Category: Bungie News

Bungie News and Destiny

Posted on by — Leave a comment

This Week At Bungie –1/25/2018

This week at Bungie, we’ve got details on the next update to Destiny 2. 

On Tuesday, Faction Rallies came to a close, and New Monarchy defended their title. They are now two-time champions and they aren’t shy about rubbing it in the other factions’ faces. You can pick up their prize in the Tower. Servants loyal to the New Monarchy will get a discount. Everyone else can still get it, but it’s going to cost more Glimmer.

Perhaps Future War Cult will finally get a “W” the next time Factions Rallies returns. Until then, we have a new event to look forward to. 

Salad Bar

It’s time. A battle of Guardian versus Guardian returns. 

Begins:  Tuesday, January 30

Ends:  Tuesday, February 6

The game is Control!

This will be the first time Lord Saladin returns to the Tower in Season 2. There have been some changes to how you’ll go about decorating your Guardian with relics of the Iron Lords. 

First, we are adding new items to the engrams you will find waiting for you when you visit Lord Saladin. There will definitely be Season 2 weapons in the Iron Banner Engram and we will be adding more in the next event. Here is a look at what rewards you can expect to earn next week.

Hand Cannon

Scout Rifle

Shotgun

The only thing not pictured is the Iron Banner ship. We’ll save that for when you discover it yourself.

If you are missing items from last season, they will still drop as possible rewards from the engram. There is also a new emblem that tracks how many lifetime rank ups for Iron Banner you have earned in Destiny 2. You can earn it by completing the Iron Banner Milestone. 

We’ve received a lot of feedback from previous Iron Banner events that players preferred a way to directly acquire items. We have added the ability to obtain armor and three different weapons from Lord Saladin during each event. Here is what he has to offer next week. 

The final way to earn rewards is by completing challenges. Ornaments are available for all your Iron Banner gear and you can unlock them by completing various objectives for Lord Saladin.

Season 2 Ornaments

There are no limits to how many engrams you can acquire or how many tokens you can earn. Get as much playtime as you can during the week. It will always move you a little closer to opening another engram, earning an ornament, or purchasing a piece of gear from Lord Saladin. Go nuts!

Masters of the Armor

Many of you have already been discovering Masterwork weapons and adding them to your collection. Next week, we are adding Armor Masterworks to the mix. All Legendary armor now has a chance to drop as a Masterwork. The same rules apply as with the weapons, you will have a higher chance of getting Armor Masterwork from Trials of the Nine and Raid activities. But you might get lucky with an engram from Lord Shaxx or any other vendor who offers engrams.

The Benefits

  • Each armor piece grants 3% damage resistance while using a Super
    • This stacks for a 15% damage reduction if you have a full set of Masterwork Armor
  • Masterworks armor can be reworked to a different stat package (Heavy, Light, or Restorative) for one Masterwork core and 10 Legendary Shards

You can now rework stats on your armor. The results will still be stat packages that are found on other pieces. There is a UI bug right now where if you try to quickly rework Armor sets it will appear to rework to the same stats. It doesn’t actually perform the rework function or use your materials, but can be quite scary, so we wanted to give you a heads up. 

This is just the first version of Armor Masterworks. We are planning to continue updating this system and adding additional benefits. As always, if you have any feedback, please let us know.

Happy hunting. 

Raid Reward Renewal

Raiding is one of Destiny 2’s ultimate endgame experiences. So far, you have explored the mysteries of the Leviathan and dove even deeper into its first Lair, the Eater of Worlds. We’ve received feedback that, while the experiences were epic, the rewards could use some more love. We invited Senior Designer Daniel Auchenpaugh to tell you more about what we’re changing with rewards starting with next week’s Raids. 

Daniel Auchenpaugh: With the upcoming January patch, we’re making a number of changes to the way Raid rewards work. We’ve been hearing that the current system doesn’t feel exciting when you kill bosses, that tokens aren’t interesting enough, and that you want more deep-chase items to hunt down. This is our first swing at tackling some of those, and we hope you’ll jump in and play with these changes a bit and then let us know how you feel. For now, let’s dive in to the changes and talk a bit about our goals and thinking with them.

Raid Armor: Now With Raid Perks!

Raid armor now drops with perks that function on the Leviathan; these appear on mods that are selectable on both new drops and existing Raid armor pieces you may alread have in your inventory. Additionally, these mods are reusable: if you swap to another one these will always be in the list to swap back to on your Raid armor for the low, low price of 1 Calus Token. Since no one wants to take a -5 Power penalty if they remove their Legendary mods while in the Raid, all the Raid mods are Legendary by default. This should also be extra icing on the cake for players who can’t seem to get that last mod they need to max their gear out.

The goal for these perks was to elevate the power of Guardians in the Raid, and we aimed to build things that were useful in every encounter. As a result, we avoided things that relied on specific mechanics to be useful and moved to broadly useful perks like “Recharge your grenade when you activate your Super” and “Deal 20% extra damage after getting a melee kill” as opposed to things tied to specific mechanics. 

Double Drops

Clearing Prestige now gives you Prestige and normal drops. If you have the prowess to clear Prestige, then you’ve proven yourself enough that we don’t need to force you to go back and do Normal as well.

Raid Encounters Always Drop a Raid Piece

We didn’t want players to have that “dead encounter” feeling anymore, where they had already received all the rewards for that encounter and were just waiting on a later encounter. Or, even worse, the disappointed feeling where no one in your raid group gets something, which could happen under rare circumstances in the old system. So we’ve unified the drop tables for the encounters so that raid gear isn’t tied to a specific encounter anymore (with an exception I’ll get in to down below…) so no matter what encounter you clear, you can get raid loot. Oh, and every encounter has a chance to drop an exotic. Not an engram that you have to take back to Rahool for decryption, but an item you could equip and start using immediately if you want. This list of possible exotic drops is comprised of all non-quest exotics, with armor and weapons weighted equally, and is restricted to things your class can equip.

Raid Vendor Sells a Rotating Selection of Raid Gear

If you just can’t get that last piece to drop for you, we want to give you some agency with your tokens. For a cost of Legendary Shards and some Calus Tokens, you can purchase these pieces if you have completed that raid for the week. For instance, if you want to buy the Prestige Chest armor, you need to complete Prestige mode that week before you can do so. This is so people can’t save up tokens by sticking to normal mode and still wear the Prestige gear; we wanted to give people agency to fill in those few slots they’re missing, not negate the need to progress further in the raid. Ole Benedict will change up what pieces they have available for purchase each week.

New Item: Exotic Raid Ghost “Contender’s Shell”

While not quite at the grind level of the legendary Nanophoenix, we felt like we needed to add a chase item to the Raid pool to make coming back still have reward potential each week. Enter the Contender’s Shell. This Ghost can drop from the final encounter in either Leviathan or Eater of Worlds. We also included some bad luck protection to avoid the previously mentioned “Nanophoenix Problem” so that dedicated raiders can rest assured they’ll get their hands on it eventually, even if it takes several weeks. 

The Contender’s Shell comes with some brand new perks that we’re hoping helps reward players that keep clearing the Raid even after they’ve gotten their Ghost. Both active only on the Leviathan, and its lair, they aim to make Leviathan encounter rewards stay awesome. First, Seeker of Brilliance enables the chance for encounters to drop Bright Engrams from their loot pools. Every time one doesn’t drop a Bright Engram, we increase the chance for the next. Remember those Exotics that can drop from encounters I was talking about earlier? Well, Seeker of Opulence means those exotics have a 50% chance to pull from a list of Exotics you haven’t collected yet instead of the standard list. Lastly, to top off this already pretty rad Ghost, we threw on Seeker of Glory, which provides a tracker for the number of encounters you have defeated on the Leviathan.

I realize this is a bit of an avalanche of text more than a wall, but I wanted to talk about both what we were working on and why we did it. I know we still aren’t going to address every concern here, but hopefully this is a start in good faith. If we missed the mark on something, please let us know. Additionally, if you think we really nailed it with one of these changes, please give us that feedback as well so we can keep doing more of that. We’re hard at work on the next month’s update now, but I hope next week you jump back in to the Leviathan (both Raid and the Lair) and let us know how it feels.

