Destiny 2 - dmg04
This week at Bungie, we’ve got a sweet tooth… for loot! 

Boo! 

Did I scare you? Probably not. But hey, it’s Festival of the Lost! Things are feeling a bit spookier than usual. I can’t take a turn in the Tower without running into a Guardian dressed for the occasion. Eva Levante has returned, masks and all! If you missed the rundown on our spooky seasonal event last week, be sure to read last week’s blog article.



Tuesday kicked off the Festival of the Lost, but we’ve also unveiled a few treats that will be coming your way in November. Beyond Light is opening the doors to Europa and renewing your quest for sweet, precious loot! In case you missed it, check out our https://www.bungie.net/7/en/Destiny/BeyondLight/Gear?ciid=48001, and the trailer below. 



Wait a second, we’re giving Warlocks what? Gauntlets that spread poison through hordes of enemies?! I want some! The ability to shift using Mask of Bakris looks pretty sweet for Hunters. In just a little over a month you may find your new favorite Exotic in the wild! 

Today, we’ve got a lot to cover including changes coming to armor mods, the kickoff of our Festival of the Lost Art and Fashion shows, and more! Let’s get started where it all began, in the Cosmodrome. 

Burn Bright, New Light 
Over the last year, there’s been a lot of great feedback about the new player experience in Destiny 2. Currently, players are given a single mission to become acquainted with some basic gameplay, and then let loose in the Tower without much direction on where to go or what to do next. This led to some confusion, as many players didn’t exactly know where to start. Who’s that robot that’s meticulously cleaning an Auto Rifle? What do I do with these engrams? And what’s a Zavala? The team has been working to restructure the onramp for Destiny 2, and today we’ll be giving a small glimpse into the New Light experience.  



Starting November 10, players will start in the same way that most all of us have. A Ghost will be on the hunt for their Guardian, they’ll stumble upon you, and they’ll revive you for the first time. What’s different now is that you won’t immediately find a ship. Rather, you’ll stumble into another Guardian in the wild.  



Shaw Han is his name, and he’s on a mission with his fireteam to investigate what the Hive are up to in the Cosmodrome. He’ll show you the ropes, and help you find your way among the gameplay and systems of Destiny 2. 

As a new player, you’ll spend your first few missions getting acquainted with the state of the world in Destiny 2. You’ll have opportunity to take a few weapons out for a spin, find  engrams to try different armor and see our progression systems, and have some time to learn how to navigate the user interface to understand quests, bounties, collections, and more. All of this will happen before you set foot in the Tower, and our hope is that this refreshed New Light experience will give a much warmer welcome to Guardians as they play Destiny 2 for the first time.  



With the Cosmodrome coming out of the Destiny Content Vault (DCV), this gave us the perfect opportunity to overhaul our new player experience. For veteran players out there, this will be a stroll through memory lane. While the Plaguelands are strictly quarantined per Vanguard orders, you’ll still be able to explore much of what you remember from your first days as a Guardian. Running through the Mothyards to collect Spinmetal, heading down the stairs of the Steppes to face off against powerful Hive Knights, and more. There will be occasional moments of discovery, like stumbling upon a Lost Sector that you haven’t seen before. If you’re an existing player and would like to go through the New Light quest, it will also be available to you on November 10.    We’re excited to see how new players react to our revamped New Light experience, and for many of you to get your boots back on the ground in the Cosmodrome. 

Eyes up, Guardian.  

Mod Modifications
We’re a little over a month out from Beyond Light. Thirty-three days, to be precise. We have quite a bit to cover between now and then, from sandbox updates to how your various economies are being updated. Sandbox is always a hot topic of discussion, and today we’ll be diving a bit deeper into the ways you customize your gameplay experience through armor mods. 

Armor mods are used to elevate your reload speeds, ability regen, and more to higher levels. In November, some of the mods you commonly use are being tuned. Some mods will be buffed, while others will be removed all together. Here, we’re going to dive into a patch note preview of sorts, with snippets of developer commentary from the development team throughout. 

