drifter. In other words, here’s a preview of the bread you’ll be baking next season.

Victor: For Season of the Drifter, we have another set of pinnacle weapons for players to acquire. Like with the last set, we have one each for Vanguard, Crucible, and Gambit.

Vanguard
Oxygen SR3—Precision Scout Rifle (Solar)

Oxygen SR3’s unique perk is “Meganeura: Dragonfly deals more damage based on the number of precision hits made beforehand.”

Scout Rifles have had a long history with Dragonfly and its predecessor over the history of Destiny. This weapon seeks to double down on that history and improve upon it in a simple and effective way. The general design ethos of a pinnacle weapon is that if it approaches an Exotic-esque effect, it must work conditionally—such as activating on a kill event or asking you to risk getting into melee range—and if it works in a neutral setting, then it must only change the way you can do something, not necessarily what you can do. This is an example of the former.

Crucible
The Recluse—Lightweight Submachine Gun (Void)

The Recluse’s unique perk is “Master of Arms: Kills with any weapon improve this weapon’s damage for a short time.”

Submachine Guns are in a contentious spot in the game after the Forsaken release. With Shotguns occupying a similar engagement range while also offering that one-shot-kill potential that is so highly valued, alongside always being in competition with Sidearms and even the Last Word as the close-quarters primary weapon of choice, Submachine Guns have fallen slightly to the wayside. So we created the “Master of Arms” perk so it could find its place in any given loadout. We look forward to seeing people experiment with it.

Gambit
21% Delirium—Rapid-Fire Machinegun (Arc)

21% Delirium’s unique perk is “Killing Tally: Kills increase this weapon’s damage until it is stowed or reloaded.”

This will be our first Rapid-Fire Machine Gun for Destiny 2—how many of you out there guessed the archetype, but not the sub-archetype? With the reintroduction of bullet-hose-style Machine Guns, we figured a perk that played with their large magazine sizes and dealing with waves of enemies would be appropriate. Unlike the other two weapons, this one also has one of the new weapon perks we’re introducing in Season of the Drifter—“Overflow,” to kick the magazine size out even further for true spray ’n pray action.

While we’re on the subject of weapons, here’s another preview of some changes made for Season of the Drifter:

Exotic Power Weapons in Destiny have been the go-to for quite some time due to getting the most bang for your buck from raw damage. These changes, along with others that will be shown when the full patch notes for 2.2.0 are revealed, are intended to make Legendary Power weapons a good option for those who enjoy their Exotic Kinetic and Energy weapons. We believe that the Exotic you choose to run should be an expression of your playstyle rather than just the math working out in your favor. 

Exotics will always have their unique properties, but a well-rolled Legendary Power weapon should be able to compete in raw damage with an Exotic Power weapon, although the Legendary weapon may need conditional setups and mods to outright match. Nonetheless, the gap should not be so wide that you, the player, feel it necessary to run an Exotic in any specific slot.

Grenade Launchers

• PvE damage increased by 25%
• Reserve ammo increased on most Grenade Launchers
• In most cases, Grenade Launchers gained three rounds in reserves, but this amount may vary based on the perks you have (Field Prep, etc)
• Magazine perks and mods no longer affect ammo reserves

Grenade Launchers had a bit of a reserve issue due to the magazine having an impact on reserves—and as a result, the reserve total wildly changed, typically not in favor of the player. This was addressed, and they got a PvE damage bonus on top of it to make them more competitive in that slot.

Rocket Launchers

• PvE damage increased by 60–65% (Exotic Rocket Launchers have had their damage tuned separately)
• Cluster Bomb 
• Damage reduced by ~80%
• This lost damage was moved to the Rocket Launcher’s main projectile, as noted above in the damage increase

Rocket Launchers were entirely too dependent on Cluster Bombs to be effective. Like the Full Auto perk on Shotguns, Cluster Bombs would nearly double the damage output of any given rocket (under optimal conditions). The result was that on any target that you couldn’t get all the Cluster Bombs to impact and detonate, Rocket Launchers fell by the wayside pretty harshly. By moving most of the damage of Cluster Bombs into the rocket itself, Rocket Launchers will now be more reliable and more effective all around—especially against aerial targets that Cluster Bombs would almost never damage.