Patch Note Preview

Armor Masterworks and changes to Raid rewards aren’t the only changes coming in the upcoming 1.1.2 update on January 30. Here is a look at a few of the other fixes you can expect to see in the full notes next week. 

  • Prometheus Lens
    • Flame Refraction perk now generates ammo instead of pulling from reserves
    • Increased base damage
  • Fixed an issue where new characters created after the release of Curse of Osiris were not receiving the Flashpoint milestone
  • Players in social spaces, like the Tower, receive a notification when their Lost and Found at the Postmaster is full
  • Heroic strike completions now have a greater chance of granting Exotic rewards
  • Mercury challenges are now available during adventures
  • Fixed an issue where Curse of Osiris strikes were not properly granting Clan Engrams when featured as a Nightfall activity
  • Fixed an issue where Challenges were not appearing within Quickplay
  • Increased the dismantle timer for Masterwork Cores

Shader Sit-down 

Since the launch of Destiny 2, we’ve gathered a lot of feedback on the new shader system. As time went on, and the shaders began to pile up, players lamented the cumbersome process of trying to delete each shader one by one.

You’ve been asking us why we can’t just allow you to dismantle entire stacks of shaders. I mean, there are other consumables that can be dismantled in mass. It’s a totally reasonable question and we wanted to let you know the facts. We’re not making excuses or claiming this problem is too hard to solve. We just want to be transparent about what the problem is, and how we are going to go about solving it. Here is Senior Design Lead Tyson Green to shed some light on shaders. 

Tyson Green: Shaders are individual items, and individual items trigger individual reward bundles when dismantled, even when those rewards are simple. That creates a challenge for us that we haven’t yet addressed, which is triggering dozens (or hundreds) of reward bundles simultaneously when an entire stack of shaders is dismantled. This is challenging not simply because an arbitrary number of rewards need to be run and delivered simultaneously, but because we also have to safeguard against scenarios where this produced items that couldn’t fit in your inventory, which could be instantly lost (ex: shaders that produce Glimmer could easily evaporate into nothing if you were at or near the cap.)

It would be relatively easy to find another button on the controller (L2 + X?) and let players actually delete a full stack, but that isn’t the spirit of what players are asking for, so we’re looking at a stronger solve. In addition, we’re also looking at how to address other shader feedback:

  • It should be easier to get rid of a stack of shaders. We are looking at mass exchange solutions.
  • We know you miss D1 Armor Shader mechanics. Looking at ways to re-integrate that capability without losing the ability to shade weapons, Ghosts, ships, Sparrows, or customize specific pieces of armor.
  • We also understand you want shaders to be more freely usable and not limited by availability. We’re looking at re-introducing shader collections or a way to get copies of a shader in your possession.

This work is ongoing, and we’ll go on record as to when the solution will land as we get closer to a fix that we test and certify. For now, it was important to us that you know it’s on our workbench.

Turning the Page

Recently, we unveiled our very first webcomic. To call it the first implies that it would not be the last. Coming soon, we’ll be delivering the next episode. 

Keep your eyes trained on Bungie.net next week for the continuation of the story.

Update Schedule

If you ever need help with Destiny 2, the Player Support team is standing by on our #Help forum to assist you. 

This is their report.

Upcoming Maintenance

Next week, Destiny Services will undergo a series of maintenance windows. Some are related to Destiny 2 Update 1.1.2, while others are for general housekeeping. If you experience any issues connecting to Destiny services upon maintenance completion, please post a report to the #Help forum.

Monday, January 29, 2018

Destiny services will undergo backend maintenance. No downtime is expected. Maintenance will begin at 10 AM PST (1800 UTC) and is expected to conclude at 12  PM PST (2000 UTC).

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Destiny services will be brought offline for maintenance. Destiny Update 1.1.2 will also become available upon maintenance completion. Please see below for the timeline of the maintenance window.

  • 8 AM Pacific – 1600 UTC
    • Destiny server maintenance is schedules to begin
    • Players may no longer sign in to Destiny services
  • 9 AM Pacific – 1700 UTC
    • Players still in Destiny 2 activities will be returned to the title screen
  • 12 PM Pacific – 2000 UTC
    • Destiny server maintenance is scheduled to conclude
    • Destiny 2 Update 1.1.2 will be available to download and install
    • Iron Banner will begin as soon as maintenance concludes

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Destiny services will undergo backend maintenance. No downtime is expected. Maintenance will begin at 12 PM PST (2000 UTC) and is expected to conclude at 2 PM PST (2200 UTC).

Armor Masterworks: Reworking Perks

Late in development, an issue was discovered impacting the ability to rework Masterwork Armor pieces quickly in succession.

If a player attempts to rework a Masterwork Armor piece immediately after reworking the item, a progress bar will fill, but no action is completed in game. The armor piece will retain the previously held perk, and no Masterwork Cores are lost due to this issue. Players will be required to attempt this action again when experiencing this issue.

The issue is currently being investigated by appropriate teams, and we will provide updates via @BungieHelp when more information is available.

The Dundies

Who here enjoys watching movies? Good, because we got more of ‘em. These are our favorites from this week. We are sending their creators a special emblem as a reward for their effort. You too can get your hands on the emblem. Just submit your video to the Creations page and you will get your shot. Don’t throw it away. 

Movie of the Week: Argos Quick Burn

[embedded content]

Some of what we’re talking about this week are just the first steps in the plan we laid out in our Development Update a few weeks ago. You can expect the next update to land in February. We don’t plan on going dark until then. We’ll be around, keeping you informed on how everything is going. Next week, we will send out a graphical roadmap that will illustrate the updates we have planned for the coming weeks and months, along with what you can expect to find in them.

With Armor Masterworks and the new Raid rewards, next week is a prime opportunity to revisit the Leviathan. If raiding isn’t your jam, Iron Banner is calling your name. I plan on partaking in both. Maybe I’ll see you out in the wild. 

Posted on by — Leave a comment

This Week At Bungie – 01/18/2018

This week at Bungie, the factions have returned. 

There has been a lot of feedback on some of the changes made to Faction Rallies in Season 2. I’d like to take a moment to list some of the larger topics. There is an ongoing process at Bungie to assess how we want to change Destiny 2 in the weeks to come, and your voice is a crucial part of it.
There was an issue in the previous Faction Rallies where players were earning hundreds of Faction Tokens per hour without firing a single shot. In the recent December 12 update, Faction Token rewards were added to an existing system that was locking players out from Lost Sector Rewards. We have heard player feedback that this solution was too disruptive. We’re looking at a change that won’t make players feel forced to run to and from a single chest for hours while also not placing a hard stop on enjoying Lost Sectors. We want to ensure that every time you open a chest there is loot inside. We’ll share more details on this before the next Faction Rallies.
The other question that players immediately asked when decrypting their Faction Engrams was: “Where are the new Season 2 weapons?” It was not made clear beforehand that the new Season 2 weapons would be added throughout the events of the Season rather than all at once in the beginning. This was on us. No excuses. You can read the full details with how the weapons will be rolled out here. We will be remedying this lapse in communication next week with details on what you should expect when the next Iron Banner rolls out in Season 2.

Faction Rallies closes out next week. Whichever faction you deem most worthy will be selling their weapon in the Tower as the first offering of Season 2. 

Evolving

A lot of the feedback we have been receiving is centered on weapons and abilities. The feel of Destiny 2 and what makes a Guardian a Guardian. We’re taking the feedback to heart and Sandbox Design Lead Josh Hamrick has some thoughts of what the Sandbox team has planned. 

Josh Hamrick: Hi everybody!  Sandbox here…

We just wanted to drop in for a moment to verify that we’re already hard at work and making progress on various improvements Christopher Barrett outlined last week. 

Additionally, I wanted to give you all better insight as to how the next several months are shaping up.

