This Week At Bungie - 2/28/2019

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

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

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

The Gameplay calendar has been updated to reflect some changes throughout development. Check the Season of the Drifter article for quick preview of Invitations of the Nine and the Allegiance quest.

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

Prime Accessibility

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

Nate: For colorblind modes in Destiny, rather than applying a filter over the whole screen, we change only the content that uses color as its primary messaging to the player and greatly impacts their moment-to-moment decisions in the gameplay loop. Each case is handled individually and authored by hand to ensure we're making the best decision possible. Most forms of colorblind have only two dominant colors—for situations like this, we have to get creative with color saturation and value to ensure each role is as identifiable as possible.

This is what each of the Gambit Prime roles will look like when seen through the (simulated) eyes of affected players once their respective colorblind settings are enabled.

Three Peaks

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

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

Vanguard
Oxygen SR3—Precision Scout Rifle (Solar)

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

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

Crucible
The Recluse—Lightweight Submachine Gun (Void)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Grenade Launchers

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

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

Rocket Launchers

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

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

Eververse Seasonal Update

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

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

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

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

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

Sealing the Deal

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

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

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

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

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

The Only Good Bug...

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

This is their report.

Destiny 2 Update 2.2.0 Resolved Issues Preview—Part 3
With Destiny 2 Update 2.2.0 closing in, here's the third and final preview of player-impacting issues that we expect to be resolved with Update 2.2.0 on March 5.

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

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

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

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

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

For live updates on Update 2.2.0 when they are available, follow @BungieHelp on Twitter or monitor our support feed on help.bungie.net. For future deployment timelines when they are available, please monitor our Destiny Server and Update Status help article.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Please welcome:

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

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

Please welcome:

• machinimagames
• Needless
• Phoenix1710
• Plain Ben
• Pobreloko
• ZER0COOL

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

Sending the Season out with a Bang

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

Movie of the Week: Hammer Time

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

— True Vanguard (@TheTrueVanguard) February 27, 2019

Honorable Mention: All alone...

If you'd like a chance at the Lens of Fate emblem, be sure to submit your footage to the Community Creations portal on bungie.net or send a tweet toward me (@A_dmg04) or Cozmo (@Cozmo23).

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

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

Cheers,
dmg04