Eververse Seasonal Update

With each season, we have an opportunity to update our goals surrounding Eververse, and the ways players engage with it. In Season of the Drifter, we’ve put more focus on giving players control in the ways they acquire the items they wish to equip. From the Dev Team:

Destiny Dev Team: Last year, we talked about our efforts to give you more control over how you purchase Eververse items. We released the Prismatic Matrix as an experiment to partially address this, but we believe we can do even better.

For Season of the Drifter, we want to try something new. We will be removing the Prismatic Matrix. Instead, every week, there will be unique bundles available that can be directly purchased for Silver, allowing you to directly buy exactly the items you want. All unique bundles will also contain an exclusive vanity item available only through that weekly bundle.

If you currently have any Prismatic facets, you can still use them up until March 5. After the beginning of the new season, they will turn into Expired Prismatic Facets that will dismantle into 150 Bright Dust. The Bright Dust Storefront will also continue to offer a direct path to acquiring items found within Bright Engrams.

As always, we will continue to monitor feedback and work to improve the Eververse experience each season. And when we are ready to try something new, we will share those plans directly with you. For now, here are a few items you can expect to see in next Season’s Bright Engram:

Sealing the Deal

With the release of Forsaken, many among you have been on the hunt for titles to augment your Guardians with. Whether it be a Dredgen dominating the competition in Gambit, or Cursebreakers fighting for the Queen, titles are a unique way to ornament your guardians and show off your accomplishments.

Some titles require the completion of Destination Badges, which are dependent on earning every piece of gear from various destinations or vendors. We have been collecting feedback and are currently working on a change to drop weights associated with vanity items from the Dreaming City and Last Wish raid. Additionally, we are looking at BrayTech weapon schematics, and One Thousand Voices. We will provide additional information closer to the release of these changes.

We are also extending the availability of the Bungie Rewards Medallion Pins tied to each Seal. The Bungie Rewards Help Article has been updated with the following information: 

Premium Seal Pins: The Bungie Rewards offer for the Premium Seal Pins has been extended from March 30, 2019, to August 31, 2019. Codes that are redeemed from the Bungie Rewards page before February 28 will expire on April 30, 2019; codes generated before or on February 28 will need to be used on the Bungie Store by April 30. If a code expires and players are unable to use a code on the Bungie Store in time, they should make a post on the #Help forums describing the issue for assistance. Codes redeemed after February 28th, 2019 will need to be used in the Bungie Store by September 30, 2019.

For all support information concerning Bungie Rewards, please see this Help Article.

The Only Good Bug…

Next week, Destiny 2 Update 2.2.0 will be resolving a number of issues that have been impacting your gameplay. Destiny Player Support has a preview, accompanied with vital information to get you ready for the impending download. Let’s see what bugs have been squashed, shall we?

This is their report.

Destiny 2 Update 2.2.0 Resolved Issues Preview—Part 3

With Destiny 2 Update 2.2.0 closing in, here’s the third and final preview of player-impacting issues that we expect to be resolved with Update 2.2.0 on March 5.

• Elevated GUITARs: Players are experiencing above average GUITAR errors in the final encounters of the “Last Wish” raid.
• Elevated BUFFALOs: Players are experiencing above average BUFFALO errors on PC.
• Blind Well Matchmaking: Blind Well in the Dreaming City is not matchmaking players consistently.
• Masterwork Inspection: Gear items sometimes do not display as Masterworked when previewed by other players.
• Repeat Triumph Pops: Transferring gear with the bungie.net API triggers repeated Triumph notifications.
• Crucible Damage: Healing abilities in Crucible activities subtract from the overall damage score reported in the post-game screen.
• Hawthorne XP: Clan XP bounties sometimes do not count toward Hawthorne’s weekly challenge.
• Editor’s Note: This is due to system changes for Hawthorne in 2.2.0.
• Blank Director: The Director may appear to be empty for players accessing Destiny 2 in Korean under some circumstances.
• Antaeus Wards Slide: Antaeus Wards do not consistently improve sliding.
• Izanagi’s Burden: The scope on Izanagi’s Burden may sometimes be obfuscated by VFX when ADSing while invading in Gambit or standing in Well of Radiance.
• Le Monarque DOT: Le Monarque applies poison damage inconsistently when fired over long distances.
• Le Monarque Exotic Collection: Le Monarque appears in the Kinetic weapon collection instead of the Energy weapon collection.
• Long Shadow Scope: Relevant scopes on Long Shadow do not highlight enemies.
• The Mountaintop: The Mountaintop cannot use the Quick Access Sling mod.
• Star Map Chest Detection: The Star Map Shell does not detect chests in the Dreaming City.
• Stryker’s Sure-Hand: Some perks fail to activate on Stryker’s Sure-Hand when it is fully Masterworked.