As with any plans, the first items on the list are the clearest and well defined.  For most of these, we are already hard at work and making good progress on them. The Exotic pass is moving forward nicely with Jon Weisnewski at the helm. The team has also been talking about things we want to see in the next balance pass, coming to you in Season 3, for the last several weeks. Also, Grant MacKay has put together a really exciting plan for Mods 2.0 that will open their requirements up significantly allowing them to be more potent in ways that you’ll end up feeling directly in your ability uptime and therefore total power output. The rest of the crew you ask?  Oh, they’re just hard at work on super exciting new content to put smiles on all your faces before the year is out… And that’s just the beginning. 

Items further down the list need more planning or more time to actually implement…  Most need both.  On top of that, some need groundwork that we will be laying with earlier changes.  In all these cases though, the team is already discussing and planning for them in one way or another.  As usual, we are excited to work on building something that you’ll love and that feels great to play…  Because Sandbox loves you.

2018 is shaping up to be a huge year for all of us and there is plenty of Sandbox improvements and changes coming your way.  As we move closer to realizing all of the new efforts being made, we’ll continue to show up here to share many more details about how it’s all shaping up and how it will all work.  We expect you to keep showing up and sharing your feedback and passion for the game.

Talk to you again soon,

– Hamrick

Showing Support

Destiny Player Support is your one-stop shop for all things support. They have important info on resolving errors and upcoming bug fixes. 

This is their report. 

Error code: Beaver

An issue occurred on Wednesday, January 17, causing some players to encounter BEAVER error codes when attempting to play Destiny 2 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

While this issue was quickly resolved, players were required to fully log out of Destiny 2 in order to circumvent the error impacting their ability to connect. If you are continuing to receive BEAVER error codes, please fully close the Destiny 2 game application.

If you continue to receive BEAVER errors, please post a report to the #Help forum.

Ikora Waypoint

Since the release of Curse of Osiris, we have been tracking an issue where players receive an errant waypoint over Ikora. A solution to the issue is currently being tested, and on track for the January 30 Update. 

Until the issue is fully resolved, completing Meditations or Milestones to earn Vanguard Research tokens can temporarily remove the waypoint from Ikora.

Red Carpet

The show must go on. We are still receiving a steady stream of new community-created videos on the Creations page each week. We are featuring 2 more for you this week as MOTW winners. Their creators will all be taking home the special MOTW Emblem exclusive to previous winners. If you want your chance at it, submit your own video to the Creations page.

Movie of the Week: It has Begun!

[embedded content]

Honorable Mention: ATLAS

[embedded content]

Last week, we gave you some of our plans for the future. We are currently working hard on implementing those in-game. We will keep you informed on our progress. We understand you are more interested in updates than promises of updates. 

We’re on it. 

<3 Cozmo

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Destiny 2 Hotfix 1/16/2018

No items found

{{item.iconCoin.text}} {{item.iconCoin.iconName}}

{{item.flairCoin.text}}

No items found

{{item.iconCoin.text}} {{item.iconCoin.iconName}}

{{item.flairCoin.text}}

No items found

{{item.iconCoin.text}} {{item.iconCoin.iconName}}

{{item.flairCoin.text}}

No items found

{{item.iconCoin.text}} {{item.iconCoin.iconName}}

{{item.flairCoin.text}}

No items found

{{item.iconCoin.text}} {{item.iconCoin.iconName}}

{{item.flairCoin.text}}

No items found

{{item.iconCoin.text}} {{item.iconCoin.iconName}}

{{item.flairCoin.text}}

No items found

{{item.iconCoin.text}} {{item.iconCoin.iconName}}

{{item.flairCoin.text}}

Posted on by — Leave a comment

This Week At Bungie –1/11/2018

Our weekly blog address is back from its winter nap. We hope you all had happy holidays and enjoyed the Dawning while it lasted. Speaking of the Dawning, we got a lot of feedback about how it could have been better, along with a lot of ideas for Destiny 2. Buckle up and get ready to read, because we’ve taken that feedback and turned it into a plan for future updates.

Game Director Christopher Barrett:

Hey, everyone. At the end of last year, I made a promise that I would update you on our plans for Destiny 2. The team has been hard at work and we’re ready to share where we are headed. We used to wait to talk about game updates until we were certain we could meet our deadlines to avoid letting players down if we changed our plans. No longer. We’re not just listening, we are doing. Please keep in mind that the further out we make promises, the more they are subject to change. With that caveat, here are our plans.

Talk to you again soon,

Christopher Barrett

Return of the Factions

Spoiler Alert: Your favorite (and least favorite) faction leaders are coming back to the Tower next week. They will welcome every Destiny 2 player, on every platform, to determine which of the factions will reign supreme. A special prize will hang in the balance.

Faction Rallies

Start: Tuesday, January 16

End: Tuesday, January 23

Pledge your loyalty. Do your faction’s bidding. Earn rewards. Step forward and be counted. Season Two brings new armor ornaments you can earn, along with the base gear. 

Future War Cult

 

New Monarchy

Dead Orbit

Once the reward totals have been counted, the winning faction will have a weapon to sell for Glimmer. As always, the cost you pay depends on the pledge you made.

Future War Cult Auto Rifle

New Monarchy Auto Rifle

Dead Orbit Auto Rifle

It’s time to choose who will have your allegiance. Soon we will crown a new winner. Dead Orbit and New Monarchy have both spent time on the throne. Will you finally show some love to Future War Cult?

Heat in the Kitchen

In order for changes to go live in game, hotfixes must be deployed. Another one is nigh. DPS has the details you need. 

This is their report. 

Destiny Hotfix 1.1.1.3

In preparation for the return of Faction Rallies, Hotfix 1.1.1.3 will be deployed on Tuesday, January 16 2018, to fully remove Curse of Osiris requirements from Seasonal Content.

  • 8:00 AM PST –1600 UTC
    • Destiny 2 server maintenance is schedule to begin
    • Players will no longer be able to log in to Destiny 2
  • 9:00 AM PST – 1700 UTC
    • Players still in Destiny 2 activities will be returned to the title screen
  • 12:00 PM PST – 2000 UTC 
    • Destiny 2 server maintenance is scheduled to end

Faction Rallies Participation Requirements

  • Characters can participate in the Faction Rallies event if they meet the following requirements:
  • Character Level 20
  • Completed the Red War campaign
  • Completed the Faction Rallies Introduction Milestone
  • Pledged to one of the three factions

At the end of the Faction Rallies event, the faction whose pledges acquired the most Faction Engrams will be declared the winner of the event. For the duration of the Victory Week that follows the Faction Rallies event, the vendor of the winning faction will have a Winner’s Offering available for purchase.

For additional information concerning the Faction Rallies event, please see the Faction Rally Guide.

Golden Orbs

Dust off the projector – movie of the week is back! We’ve enjoyed looking through all of the great community created videos the last few weeks to pick our favorites. We have four more winners lined up for you, and all of them will be taking home a special emblem. If you want a shot at winning MOTW, submit your creation to the Creations page.

Movie of the Week: Dawning Montage

[embedded content]

Honorable Mention: Three Light Years

[embedded content]

Honorable Mention: Journey Piano 

[embedded content]

Honorable Mention: Snowball Clutch

[embedded content]

You have a lot to digest. We have a lot to work on. We’re going to keep you better informed about what is we’re up to. We’re bringing you all in a lot earlier than we have in the past, so brace yourself for the possibility of changes. Thanks for helping shape these future updates with your input. Keep your feedback coming. 

<3 Cozmo

Posted on by — Leave a comment

DESTINY 2 – DEVELOPMENT UPDATE 1-11-18

Game Director Christopher Barrett:

Hey, everyone. At the end of last year, I made a promise that I would update you on our plans for Destiny 2. The team has been hard at work and we’re ready to share where we are headed. We used to wait to talk about game updates until we were certain we could meet our deadlines to avoid letting players down if we changed our plans. No longer. We’re not just listening, we are doing. Please keep in mind that the further out we make promises, the more they are subject to change. With that caveat, here are our plans.