Energy Type Requirements
  • All of the weapon-oriented armor mods (i.e. Hand Cannon Loader, Fusion Rifle Ammo Finder, etc.) have been changed to be Any Energy Type. 
      • As a result of the above change, all Arc Charged with Light mods now activate their second perk if you have any other Arc mod equipped on the same armor piece, OR if you have any other Arc Charged with Light mod socketed in any other armor piece you are wearing. 
Developer Commentary: Removing the energy type requirements from weapon-focused mods has been a consistent piece of community feedback since Armor 2.0 launched. However, doing so meant that every mod socket would be displaying three times as many mods at a time, which would become cumbersome.

Enhanced Mod Rebalancing 
  • All mods that have an Enhanced version of that mod (i.e. Enhanced Hand Cannon Loader) have had the base mods’ efficacy increased to match that of the Enhanced version of the mod. 
      • As a result, those Enhanced mods have been deprecated, and the base mods’ energy costs have been adjusted upward slightly (but are still lower than the equivalent Enhanced mods). 
  • Some mods have moved to different slots to create more competition for mod sockets across armor pieces (for example, the Fast Ready mods have moved to the Arms socket). 
Developer Commentary: We consistently see feedback that players often don’t start feeling the impact of mods until they have an Enhanced mod, or two non-Enhanced mods, socketed. So, to resolve both issues, we decided to raise the floor on the effectiveness of all mods to the point where players were more likely to feel their impact,and to deprecate the two tiers of mods. This should also make having two different mods in the same category (say, Hand Cannon Loader and Shotgun Loader) socketed at the same time more appealing than it was previously, where players often needed to double-stack the same mod to feel like they are getting any benefit.  
In essence, we are making Enhanced mods cheaper and more accessible, and deprecating the lesser mods.

Raid Mods 
  • Starting in Season 12, the Last Wish, Garden of Salvation, and the upcoming Beyond Light raid armors will now drop with a fifth, dedicated armor mod socket that is exclusively for the mods related to that raid. 
      • Last Wish and Garden of Salvation armor acquired prior to Season 12 will not have this dedicated armor socket, but will still be able to use the mods related to that raid in the new Legacy armor mod socket. 
  • Anti-Taken mods from Last Wish will only function in the Last Wish raid. 
  • Anti-Hive mods from the Leviathan Raid will be deprecated. 
  • Anti-Fallen raid mods from Scourge of the Past will be deprecated. 
Developer Commentary: The decision to give the raid armors a fifth mod socket, dedicated solely to its raid mods, should not only make the raid armors a more valuable reward, but also should compensate for the restriction on the usage of these raid mods with the ability to use that armor to craft your build both in and out of the raid. 

Regarding the deprecation of the anti-Hive and anti-Fallen mods, and the restriction of the anti-Taken mods to Last Wish, this is something that we’ve had our eye on for a while. We consistently get feedback that  faction-specific mods are highly unbalanced outside of the content they were intended to work in (in this case, the raids, which are being moved into the DCV). Because these are useful with any instance of a combatant race, activity designers and sandbox designers were constantly having to be aware of how these mods would impact the play of those activities. They have proven to be problematic in Gambit (creating a clear divide between the Haves and the Have-Nots) and have significantly reduced the challenge of dungeons.

With the raids that provided the source for these mods going into the DCV provides, we have the opportunity to gracefully remove these mods and their long-reaching consequences. Last Wish, which was designed and balanced with its anti-Taken mods in mind, will remain a part of the game and continue to reward players with its mods. However, to prevent those far-reaching consequences mentioned above, we are aligning those mods with the other raid mods and making them function only in the raid that they drop from. We’ve had a positive response to the more mechanic-focused mods from Garden of Salvation, and future raids will have mods more like those.