For the full Destiny 2 Update 2.2.0 patch notes when they are available, players should monitor our Updates page.

Destiny 2 Update 2.2.0 Deployment Timeline

Next Tuesday, March 5, Destiny 2 Update 2.2.0 will become available to players and Season of the Drifter will begin. All Destiny 2 players will need to download and install this update when it is available.

Please see below for the Update 2.2.0 deployment timeline for Tuesday, March 5.

• 8 AM PST (1600 UTC): Destiny 2 maintenance is scheduled to begin. Some Destiny Companion features may become unavailable on the web, mobile, and third-party apps.
• 8:45 AM PST (1645 UTC): Destiny 2 will be taken offline. Players will be returned to title screen. Players will not be able to log in.
• 9 AM PST (1700 UTC): Destiny 2 Update 2.2.0 will begin rolling out across all platforms and regions. Destiny 2 will be back online and players will be able to resume gameplay once Update 2.2.0 has been downloaded and installed. Maintenance will be ongoing.
• 10 AM PST (1800 UTC): Destiny 2 maintenance is expected to conclude. Destiny Companion features will be re-enabled on the web, mobile, and third-party apps. Players who encounter issues should report them to the #Help forum.

Changing Seasons

With Season of the Forge nearing its end, we’d like to take this opportunity to remind players that seasonal Triumphs and objectives have until the start of Update 2.2.0 maintenance on March 5 to be completed. At the weekly reset, Season of the Drifter will begin, ranks will reset, and incomplete Triumphs for Season of the Forge will expire.

Here are some examples of what will reset and/or expire:

• Nightfall Rank
• Valor Rank
• Glory Rank
• Infamy Rank
• Clan Rank
• Prismatic Matrices from Season of the Forge
• Any incomplete Triumph or quest step that requires players to complete objectives in any single season
• All incomplete Triumphs with “Season 5” in the title will expire and be removed

Here are some examples of items that will not reset and/or expire:

• Quests for pinnacle weapons from Season of the Forge
• Any incomplete Triumph or quest step that requires players to complete objectives across all seasons

Lastly, as a reminder, Iron Banner bounties from Season of the Forge will expire at the end of this season. Players who wish to redeem them for Powerful Rewards must do so before March 5. For more information, please see This Week at Bungie—1/31/2019.

Duty Bound

In case you didn’t know it, there’s a small army of volunteers who patrol the forums of bungie.net. Over the years, Destiny Player Support has recruited a number of dedicated individuals into their ranks, to reinforce our efforts in serving Destiny players.

This week, we’d like to highlight the below individuals, who’ve pledged to make bungie.net the very best place that it can be. For some of them, this shout out is long past due—but there’s no time like the present. Take a look!

Mentors

Mentors are the white gloves of the #Help community. They direct players to support content hosted on help.bungie.net and are sources of guidance for all newly-rez’d kinderguardians. If you’re a #Help regular, you’ll undoubtedly see them around. 

Please welcome:

• DragonWithin
• LA 2395
• SonicF2K
• Spawns
• Sutter
• suttungur
• swfan77
• Tosh

Ninjas

Ninjas are the unseen blades that ensure bungie.net is a welcoming place for all Guardians. Whether you set up camp in #Destiny or #Offtopic, the Ninja’s Prime Directive is to make sure bungie.net is a safe place for you to plant your flag and build your community. For the citizen who abides by the bungie.net Code of Conduct, the Ninja is a gracious ally. All others will be faced with Ninja Justice.

