Twilight Gap
Member
Master Patch List
Despite its universally praised shooting mechanics, many players will agree that much of Destiny has left a lot to be desired. Today marks the release of its first DLC "The Dark Below", which attempts to deliver some of the things players have asked. Howveer, you don't need to shell out more cash to take advantage of the changes Bungie has made to the game since its launch.
The grind from 1-20 is as real as it ever was, and in some ways the grind thereafter has been extended; however, some things were streamlined and are now considerably simpler after that point.
Destiny's farm was shut down for health code violations. The December 1st Patch lets players purchase "destination materials" such as Spinmetal and Relic Iron from tower vendors - 10 Vanguard or Crucible marks exchanges for 20 materials. Patrol bounties and daily missions also award the player with materials from the respective planet.
Changes were also made to the way weapons are upgraded. You no longer need Ascendent Energy to upgrade Exotics, but the final upgrade bubble will require an Exotic Shard. These new items are purchased from the weekend vendor Xur for 7 Strange Coins or converted from dismantling an Exotic.
Starting today, players will be able to increase the damage on their old exotics by trading it in for an upgraded version from Xur. Doing so will reset the upgrades, but it should be easier to level up the weapon thereafter.
Vanguard and Crucible factions now award Commendations when you level up a faction. These are then used to purchase items, instead of spending X amount of marks.
Okay, maybe it's not considerably simpler.
Bungie acknowledged the feedback and made significant changes to the way the special PvP event works. Your level and gear matters more and so does winning the match. Upon losing, players earn a medallion that will contribute reputation the next time you win. There are also 12 hour experience buffs and additional buffs for the duration of the event. Lastly, Iron Banner provides players with more armor that allows them to reach level 30. Iron Banner returns once again on the 16th of this month and will also include a path to reach level 31.
Personally, it was an enjoyable event and brought some much needed competition to the multiplayer. If you don't go in with a few friends though, you probably wont find much success.
Destiny's loot system has been tweaked several times. After repeated scoldings, the Cryptarch is a bit more generous. You'll see more rare and legendary items drop during strikes and out in the wild.
http://www.bungie.net/7_Update-102---Patch-Notes/en/News/News?aid=12235
http://www.bungie.net/7_102-Patch-Preview/en/News/News?aid=12202
The new raid "Crota's End" should also be more generous with loot drops; however, if you're still raiding the Vault of Glass for an item or armor piece, bite the pillow.
You don't need to rely on RNG to reach level 29. Check out the leveling guides in the OT: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=939901.
I could tell you, but I don't have time to explain.
But they're supposedly doing things different now on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6saWAcGizxU
If you're interested in the lore, check out this grimoire website: http://www.destinygrimoire.com/grimoire-cards.html
Exotic Weapons have undergone significant changes, including the long-awaited changes to Thorn, Bad Juju and the Mythoclast. There's a healthy variety of weapons in play now, but some have been broken or made too good. Bungie has stated that weapon balance is an on-going endeavor, so expect to see additional tweaks.
Weapon Balance was addressed in October. Hand Cannons and Scout Rifles are noticeable more viable, whereas ARs and Shotguns have been somewhat toned down.
The mars map Blind Watch features new geometry to change some lines of sight, as well as relocated Control Zone placements. It plays much fairer than before, although these changes do not tremendously offset its fundamental problems.
Bastion and First Light, Destiny's larger maps featuring vehicles, have been removed from Control and Clash and are now the sole maps in Combined Arms, a vehicle-exclusive playlist that has been on a weekly rotation (and soon may become permanent).
"Slaughter Rules" prevent unbalanced teams from matching each other again.
Class-wide balance is still in the oven
Well, yes (if you don't have a Gjallarhorn).
Strikes have been made more difficult solo, but are a bit easier now with more players.
Bungie also addressed exploits in the Vault of Glass. A while ago, some platforms that existed outside of the intentded playable space were blocked off. Bosses that kept being pushed out of their cribs were given baby bumpers. Some of the glitches during the final encounters have been patched.
Voice Chat was implemented last month. Players can opt into a separate voice channel in matchmade strikes and multiplayer games.
Bungie currently has no plans to add matchmaking for raids. Nightfall and Weekly Strike matchmaking is also requested, although no official confirmation exists.
This is also mentioned in this IGN video: http://uk.ign.com/videos/2014/12/08...-of-story-the-new-raid-and-destiny-2-psx-2014
There's been no official word yet on an in-game clan roster.
________________________________________________
Beyond the changes you see above, general improvements have been made to the servers and the HUD.
It's no question that Bungie has a great deal to learn in their communication with their fanbase. Players shouldn't be expected to hear about important information on Twitter 3 days after it becomes relevant. That aside, our contributions have made a difference, be it a great or small one, and I'd like to believe they will continue to make the game much better for the next 3 months and beyond.
What changes do you think are necessary in that time frame? How should Bungie differ in their approach and philosophy?
