This Week at Bungie - 8/18/22

This week at Bungie, we're talking Season 18 mods, Arc 3.0, and some additional save the dates.

Not too much longer before our grand Showcase, Guardians, and believe me when I say that we cannot wait to show you all what's next. It'll be a fun time for all, but... August 23 isn't quite here yet, so we've got some juicy morsels for you to mull over in the meantime. How does talking about Season 18 mods, more Showcase details, and a closer look at the next subclass rework sound to you? Sounds good? Great, let's get into it.

Arc 3.0 Brings All The Jolts To The Yard

As you may have already seen, we shared our first real look at what the next subclass revamp will look like with Arc 3.0, but just in case you missed it, you can catch up on all that sparky goodness right here with our full blog post. You thought you liked basically becoming Palpatine before with Arc, just wait.

The biggest part of our most recent blog post details how to light up that battlefield with new abilities. As a small recap for those Guardians on the go, here's a taste of what's to come with Arc 3.0.

First things first, let's get the big thing out of the way. Hunters, you're comin' home because you're not only getting Blink back (oh yeah, it's finally happening!), but Arc Staff Super is also coming back in all of its glory. OK, OK, one more thing: there's also a new Super where you get to deal damage effortlessly like the boss you are, but you'll see more about that later. It's easy to see that we're more than a little jazzed about it, but first, let's stick to a TL;DR introduction.

The new abilities buff is all about making you feel mighty. Movement speed, weapon readiness—it all matters, but we want players to feel powerful by showing off their skills, and that's where the amplified buff will come into play. To become amplified essentially means to be "on a roll." For example, if you're the type of player that goes ham in-game and eats foes for breakfast, you'll experience a satisfying increase in your personal performance based on rapid kills with Arc damage. Do more damage, get more out of this whole Guardian deal. Might as well. After all, I can't imagine the health benefits are what draw people into the gig of fighting the Darkness and other... things...

Riskrunner and Acrius mains, now's your time to shine.

Unlike previous 3.0 iterations with Void (invisibility) and Solar (radiant), you won't need to equip any specific Aspects or Fragments to become amplified. For no reason in particular, you might want to break Thunderlord out of the ol' Vault too, while you're at it.

On the debuff side of things:

• Blind
  • PvE blinded opponents will be disoriented (and... well, blinded), leaving them vulnerable and incapacitated.
  • PvP opponents are affected by a complete screen whiteout effect and the HUD's temporary removal.
    • There's also a disorienting affect, so that's fun.
      • The blind effect audio is a washed-out distorted effect that aims to avoid a "ringing" sound.
        • This effect is going to K.O. me so many times, I can already tell. I'm a panic player in PvP, it's what I do.
• Jolt
  • Any opponent, PvP or PvE, that is jolted will disperse small bursts of lightning to nearby enemies, which helps do that dirty work for you.

Basically, the foundation for Arc is about just letting loose and showing off what you're made of. But what about ability (and even Exotic) changes? To learn all about the new class abilities for Arc 3.0, including returning favorites like Blink, and what else the latest subclass revamp has to offer for Hunters, Warlocks, and Titans, you can check out the full blog post here. There, you can also hear from some of the team about the thought process behind the Arc 3.0 changes, as well as more info on the new Aspect players can expect.

Excited to learn even more? Don't forget to see all the action for yourself in our Showcase on August 23.

Two Artifact Mods Walk Into a Champion, Stop Us If You've Heard This One

A new Season means new mods, and we've heard the community loud and clear on the state of Champion mods. In addition to the weapon tweaks mentioned in last week's TWAB, we've got a different menu up for grabs when it comes down to crafting that perfect build. Here to explain some of the new ways to build is Senior Designer Andrew Veen.

Andrew Veen: We've got a lot of love for Machine Guns, and with the weapon meta featuring them heavily with the new Season, we have several ways to share that love when crafting that perfect new Arc build. With Arc 3.0 being all about that rapid-fire mayhem, making mods like Holster, Scavenger, and Overload more obtainable and unlocked sooner seemed like a great fit.