Combat Mods
  • All armor released in Beyond Light and Season 12, all Last Wish and Garden of Salvation armor acquired starting in Season 12, and all Armor 2.0 Exotic armor pieces (including those already possessed by players) will have a Combat style mod socket. In Season 12, this socket will accept all Charged with Light and Warmind Cell mods.  
  • All Armor 2.0 armor acquired during Seasons 8-11 have had their Seasonal mod sockets replaced with a single, unified Legacy mod socket that can socket all Charged with Light mods, all Warmind Cell mods, all Nightmare Hunt mods, all Garden of Salvation mods, and all Last Wish mods. 

And with that, we’ve come to an end for our armor mod patch note preview. In the coming weeks, we’ll shift focus to your arsenal. We have a handful of weapon archetypes that are being tuned, with some hefty changes that may surprise you! Stay tuned.  

Festival of the Lost - Art and Fashion Shows!
This community is home to wide ranging talent. We’ve seen full on Cabal cosplays at PAX, works of art created on oil and canvas, and some amazing screenshots taken throughout our solar system. With Festival of the Lost in full swing, we’d like to highlight your skills, and pass out some emblems in the process. 

#FOTLArtShow 
Now, we aren’t going to be too strict on a prompt here, but we’d love to see your takes on spooky themes in the worlds of Destiny. Carve a pumpkin, build out a cosplay, or draw some Festival of the Lost themed art (digital or physical mediums are both awesome!), and tweet your submission using the hashtag #FOTLArtShow. We’ll retweet our favorites from @Bungie throughout Festival of the Lost and send you an "Aspect of Luminance" emblem you can show off to your friends! 



#FOTLFashionShow
It wouldn’t be Festival of the Lost without a costume contest of sorts, now would it? Eva Levante has been dishing out some fun masks for you to wear in the wild, and we’d love to see how you’re dressing your Guardians for the occasion.  

Take a screenshot of your Guardian wearing a Festival of the Lost mask in any activity or at any destination. Be sure to dress your Guardian with armor and shaders to compliment your headwear. Tweet your submission with the hashtag #FOTLFashionShow, and we’ll retweet winners from @Bungie through the end of the event. If your shot is selected, we’ll grant you the "Levante’s Prize" emblem. 



These will serve as your last chances to get the Aspect of Luminance and Levante’s Prize emblems from Year 3. We may use these emblems as rewards again in the future, but they’ll be on hiatus for a while. 
Without further ado, get to it! Time’s ticking. Extra points to any submissions that visibly creep us out.  

Creepy Crawlies 

While it may be the time of year where people actively decorate their homes in spider webs, we’ll never be too keen on bugs. Destiny Player Support is on the case, ensuring you don’t get tangled on your way to this year’s Festival of the Lost. 

This is their report. 

SEASON OF ARRIVALS TITLE 
Due to the Cradle encounter’s weekly rotation, it is possible for players to miss an encounter before the end of Season of Arrivals if they are not already completed; this would also prevent players from earning the Season of Arrivals title. Players who are looking to complete the Season of Arrivals title should ensure they have enough time to complete all associated Triumphs before the end of the season. Players who earn the Season of Arrivals title should claim and equip it to ensure that it isn’t removed at the end of the Season. 

BEYOND LIGHT AND THE END OF SEASON OF ARRIVALS 

To prepare for the release of Beyond Light and Season of [REDACTED] on November 10, 2020, Destiny 2 will need to be taken offline for maintenance. In order to prepare for Update 3.0.0, Destiny 2 will be taken offline for maintenance at 7 PM PST (Pacific Standard Time) on November 9, 2020, and will remain offline until November 10, 2020, at 10 AM PST. During this offline period, the game will not be available, and Season of Arrivals items will be made unavailable. Players are strongly urged to finish any Season of Arrivals content or Triumphs before 7 PM on November 9th. 