Destiny Content Categories

One thing we want is to set clearer expectations for is which categories of content are available to everyone each Season, and which are exclusive to Destiny 2 Expansions:

Expansions are purchasable updates that typically add new Story, Destinations, and Gear, as well as new Crucible, Strike, and Raid Lair content.

Seasons introduce content that is made available to all players of Destiny 2, at no additional cost.

Iron Banner, Faction Rallies, and their rewards will be available to everyone as part of Season 2. Additionally, going forward we are making a change that new Seasonal rewards from Crucible, Strikes, and Trials of the Nine will be available to all players.

Faction Rallies returns on January 16 and Iron Banner will be back in the rotation on January 30. 

Eververse

We recognize that the scales are tipped too far towards Tess at the moment, and Eververse was never intended to be a substitute for end game content and rewards. So, we’ll be making three changes for upcoming Seasons:

  • We’re shifting the balance of new content in favor of activity rewards over Bright Engrams. This includes adding Ghosts, Sparrows, and ships (to date found only in Bright Engrams) to achievement reward pools.
  • We’ll provide a gameplay path to earn Bright Engrams and all contained rewards (including Event Engrams).
  • We’ll give players more direct purchase options and make adjustments to Bright Engrams to allow players to get the items they want more often.

We’ve begun implementing these changes for the Crimson Days event beginning February 13 (with even more changes on the way in Season 3): 

  • Completing Nightfall, Raid, and Crimson Days milestones during Crimson Days will reward you an exclusive Legendary Emote, Weapon Skin, and Exotic Sparrow, respectively.
  • Players will earn double engrams at level-up: one Crimson Engram and one Illuminated Engram for the duration of the event.
  • Crimson Engrams can also drop from completing the Crimson Days match and from completing the Crimson Days milestone on each character.
  • Each Crimson Engram is very strongly weighted to new rewards when decrypted until all new event items have been obtained.

XP Rates

We are still investigating changes to XP earn rates. Our goal with any updates to XP are transparency and consistent XP gain regardless of your preferred activity. Right now, it’s too slow in general and lopsided towards grinding specific activities (which is not a fun grind) and we want to fix that without making those activities low value to players who aren’t grinding them (fairness is cool). Our first attempt turned out to be unworkably buggy so we’re having to investigate other angles. We will continue to update you as we move forward.

Feature Roadmap

There are three releases that we want to put on your radar right now. Later releases will get more specific dates as they get closer.

The following content and features will be available to all D2 players, regardless of expansion ownership. 

January 30 Update

  • Masterwork Armor
    • We are expanding the Masterwork system to include armor. 
    • Masterwork Armor provides increased damage reduction while using your Super. 
    • You can reroll the armor stat type on Masterwork Armor, and similar to Masterwork weapons, you can upgrade a piece of armor to Masterwork by spending Masterwork Cores and Legendary Shards.

  • Raid Reward Rework
    • We are updating Raid rewards to make them more unique and interesting. They will now feature mods with Raid-specific perks, and we are adjusting the rewards to ensure a Raid item drops from each major encounter. The Raid vendor will also directly sell Leviathan and Eater of Worlds armor and weapons for purchase with Raid tokens and Legendary Shards.
    • We are also adding a new Ghost with Raid-specific perks that has a chance to drop from the Leviathan and Eater of Worlds final encounters. We intend to return to creating more Raid and other activity-unique rewards in the future.

February Update

  • Strike Scoring + High Score Tracking
    • Strike Scoring is coming to Nightfall and replacing the current time limit mechanic. The scoring is similar to the Destiny 1 system but with adjustments to emphasize competitive execution of Strike objectives and support for player selectable score modifiers. In February, Nightfall High Scores will be exposed in-game via new emblems and will unlock rewards. We also have plans for Clan and Community High Scores in the works.
  • Mods 2.0
    • Work is underway on a full rework of armor and weapon mods. This will focus on reducing redundant mods, more unique theming, and greatly increasing their impact on your power. We are aiming for a February release, but the scope of the rework could push parts or all of it out to early spring. We will be evaluating how Mods play into the Bright Engram economy as a result, because we’re sensitive to pay-to-win outcomes.
  • Quickplay Improvements
    • We are adjusting game mode rules to increase the pace of gameplay and power ammo acquisition in Quickplay.
  • PC Tower Chat
    • We are adding text chat to the Tower for the PC version of the game.
  • Exotic Repetition Reduction
    • This will prevent players from receiving the same Exotic twice in a row. You may still receive duplicates, just not consecutively.
  • Fireteam Members on Destination Map
    • You will finally be able to see the other members of your fireteam on the destination map. No more having to ask your fireteam where they went when they fast travel to another landing zone.

Spring 2018

We’re taking the time we need in development of Expansion 2 that will allow us to react to player feedback from Curse of Osiris. In the coming months, we’ll talk to you more about what you can expect to find in Destiny 2’s next story. The team is eager to show you what they’ve been working on.

Independent of Expansion 2, the team will deliver a number of new features that will be released before or during Season 3. Every player of Destiny 2 will receive new content in the following categories…

Crucible

We want to give players new reasons to play, more variety, and balance improvements. Spring will bring a number of exciting and long awaited features to the Crucible.

  • Crucible Rank
    • Beginning with Season 3 we will introduce Seasonal Crucible Ranks. There will be two different ranks for players to pursue:
      • Valor – A progression rank that goes up as you complete matches. Winning helps you move up faster, but there are no loss penalties.
      • Glory – A progression rank that goes up when you win and down when you lose. Performance is how you move up here.
  • Private Matches
    • Private Matches are coming to all players of Destiny 2. Players will be able to invite their friends to play on the map and mode of their choosing.
  • 6v6 Playlist
    • We’re bringing 6v6 PvP to Destiny 2 in addition to the current 4v4 game modes.
  • Mayhem Event
    • Mayhem will return as a limited-time event during Season 3 and going forward.
  • Additional Fixes
    • We are making some changes to make quitting less common and behind-the-scenes security improvements to help improve the overall Crucible experience.

Additional Highlights

  • Weapon and Ability Balance Pass
    • Sandbox adjustments based on player feedback and data from the live game. The Sandbox team will share specific changes as we lead up to Season 3.
  • Exotic Weapon and Armor Balance Pass
    • Exotic weapons and armor are receiving a comprehensive design pass to ensure they stand out from the rest of the gear and offer new, exciting, powerful ways to play.
  • Seasonal Reputation
    • Specific vendors will now display a Seasonal ranking. Earning reputation will unlock unique Seasonal rewards and will reset each Season.
  • Improved Iron Banner and Faction Rallies
    • In addition to the changes that you will see when Iron Banner and Faction Rallies return this month, we will continue iterating on these to make them unique, exciting experiences that you all look forward to.
  • Playlist Repetition Reduction
    • This feature solves the problem of experiencing the same playlist entry multiple times in consecutive or frequent succession for both Crucible and Strikes.
  • End Game Player Pursuits
    • We agree with your feedback on the imbalance between Achievement and Bright Engram rewards, and we will be making adjustments to shift more rewards into specific endgame pursuits instead of generic XP grinding for Bright Engrams. We are excited to share the details as soon as we have them worked out.
  • Multi-Emote
    • When multi-emote launches, you will be able to choose which emote you have equipped to each of your four emote slots.
  • Vault space
    • We are targeting an additional 50 slots to player vaults. We don’t believe just adding more space is a complete solution and are actively working on other changes to reduce load on your vault space.
    • We are adding an Exotic accessory tab to Vault collections so you will no longer need to spend Vault space on Exotic Ships, Sparrows, and Ghosts.
  • PC Clan Chat
    • In addition to the Tower chat that is targeted for February, we are adding clan chat to the PC version of the game.
  • Heroic Strike Changes
    • We’ll be introducing modifiers to add more gameplay variety to the experience.

