This Week At Bungie - 2/10/2022

This week at Bungie, we showed off a heck of a lot, including more Void 3.0 goodness. We're also setting some Legendary Campaign expectations alongside a special tribute to our heroes.

What a week so far, and we still have just a little more time to go before The Witch Queen finally arrives later this month. A lot of new info has dropped this week with an enticing new ViDoc and the breakdown many have been asking for regarding Void 3.0.

Feeling like the rest of us and can't wait to jump right into the next chapter of the Destiny 2 story? We get it. While we can't (would love to, but can't) gift the community with an early drop, there is an interactive experience available now that centers around Savathûn herself and getting to know the enemy up close and personal.

Curious? As you should be! Feel free to mosey on over to that special experience right here (After reading this TWAB, of course; we're bonding).

All About That Void 3.0

Another juicy tidbit that you may have missed is the hefty new blog post that offers a closer look at the revamped Void class, a change that is free for all players and one that just honestly feels really good for showing enemies who is boss. To read the full breakdown, check out our Destiny Developer Team blog post here, with a few key points broken down in a simpler format below:

The Introduction of Aspects and Fragments

• First introduced in Stasis with the Beyond Light expansion, this offers players more options to choose from with how they take to battle.
• Aspects are class-specific items that players can choose when using their revamped Void abilities.
• Fragments are non-class specific perks that are there as additional enhancements to how gameplay feels.

Titans

• Ward of Dawn can now be almost completely instantly activated while also becoming the fastest Super cooldown tier for ease of access. This change makes Ward of Dawn even more of a powerful defensive tools.
• Sentinel Shield will still let Titans harness their inner Captain America with thrown shields providing ranged damage as a Shield Bash grants a full overshield.
• Titan Aspects include Controlled Demolition, Bastion, and Offensive Bulwark; all of which can be found in the full blog post here.

Hunters

• Hunters will still be the epitome of stealth, now with even more control over what their enemies see (or don't see).
• Moebius Quiver changes will fire off a volley of three arrows that can track targets and make them volatile when tethered.
• Deadfall will see the Void anchors pull in enemies to a desired location from surface and target impact.
• Snare Bomb melee will also do more to weaken opponents, particularly in PvP when it removes an enemy player's HUD and obstructs their in-game view.
• Hunter Aspects include Trapper's Ambush, Vanishing Step, and Stylish Executioner.

Warlocks

• Float like a Warlock, sting like a bee, because Void 3.0 fine-tunes what makes Warlocks so valuable and makes them truly a force to be reckoned with.
• The Nova Warp Super with the Vortex Super enhancements allows players to teleport efficiently to unleash the ultimate Void attack while drawing enemies in and trapping them within a web of damage.
• Nova Bomb with the Cataclysm enhancement allows for more control when Warlocks are on the hunt for enemies to take out, particularly in PvP instances, and detonations will disperse into smaller tracking-tracking projectiles. Shoot the Nova Bomb, and it'll also detonate early.
• Void 3.0 melee with Pocket Singularity unleashes Void that detonates when near foes, making them volatile while controlling their position in relation to the blast zone.
• Warlock Aspects include Chaos Accelerant, Feed the Void, and Child of the Old Gods.

What about New Lights? That's a good question, glad you asked. New Lights, or new players as we refer to them in the Destiny community, will be able to earn their first Aspects and Fragments during the New Light campaign. During the Schism mission players will acquire a new quest called Learning Light that teaches them more about their subclass abilities. More Aspects and Fragments can be unlocked by visiting Ikora Rey in the Tower.

In addition, new characters have also had their starting subclass experience changed. Not only will new Hunters and Titans be starting with the Void subclass instead of Solar or Arc, all classes will now start with Void subclass abilities intended to be more friendly and appealing to new players.