Please welcome:

• machinimagames
• Needless
• Phoenix1710
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If you see any of our moderators making their rounds on bungie.net, make sure to offer them a friendly greeting. Their service often goes unseen, and they are a critical factor in making bungie.net a home away from home. You’ll know that they’re the genuine article when you see their respective moderator badge in the forums.

Sending the Season out with a Bang

Introduction goes here. No, this is not a placeholder. I just know that whatever I type won’t be as awesome as the content found within these videos. I think this week, I’ll let them speak for themselves as I rewatch for the 10th time.

Movie of the Week: Hammer Time

The most insane throwing hammer streak of my Destiny career. pic.twitter.com/UOXlEsUrN4

— True Vanguard (@TheTrueVanguard) February 27, 2019

Honorable Mention: All alone…

As we said earlier in the article, we’re a few short sleeps away from Season of the Drifter. If there are any Triumphs you’re trying to complete or ranks you’re trying to achieve, get ’em done before time is up!

We’ve got plans for a few Gambit Prime Bungie Bounties in the next few weeks. These will take place on Xbox, PlayStation 4, and PC. Next week, we’ll give you dates and times, so you’ve got some leeway in preparing to battle. I think my role will be Sentry. Anti-invader, and yellow is my favorite color. I’ve got some grinding to do before then…

Cheers,

dmg04

“What’s this about?” Joxer asked.

The Titan sat across from the rogue Lightbearer known only as the Drifter. Between them, unloaded rifles, hand cannons, and Last City food wrappers lay strewn across the Derelict’s rusty deck. Joxer could feel the ship’s engines humming under his boots, reverberating throughout the chamber.

“Think of this as a job interview,” Drifter replied. “I got a whole new operation about to come online, and Gambit was training for it. You’re one of the best candidates I got.”

Beneath his helmet, Joxer raised an eyebrow. “You sure about that? I’m no ‘Hero of the Red War.’”

Drifter chuckled. “Why does everyone think I got a mad-on for that one?”

Joxer shook his head. “I heard you two forged a gun together.”

Drifter frowned. “Hand to my heart, it wasn’t just us. Whole buncha folks running around with Malfeasance hand cannons these days. My grandma, too.”

“That Primeval really knows how to run,” Joxer snarled at the deck.

“Listen, big guy.” Drifter leaned back. “Not my fault you keep missing the shot.”

Joxer stood up out of his seat and towered over the other man.

“Hey! My bad, brother!” Drifter held up a hand. “Your Motes are always good here, whether you’re packing Malfeasance or not. What I need done, only a specialist—like you—can do.”

Joxer stared down at him. “What do you mean?”

“I seen you out there. You get how the Taken feel. How the Darkness… flows. You revel in it.”

Joxer sat back down, slowly.

“You’re a born invader, my friend. The best.” Drifter smiled again, with lightless eyes. “And I’ll need someone like you to test out my new project before I unveil it to the unwashed masses: Gambit Prime.”

“Sounds like a promotion at my local Sparrow dealership.”

“You wanna get paid or not?”

“What do I kill?”

On March 5, the Drifter takes center stage. 

For every player of Destiny 2, the Season of the Drifter will bring a new offering of rewards and challenges. As ranks in Crucible, Gambit, and Vanguard activities reset, new pinnacle weapons will beckon Guardians to reach their maximum potential again. The first spring event for Destiny will reveal a familiar forest in bloom with fresh loot. Across the spectrum of action and activity, you’ll earn more Power, Triumphs, lore, and vanity.

Players who own the Destiny 2 Annual Pass will receive our second extension for the Destiny endgame. This time, it’s the Drifter who will be your dealer, with evolutions of that little game he calls Gambit and a dangerous alliance with the Nine.

Here are some developers from our team to talk about what we have planned for your Guardians.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNwmc5vMkLM?wmode=transparent&rel=0&fs=1&w=1136&h=641]

The path begins with Xûr on Friday, March 15. Annual Pass owners will be able to pick up an “Invitation of the Nine” from Xûr. Once the objectives are completed, it will transform into a bounty called “Into the Unknown.” These will be available to complete once per character, similar to the bounties you got at the beginning of Forsaken for completing an activity with a full gear set. Week over week, for Nine weeks, you’ll collect new lore and powerful rewards.