Fall 2018 (or sooner)

We are working on a lot more that we’re not quite ready to discuss. Expect more on this small sample of items in the future:

  • Item Collections and Records
  • Weapon Slot and Archetype Improvements
  • Additional Crucible Playlists (e.g. Rumble)
  • Better Clan Rewards
  • Masterwork Exotics
  • Pinnacle Weapon and Gear Improvements
  • Trials of the Nine improvements
  • Shaders and dismantling
  • The Future of Guided Games
  • Address Solo Vs Fireteam matching

One Final Note

Expect to hear more from us via Bungie.net, Twitch, and social media. We’ll be talking to you more directly, and more often, as promised. We want to thank our community for all the passionate and detailed feedback you provide. It’s critical to our ability to continually improve Destiny, so thank you!

Talk to you soon,

Christopher Barrett

Posted on by — Leave a comment

This Week at Bungie – 12/14/2017

This week at Bungie, we delivered Masterworks.

Update 1.1.1.1 introduced more than just a few extra 1s to the version number. There are some new ways to invest in your favorite weapons, overhauls to vendors, new ways to gift rewards to your fireteam, and more. The Patch Notes can be found right here. Give them a read, and see if any of them address things you’ve been talking about—or wishing for secretly.

These are some of the first significant changes to the player experience that are based on your feedback. Iterating on Destiny has always been a process that involves you, and that process will continue. We have more updates to Destiny 2 planned for the New Year. Once January arrives, we’ll talk about what we have planned for the next one. And then for the one after that.

In the meantime, your voice is a welcome addition to this conversation. If you’re talking about Destiny, we’re listening. More importantly, we’re adding features and content to the game.

Origin Story

Next week, we’re launching a webcomic series, starting with an Osiris and Ikora origin story, “Fall of Osiris.” 

Margaret Stohl, Destiny 2 Narrative Director (who currently writes Marvel’s The Mighty Captain Marvel) notes:

“Destiny’s first-ever original comic short is written by Eisner-winning, New York Times bestselling writer Ryan North (Dinosaur Comics, Marvel’s The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl) in collaboration with our own super talented Destiny 2: Curse of Osiris narrative lead Christine Thompson, with interior art by Destiny community fan favorite Zé Carlos. Here’s a peek at the cover, by Marcio Takara (All-New Wolverine).

Osiris was once the champion of the Last City. Vanguard Commander. Seeker of secrets and discoverer of wonders. And then everything changed. How did Osiris go from hero to traitor? 

Coming soon, for free, on Bungie.net!

Before the Dawn

The celebration of a new Golden Age is about to arrive at the Tower—and the Farm.

Check out what you’ll find in Destiny 2 as it becomes a winter wonderland.

Adding without Subtracting

Earlier this week, we updated this same blog with some notes on how we intend to handle expansions differently going forward. You should read ’em. Essentially, our goals are to continue adding new challenges to Destiny, and to keep old challenges relevant without taking them away from anyone. It’s a delicate balance, and we intend to do a better job of striking it.

In the most immediate version of the future, that means making changes to Faction Rallies and Iron Banner so that they include everyone, no matter their level of investment in new content. We’ll talk to you more about that work as it gets done. These events will come back very soon, and they’ll be available to all.

Argos Defeated

Last week, the race to World’s First was held for the “Leviathan, Eater of Worlds” raid lair. The unexpected happened, and we’d like to congratulate the rag-tag team of Guardians who conquered their new foe with speed, grace, and deadly coordination. Not only did this fireteam form up the evening before the raid lair went live, their quick troubleshooting and in-game skill led them to take the crown. You can hear their reaction to earning the title here.
Additionally, we’d like to give props to the Traveller of Guardians clan for their completion of the raid lair. This fireteam consisted of six deaf players, communicating via video chat to troubleshoot the puzzles laid before them, leading to the defeat of Argos. 

These reactions are pure gold, and fantastic examples of what the teams at Bungie wish to create: unforgettable experiences, with new friends or old. Cheers to all who have made it through the Eater of Worlds.

As always, thanks for playing.

To All a Good Night

This is the last weekly address on Bungie.net for 2017. The conversation about Destiny 2 won’t stop, but the blog is being laid down for a long winter’s nap. Communication will continue on our forums and social media, where it can happen faster and from anywhere our holiday travels take us. We’ll be reading your feedback about the Dawning. We’ll be calling the shots for the live game. We’ll be addressing issues if they arise.

Here are some places where you can make your voice heard.

We’ll be back on the blog upon the conclusion of the Dawning to put the next conversation on your radar. We’ll even celebrate the triumphant return of Cozmo to the front lines! I won’t be disappearing, mind you. Now that I’ve taken a turn at the CM lectern, I’ll be a more visible member of the Player Support team that serves the Guardians every day.

A Patchwork of Notes

When bugs launch a full-scale attack, Destiny Player Support is on hand to fight for you in the war rooms at Bungie. To us, the only good bug is a dead bug. Would you like to know more?

This is our report.

Destiny Update 1.1.1.1: Known Issues

For a list of issues that were resolved with Destiny Update 1.1.1.1, see the most recent Patch Notes. The following issues have recently been confirmed, and are currently being investigated by internal teams:

  • Masterwork Weapon Cores are not properly forwarded to the Postmaster when dismantling Masterwork Weapons with a full consumable inventory. As we investigate this issue, we advise players to ensure proper inventory space prior to dismantling their items.
  • Masterwork Multikills on Floating Enemies: We have verified an issue where multikills on floating enemies do not produce Orbs of Light as intended. This is currently under investigation.
  • Quickplay Challenges: We have identified an issue where Challenges do not appear to players when they are entering Quickplay in the Crucible.
  • Ikora Waypoint: We have identified an issue where players are witnessing a waypoint over Ikora when they do not have enough tokens for a reputation package. This is currently under investigation.

Bungie.net Patch Notes

The following items were implemented alongside Update 1.1.1.1: 

  • Players can now submit reports from postgame carnage reports for games they played in (web, Android, and iOS)
  • Added support for kill trackers on Masterwork weapon details (Android and iOS)
  • Players can now preview their forum posts before submitting them (web)

Movie of the Week

Guardians around the globe have found inspiration in the worlds of Destiny, leading to amazing content uploaded to the Community Creations page. You can find many players taking on the role of directors, animators, or even actors in their own content. It’s always a pleasure to see the films and to reward people who showcase their creativity or overcome challenges. Winners are crowned in-game with the “Lens of Fate” emblem.

Roll the film!

Movie of the Week: #Selfie

[embedded content]

Honorable Mention: Leviathan: Flawless – Zero Communication – No HUD

[embedded content]

As always, make sure to note your PSN ID, Xbox Live Gamertag, or Battle.net ID when you make your submissions. If you do win, emblems should be rewarded within a week. If you’re not seeing the emblem, let me know!

With all that said and done, we still have work to do. While the blog will be silent for the weeks to come, we’ll still have many in the studio dedicated to keeping things running throughout the holiday season. Keep the conversation rolling, and we’ll keep the communication flowing. @BungieHelp will keep you updated on known issues and server status. I’ll be collecting and responding to feedback wherever I can.

Once we enter the New Year, we’ll have more info concerning updates planned for early 2018, and we’ll keep the conversation going throughout the year.

Cheers,

-dmg04

Posted on by — Leave a comment

The Dawning

“The Traveler is awake. For Humanity, a new Golden Age has begun. This year’s Dawning is unlike any other—it’s not just the renewal that a new year brings, but the dawn of something greater. Now more than ever, we must gather together in the Tower, at the Farm, and all across the system to give thanks. Our Light has returned—and it illuminates everything around us.”

—Ikora Rey, Warlock Vanguard

Happy Dawning to All

It may be cold outside, but there’s a warmth in the air. As the year comes to an end, the Tower and Farm are decorated with festive cheer. It’s a time to celebrate your Light.

Snowball Fights

Guardians aren’t just arming themselves with weapons. There are snowball piles everywhere you look. In the Tower and at the Farm, you can tag your friends for bragging rights. In Strikes, you can blast an enemy with a snowball to stun them and deal big damage. Stay frosty out there.