Hunter:

• Super Ability: Moebius Quiver
• Class Ability: Marksman's Dodge
• Movement Ability: Triple Jump
• Charged Melee: Snare Bomb
• Void Grenade: Scatter Grenade

Titan

• Super Ability: Sentinel Shield
• Class Ability: Towering Barricade
• Movement Ability: Catapult Lift
• Charged Melee: Shield Throw
• Void Grenade: Magnetic Grenade

Warlock

• Super Ability: Nova Bomb - Vortex
• Class Ability: Healing Rift
• Movement Ability: Burst Glide
• Charged Melee: Pocket Singularity
• Void Grenade: Vortex Grenade

There is a lot to look forward to in Void 3.0 and we can't wait to see what you think once you're front and center in the action yourself. To learn more, including more about Fragments, the full blog post can be found right here to be Devoured (see what we did there?)

Legendary Campaign, It Really Do Be Like That Sometimes

Some Guardians have been asking for more of a challenge, so the team here at Bungie has created the new Legendary Campaign mode that will arrive when The Witch Queen drops later this month. From reward drops to how it will differ on a base level, we wanted to dive just a little bit deeper into what this new challenging experience has to offer. To do just that, we've got Design Lead Matt McConnell offering some insight into some of the most frequently asked questions about the challenge ahead:

What are the main rewards of completing missions at Legendary Difficulty?

• We've got double chest rewards offering 1-3 extra chests per mission. Each chest will give you world pool gear, XP, upgrade modules, and Glimmer.
• Legendary players will be able to earn Throne World armor and unlocks at a faster rate.
• Basically: Higher the risk means higher the reward, especially when getting to the new Power Level soft cap in The Witch Queen.

Are there any unique rewards for completing the story on Legendary Difficulty?

• Completing ALL missions on Legendary will award players with the following:
  • A new emblem exclusive to those who complete the campaign at Legendary difficulty.
  • A Triumph required for the newest title for Throne World.
  • A set of gear 20 above the soft cap at 1520 Power Level.
  • Eight upgrade modules.
  • New The Witch Queen Exotic armor that typically is reserved for PED Lost Sector drops.
  • Exclusive Bungie Rewards, more on that in the future.

Some players have been asking if this is a difficulty to be feared - How challenging is it?

• To set difficulty expectations, the Legendary campaign is designed to be harder than a Legend Nightfall, though it is easier than a solo dungeon or running a Grandmaster Nightfall.
• Enemies are more difficult and more aggressive. They also have higher damage resistance, are more of a challenge to stagger, and shield are stronger to unmatched damage types.
• The challenge of Legendary also comes from switching up enemy interactions and infiltration, like swapping out an Elite for a boss or having an influx of more red bar foes.

Can I over-level this content?

• Each mission caps your Power (similar to the Raid Contest mode) so that all Guardians have an even playing field to avoid feeling like every step is a grind. The mission launch screen will have a skull displaying each mission's max effective Power.
  • If you're under-level, be prepared for a bit of a tough fight.

The mighty are forged in battle, but is it that way for solo players too?

• We've had a lot of aspirational content in the past, but Legendary gives us a chance to give solo players more equal footing with those that opt into playing with a fireteam. Enemy damage and health scales to match your fireteam, though it won't be 1:1 - because triple the boss health isn't fun. Even still, it will be enough to keep even a veteran trio on their ornamented toes.
• We also didn't want to trivialize Darkness encounters compared to solo play, so you're limited to one revive per player for each Darkness zone, and a shared timer of 40 seconds before an automatic wipe happens. We've said it time and time again, but you have got to stay close to your friends and be ready and able to pick them up when they fall.

Will players be able to tone things down if Legendary is a bit too much for their playthrough?

• For those folks that find the difficulty of Legendary too overwhelming at first, there is an option to leave a mission and relaunch it through the classic Destiny 2 settings. Some players will want to focus more on the story than on sweat for that first run, and that's totally fine! We want to support that. For those who want more of a challenge later, we've added nodes to replay any The Witch Queen campaign mission on Classic or Legendary any time - after you've beaten the mission once, of course.

Basically, prepare to go ham - or don't, the choice is yours!