There's a trifecta of returning favorites from Season of the Chosen: Scout/Sniper Targeting, Anti-Barrier Sniper, and Sundering Glare. We're excited about these especially because players have been clamoring for the return of Anti-Barrier Sniper, and this Season's meta and encounter types made it the perfect time to add it in.

One of the new mods we're featuring is Bad Amplitude. We created this particular mod to increase access to jolt in Season 18 while also giving players a new answer to the age-old question: "How can I make Champions explode?"

Hype Train Conductor and Trace Evidence are also new to the artifact, though these two mods will make more sense when you have had some hands-on time with Arc 3.0.

For mods that are entirely new, we've got those mods bolded so it's easy to spot what's new. Anything not bolded is either based on previous mods or are reprisals.

First row:	After two perk choices:	After four perk choices:	After eight perk choices:	After ten perk choices:
Overload Bows (Arms)	Scout Rifle Loader (Arms)	Glaive Loader (Arms)	Overload LMG (Arms): Uninterrupted fire from equipped Machine Guns will stun enemies with a beam that delays energy regeneration and reduces enemy damage output. Strong against Overload Champions.	Thunderous Retort (Class): Arc Supers do more damage when cast while in critical condition or while amplified.
Unstoppable Pulse Rifles (Arms)	Sword Ammo Scavengers (Legs)	Focusing Strike (Arms): Causing damage with a melee ability grants class ability energy.	Anti-Barrier Snipers (Arms)	Hype Train Conductor (Class): +2 seconds to amplified timer. Stacks.
Anti-Barrier Scout Rifles (Arms)	Machine Gun Holster (Legs): Gradually reloads stowed Machine Guns over time. Stacks.	Combo Arc + Solar Resist (Chest)	Bad Amplitude (Class): Damaging a Champion with an Arc ability causes the Champion to become jolted.	Trace Evidence (Class): Precision hits on Arc debuffed targets will generate Ionic Traces.
Anti-Barrier Auto Rifles (Arms)	Scout and Sniper Targeting (Head)	Machine Gun Ammo Scavenger (Legs)	Surge Detonators (Class)	Lightning Strikes Twice (Class)
Unstoppable Shotguns (Arms)	Bottomless Bounty 1 (Head): Improves two Origin Perks.	Bottomless Bounty 2 (Head): Improves two Origin perks.	Inferno Whip (Class)	Sundering Glare (Class)

As with Void and Solar, you all will make your own decisions on how to craft that perfect build. We'll just take an additional moment here to say that Hype Train, Bad Amplitude, and Lightning Strikes Twice have a lot of potential for those looking to make a spicy Guardian even spicier.

Get in Guardian, We're Getting Our Calendars

Iron Banner, Grandmaster Nightfalls, and more—oh, my! Yup, it's that time again. Time to roll out the invite list for some key dates to keep an eye on when diving deep into the new Season. Let's make it Facebook Official and set a date:

• Raid launch is set for August 26.
• Iron Banner arrives on September 6 and November 15.
  • Both weeks will feature the new Eruption mode.
• Trials of Osiris brings back the Lighthouse on September 16.
• Grandmaster Nightfalls return on October 4.

And last but not least:

• Festival of the Lost makes everything haunted on October 18.

Maybe this is the New Orleans in me (we love Halloween, OK?), but I'm particularly excited to see everybody running around in their community-voted Festival gear. Team Mechs, baby!

Five More Sleeps

Only five more sleeps before we finally get to show off all the things the team has been working on behind the scenes. While Guardians around the world were busy confronting hard truths and learning what it means to be a survivor in Season of the Haunted, our developers have been hard at work on what the future will look like against The Witness and its impressive allies.

In case you've been living under a Cabal drop ship, our upcoming Showcase is bringing the noise on August 23, where we'll be showing you a first look at what's next in exciting detail. The festivities will be going down over on Twitch through official Bungie channels. Even better? There will be localization options for our global players. Here's what you need to know.