CLOSING OUT SEASON OF ARRIVALS 

When Season of Arrivals ends at 7 PM PST on November 9, 2020, there will be a number of items, activities, and Triumphs that will no longer be available to players. Some of these items include: 
      • The Prophecy Dungeon (which will return in a later Season) 
      • The Ruinous Effigy quest 
      • Traveler's Chosen quest 
      • The Seed of Silver Wings Seasonal Artifact and the player power increase from said artifact 
      • Unopened Umbral Engrams 
A full list of items being removed at the Season’s end can be found here

PC MIGRATION 

Since moving to Steam, Destiny 2 players have been able to migrate their characters, licenses, and progress from Battle.net to Steam via a one-time transfer. This transfer process will no longer be available beginning December 1, 2020. Any Destiny 2 PC players who have not migrated their licenses and content from Battle.net to Steam will no longer be available to do so starting on December 1. Players in this state are encouraged to start our PC Migration process so they will not lose access to their Destiny 2 licenses and content. 

Please note that if a player has progress on Steam and chooses to undergo PC Migration, any existing content on Steam will be overwritten by migrated Battle.net content. This means that all character and progress data on Steam will be deleted and replaced by the character and progress data from Battle.net. This cannot be undone. 

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:  
      • We are aware of an issue where the "Candy Collected" emblem tracker isn't tracking 2020 Candy. 
      • We are investigating an issue where Eris Morn’s dialogue and subtitles are not appearing for Korean players in the final Interference mission. 
      • We are investigating an issue where Cipher Decoders are not dropping often for players. 
      • We are aware of an issue where the Masquerader's Helmet has inconsistent Power levels when acquired from Eva. 
      • We are aware of an issue where gear can sometimes drop at 750 Power from the Haunted Forest chests. 

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.  

Please note that Season Pass rewards from Season of the Worthy will be unavailable to claim when Season of Arrivals ends. Past Season Pass rewards can be claimed
here.

Jumpscares 

I don’t know about you, but I just can’t handle jump scares. When I sit back to watch a two-hour horror film full of terrifying screams and scary themes, I just want to relax. This week, you won’t find any jump scares in our MOTW picks. Rather, you’ll find some killer community content.

More Than Just A Dream! 


FotL Trailer – Guitar Cover 


Definitely a Titan Main 


We’ve only got a few more TWAB’s to earn the Shadowkeep MOTW emblem. Put together your best clips, throw some spicy music on it, and get it on the Community Creations page! Just make sure to include a link to your Bungie.net profile so we know where to send the emblem. 

In closing...
There’s nothing like the buzz before the launch of a new expansion in Destiny 2. If we were in the office, we’d be feeling electricity in the air at Bungie. Things are getting tied up. We’re taking a magnifying glass to the content, finishing up our final test passes to prepare the next year of Destiny 2 for launch. Even in a world where we’re working remotely, the excitement is felt in each meeting as we dot the I's and cross the t’s. Soon, it will all be in your hands, and we’ll be right there with you as you embark on your first journeys of Europa. 

We hope you enjoyed a peek at upcoming Exotics earlier this week. We have a lot more for you to see, and a lot more for you to experience, all coming soon. We know many of you are trying to plan some time off for the raid race, and we’re looking to have some details on that next week. Stay tuned. 

Cheers,
-dmg04 
Destiny 2 - contact@rockpapershotgun.com (Alice O'Connor)

A frame from a Destiny 2: Beyond Light trailer showing the new Exotic gear.

We should have been playing Destiny 2: Beyond Light by now, but while the expansion’s delayed to November we can at least gawp at some of its gear and imagine how cool it might be to use. The answer is: quite cool. Bungie today detailed the new Exotic-quality weapons and armour coming in Beyond Light, and some sound powerful, some sound like they’ll open up new tactics, and some just sound great fun. A sniper rifle summoning lightning? Warlock punches spreading contagious poison? My Hunter’s dodge becoming a blink>? I’m game.