Heroes Are Always Welcome

The Destiny 2 community is one of the best in gaming and we want to celebrate how incredible each and every Guardian is. Whether it be our revived Community Focus spotlights, the incredible charity initiatives like Guardians of the World, or player-driven initiatives like Operation Save New Lights to help guide newbies through new content; there is a lot to be thankful for when looking at the Destiny player base. One more way we are celebrating the majesty that is all of you gun-toting fashionistas out there is through a new series: Heroes Welcome, a new ongoing video adventure that will focus on the players themselves in a vibrantly explosive tribute as seen in the style of our kickoff video below.

The first video is just the beginning, in future features, we will directly showcase real players within the community to bring your Destiny 2 legends to life while we aim to inspire New Lights around the world.

As an example, one of the Destiny heroes we are talking to is none other than the incredible Uhmaayyze. If the name sounds familiar, you may have seen a few Bungie developers share his epic impromptu Destiny raps on his streams. He kills it every time, never failing to bring the feel-good vibes that he and his community have to offer.

Are you ready to join the future of Destiny 2? Good, because heroes are always welcome.

Oh, you thought we were done? Oh nay nay, we have even more community-driven videos to enjoy. We asked talented members of the Destiny 2 community (and beyond!) to answer one simple question: What is Destiny 2? What makes this game so special? How does one even begin to describe a game that has evolved so much to a newcomer? What is the answer to life, the universe, and everything in it?

While that last question could be a TWAB of its own, we're kicking things off with three game takes from Solar Flair, Carbot Animations, and MP Edits to see how this expansive world looks through their eyes.

So, sit back and enjoy the jokes, the tips, and the gaming lens of these three amazing humans:

Heard You Liked New Exotics

These days, Destiny 2 literally has a fashion show, so I think we're long past the days of pretending Destiny isn't a massive flex of gear and those sweet, sweet dance moves. With more Exotics on the way as we crush enemy (!?) Hive Ghosts with our bare hands, we wanted to give a little sneak peek at some of the new Exotic armor that Guardians will be able to don and what sort of perks that come with them.

It's all fun and games in the Destiny class war until somebody takes it seriously, so without further ado; let's dive into what goodies all three classes have in store with a little additional insight from the developer team.

The Loreley Splendor Helm for Titans is more than just a pretty face, it has the Cauterizing Flame perk that allows for Sunspots to heal players when they have Sun Warrior. Critically wounded? No big, the perk also ensures that a Sunspot is created in your location to give you that one last fighting chance with that quick grenade and melee ability recharge and longer Supers. Plus, more damage? Always a good thing.

From the developer team: "Playtest name Stagspot Helm, the goal here was to embrace the awesome art and to give Sunspot players another choice besides Phoenix Cradle. Also, melee builds are becoming more popular, and this makes higher level difficulty melee more viable, at least in theory."

The Titan's Hoarfrost-Z Chest Piece is also nothing to scoff at, though this one takes a chillier approach to combat for Stasis users with the Glacial Fortification perk. When a player uses Stasis, it allows for a Titan's Barricade to become an impressive wall of Stasis crystals. These crystals will slow any target that gets too close while also boosting a player and their fireteam's weapon reload speed, stability, and range.

"This was a team effort. The original idea was to replace Barricades with just a single ice block, but Kevin [Yanes] and the Abilities team had some ideas and stuff lying around from Beyond Light for spawning crystals. To spice it up, we wanted to have it grant the new benefits of Rally Barricade, and then Yanes suggested that the spawned objects could just be a Stasis version of a Rally Barricade window. It proved to be a ton of fun, and the rest is history."

OK, Warlocks - you're up. First up, let's talk about 'dem legs, because Warlock mains have definitely been shouting out their love for the new Secant Filaments armor. With the Devouring Rift Perk, these shiny walking sticks of power will grant a player devour when they cast their Empowering Rift, allowing for damage from both allies and individual players the ability to disrupt foes... but in style.

