This Week at Bungie - 02/16/2017 5h - Cozmo

This week at Bungie we tuned the Sandbox. 

The long-awaited Hotfix 2.5.0.2 arrived Tuesday morning and shook things up. If you haven't gotten up to speed yet, you can read the full Patch Notes here. With the update out in the wild, we've been roaming the Internet in search of the community's reactions to the changes. As it always is, the response has been violently mixed.

In Destiny, we fight for our lives with energy and ballistics but changing the way all that works is the most dangerous game. Some players are loving the way the update feels. Others like a lot about the update but have some specific criticisms of what could be better. Then there is the crowd who thinks [Censored].

We respect everyone's opinion and we realize that change is always hard. We want to know what you think now that you have the controller in your hands and are adapting to the new hotness. Our #Feedback forum is open for business and we have a thread dedicated to collecting things specific to the 2.5.0.2 Hotfix.

So, if you haven't yet, get out there and fire off a few shots, tell us what you think.

Target Acquisition

Our Bungie Bounty Days came to an end last week. 21 targets gave a great chase through the Crucible. Over 1200 Emblems were awarded. We spread the love across the globe, from Germany to the UK and even down under in Australia.

We are not finished. This has been so much fun, we are making it a weekly event. This week, our first target will be Loriipops. We heard a lot of feedback that many of you were unable to join in on the hunt due to work, school, or mandated community service. To give more folks a convenient time to try to match against your target, the next Bounty will happen on Saturday.

Bungie Bounty: Loriipops
Region: New Zealand
When: 6 PM Pacific 2/18/2017
Console: PS4

The rules are the same: match with Lorii during the 2-hour event and win the game to earn your Emblem. It will be delivered to your Emblem Collection later in the week. 

Spring Flings

In a few weeks, Spring will be in the air. We're planning to leave the shelter and security of our studio to get some fresh air, soak up some sunshine, and maybe even meet you. These will be strictly social calls for us, not reveals. We're hitting the road to move among the community.

First up is Emerald City Comic Con, from March 2-5. The Bungie store will be there along with our partners at WeLoveFine.com with official Destiny gear for sale. Swing by Booth 1001 and check out the selection of apparel, collectibles, and art prints.

Next, we're shipping up to Boston to drop in on PAX East on March 11 and 12. If you're going to be there too, find us and say hi. We won't have a booth but we'll be around. DeeJ really likes those big pretzels from concession stands. Look for us by one of those or just follow us on Twitter for clues on our whereabouts.

There will be many other chances for a close encounter with Bungie in 2017, but those are the first waypoints we can put on your map.

'Sup DOC?

Update weeks are a busy time. For guidance through the storm, we turn to the brave men and woman from the Destiny Player Support team.

This is their report. 

Destiny Hotfix 2.5.0.2 and Server Maintenance
On Tuesday, February 14th, Destiny Hotfix 2.5.0.2 was released. This Hotfix directly targeted Sandbox changes. We are actively monitoring reports in the #Help forum to ensure that the unintended changes to Health regenerating Perks on Weapons, Armor, and Subclasses are functioning. At this time, perks related to Health regeneration will function according to the changes made to the "Hungering Blade" Perk on the Bladedancer Subclass.
From the 2.5.0.2 Patch Notes:

• Immediately starts Health regeneration
  
• Restores more Health per kill
  
• Gives a flat amount of Health/Shield per activation
  
• Does not immediately start regenerating Shields
  

If you find that a Health regenerating Perk is not functioning, please let us know by reporting to the #Help forum. For additional information directly from the Sandbox team, please see this thread in the #Destiny forum.

On Wednesday, February 15, Destiny servers underwent scheduled maintenance. This maintenance should not have interrupted any Destiny gameplay, and no changes were made to the player-facing Destiny experience. If you encountered issues connecting to our servers during the maintenance period, please post a report to the #Help forum detailing what error messaging you may have seen, and how long you were impacted.

Emerging Destiny Issue
This week, we became aware of an issue where players may exploit specific elements of the game to grant themselves unlimited Super.

As such, Combined Arms has been replaced with Mayhem Clash as the Featured Crucible Activity for the remainder of the week. Until resolved, Combined Arms will not be available through anything other than Private Matches.

Sneaking Snacks in

This week we got one a' them funny songs, a montage, and something else. All three movies will net their creators a shiny new Emblem. We are already taking submissions for next week. You can submit your entry to the Creations page and we will give it a look. 

Movie of the Week: Digital Lovers

Honorable Mention: Last Hope

Honorable Mention: Dumb ways to Die

I'll be playing these new Sandbox changes more tonight with a group of Guardians who signed up on our forums. I do these regularly, so keep your eyes on our #Destiny forum for a chance to join in on the next one. I want to play with you.

DeeJ tells me that they're sending him to Europe to catch up with some of the partners we work with in that corner of the world. It's been too long, he says. Between you and me, I think he's just drumming up reasons to get stamps on his passport and eat fish and chips in the shadow of Big Ben. If you happen to see him clearing customs, don't be shy. He loves meeting Guardians - especially when they talk "all fancy-like." (His words.)

Whatever the reason for his absenteeism, I'll be back with you again next week with more notes on Studio life, another Bounty target, and some news on the next Iron Banner.

In the meantime, I'll see you in the Crucible.

<3 Cozmo