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Oct 2, 2020
Destiny 2 - AlmightyEvent
This holiday is a time for Guardians to indulge their sweet tooth, don irreverent masks, and celebrate the memories of those we have lost. The Pyramid ships loom, Europa awaits, and Darkness beckons. But for now, return to the Tower, grab some candy, and remind yourself what you're fighting for.



Secrets in the Forest
The Haunted Forest is open once again, and this time, The Spider wants to bargain for your cooperation. Meet with him, line your pockets with Cipher Decoders, and then race the clock within the dark corridors of the Haunted Forest. Keep your wits about you and there may be more than one treasure chest waiting for you at the end.



Wrapped Rewards
A new Exotic Sparrow, ship, and Ghost are all wrapped up and ready for your collection. There are also new Triumphs to unlock, new masks to wear, and more chances to get a perfect roll with new perk possibilities on the Braytech Werewolf and Horror Story Auto Rifles.



Festival Masks

Show your Festival of the Lost spirit by collecting a variety of new masks and returning favorites. Acquire a Masquerader Helmet from Eva and apply your mask ornaments to join the festivities.



Terrifying Triumphs
If you find yourself constructing a throne made of candy, there's a chance you earned a Triumph that grants you the new Festival of the Lost emblem. Check by logging into your Bungie Rewards account and see how close you are to unlocking the new Restless Ghost Shell collectible pin too.



Scary Stylish
Embody the spirit of the festival with a new line of spooky universal armor ornaments that will bring out your inner ghoul. Hop on your broomstick, make sure your Ghost equips their witch hat, and if your Ghastly Durance emote doesn't scare your enemies to death, try using the new One-inch Punch Finisher.

Destiny 2 - Cozmo 
This week at Bungie, we’re summoning some ghosts. 

Next week, we’re getting spooky up in the Tower again. Festival of the Lost returns on October 6 for more fright-filled fun. This year’s festival is going to rock! 



Check out our Festival of the Lost 2020 page for a quick look at what to expect during this year’s event. 
Eva Levante, or as you all affectionately call her “Space Grandma,” has returned to the Tower to lead Guardians in a celebration of those we’ve lost. We miss you, Cayde.  
The Haunted Forest is back and filled with ghoulish enemies. This year, we’ve added five chests to the end of the activity for five times the loot! 



To open the chests, you are going to need some Cipher Decoders. Talk to Spider to get started and then they will drop from playing any of your favorite activities across the solar system - similar to Umbral Engrams. Braytech Werewolf and Horror Story will both be rewarded from these chests and each have new perk combinations to hunt for. 

You’ve probably been hearing this a lot lately, but it goes double for Festival of the Lost: don’t forget to put on your mask. There are new masks available this year as well as some favorites from the past. Eva has a Masquerader Helmet which you can apply your masks to as ornaments before you head out in the world to start stockpiling candy. The mask mods for the Haunted Forest also return from last year’s event.  



Before we wrap up the event on November 3, you are going to want to complete three of the Triumphs for opening chests in the Haunted Forest. Once you finish off the required Triumphs you will be able to trade in some of your candy for a mummified Exotic Sparrow, ship, and Ghost. 



Finishing the “Wrapped and Ready” Triumph required to get the Exotic Ghost also unlocks the ability to purchase the Restless Shell Ghost pin through Bungie Rewards. 

Speaking of Bungie Rewards, we also have a terrifying new emblem available for free if you finish the initial quest during Festival of the Lost.  



That’s the gist of it, but here are a few quick notes that may answer some questions you have: 
  • Minimum Power to enter the Haunted Forest is 750. 
  • You can hold up to 25 Cipher Decoders before you need to go open some chests in the Haunted Forest. 
  • There will be both earnable masks and masks available for Silver/Bright Dust. 
    • Any Triumphs involving masks do not require masks from Eververse. 
  • Bounties will return from last year and will once again offer Bright Dust. 
  • All-new Eververse items will be available for both Silver and Bright Dust except for the “One-Inch Punch” finisher which will be available for Silver. 
  • The toothbrush is still just a toothbrush.