Despite its universally praised shooting mechanics, many players will agree that much of Destiny has left a lot to be desired. Today marks the release of its first DLC "The Dark Below", which attempts to deliver some of the things players have asked. Howveer, you don't need to shell out more cash to take advantage of the changes Bungie has made to the game since its launch.
The grind from 1-20 is as real as it ever was, and in some ways the grind thereafter has been extended; however, some things were streamlined and are now considerably simpler after that point.
Destiny's farm was shut down for health code violations. The December 1st Patch lets players purchase "destination materials" such as Spinmetal and Relic Iron from tower vendors - 10 Vanguard or Crucible marks exchanges for 20 materials. Patrol bounties and daily missions also award the player with materials from the respective planet.
Changes were also made to the way weapons are upgraded. You no longer need Ascendent Energy to upgrade Exotics, but the final upgrade bubble will require an Exotic Shard. These new items are purchased from the weekend vendor Xur for 7 Strange Coins or converted from dismantling an Exotic.
Starting today, players will be able to increase the damage on their old exotics by trading it in for an upgraded version from Xur. Doing so will reset the upgrades, but it should be easier to level up the weapon thereafter.
Vanguard and Crucible factions now award Commendations when you level up a faction. These are then used to purchase items, instead of spending X amount of marks.
Okay, maybe it's not considerably simpler.
Bungie acknowledged the feedback and made significant changes to the way the special PvP event works. Your level and gear matters more and so does winning the match. Upon losing, players earn a medallion that will contribute reputation the next time you win. There are also 12 hour experience buffs and additional buffs for the duration of the event. Lastly, Iron Banner provides players with more armor that allows them to reach level 30. Iron Banner returns once again on the 16th of this month and will also include a path to reach level 31.
Personally, it was an enjoyable event and brought some much needed competition to the multiplayer. If you don't go in with a few friends though, you probably wont find much success.
Destiny's loot system has been tweaked several times. After repeated scoldings, the Cryptarch is a bit more generous. You'll see more rare and legendary items drop during strikes and out in the wild.
http://www.bungie.net/7_Update-102---Patch-Notes/en/News/News?aid=12235
http://www.bungie.net/7_102-Patch-Preview/en/News/News?aid=12202
The new raid "Crota's End" should also be more generous with loot drops; however, if you're still raiding the Vault of Glass for an item or armor piece, bite the pillow.
You don't need to rely on RNG to reach level 29. Check out the leveling guides in the OT: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=939901.
I could tell you, but I don't have time to explain.
But they're supposedly doing things different now on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6saWAcGizxU
If you're interested in the lore, check out this grimoire website: http://www.destinygrimoire.com/grimoire-cards.html
Exotic Weapons have undergone significant changes, including the long-awaited changes to Thorn, Bad Juju and the Mythoclast. There's a healthy variety of weapons in play now, but some have been broken or made too good. Bungie has stated that weapon balance is an on-going endeavor, so expect to see additional tweaks.
Weapon Balance was addressed in October. Hand Cannons and Scout Rifles are noticeable more viable, whereas ARs and Shotguns have been somewhat toned down.
The mars map Blind Watch features new geometry to change some lines of sight, as well as relocated Control Zone placements. It plays much fairer than before, although these changes do not tremendously offset its fundamental problems.
Bastion and First Light, Destiny's larger maps featuring vehicles, have been removed from Control and Clash and are now the sole maps in Combined Arms, a vehicle-exclusive playlist that has been on a weekly rotation (and soon may become permanent).
"Slaughter Rules" prevent unbalanced teams from matching each other again.
Class-wide balance is still in the oven
Well, yes (if you don't have a Gjallarhorn).
Strikes have been made more difficult solo, but are a bit easier now with more players.
Bungie also addressed exploits in the Vault of Glass. A while ago, some platforms that existed outside of the intentded playable space were blocked off. Bosses that kept being pushed out of their cribs were given baby bumpers. Some of the glitches during the final encounters have been patched.
Voice Chat was implemented last month. Players can opt into a separate voice channel in matchmade strikes and multiplayer games.
Bungie currently has no plans to add matchmaking for raids. Nightfall and Weekly Strike matchmaking is also requested, although no official confirmation exists.
This is also mentioned in this IGN video: http://uk.ign.com/videos/2014/12/08...-of-story-the-new-raid-and-destiny-2-psx-2014
There's been no official word yet on an in-game clan roster.
________________________________________________
Beyond the changes you see above, general improvements have been made to the servers and the HUD.
It's no question that Bungie has a great deal to learn in their communication with their fanbase. Players shouldn't be expected to hear about important information on Twitter 3 days after it becomes relevant. That aside, our contributions have made a difference, be it a great or small one, and I'd like to believe they will continue to make the game much better for the next 3 months and beyond.
What changes do you think are necessary in that time frame? How should Bungie differ in their approach and philosophy?