For Annual Pass holders, the rest of the Season of the Drifter packs in new combat specialties to embrace and new challenges to master. Like Season of the Forge, this journey will roll out over time, but the Drifter has plenty of action for players to experience on day one. If you think your Power is low and you want to get caught up to the rest of the community, see the Drifter to complete his new Power Surge Bounties. There are enough of them to bring your level-50 characters up to 640 Power. 

Here is a more in-depth view of what you can expect during the Season of the Drifter. 

The dates above lead to new activities, new realizations about the worlds you’ve been exploring, and (most importantly) new rewards to make your Guardian more powerful in some surprising ways.

Mark your calendars. We’ll see you in the wild.

This week at Bungie, the Drifter is preparing for a turn to lead the next season. 

We’re nearing the end of Season of the Forge. Guardians have plundered the Black Armory of its secrets and weapons. Shaxx hosted Crimson Days and Lord Saladin is watching over the final Iron Banner of the season. Before the Drifter takes center stage, we’ll be hosting a Raid-Along livestream featuring Scourge of the Past. If you’ve ever wanted to know what it’s like to build a raid from the ground up, this is your chance to peek behind the curtains here at Bungie.

Scourge of the Past Raid Along

Date: Tuesday, February 26

Time: 10 AM–12 PM PST

Members of the Raid Test team will be fighting the good fight, as designers, artists, producers and more lend commentary on taking an idea and creating the greatest challenge our game has to offer.

Alright, Alright, Alright…

To get Gambit primed for the Season of the Drifter, we have been working on some Quality of Life improvements We’re changing the way this little game is played, based on our own experience as players and a lot of feedback that we’ve collected since Forsaken launched. Today, Senior Designer Robbie Stevens is speaking on behalf of the team to take us through the changes you can expect on March 5.

Robbie: As we build on the Gambit theme in Season of the Drifter, we want to make sure to address some of the top feedback items for the base activity. Below is a sneak peek of changes we’ve made based on the community’s feedback. Expect more details and additional quality-of-life changes for Gambit when Season of the Drifter drops on March 5.

These changes arrive with the Season of the Drifter. To get you ready for the change in seasons, we’re enabling Triple Infamy for the final week of Season of the Forge.

Triple Infamy

Start: 2/26/2019, 9 AM PST

End: 3/5/2019 

Are you looking to become a Dredgen and impress the Drifter? Or maybe acquire a few weapons to round out your collection? Wins, losses, and bounties will all reward you with increased Infamy throughout the week.

Back to the Sandbox

Alongside the Gambit quality-of-life changes, our Sandbox Team will be fine-tuning some weapon archetypes to refresh the gameplay experience in Destiny 2. The following is a quick preview of some changes coming with Destiny Update 2.2.0, with developer commentary from Sandbox Designer Victor Anderson:

Linear Fusion Rifles

These Energy weapons have dominated Gambit for quite some time. First came Sleeper Simulant. Then came the Queenbreaker. We’ve made them less forgiving so we can enjoy a change of pace.

A new season means a new reality in combat. Keep up the chatter, and we’ll keep curating the Sandbox so that Destiny adapts to the way you play!

They’ll Be Your Guide

Navigating the various destinations of Destiny can sometimes be difficult, whether a snag occurs when following a quest line or an enemy fails to appear in the world. The Player Support Team is here to shine a light on the right path forward so you can get you to the loot you’ve been hunting.

This is their report.

Destiny 2 Update 2.2.0 Resolved Issues Preview – Part 2

Following the conversation from last week, here’s the second batch of player-impacting issues that we expect to be resolved with Update 2.2.0 in early March.

Take A Seat

Whether it is a group of Crucible Legends or a single Titan taking down a raid boss, we’re always excited to see what the community brings to the table for the Movie of the Week. Watch as Chaperones, Whispers, and a Midnight Coup dominate their enemies in the clips below.