Direct Relief 
It seems like 2020 has been one disaster after another. It’s easy to get discouraged when times get tough, but the Destiny community always comes together to support those in need. 

Here in the United States, more than 500,000 people having been evacuated from their homes across California, Oregon, and Washington, entire towns devoured by flames, and there has been a serious impact on the respiratory health of millions of individuals in and around these areas.  

The Bungie Foundation is once again supporting the relief efforts of Direct Relief to provide N-95 masks, medicine, and other resources to healthcare agencies and first responders in wildfire-affected communities across California, Oregon, and Washington. 

All profits from the sale of the Empathetic Ghost Shell pin from October 1 until October 15 will benefit Direct Relief’s wildfire relief efforts. 

If you purchase an Empathetic Ghost Shell you will also instantly receive a code for the “Benevolent Hue” emblem as a thank you for your support.  



Thank you all for continuing to step up to every challenge that this year has sent our way and for truly being the most generous and caring gaming community there is. 

Double Ordeal
Festival of the Lost is not the only reason to log in next week. Double rewards in Nightfall: The Ordeal is back! Grab a few friends or meet some new ones in the matchmade difficulties. It’s a great time to stock up on Enhancement Prisms and Ascendant Shards for your Masterworking needs as well as to grab any missing Exotics or upgrade to a better stat roll. 

The strike will be “A Garden World” so watch out for those killer robots.   

PSR BUT IT’S HAUNTED 


Now we turn things over to our Player Support team with the latest on known issues. 
This is their report.  

Festival of the Lost
Festival of the Lost 2020 is set to begin on October 6, and will conclude at the weekly reset on November 3. Players can view our updated Festival of the Lost Guide for information on event specific activities, rewards, and triumphs.  

During the event, players may encounter the following issues: 

  • Inspecting a Cipher Decoder will incorrectly display Masterworked versions of the Braytech Werewolf and Horror Story auto rifles as potential Haunted Forest Cache drops. 
  • The Wrapped and Ready Festival of the Lost Triumph refers to the Restless Shell as the mummy Ghost, when it should be called the Festival of the Lost Ghost. 
  • The lower half of the Warlock Blood Lineage Robes Universal Armor Ornament will experience a visual texture error at the launch of Beyond Light. This issue will be resolved in a patch soon after release.   
Players who observe issues during the event should report to our #Help forum

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: 

  • Players using the feminine character model may see gaps between the neck of Hunter cloaks and certain chest pieces. 
  • The Artifact is sometimes enabled in Iron Banner. 
  • Bounties/progress is sometimes not counted in Iron Banner.
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.

Channel Surfing  


Let’s take a quick look at some of the best community-created movies we saw surfing the web this week. Do people still say that? “Surfing the web?” or is that a relic from the early 2000s? Anyways, here’s “Wonderwall.”  

Movie of the Week: The Fast Find a Way 


Honorable Mention: Smashing


Did you win? Congrats! Now please make sure you have your Bungie.net profile in the description of you video so we can get you your emblem. 

I love this time of year. Any time it’s socially acceptable to put on a costume and eat sweets until you get a stomachache is a good time. It’s extra fun if you have kids/pets to dress up. Can’t wait to also start dressing up my Hunter next week as well. I’m going to make him look so hideous that it gives Dmg a stomachache.

<3 Cozmo 
Destiny 2 - contact@rockpapershotgun.com (Alice O'Connor)

A gang of Guardians in Destiny 2: Beyond Light.

This was to be the week Bungie launched Destiny 2: Beyond Light but, like everything else this year, the expansion ended up delayed. This week has at least brought news about installing Beyond Light come November, both good and bad. Good news: thanks to some revamped technoguts, the game should take up less drive space and Bungie should be able to patch any urgent problems faster. Bad news: you’ll need to download the whole game again when Beyond Light arrives. We’ll get a few hours’ head-start to preload, at least.

