Developer Bungie rolled out a major patch update for "Destiny," which is the biggest yet, in preparation for the release of "The Dark Below" DLC. The patch addresses bugs and technical issues to ensure that the addition of the new expansion pack will be smooth.
The patch update is comprised of exotic weapons and armor upgrades. Thus, players no longer have to gather Ascendant Materials to upgrade to Exotic, but players need Exotic Shard from dismantled Exotic to arrive to the final upgrade. The update also fixes the raids, vendors, as well as the party chat in Xbox One.
This is not the first time that Bungie released updates ahead of upcoming DLCs. Last month, the developer rolled out improvements including new shaders, purchase previews, increased odds for public events, and other technical fixes.
DLCs are meant to give players new content to keep them interested in playing the game. Bungie and Activision are set to release the first of two expansion packs for "Destiny."
"The Dark Below" expansion pack is bound to arrive to users on Dec. 9 and it costs $19.99. Meanwhile, the "Destiny" Expansion Pass costs $34.99 for Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 4.
Below are the full details of the "Destiny" patch update that players would want to have in order truly enjoy the DLCs when they arrive:
Weapons
Exotics:
- Exotic Weapons are designed to look, feel, and sound overpowered. At the same time, they are not supposed to break the balance of the game. We hope these weapons challenge the way players think about their loadouts. Exotics will be a constant work in-progress!
General:
- In preparation for the Dark Below, Exotic Armor and Weapons no longer require Ascendant Materials to upgrade
- The final upgrade node of all Exotic Gear will require an Exotic Shard
- Exotic Shards can be obtained by one of the following means:
- Dismantling unwanted Exotics
- Purchased from Xur for 7 Strange Coins
- Exotics now start at a higher base Attack value and have a narrowed upgrade range to compensate
Thorn:
- Projectiles now briefly highlight targets on impact
- Mark of the Devourer DoT (damage-over-time) upgrade increased against PvE enemy targets
- Reload Speed increased
- Magazine Size increased
- Ammo inventory size increased
- Stability and Weapon Handling increased
Bad Juju:
- Magazine Size increased to 8 bursts (was 5)
- Ammo inventory size increased
- String of Curses now also decreases the cooldown of your Super on kill
- Adjusted effects to not block first person reticle
Hard Light:
- Stability increased
- Perfect Balance upgrade replaced by Fitted Stock (increases maximum possible weapon Stability)
Suros Regime:
- Lowered total damage at the end of the mag on SUROS Regime upgrade to be more in line with the Glass Half Full perk on Legendary Auto Rifles
Monte Carlo:
- Stability increased
- Range slightly decreased
- Monte Carlo Method upgrade now also has a chance to fully charge melee ability on kill
MIDA Multi-Tool:
- MIDA rounds now have increased knockback against targets in both PvE and PvP
Hawkmoon:
- Send It upgrade (which was redundant) replaced by Speed Reload
Red Death:
- Rate of Fire increased slightly, but Burst Damage reduced to compensate
Plan C:
- Weapon Handling speed increased
- Player Speed increased while Plan C is in hand
Pocket Infinity:
- Speed Reload upgrade replaced by Extended Clip which allows the option to increase magazine size (5 bursts)
Vex Mythoclast:
- Attack Power increased to 323 (from 300)
- Base Damage increased, fixing bug we introduced in previous patch
- Enhanced Battery upgrade by Extended Mag (this change still allows for a significant upgrade to Magazine Size, but less than before)
Invective:
- Reload Speed increased significantly, auto fires slightly slower
Ice Breaker:
- Send It upgrade replaced by Lightweight (which was redundant as Icebreaker already had maximum range)
- New effects for enemies killed by Ice Breaker upgrade
Patience and Time:
- Snapshot upgrade replaced by Custom Optics (provides a lower zoom option)
Super Good Advice:
- Stability increased
Truth:
- Magazine Size increased to 3 (was 1)
Activities:
Raid:
- Fixed an issue we introduced in a previous patch, in which Atheon did not correctly send 3 players through the time gates
- Fixed an exploit where the Templar could be forced off its platform
Daily Heroic Story:
- Destination Materials now drop from completing the Daily Heroic
Bounties:
- Removed the 'Relic Hunter' Bounty
- Destination Materials now drop from completing the Daily Patrol Bounty
Vendors:
- Reduced Cryptarch reputation gain from Engrams, but reputation reward packages now have an increased chance for Legendary Engrams
- Players will now be able to use Vanguard Marks and Crucible Marks to purchase Spinmetal, Relic Iron, Spirit Bloom, and Helium Filaments from the Vanguard and Crucible Quartermasters in the Tower
- Xur now sells a new material, Exotic Shards, to upgrade the final node of Exotics for 7 Strange Coins
- Faction Class Items (ex: FWC Cloak, Dead Orbit Mark, etc.) are now replaced by Faction Emblems in the rank-up reward packages from Faction Vendors
Technical:
- Networking fixes, which should reduce the instance of the Bee family of KTOs
- Fixed an issue in which using Xbox One party chat induced a slower frame rate
