This article can also be found at Bungie.net
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Can You Hear Me Now?
When change is afoot, misinformation can run rampant. I saw plenty of it as people digested and debated the upgrade reveals that landed yesterday…
“I can only upgrade one existing Exotic a week?”
No, Xûr will have many of them in stock.
“Is Xûr the only way to obtain new Exotics?”
No. They’ll drop as part of new loot tables.
“So I have to buy new content to keep up?”
No. All players will have options to progress.
“Is the upgrade automatic?”
No. You’ll choose where you invest the effort.
“Does this make all my gear worthless?”
No! I’ll be holding onto my Dead Orbit Heavy.
Confusion intensified. I rushed to update our blog with some more granular information. When coveted weapons are at stake, misinformation cannot stand (man), hence the hasty typing. Amidst the flurry of activity, to make the morning even better, I delivered this gem to the Internet:
Let’s talk about why this is the worst Tweet I have ever sent in my life:
- I am Tweeting at myself, like a crazy person
- The issue is not linked for maximum confusion
- The genuine article “is” should be “are”
- It looks like I’m telling the player they are wrong
Let me get this straight. The player is never “wrong.” I believe that down to my bones. At Bungie, I represent to the developers what you say without prejudice. Lesson learned: Never Tweet when you’re in a hurry.
Sorry about the confusion. What do you say, Internet. Still want to be friends? If so, join me in an exploration of our plans in greater detail.
[divider]Scoring Them Upgrades
Let’s talk a little bit more about what’s motivating this new economy designed to propel the evolution of your Guardian and the arsenal at your disposal. Here are the facts:
- Destiny will continue to provide new ways to evolve
- Your existing items will still be effective in any encounter
- The Dark Below will contain exclusive options to level up
- More powerful Exotics will drop, or be sold by Xûr
- More powerful Legendaries will drop, or be sold by vendors
- More powerful Raid gear will drop – and more often!
- More predictable options will upgrade beloved Exotics
- Exotic upgrades purchased from Xûr replace weaker items
- Exotic upgrade paths require much less time and material
- An upgraded Exotic is more powerful right out of the box
If you’re a Level 30, you’re ready to tackle Crota’s End on Day One (more on that below). If you like your weapons just the way they are, you are welcome to keep them that way. You’ll find that they’re still enormously effective in just about any tactical scenario – even Iron Banner (more on that below).
In the months to come, your quest to become more powerful will have more avenues that lead to satisfaction. The last thing we wanted was for you to look at your favorite gun or helmet and decide that it had become obsolete. Since the reveal, we’ve read a lot of ideas for how this could have been done better. Your feedback is clear: The time you have invested in your stuff should be respected.
That conversation is already raging internally, as it always does. In the meantime, the existing plan is in place to make sure that, as consumers of The Dark Below start to become even legendier, those who don’t opt in aren’t left behind. We’re making these options available to everyone, whether they own Expansion I or not.
[divider]The Constant Gardeners
Here are the known issues we’ve discovered since the last time you installed an update, along with what we’re doing about them.
Pocket Infinity
- Charges too quickly after the first shot
- Fix in progress, to be released in a future update
Daily Event Reward Packages
- No longer delivered by the Postmaster after a Public Event
- Will be fixed automatically in The Dark Below update
- All players will receive the fix when Expansion I goes live
[divider]Show. No. Mercy.
We’ve explored a lot of ways that Expansion I will change Destiny. Weapons. Gear. Even Relic Iron. But what about the Crucible?
So glad you asked. We’ve saved that for last. Design Lead Lars Bakken has the answers. He says…
Destiny is an ever changing and growing game. We’re excited that you’re along for the ride. Here’s a look ahead at the Crucible through the end of the year.
Slaughter Rules
- Live right now!
- In the event of a massacre, all parties are returned to orbit at the conclusion of the match
Team-based playlists
- If one team is grossly under-performing, the session is dissolved in favor of matchmaking
Rumble playlist
- If three or more players are grossly under-performing, the session is dissolved in favor of matchmaking
Public Playlists
- Limited-time playlists (Salvage and Combined Arms) will be available to all players
- Bastion and First Light have moved out of Control and Clash to Combined Arms
Premium Playlists
- New Playlists will let you play new content right away
- Playlists will require The Dark Below to enter
- Each week, we’ll have two additional Premium Playlists
- Week One will be Clash and Rumble on new maps
- Rotators will change each week
- New experimental modes to be included!
Iron Banner!
- Lord Saladin returns to the Tower on December 16th
- He’ll reset Event Standings – like a new season
- Level 31 inventory can be earned by winners
- The Dark Below will not be required to compete
[divider]Crota’s End-game
On your marks. Another Raid is about to become available. Get set. In order to Go, you’ll need the following:
- The Dark Below
- A Fireteam sorted for battle
- A Level 30 Guardian to lead them
The race begins on December 9th at 1AM Pacific Time. You will not need to complete the other Missions, Quests, Bounties, or Strikes first. The Raid will beckon at Zero Hour.