When: August 23 at 9 AM PT

• Preshow starts at 8 AM PT

Where: Twitch, YouTube, and Bilibili

For our global players, there are several available channels that will be localized to watch the upcoming Destiny 2 reveal stream. The main Destiny 2 Showcase will have localized subtitles available for the following languages on these channels:

• French
• German
• Italian
• Spanish
• Brazilian Portuguese
• Simplified Chinese
• Japanese
• Korean

Twitch Drops

Twitch Drops are debuting for Destiny 2 for the first time! As a small token of appreciation for stopping by to watch our Destiny 2 Showcase on Twitch, we will be offering up this glorious Starbirth emblem as a reward.

To be eligible, you will need to make sure that your Twitch account is linked with your Destiny 2 account in your Bungie.net profile so you don't miss out on the emblem. It's pretty simple; simply tune into the official Bungie Twitch channel (there are nine channels total) on August 23 from 9 AM Pacific to 11:30 AM Pacific and watch at least 30 minutes of the Showcase for that sweet, sweet celebratory loot. For more information, please visit our Twitch Drops help article.

Once the Showcase itself wraps up, don't hop out too soon. Following our take on Show 'n Tell, we'll also be hosting a post-show livestream with some of the team to talk about what was shown off. We're especially excited to welcome D_Flawless, a wildly passionate content creator that has proven time and time again that he's got the stuff that Guardians are made of, onto the stage to chat with us. If you're interested in learning more about the world of Destiny 2 from the mouths of those that continue to craft its future with each Season, then you're not going to want to miss out on this.

Ready to learn more about Lightfall, Arc 3.0, and even more? Good, because we can't wait to show you. Check out our official Destiny 2 Showcase Tune-in page for more details!

+1 All the way from Germany

And our humble Community team grows by one more, this time from Germany! Our latest community manager is Timon, and you'd best believe that he is the beesiest of bee's knees. Don't forget to show him lots of love!

Hi friends,

I am Timon, the new community manager for Guardians in Germany, France, and the UK. Our community is filled with amazing people all over the world that will not only affect my work but also the world of Bungie and how we are evolving Destiny. Let´s do it together!

Most enjoyable for me is to take my Warlock into dungeons and raids with friends and fellow Guardians. Yeah, I know. Another Warlock. I might main my Starfire Warlock (how crazy fun is it to play with those Fusion grenades?), but I love all three classes the same. Hunter with Caliban´s Hand for those enjoyable ignitions everywhere, or the never-dying Titan with Loreley.

I won't be revealing info about the game, but if you want to connect on social you can follow me on Twitter. I have heard a lot of stories over the years about conquering World First raids, meeting new friends, and the various ways that Destiny has touched your lives. I would love to hear more!

I can´t wait to experience the future of Destiny with you together.

See you in the stars, Guardian,

Haut rein Hüter,
Timon

Player Support Report

Last call for ghost busting!

Not all heroes wear capes, but our Player Support team does sometimes wear really spiffy hoodies, and that's basically the same thing. That, and they really are heroes that help make the player experience better one update at a time. This week's report will focus heavily on lingering Solstice event issues, which you can check out below.

This is their report.

Known Issues List | Help Forums | Bungie Help Twitter

UPDATE 6.2.0 RELEASE SCHEDULE

To prepare for the launch of Season of [REDACTED], Destiny 2 will undergo scheduled downtime from 9 AM PDT (1600 UTC) to 11 AM PDT (1800 UTC) on August 23. Below is the scheduled timeline for this release:

• 9 AM PDT (1600 UTC): Maintenance is scheduled to begin.
• 9:45 AM (1645 UTC): Destiny 2 is brought offline.
• 10 AM (1700 UTC): Destiny 2 will be brought back online. Update 6.2.0 will be playable on all platforms and regions.
• 11 AM (1800 UTC): Destiny 2 maintenance is scheduled to complete.

For more information, please visit our Destiny Server and Update Status help article.

LAST CHANCE BUNGIE REWARDS

Players looking to earn certain Bungie Rewards should complete the associated in-game achievements before 10 AM PDT (1700 UTC) on August 23:

• Reaper Seal Collectible Medallion Pin
• Severance T-shirt
• Thoughtstealer Pin
• Hakke Deep Explorer Hoodie

These rewards will be available to purchase from the Bungie Store until August 31, 2022, at 11:59 PM PDT (0659 UTC).