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Destiny 2 - dmg04
This week at Bungie, the weather is changing…

You feel that? The slight chill in the air? It’s time to prepare for a colder climate, Guardians. Europa has no sympathy for unprepared guests. You might want to come with a weapon or two, because frigid storms aren’t the only danger to be found here. Don’t be afraid, though. An old friend will be waiting for your arrival.



The weather may be brutal, but that won’t stop you from exploring this frontier. Take a look at the map of Europa, and be sure to check out our most recent weather forecast.




You now have less than seven weeks to get ready. Don’t get caught out in the cold without a plan. November 10 is coming quick, and we’re eager to see how long you survive.

We have a pretty full TWAB this week. Xbox Game Pass, Iron Banner, Tech Changes, and more. Head over to the full article to see more.
Destiny 2

Destiny 2 is getting customisable ghosts, Bungie has announced.

Ghosts are the little floating balls that accompany guardians. Your ghost in the original Destiny was voiced by Peter Dinklage (he of "that wizard came from the moon!" fame), before he was replaced by Nolan North.

Ghosts have worked much the same in Destiny for years, popping into existence to res you whenever you bite the dust. Not to dig too deeply into the lore, but it is your ghost, supposedly a piece of the Traveler itself, who raises you from the dead at the beginning of Destiny 1 to become a Light-bearing guardian.

Read more

Destiny 2 - Cozmo 
This week at Bungie, we’re making the most of your Ghosts.

Last week, a new Exotic became available to add to your collection and we celebrated Destiny’s birthday. I’m still keeping an eye out for pictures of attempts at making that cake. Things are a little quieter this week. Which makes it a great time to take advantage of the double rewards being offered for completions of The Ordeal this week. You love to see it when a bug becomes a feature. 

Speaking of upcoming features… 

Customizable Ghosts
A Guardian’s Ghost is their most trusted ally and is tasked with keeping them in the fight. Your Ghost isn’t just in charge of bringing you back from the brink, it also comes with some perks and a wide range of cool looks to choose from. We have some changes planned for your floaty friends and asked Designer Mina Jasinski to tell us about what her team is doing to improve how you customize your Ghosts. 

Mina Jasinski: Ghosts have always been important partners to our Guardians in the Destiny universe, but they haven’t received any meaningful updates in quite some time.
To allow Ghosts to truly shine as the useful and interesting companions we’d like them to be, we decided it was time to give them a bit of an overhaul.
In Destiny 2: Beyond Light, Ghosts have received a system update which shares some functionality to what was done with armor in Shadowkeep. Here’s a brief outline of what to expect:
  • Ghost Shells will now have energy levels and access to mods with various energy costs instead of being pre-loaded with specific perks.
  • This treatment has been applied to all Ghosts outside of the Generalist Shell, so you can use your favorite Ghost Shells, regardless of tier.
  • A selection of mods will be available on all Ghost Shells by default, while the remaining ones will be obtainable via various gameplay sources. Information on where to find these mods can be learned from Collections.
  • Ghost mods will be obtained from gameplay reward loops and will not be purchasable from Eververse.
  • Ghosts now have four mod slots. Three are unlocked by default, and the fourth is unlocked by Masterworking the Ghost Shell.

One of our goals with this update was to separate visuals from functionality. We wanted any Ghost Shell to be viable and still have access to highly useful mods, regardless of tier or source.You'll be able to select your favorite Ghost Shell based on appearance without any detriment to your experience. Whether you purchase a Ghost Shell from Eververse, earn it from the newest raid or pull an old favorite out of Collections, your Ghost will have access to all the same mods across your account. From there you can increase energy levels on your favorite Ghost Shells and set each of them up with different mod combinations of your choosing.