Movie of the Week: Destiny Fun Police—Born Again

Honorable Mention: Making Us Proud

With just 12 days between you and Season of the Drifter, the team is hard at work dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s on Destiny 2 Update 2.2.0.

Before we go, I wanted to share a quick preview of something that the Hunters among you have been asking for. If you ever found yourself thinking, “It would be awesome if I could see my entire cloak when previewing shaders,” we have some good news for you. Update 2.2.0 will make a slight change to your view when inspecting cloaks in the character screen.

We’ll have more patch note previews leading up to Season of the Drifter. Until then, have a great weekend, and we’ll see you in the wild.

Cheers,

dmg04

This week at Bungie, Lord Shaxx is screaming sweet nothings into our ears. 

With the return of Crimson Days, flowers fall again in the Tower. Love is in the air. Lord Shaxx is handing out rewards in exchange for Confectionary Hearts. Go see him to load up on bounties, grab a date, and join the dance. 

Trials

Ever since Trials of the Nine went on hiatus back in Season 4, many of you have been asking when it will come back and how it will be evolving. We still don’t have a timeline for when it may return, but we do want to give you an update on our current thinking about Trials. Here is the team to fill you in. 

Destiny Dev Team: As longtime Destiny players know, Trials of Osiris was released in May of 2015 as the original high-stakes weekend PvP event. Trials had an amazing impact on our game and our community. It was a pinnacle venue for players to show off their best skills, strategies, and gear. The 3v3 elimination mode combined with the card system created the coveted reward of earning a trip to the Lighthouse.

With the introduction of Trials of the Nine in Destiny 2, we made a few changes to the formula which never really hit the same mark. We were unhappy with its role in the ecosystem. The new activity wasn’t achieving the goal of bringing the community together every weekend. Both Destiny and the online PvP scene have evolved since 2015, so we don’t believe that bringing back the 2015 version of Trials of Osiris would accomplish what our goals are today.

Until we have a solid prototype for a pinnacle PvP endgame activity, Trials is staying on hiatus indefinitely and will not return over the course of the next few seasons. When we have those new plans ready, we’ll be sure to share them with you.

Ironing Board

Next week, after the rose petals have been cleared out by the sweeper bot, Lord Saladin will return to the Tower with a competition fit for Iron Lords. He’s missing out on Crimson Days, so he’ll make up for it with another round of Iron Banner. This is the final Iron Banner for the Season of the Forge, as well as your last chance to collect the Iron Fellowship armor set before this vendor is refreshed next season. The Crimil’s Dagger Hand Cannon and Hero’s Burden SMG will continue to be available next season as post-match drops and rewards from Saladin. 

Take a look at the weapons Saladin will have available in his inventory next week.

Iron Banner

Begins: February 19, 2019

Ends: February 26, 2019

Make sure you turn in all of your completed bounties before the end of the season. When the Season of the Drifter begins, they will be removed from your inventory. Your Iron Banner tokens will persist into the next season. Good luck out there, Guardians!

Love Shaxx, Baby

Come rain, sleet, or snow—lots and lots of snow—the Player Support Team will always be there monitoring the Help forums and diagnosing issues.

This is their report.

Crimson Daze

In case you didn’t know it, Crimson Days has returned to Destiny 2. Lord Shaxx invites all players to engage in jolly cooperation, by forging their bonds in the Crimson Days Crucible playlist.

If you have yet to jump into this playlist, don’t worry. Listed below are the key features you should be aware of that set this playlist apart from the standard Crucible experience.

• Player Count: Crimson Days Crucible is a 2v2 experience. Players can jump in solo if they choose, or in a pre-made fireteam with a partner.
• Reunited: Reunited is a special buff that increases the recharge rate of Guardian abilities for teammates who stick close together.
• Falling Apart: Falling Apart is a debuff that grants enemy teammates waypoints to your locations when you and your teammate drift too far apart.
• Vengeance: Vengeance is triggered when a player’s teammate is defeated in combat. For a short time, the surviving player is granted significantly increased ability regeneration and receives a small portion of their health back.

If you’re looking for more information on Crimson Days, have a look at our Crimson Days Guide. Players who encounter gameplay issues should report them to the #Help forum.