"This started as 'What can we give Warlocks that would make Empowering Rift a more viable choice in Master+ content?' We figured the answer was 'Well, it probably has to heal you' and eventually we settled on what we called the Devouring Rift pants. Overload was added to increase excitement and expand the options players had to build for various Champion-enabled content."

Next up are the Osmiomancy Gauntlets for Warlocks with the Fervid Coldsnap perk. This nifty look allows for Coldsnap grenades to have an additional charge that will recharge faster when it makes direct impact. The seeker spawned from Coldsnap grenades also travels further too. Bonus.

"Since Hunters had a Duskfield modifier, and Titans had something like a Glacier modifier, it felt natural to give Warlocks something for Coldsnap. Fun fact: the ground follow for this is so fast that we had a bug filed to change how it acquired targets. The issue? A grenade thrown near a combatant's feet could spawn a ground follow that traveled THROUGH AND BEHIND the enemy, then TURN AROUND to come directly back toward the Warlock by the time the VFX applied. It looked like the coldsnaps were actively avoiding hitting targets and speeding directly away instead! Thankfully, that shouldn't be an issue at launch."

Don't worry, Hunters, I still have love for you despite the jokes. You've got some pretty cool gear on the way, including the Blight Ranger Helm with the Voltaic Mirror perk. Lightening lovers, here's where your Arc powers can truly shine: this perk allows players to redirect with their Arc Staff to deal an increased amount of damage and Orbs of Power generation for all allies. Basically, get in there and do some damage - sounds like a good time.

"We wanted to make something for Arcstrider that leaned into an aspect of the Super that doesn't normally get focus. There are players that love wielding other people's attacks, creatures, game pieces, etc. against them;, this is for those people."

And lastly, Hunters also have the Renewal Grasps to look forward to with the Depths of Duskfield perk. This gives Guardians a much larger radius for their Duskfield grenades, while also nerfing incoming damage for allies within the Duskfield's range. Any targets locked within that space will also deal out a reduced amount of damage, so go out there and make those Hive cry.

"Stasis Hunters now have a sort of mini-Silence & Squall that they can deploy with a grenade. This gives Revenants the ability to play a more team-focused role, or to play more of an area denial/control game than they've been able to before."

This Worm At Bungie

Another week, another message from our unsung heroes over at our Player Support Team. With a whole new narrative unfolding soon, there are quite a few things we need to do on our side to prep the game for launch, including letting players know when to expect downtime, as well as adding clarification about Year 4 content vaulting, an update to our Known Issues list, and more.

This is their report.

Known Issues List | Help Forums | Bungie Help Twitter 

The Witch Queen Release Schedule

To prepare for the launch of The Witch Queen on February 22, Destiny 2 will undergo scheduled downtime from 7:00 PM PST (0300 UTC) on February 21 to 9:00 AM PST (1700 UTC) on February 22. Below is the scheduled timeline for this release:

• February 21, 7 PM PST (0300 UTC): Destiny 2 is brought offline.
• February 21, 9 PM (0500 UTC): Pre-load for Hotfix 4.0.0.1 will be available on all platforms.
• February 22, 9 AM (1700 UTC): Destiny 2 will be brought back online. Hotfix 4.0.0.1 will be playable on all platforms and regions.
• February 22, 11 AM (1900 UTC): Destiny 2 maintenance is scheduled to complete.

Players using the PS4 download of Destiny 2 will be required to download the associated PS4 compatibility packs before playing The Witch Queen for the first time. These compatibility packs can be downloaded by launching Destiny 2 after pre-loading Hotfix 4.0.0.1 during the downtime period. Once the compatibility packs have started downloading, players can and should subsequently close Destiny 2 to speed up their downloads.

The PS4 download of Destiny 2 will be large, but players will have a smaller installation size once the download is complete. This should help improve the download and install of future PS4 patches.