Mayhem in the Cold

Keep your blood warm and your heart pumping in the Crucible. Mayhem is back, so your abilities recharge faster. Point values are cranked up enough to melt the ice. It’s anarchy—and it’s awesome.

Milestones of Winter

Engage in Crucible Mayhem or become legend in Strikes and you’ll be rewarded. Every week, complete a milestone for a Dawning engram. Get in the giving mood with new consumables that give rewards to everyone you’re playing with. If there’s a specific Dawning item that you have your heart set on, Tess will refresh her inventory each week, enabling you to use your Bright Dust reserves for your holiday shopping. On one week or another during the three-week event, you’ll find every Dawning-themed exotic (ship, ghost, sparrow, emote) and every Dawning-themed legendary armor piece on her shelves.

Gifting and Receiving

Pick up a Dawning Gift Schematic from the Bazaar. Venture to other worlds and craft a unique gift for the vendors and agents you find in the Tower and beyond. Then, give the lucky recipient their gift and receive a gift in return. You can participate in the season of giving every day of the event.

The Dawning begins on Tuesday, December 19.

The Dawning ends on Tuesday, January 9.


Let’s usher in a new year, and a new Golden Age together.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

This Week At Bungie – 12/07/2017

This Week at Bungie, we launched Curse of Osiris.

Your invitation to Mercury is waiting with Ikora in the Tower. Get ready for a new journey, discovering the mysteries of Osiris and exploring the Infinite Forest. If you missed the launch trailer, give it a look:

[embedded content]

With the release of Curse of Osiris, Season Two has also begun. Destiny Update 1.1.0 has brought resolution to a few issues we’ve been tracking, along with changes to seasonal activities and new rewards. It’s all documented in the patch notes.

Another update is impending. Next week, Destiny Update 1.1.1 will bring more changes to the Destiny 2 experience. Expect patch notes to become available when the download is live.

The Eater of Worlds

Tomorrow, the race will begin once more. Players from around the globe will be seeking the title of World’s First, looking to solve puzzles and conquer enemies with speed. 

It has become a ritual for the Raid team to gather in our studio theater to watch, in real time, as the community progresses through these lovingly-crafted challenges. I’ll be joining them to share their reactions as players make their way through the belly of the beast.

As a note, there are some known issues that may provide players with a leg up in the competition. While we were not able to address these prior to release, we did not wish to postpone the availability of this content.

Keep it clean, lest ye be judged.

Prepare to Rally

The first Faction Rallies for Season Two begins on December 12, running through December 19. This time, the armor you’ve won from your leaders will have new ornaments you can apply to make them look even more awesome. You’ll earn them by completing specific challenges issued to you by your faction of choice.

Dead Orbit

Future War Cult

New Monarchy

If you’re new to this event, the faction that awards the most engrams will be declared the winner. For the duration of the Victory Week that follows, the vendor of the winning faction will have a Winner’s Offering available for purchase. The amount of Glimmer you’ll be expected to pay depends on your loyalty. Check out the guns that hang in the balance this time.

We’re excited to see who comes out on top. So far, Dead Orbit and New Monarchy have seen their banners waving in the wind over the City. Will this be the moment for Future War Cult? It’s up to every player on every platform.

The Balance of Power

Whether you’ve met Osiris or not, Destiny 2 has some changes in store for you. With the beginning of Season Two, some of the ways that all Guardians fight have changed. The Patch Notes tell the full story, but the game designers can tell you to story behind the notes. Jon Weisnewski has some developer commentary about the updates to combat.

Jon: Hello Guardians. First item of business: We know about the Prometheus Lens. It’s not what we intended. The weapon shipped with a bug, which we intend to fix with Destiny Update 1.1.1, along with everything else in the December update. Until then, please go easy on the players who have yet to get their hands on one (we know you won’t, but it’s been said).

As for the rest of the sandbox, whether you’re a long time player or reading one of these for the first time, we’re glad to have the chance to give you a quick update on the first of many Destiny 2 tuning passes. Our process for making these changes relies on a combination of absorbing raw player feedback, consulting detailed player data, and reconciling those learnings with our own experiences as players of the game. We then playtest and fine tune the changes we make as much as possible.

In terms of DPS output, our data from the first few months of gameplay is showing that various categories of weapons are reasonably balanced. A resounding theme from players has been to address the stronger outliers without making them too weak or changing their identity. We agree. We hope this update reflects that.

Rather than try to address every feedback item with a potentially disruptive kitchen-sink update, we’re taking a more targeted approach for this first round of changes. The main focus was bug fixes, tuning adjustments, and a few specific changes meant to address common feedback items.

Just because we aren’t addressing a feedback theme in this release doesn’t mean we aren’t aware of it or have no plans to address it in the future. This was a calculated and stable approach for 1.1.0. We’ll see how this one plays in the wild and reevaluate going forward.

Thanks for reading. Thanks for playing.

Feedback Frenzy

Since taking on the role of Acting Community Manager, I’ve temporarily relieved Cozmo on the front lines of player feedback. (Don’t worry, he’ll be back soon.) As part of keeping our promise for more communication between players and developers, I’d like to give an example of our process. How is feedback collected? How is it shared across the studio?
Whether it’s a post on Bungie.net, a community forum, or social media, feedback starts with a conversation. You and your fellow players chime in, expressing agreement or disagreement with the given feedback. As the conversation grows, we share emerging trends with the entire team in a report that we deliver about twice a month. When we identify a more pressing matter, we share it directly and immediately with the teams that can make a difference. Here’s one example:
  • As a player, I wish to earn more meaningful rewards from pinnacle activities.

Next week, Masterworks will be implemented to add more value to rewards that can be obtained from a variety of sources, including gear from end-game activities – but the work doesn’t stop there. Planned for early 2018, we’ll be looking at how Raid rewards can be updated to create more meaningful experiences. How exactly this will be realized in-game is something we’ll detail closer to deployment, but this is one example of feedback being investigated by our team. We’ll talk more about all the changes you can look forward to in the New Year once it arrives.

You won’t need to wait until next year to track our progress in responding to your feedback. Next week, we’ll be deploying a batch of changes in Update 1.1.1. that are based on your chatter. You can find an itemized list of what’s included in the same article linked above, including some updates to the way Vendors play a role in your hobby as a Guardian.

Keep the feedback coming! We’ll keep reading it, even during the holiday break. And we’ll talk again once it’s over.

The Age of Osiris

With the addition of Mercury to your Director, the Destiny Player Support team has been investigating issues as they are reported to the #Help forum. We identify issues, confirm their existence in the game, and forward them to the appropriate teams to be addressed.

This is our report.

HDR

Shortly after launch, an issue was discovered that impacts the functionality of HDR settings for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 4 Pro. When enabling HDR settings through platform or in-game settings, changes are not properly applied by the Destiny 2 application. We are seeking to address this issue with Destiny Update 1.1.1, which we have targeted to become available next week.

Eater of Worlds Prestige Raid Ornaments

While Prestige mode for the ‘Eater of Worlds’ Raid Lair has not yet been announced, ornaments are currently available for preview. We have identified an issue where the unlock requirements displayed in ornament tool-tips are currently false. We are seeking to address this issue as soon as possible.
  • These ornaments require completion of the Eater of Worlds activity on Prestige difficulty
  • The descriptions for the Head and Leg objectives are currently reversed

Trophies and Achievements

We are aware that there are some Destiny 2 trophies and achievements that have become unavailable to players who have not purchased Curse of Osiris. We are committed to fixing this issue, and are currently investigating a solution. Please stay tuned for more updates on this topic as progress is made.

Other Known Issues

  • The Prometheus Lens Exotic Trace Rifle is currently impacted by an issue where the damage output is higher than intended.
    • Note: We’re addressing the issue as soon as we can. Trials of the Nine is still on this weekend.
  • Players who are running Destiny 2 on PC above 60 fps cannot reach Public Event pillars, as they die on impact after launching through cannons.
  • Some players are unable to launch Heroic Adventures, as they’re noted as “Already Active”.
  • Players may encounter issues where textures from the Future War Cult Simulator Gloves intercept their camera.
  • Emblems may not be present within the Emblem Collection when players collect over 84 emblems
  • Increased reports of PC framerate stutters or performance drops.
  • Players can temporarily lose access to previously owned gear if they infuse items with a higher level requirement than the current level of their character.
  • When completing Infinite Adventures, players are sometimes required to fast travel back to the Lighthouse to exit the Infinite Forest.
Stay tuned to @BungieHelp for updates on these and other ongoing investigations.