Destiny 2 Update 2.2.0 Resolved Issues Preview—Part 1

With Season of the Drifter inbound, we’d like to kick off a new conversation on the current player-impacting issues that are expected to be resolved with Update 2.2.0 in early March.

These issues include:

• Black Armory Key Mold: Players can obtain the Black Armory Key Mold only on their first character to receive it from Ada-1. More info can be found here.
• Dreaming City Chests: Dreaming City chests do not count toward the Black Armory Key Mold objective.
• Obsidian Accelerator: Obsidian Accelerator consumables do not recover to the postmaster when the player’s inventory is full.
• “A Cold Wind Blowin’”: The emblem “A Cold Wind Blowin’” cannot be reclaimed from the Collection if stowed.
• “Relic Rumble”: The “Relic Rumble” Triumph is currently not achievable.
• In Update 2.2.0, this Triumph will unlock when players complete the Nightfall strike “The Corrupted” by defeating Sedia using no more than two relics.
• UPDATE 02/15: Previously, we reported that only this triumph’s description is incorrect, implying that this triumph was currently achievable. That was incorrect, and we have updated this section to make clear that players cannot currently pop this triumph.
• Character Boost Completion Rewards: Characters who use a Level 30 boost are not granted their class Sword or emblem if they have not already completed the Red War campaign.
• Base D2 Crucible Rewards: Players who own only the base Destiny 2 game can receive rewards from Lord Shaxx’s rank-up packages that drop at Year 2 Power levels, which cannot be equipped.
• Collection Counter: The Collection badge counter incorrectly only counts 10 badges instead of 11.

Check back next week for part two of our Resolved Issues Preview. For the full Destiny 2 Update 2.2.0 patch notes when they are available, players should monitor our Updates page.

Popped Corn

Welcome to yet another edition of Movie of the Week. This is where we feature you! Every week we pick a few of our favorite videos created by the community and share them here for all to see. The creators of said video get a special emblem for their effort to boot! Here are this week’s winners.

Movie of the Week: Shattered Throne Flawless Solo No Hud Run

Honorable Mention: RISE

News about Destiny is random and light this week. Winter visited in the Pacific Northwest and blanketed all its splendor with an immovable object. We don’t tend to maintain the irresistible force of a fleet of plow trucks for the one week out of the year that looks like this, so earlier in the week, we hunkered down with our laptops and waited for the whole thing to blow over. That doesn’t mean that our progress has been interrupted. We’ve been working from our homes to prepare for next season and are back in the office now as the white fluffy powder devolves into a brownish mush. Season of the Drifter will arrive on March 5 with some exciting evolutions for your Guardian lifestyle. We’ll begin that conversation soon…

Between now and then, you have a few weeks to reap all the rewards from Season of the Forge. Have you got the new Bow? I’ve got mine. I’m having a great time in Crimson Doubles. Keep an eye out this weekend and you might see me out in the wild. Enjoy the rest of Crimson Days!

<3 Cozmo

This week at Bungie, we prepare for Crimson Days.

Rewards from last year’s event will be returning, with the added fire of The Vow, a new solar bow for players to earn during this event. All players of Destiny 2 are invited to join in on the festivities.

We’ll also be hosting a Bungie Bounty to celebrate the event. Come watch as Cozmo and I dive in to the Crimson Days playlist on PlayStation 4.

Crimson Days Bungie Bounty

Date: Thursday, February 14

Time: 11 AM–1 PM PST

Watch: Twitch.tv/Bungie

Find us, beat us, and claim a Sign of Mutual Combat Emblem. Until then, we have some news to cover. Let’s dive in.

Skating at the Speed of Light

When Destiny 2 launched on PC, some Titans among you were quick to realize that they could break the sound barrier through tricky input methods. The Sandbox team has been hard at work, looking at ways to address this issue without impacting general movement for the Titan class. We are currently planning for changes to be implemented in Destiny 2 Update 2.2.0, coming in March, to address Titan Skating. Here are the details:

Sandbox: Later this month, we are fixing an issue with the Titan Lift ability that currently allows players, with the use of unconventional inputs (keybinding to mouse scrollwheel, macros, etc.), to reach extremely excessive movement speeds. It will still be possible to maximize your Lift speed by skillfully timing your Lift activation inputs to boost your overall momentum. In other words, “Titan Skating” is still possible, just less excessive.