CLAIM YOUR (IN-GAME) REWARDS

Players should make sure to claim all engrams and other rewards before the new Season begins. Any rewards not claimed from ritual vendors (Zavala, Shaxx, Drifter, and Saint-14) will be removed at the beginning of the next Season.

Players should also claim and equip any Seals/titles they have unlocked this Season.

KNOWN ISSUES

While we continue investigating various known issues, here is a list of the latest issues that were reported to us in our #Help Forum:

• A blank emblem may appear in Collections for players who participated in the Bungie Foundation Giving Festival.
• The Hyperborean Pinion Exotic Sparrow cannot be obtained from Collections.
• If a vaulted Seal and title were acquired on a character that gets deleted, the Seal might not be able to be equipped again.
• The Severance Package emblem isn't dropping from the Crown of Sorrow after players reset their rank. This issue will be resolved a few weeks into Season 18, and the emblem will drop for any player who has reset their rank.
• The Life for Life emblem from Season 16 can't be unlocked by players.
• Players may have to refresh their Bungie Rewards page a few times for various rewards to become claimable.
• A "Dare Another Day" screen keeps appearing for players after they've reset Xur's Strange Favor rank the maximum number of times.

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

You Can't Be a Knight if You Don't Acolyte One

Hippy: So, heard you liked levitating. We see a ton of Crucible takedown videos every day and they are all incredibly impressive. However, there was one particular PvP compilation video this week that immediately enraptured us. The edits? Clean. The takedowns? Flawless. That Guardian's style? Perfection. Their enemy team may have been there for a good time, but after being smoked with some of these one-shot wonders, it's fair to say they weren't around for a long time.

Movie of the Week: Levitating

Sam: Solstice is always a lot of fun for Guardians, because not only does it give you a super fun activity to do with your friends while also lighting things on fire, it gives us another space to create some really creative videos. Since we are getting so close to autumn, here is a monster mash-up we think you will really get a laugh out of.

Movie of the Week: Bonfire Bash

Hippy: hopping in one more time to add a piece that inspired that majestic (don't lie, you know you liked it) acolyte pun as this week's MOTW title, because the video itself will rip out your heartstrings, so all you can really do is laugh awkwardly and drown in those feels. I'm not ashamed. I'm not proud.

B-b-b-Bonus Movie of the Week: Hurt

Weird Symbols, Beach Vibes, and a Good Time

Bruno: Do you want to know the secret to Rhulk's immense power? It's not his knowledge of the Darkness. It's not his god roll Glaive. It's not his fondness for puzzles with weird symbols. The secret to personally destroying a whole civilization is a lot simpler than that: never skip leg day.

Art of the Week: Ruin in Lubrae

— None escape my wrath. Not even the little ones. (...) A SHATTERED sky. A planet CONVULSING. TEARING apart.
Lubrae... in RUINS. #DestinyArt #DestinyTheGame #AOTW pic.twitter.com/NsFQQq3QzS

— Gabriel Flauzino | FLZ 💙💛 (@Flauzino_FLZ) August 9, 2022

Bruno: Ivan is enjoying some time off, so I'm doing this again. Did you know Savathûn's Throne World had a secret thermal water pool only for VIPs? Because I didn't. I'm working on my vibe, so maybe next summer...

Art of the Week: Total block sunscreen

Throne World Beach Episode (part 1) ~

My first entry for @D2ArtEvents #SolarEmbraceVol3 zine! Check out all the amazing entries in the tag before the zine drops next week on the 17th!#Destiny2Art #DestinyTheGame #AOTW pic.twitter.com/WRF8WdUSEq

— SignificantOtter (@SignificantOtt4) August 9, 2022

And that's a wrap on our latest TWABtastic adventure. It feels good going into the weekend knowing I'm far from alone in being excited for next week. Our teams are beyond jittery with hype over here, and we're seeing your excitement too, which only amplifies our own that much more. Basically, we're all just a big ball of intrigue, anticipation, and desire to fully immerse ourselves in what's next. Together. And that's what it's all about, really.

Until then, make sure you're drinking lots of water, soaking in good vibes, and always putting your kindest foot forward.

We'll see you next week, Guardians.

"I should go,"
<3 Hippy