Movie of the Week

As Destiny sees new content, so does the Community Creations page. We’ve seen some players asking “What does Bungie look for in a Movie of the Week? I want that sweet emblem!”

See below.

Movie of the Week: Destiny 2 Rap Battle

[embedded content]

Honorable Mention: Emperor Calus Sculpt Timelapse

[embedded content]

If you want to win, make sure to note your PSN ID, Xbox Live Gamertag, or Battle.net ID when you make your submissions. If you do win, emblems should be rewarded within a week.

Tomorrow will be a rush. After many test sessions with Team Velveeta, I’m excited to see what strategies are used in pursuit of the World’s First crown. Seeing players going counter-clockwise on Calus plates during the race for Leviathan was completely foreign to me, and I’m betting some of you will find success in ways that we could never think of. Let the race begin.

Cheers,

-dmg04

Posted on by — Leave a comment

This Week at Bungie – 11/30/2017

This week at Bungie, we’re looking forward to new reasons to play Destiny 2.

The development team has shared some details on how the game is about to change. We’ve started an ongoing conversation to discuss the state of Destiny 2, and outlined the direction we’d like to take moving forward. Updates are inbound to add new content, alter existing systems, and address some bugs that have impacted the player experience. If you haven’t tuned in, we have two ways to get caught up:

We’re actively monitoring the #Destiny2 and #Feedback portal for your thoughts. Dive in and make your opinion known. Upvote a thread or start your own. While we can’t respond to every thread, know that your voices are being heard. I’ll be forwarding feedback to the team as it comes, and we will be looking at ways we can improve our communication with you moving forward.

Curse of Osiris: On the Runway

If you were looking forward to the fashion show that was cancelled this week, we still have a small glimpse of the gear that’s coming with Destiny 2’s first expansion. If you wish to remain unspoiled, scroll on. We fully understand the desire for discovery while you’re playing the game. If you want an idea of what gear you’ll be adding to your inventory, here’s a taste:

[embedded content]

These new pieces of armor and weapons, and more, will be waiting for you next week, out in the wild.

Pre-flight Check

If you’re like Cayde-6, you may jump into battle without preparing for what’s to come. Destiny Player Support is here to keep you from falling victim to any Vex traps that may cause infinite time loops.

This is our report.

Server Maintenance: Final Countdown

Planned maintenance that was originally scheduled for Thursday been postponed to Friday, December 1, 2017. All information concerning this maintenance window may be seen on the Destiny Server Updates and Status Help Article.
  • 8 AM PST: Maintenance start
  • 9 AM PST: Remaining players removed from activities
  • 2 PM PST: Expected completion
Additionally, we are planning a final maintenance period for Tuesday, December 5, 2017. At the conclusion of this maintenance, Curse of Osiris will be released. Stay tuned to @BungieHelp for further announcements detailing expected downtime, and the expected release time of Curse of Osiris.

Pre-Load and Storage Requirements

Players may begin to pre-load Curse of Osiris starting at 8 AM PST on December 5, 2017. The following storage requirements must be available to begin pre-loading content:

  • PlayStation 4: 88 GB
  • Xbox One: 44 GB
  • PC: 68 GB
For additional information on storage requirements, please see this Help Article. If you have any issues during the download and update process, please follow troubleshooting steps listed here.

Daily and Weekly Reset Change: 1700 UTC

As announced in a previous update, Daily and Weekly Reset will be changing next Tuesday with the release of Curse of Osiris.

The following is a short list of time zone conversions from 1700 UTC. If you do not see your local time below, we advise using an online time zone converter to prepare for the upcoming change.
  • 9 AM PST
  • 12 PM EST
  • 5 PM GMT
  • 8 PM MSK
  • 2 AM JST
  • 4 AM AEDT
  • 6 AM NZDT
We’ll be monitoring the #Help forum throughout launch to ensure a smooth takeoff. Stay tuned to Help.bungie.net for upcoming support content about Curse of Osiris.

Keep ‘em rolling

This week’s Movie of the Week was difficult to call. Too much great content on the Community Creations page. The skill required for the videos below is something to behold – one displaying handcrafted armor, the other showcasing sniper rifle precision that made my jaw drop to the floor.

Movie of the Week: Destiny Girl

[embedded content]

Honorable Mention: Antagonize

[embedded content]

Winners of the Movie of the Week will find a sweet emblem within their vault collections. I’ll let you know when the goods have been delivered. Major props, and thanks for the great videos!

It’s been a busy week. We’ve begun a conversation that we’re looking to continue as Destiny 2 evolves. While Cozmo is out, I’ll be collecting feedback and forwarding it to the development team, whether it concerns our recent round of blog content or how you feel about Curse of Osiris once it’s in your hands. Even after Cozmo’s back, I’ll continue to lend a hand in the process. Your concerns are heard, your passion is vital, and we’re looking to keep you coming back for more.

Next stop, Mercury.

Cheers,

-dmg04

Posted on by — Leave a comment

The State of Destiny 2

Hey everyone,

With Destiny 2’s console and PC launches behind us, we want to take some time to talk with you about Destiny 2 – specifically where it’s at today, and where it’s going. Our team has been reading feedback and working on updates to improve the game. We’ve also been reading some tough criticism about our lack of communication, and we agree we need to be more open. 

Going forward, Destiny 2’s post-launch game systems, features, and updates are being designed specifically to focus on and support players who want Destiny to be their hobby – the game they return to, and a game where friendships are made. We want Destiny to be a game that fits into your life, providing you with reasons to log in and play with your friends, clans, and families. We want Destiny to be a world you want to be a part of.

A month ago, we published a list of improvements on the blog. Today, we’re going to revisit that list and update its status, and share some of the work the team is readying for December, January, and beyond.

We know it’s frustrating when there isn’t enough of a dialog with the development team. You have our commitment that we’re going to do a better job going forward.

– Luke Smith & Chris Barrett

Upcoming Updates Overview

  • New systems and rewards to give our most engaged players additional, optional pursuits, including:
    • A new Weapon Tier: Masterworks, which will feature stat trackers, random, re-rollable stat bonuses, unique item tooltips, and item details screens (see the December Update Details section below for more info)
    • Improved vendor rewards, adding ways for people to purchase items directly with their Legendary Shards and Tokens (see the December Update Details section below for more info)
    • Adding Armor Ornaments that grant visual permutations of armor as players complete specific Challenges (see the December Update Details section below for more info)
  • Better incentives for players who complete challenging Prestige activities
    • We’re targeting a January update to provide better incentives to complete Prestige activities
  • Better rewards and replay value for Strikes, Adventures, and Lost Sectors
    • In December, we will be introducing a Heroic Strikes playlist and more generous Strike rewards
    • Rewards for Adventures and Lost Sectors are still on our radar, but will not be delivered for our December updates
  • Private matches for the Crucible
    • Still targeting early 2018 and expect to have better insight into exact timing in the New Year
    • We are also moving Ranked PVP to the top of our priority list for next year to support the competitive community
  • Crucible tuning like adjusted Supremacy scoring and better spawning rules
    • In December, we will introduce additional updates and bug-fixes intended to improve these areas of the Crucible
  • Better incentives for completing Crucible matches (and penalties for quitting competitive games)
    • A “Quitter Penalty” system is currently in development, and you can expect an update on the deployment of this system in the New Year
  • Continued improvements to Iron Banner and Faction Rallies, including uniqueness of rewards
    • The next Iron Banner and Faction Rally will introduce improvements in both these areas (see the December Update Details section below for more info)
  • Changes to make the mod economy more interesting and impactful
    • The Gunsmith will have some updates to how Mods are acquired (see the December Update Details section below for more info)
    • We are exploring more updates to this system in the New Year
  • Ongoing improvements to Exotics, including adjustments to reduce instances of duplication
    • We plan to tune under-performing Exotics and will continue to make targeted updates and improvements
    • Duplication protection will be added for Exotics in the New Year
  • New ways to spend surplus currency and materials (looking at you Legendary Shards)
    • Players will be able to spend Tokens and Legendary Shards on Vendor inventory (see the December Update Details section below for more info)
    • Xur will have new items, as well (see the December Update Details section below for more info)
  • An emote interface that allows players to equip Salty, Spicy Ramen, Six Shooter, and Flip Out all at the same time
    • Emote interface improvements are still on the list, and you can expect an update on the development of this system in the New Year

We will continue to revisit and update this list in the weeks and months ahead to keep you up to speed on what we’re working on. Below, you’ll find more specific detail about each of the features and updates you can expect to land in December.