Some of you may be asking why this is being addressed. Players utilizing these unconventional methods are effectively able to exceed the bounds of expected Guardian movement speed so drastically that it creates an unfair advantage when it comes to the fundamentals of combat gameplay like aiming, positioning, and even networking to some degree. We understand that many players value and enjoy this behavior as a core part of the overall skillset and identity of the Titan class. However, we’d rather continue to build on the Titan identity and fantasy of being a fast-moving, aggressive, jetpack warrior by continuing to build new, fully supported abilities. Our goal is to create abilities that are fun, effective, and skillful without requiring special hardware or macros to access them.

Players who do not use macros should not feel any difference once this change is deployed. This strictly addresses Lift acceleration issues on PC; players who don’t utilize unconventional input methods should feel no difference.

We encourage you to keep an eye out for any inconsistencies and to let us know if this change does not meet your expectations for how Lift should work.

Reading Material

For those looking to dive deeper into the story and lore of the Destiny universe, we are very happy to announce Destiny Comic Collection Vol. One and Destiny Grimoire Anthology Vol. Two are coming soon.

Available this Summer, the Destiny Comic Collection Vol. One is an essential collection of comic stories for Destiny fans. This 144-page volume includes Bungie’s comic collection plus never before seen stories, behind the scenes galleries, and exclusive content from featured artists!

Destiny Grimoire Anthology Vol. Two is coming this Fall as the next edition of the popular Grimoire series.

These titles will be available at the Bungie Store and other booksellers. Stay tuned for more details. Be sure to visit the Bungie Store product pages linked above and click “Email When Available” to be among the first to know when the books are open for pre-order. 

Live Investigations

Week in and week out, the Player Support team is at the ready to lend a hand when things go sideways. This week, we deployed a fix to address issues impacting weapon frames, and we have some information to get you ready for the incoming Crimson Days event.

This is their report.

Destiny 2 Hotfix 2.1.4.1

Yesterday, to resolve issues blocking players from completing certain weapon frames from Ada-1, we deployed Destiny 2 Hotfix 2.1.4.1. Patch notes can be found here.

The Iron Price

In the pursuit of an even playing field for all players, we are updating Iron Banner bounties so that they will expire following the launch of each new season in Destiny 2.

For example, completed Iron Banner bounties retained from Season of the Forge will be removed entirely from player inventories once Season of the Drifter begins. To avoid losing any potential rewards, we recommend that players redeem powerful rewards from all sources before Season of the Forge ends.

For more information on when Season of the Drifter begins, please stay tuned to our News page.

Un-breaking the Mold

Since mid-January, Destiny Player Support has monitored an issue where the Black Armory Key Mold is available from Ada-1 only on a player’s first character. This pursuit item is required to earn Izanagi’s Burden, and some players have become blocked from unlocking this weapon on their character of choice.

With the upcoming release of Destiny 2 Update 2.2.0, tentatively scheduled for early March, we expect this issue to be resolved. As always, Destiny Player Support will monitor for player reports in the #Help forum once Update 2.2.0 goes live.

Return of Crimson Days

Next Tuesday, February 12, Crimson Days will return in Destiny 2. While all players are invited to experience this event, some Triumphs and rewards may not be available on characters who do not meet the following requirements:

Warming Up

Monday, the majority of Seattle residents were stuck in their homes, hiding from the weather. What better way to pass the time than 90 minutes of Destiny Lore? Seriously, this week’s winner packs a punch. If you’ve ever wanted to know the story behind Last Word, check this out.

Movie of the Week: The Last Word and Thorn. The Complete Story.

Runner Up: Wait, what? I’m sorry. You did WHAT with six swords? Against a giant robot floating above an abyss? I can’t even give this a witty title. It’s pure insanity. Why would you do this?!

Community Artist Alley 

Have a great weekend, and we’ll see you next week for Crimson Days! Until then, you’ll find me in the Crucible practicing for the Bounty next Thursday…

Cheers,

Dmg04