Bungie Rewards

As we are taking extended downtime prior to the launch of The Witch Queen, players looking to earn the following Bungie Rewards should complete the associated in-game achievement before 7:00 PM PST (0300) on February 21:

• And Out Fly the Wolves Pin
• Strange Coin
• Moments of Triumph 2021 T-shirt
• Beyond Light Artifact Coin Set
• Techeun Hoodie
• Ager's Scepter Beanie
• Deadeye, Realmwalker, Fatebreaker, Splintered, Descendant, and MMXXI Seal Collectible Medallion Pins

Players who have completed the associated in-game achievement for any of the above Bungie Rewards will have until February 28 at 11:59 PM PST (0759 UTC) to purchase their Bungie Rewards through the Bungie Store website.

As part of the scheduled downtime prior to The Witch Queen, Bungie Rewards will not be available to purchase during the downtime window.

Twitch Gift Subs Bounty Rewards

On February 22, 2022, the Twitch Gift Subs Bounty rewards will be updated with The Witch Queen. Players who are looking to obtain the current Dreissigste emblem should complete the Twitch Gift Sub Bounty and claim their reward in-game before scheduled downtime at 7:00 PM PST (0300 UTC) on February 21.

For more information regarding the Twitch extension, please visit our Twitch Extension help article.

Weapon Cycling/Year 4 Content Vaulting

With the launch of The Witch Queen on February 22, certain activities, quests, destinations, items, and weapons from past season and expansions will become unavailable to access or earn.

For a full list of vaulted, deprecated, or unearnable content, please visit the Player Support Report from the February 3 TWAB.

Known Issues

For a full list of emergent issues in Destiny 2, players can review our Known Issues article here. Players who observe other issues should report them to our #HelpForum.

Once More With Feeling

Hippy: Who doesn't like a good fan-made movie to sit down and chill out with? The correct answer is that everyone likes a nice thematic adventure because that would be a convenient segue into our Movie of the Week portion of the TWAB program! Ta-da!

For Netflix fans that are craving more Arcane, one fan-made video brings the vision of Destiny 2 to life in a completely new and inspired way. Also, as a massive lo-fi beats fan, our second winner of the week became an insta-hit and their latest Destiny-fied track has just the vibe to make that day a little bit better. Enjoy!

Movie of the Week: Arcane intro, but make it Destiny 2

Movie of the Week: Eventide Serenity | Athanasia lo-fi remix

dmg04: Sorry to hit the pause on a sweet TWAB but wanted to talk about something before we moved on from these fun movies! Moving forward, all contributors to MOTW (or any community emblems like Art of the Week, Fashion Shows, etc.) must be listed in the description of the creation at the time it is selected. Any contributors not present will not be considered for an emblem. Sorry to be a bit more firm here, but we've been dealing with some false claims for missing emblems. To keep these emblems meaningful, and only grant them to those who've been participating in these awesome creations, we're just tightening things up a bit.

Alright, back to the TWAB goodness!

Worm

Sam: Happy Thursday, Guardians! Can you believe we are THIS CLOSE to The Witch Queen?! I just want to see all the things and do all the things and SPACE MAGIC! *deep breath* Anyway, art anyone?

Art of the Week: Warlock Stormcaller

Warlock stormcaller.#Destiny2 #DestinyArt #AOTW pic.twitter.com/QP1Gu7P6qz

— jj.axx_ | Commissions: open (@jj_axx) February 7, 2022

Art of the Week: Some suspiciously wormy ammo...

Some suspiciously wormy ammo...#Destiny2 #AOTW #TheWitchQueen #Destiny2Art pic.twitter.com/HzDe2czi82

— Nearfromfar (@norquack) February 5, 2022

We are so excited each week to go through your tags so please don't forget to tag your art with #AOTW and #Destiny2Art!!

While not the Beefy Boi TWAB that last week's was, we figured a nice little recap would do well since we had so much good stuff drop this week. Seeing everyone's excitement after the ViDoc went live was a whirlwind for the team, causing a rush of joy and excitement to completely take over the studio. We have so much we can't wait to tell you and to show you. One more light TWAB left until The Witch Queen arrives and then? Then it's about to go down. Are you ready?

"I should go,"
<3 Hippy