December Update Details

There are four key areas we’re targeting for improvements in December. Some of these updates will arrive with the December 5 update, and some additional updates will be included in a patch that will be deployed the following week on December 12.

Both updates combined include improvements set against the following goals:

  • Deepen Rewards for advanced players
  • Provide More Player Control over obtaining rewards
  • Make Shards Useful by adding things to use them for
  • Provide General Quality fixes wherever possible

The following changes are the first steps towards achieving these goals, with more planned for our next release in January. Here is a preview of impending changes to Destiny 2. Each category is marked with a forecast delivery date.

Masterworks

  • [DEC 12] Legendary Weapons will drop as or be upgraded to become Masterworks versions
    • Masterworks will have a few advantages over the baseline Legendary weapon:
      • Track and display the number of kills with that weapon (with choice between total count or Crucible-only count)
      • Generate orbs for you and your allies on multi-kills
      • Add weapon stat bonuses that are selected randomly from a small pool and are re-rollable
    • Masterworks drop from any source of Legendary weapons for characters above 250 Power
      • Unwanted Masterworks can be dismantled into materials that can upgrade an existing Legendary Weapon into a Masterwork
      • Raid and Trials of the Nine Weapons will have a very high chance to be Masterworks
    • We have future plans to extend Masterworks to other gear and expose your kill counts in more places (e.g. Crucible kill screen)

Armor Ornaments

  • [DEC 5] Armor Ornaments will be added to some existing Armor sets for more visual customization without losing your Shaders or Mods
    • These ornaments will be unlocked by completing objectives specific to each set, and are permanently unlocked account-wide, just like Exotic Weapon ornaments
    • They will be applied to the base pieces that you may already have collected, and can now unlock on Vendors if not
    • In Season 2, the following sets have ornaments unlocked in their respective activities:
      • Vanguard Faction Armor
      • Crucible Faction Armor
      • Trials of the Nine Armor
      • Iron Banner Armor
      • Dead Orbit Armor
      • Future War Cult Armor
      • New Monarchy Armor
      • Eater of Worlds Raid Lair Armor
  • [DEC 12] Faction Armor and Weapons will be unlocked for purchase for Legendary Shards and Faction Tokens on most Faction Vendors
    • All five Armor Slots will always be present, and Weapons will rotate weekly on Factions that have them
    • Slots will be unlocked by claiming Reward Engrams from the respective Faction
    • You will get credit for engrams you may have already claimed since launch
  • [DEC 12] Xur has some new offerings for players collecting Exotics:
    • Every week, you’ll be able to acquire one of the new Fated Engrams using Legendary Shards that will decrypt as Exotics that aren’t already in your collection
    • A simpler Three of Coins that boosts Exotic drop rates from any source for 4 hours
      • No obscure stacking mechanics or need to re-apply before every boss
      • These cost Legendary Shards and you can have as many as you like

General Investment

  • [DEC 5] Banshee has some updates on the Weapon and Armor Mod front:
    • For players wanting to clear some Mod inventory space, Rare quality Mods will dismantle into Gunsmith Materials and have a chance to produce Legendary quality Mod Components
    • For players chasing specific Legendary Mods (including Legendary Kinetic Mods), Banshee will offer a selection of specific Legendary Mods for direct purchase, with a selection that will rotate daily and cost Legendary Shards and Mod Components
  • [DEC 5] For players chasing a world Legendary or looking for Masterworks, Master Rahool will sell some of his rumored hoard of Legendary Engrams for Legendary Shards
  • [DEC 12] Commander Zavala and Lord Shaxx will sell Gift consumables for Legendary Shards that can be used during a Strike or Crucible Match that will serve the following functions:
    • Grant bonus rewards to everyone in that activity upon completion, friend or foe alike
    • Award anything from Faction Tokens to a round of Exotics for everyone in the match
  • [DEC 12] Exploit safeguards on Chests and Resource Nodes are greatly relaxed and players should encounter them less frequently
    • Even if they do, drop rates for Tokens is only reduced to 30% instead of 0%, and Glimmer will be unaffected
    • We want to associate a visual indicator with this in a future update, but we weren’t able to pull that off in this update (but we hear you!)
  • [DEC 12] Vendors will now beckon you to hand in your Reputation Tokens only when you’re carrying enough to earn a Reward Engram
  • [DEC 5] Changes affecting Reputation Tokens:
    • Daily Challenges will have Reputation Token awards increased across the board
    • Cayde’s Treasure Chests still offer variable rewards, but now guarantee (at minimum) a payout of destination appropriate Reputation Tokens
    • Strikes will drop a larger number of Vanguard Reputation Tokens
    • Common quality Destination Resource Tokens will have their drop rates increased to 100%, and values per Token increased as well (by 50% for common quality Tokens and 250% for rare quality Tokens)
    • On the balance, Reputation required per Reward Engram will increase for Destination Factions (+37%) and Gunsmith (+50%)
    • Leviathan Raid Tokens will be redeemed at Benedict immediately upon obtaining a Token, instead of requiring a full clear before unlocking

With the launch of Curse of Osiris, and the beginning of Season 2, you can expect to see a full suite of patch notes that will document all of the changes outlined above, as well as additional gameplay and sandbox tuning changes the team is making to improve Destiny 2. We’ll also soon be providing pre-load and launch day details, as well as a roadmap for our Season 2 content, which includes The Dawning in mid-December.

XP Mechanics

Last weekend, we disabled a scaling mechanism that adjusted XP gains up and down without reflecting those adjustments in the UI. Our intention was to keep slower-paced activities as rewarding as high intensity grinding without confusing variations in displayed XP values, but the silent nature of the mechanic betrayed the expectation of transparency that you have for Destiny 2.

We were able to disable the system with a server-side change, but a new solution is now needed to rebalance XP in Destiny 2. We have begun that work, and will continue to provide updates to you about timelines and specifics. The values coded into our website API are being updated today (and may already have been as you read this post) to reflect the removal of this scaling mechanism. In a future update, we intend to link these internal and display-only values together for greater consistency, and to ensure that when changes are made they are accurately reflected everywhere we report them.

We already see that the newly adjusted 160K XP per level value means that leveling is too slow for some activities, and we have begun the process of collecting data and recalibrating XP earn rates to improve them as quickly as possible.

XP boosts, including both consumable items and passive bonuses like the Well Rested 300% bonus, were always applied after this system and never resulted in early slowing of XP. They should be unchanged by the disabling of this system and will continue to provide their stated increase in XP gain.

Expect to see a lot of conversation from our team on this front, as XP rewards are updated and brought back in-line with player expectations.

The Future

Going forward, we plan to continue this dialog as openly and frequently as possible. This will be an ongoing process, but one that we are committed to.

This week we’ll be publishing a new episode of the Bungie Podcast where we will sound off on the current state of Destiny 2, how we think about our communication challenges, and what it takes to update the game in the wild. You’ll be able to listen on both Apple and Android devices. 

Thank you for playing, for being passionate about the Destiny 2 experience, and for working with us as we look to continuously improve our game and studio communication.