Destiny 2.0: The Taken King
Platform: Ps4, Ps3, Xbox One, Xbox 360
Release Date: September 15, 2015
Author: K.D.
Updates, updates, updates! We’re entering year 2 of Destiny’s projected 10-year run, and Bungie is working around the clock to provide solid updates to the game, but to also remind you, weekly, that a huge update is impending. Next-gen consoles are looking at an 18 GB update, Xbox 360s is getting a 10 GB update, and PS3s are getting a whopping 20 GB update, though after replacing all of the internal files, the update will only be 10 GB in size. I wonder how much of that is music…?
Oh look, it finally reached 25%!
Speaking of which! Before we get started on updates, an ex-composer for Bungie, who will remain nameless (Martin O’Donnell), was fired without cause and then sued both CEO Harold Ryan for unpaid wages and Bungie for forcing forfeiture of his stocks upon termination. Guess what? He won both court cases, winning back a crap-ton of stocks and roughly $90k in unpaid wages and vacation, and opened his own game studio.
Anywho, back to what we’re here for: these sizeable updates! So, what exactly is in them? Well, I’m glad you asked! There are at least 27 new updates, including special weapon nerfs which can be found below. The list is quite expansive and Bungie has been giving glimpses each week, but this overhaul of the Year One system includes things like a new, unifying currency. The new currency is called Legendary Marks, which are set to replace the Vanguard and Crucible marks. Any existing older currency will be blocked off in groups of 50 to redeem one reputation consumable.
With the new toys comes a new leveling system. Levels can be attained through gathering experience (never done that before!), and Light is now reflective of acquiring and equipping more powerful armor and weaponry. So what will your new level be? Good question! Gear in your inventory and your Vault will determine your new level based on the Light they give. ALSO, Year One gear have also been nerfed! They will perform as normal on Year One activities, but otherwise their stats will change when switching to any Year Two activities. But fear not, select Year One swag have been redesigned for Year Two, all you need to do is buy their blueprints with that epic new currency. Oh, sorry, legendary currency, Barney Stinson would be proud.
‘nuff said.
Crucible update! Tired of getting trounced in a one-sided Crucible match? Well, fear not because Destiny 2.0 comes equipped with your very own “Help, I’m getting my butt handed to me!” button. It’s called Mercy. Cue the angelic choir. This Mercy rule ends bad matches quickly so that players on both teams can get out of the current match and into a, hopefully, more balanced one. Once the Mercy Rule is invoked, Shaxx will call out to signal the end of the match and reset the game clock to 10 seconds. Once that timer is up, players receive their end-of-match prizes and get sent back to matchmaking. Once invoked, the Mercy Rule stops players from joining to circumvent bad matches for fresh players.
Later, gotta answer this call!
Whew, that’s a lot of game. And there’s a lot more where that came from. All of the other updates from Bungie are listed below. They sure are taking their time to listen to the people and answer their demands, like: GIMME MORE VAULT SPACE! To which they replied: WE DOUBLE YO VAULT SPACE! Good listening, Bungie. Good listening.
Oh, before I forget… Don’t destroy gear or delete characters! Gear is used to determine your level in Year Two, and Moments of Triumph are tied to active characters… so don’t delete them. Save yourself unnecessary tears- and there WILL be tears- and just keep ‘em. Kill them AFTER the update! 😀
Destiny Year Two: The Taken King, September 15th, 2015 on (most) consoles (sorry Wii/U) near you.
Bungie Update 2.0 List
- Updates include:
- Character
- Character Level Cap for all players will be raised to 34
- Level Cap for The Taken King will be 40
- You will be able to level up by gaining XP alone
- Character Level and Light are now separate statistics
- Your Character Level will be grandfathered into your highest possible Light Level from all gear in your inventory and vault
- Attack and Defense ratings for armor and weapons will be translated to the new systems – their power levels will be unchanged
- Grimoire Score has been moved from the Character Nameplate and now displays in the Character Screen
- Character
- Quests
- A Quest Screen will be added to your Menu
- Tracks all active Quests
- Abandoned Quests can be recovered in the Hall of Guardians
- Year One Activities have been converted to the Quest system
- Bounties
- Bounty slots will be increased to 16
- Incomplete Year One Bounties will be auto-abandoned on 09/08 in preparation for launch of The Taken King
- Incomplete Year One Exotic Bounties are auto-completed with their respective Vendors
- Year One bounties issues by Eris will be retired
- Reputation with Crota’s Bane can continue to be earned by completing Quests in The Taken King
- Tower
- Collections have been added to the Tower
- Emblems/Shaders can be found near Eva Lavante
- Ships can be fo und near Amanda Holliday
- Exotic Armor and Weapon Blueprint added to the Tower
- You will now have the Blueprint for all Exotics you own in your Collection
- Report to the Vanguard in the Hall of Guardians
- Inventory
- Motes of Light will be used to grant XP to Weapons and Armor
- Class-specific Armor materials will be deprecated in favor of a unified Armor Material
- Vanguard Quartermaster, Roni-9940, will exchange old materials for armor material [Update: This change takes effect on 09/15]
- Weapons & Armor
- For full weapons update, see: https://www.bungie.net/en/News/News?aid=13147
- World
- Fallen Wolf Hunt Patrols will retreat in anticipation of the arrival of Oryx in your solar system
- The Elder Cipher
- The Elder Cipher will no longer drop upon completion of the Skolas Challenge Arena in the Prison of Elders. The Exotic items offered with the Elder Cipher will now have a chance to drop from the Prison of Elders Treasure Chest.