As mentioned above, Ghosts will now have access to a total of four mod slots, each with their own unique mod selection. There will be an Experience mod slot, a Tracking mod slot, an Economic mod slot, and an Activity mod slot; the last of which is unlocked when the Ghost is Masterworked at 10 energy. You’ll be able to mix and match mods from these categories however you like, with respect to energy limits. Mod slots each have a selection of mods that can be combined to fit your playstyle. For example, a Crucible-focused player who wants to grind out materials and earn XP towards their Seasonal rewards track might choose Guiding Light, Meager Glimmer Booster, and Lesser Core Harvest (Crucible). There are a variety of combinations that can be set up on different Ghosts to suit whatever goals you might be chasing at the time!

For those wondering what will happen to the old Ghost perks, most have been brought forward largely unchanged as default unlocked mods. In some cases, such as the destination-specific material or cache trackers, those mods have been transformed into globally effective, non-destination-specific versions of themselves for better utility. Energy costs for those mods now reflect the increased flexibility and the mods must be earned from various vendor engrams. Kill Tracker and Leviathan Boss Kill perks will remain intrinsic only on their specific Ghost Shells. Even with these changes you’ll still be able to build most of the popular Exotic perk combinations that were available previously such as Guiding Light and Treasure Hunter, along with a plethora of new combinations!

We hope that these changes allow you to interact with your Ghost more meaningfully and help you to set up a variety of Ghost Shells that suit you in various playstyles and activities.





Honoring a Friend
Next week, we have a tribute going live in game to honor one of our dear friends at Vicarious Visions who passed away last year, Matt Helsom. The weekly reset will include a director message that will send you to Mars for a short quest to honor Mr. Helsom. He worked closely with teams at both Bungie and VV on various projects during our partnership and we wanted to memorialize his contributions in the Destiny universe.

We wish all of his family, friends, and everyone he impacted during his life the very best. Thank you to everyone in the community who joins us in remembering this warm soul.

X Marks the Pass
Now we turn things over to our Player Support team with the latest on known issues and upcoming fixes.
This is their report. 

XBOX GAME PASS AND EXPANSION AVAILABILITY
Next Tuesday, September 22, Destiny 2 will become available on Xbox Game Pass at 8 AM PDT, however, players won’t be able to access Forsaken or Shadowkeep until 10 AM PDT when Hotfix 2.9.2.1 goes live.

HOTFIX 2.9.2.1
Also, for next Tuesday, Hotfix 2.9.2.1 will go live. Below is a timeline of events:
  • 8:00 AM PDT (1500 UTC): Destiny 2 will undergo maintenance for Hotfix 2.9.2.1. Xbox players may not be able to view or access recently purchased DLC content until after maintenance is completed.
  • 8:45 AM PDT (1545 UTC): Destiny 2 will be brought offline for expected maintenance. Players will be removed from activities and won't be able to log back into Destiny 2 until 10 AM PDT.
  • 10:00 AM PDT (1700 UTC): Destiny 2 Hotfix 2.9.2.1 will be available across all platforms and regions. Players will be able to log back into Destiny 2.
  • 11:00 AM PDT (1800 UTC): Destiny 2 maintenance is expected to conclude.

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:
  • Clan XP can no longer be earned due to the Clan page saying that Season 11 is complete.
  • Hawthorne’s Weekly Challenge is no longer available.
  • Felwinter’s Helm changes the Warlock’s Solstice ornament glows to another glow.
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.

Dailies
Every day, new videos are posted on the Creations page and all around the World Wide Web. Each week, we pick our favorites and share them here for all the community to see. Hence the name, Movie of the Week. Here’s this week’s picks.
Movie of the Week: Fear Does Not Exist In This Dojo


Honorable Mention: EMERGENCY MEETING!

If you see your video above, please make sure you have your Bungie.net profile in the description of said video so we can deliver your new emblem.


You ever have someone shine a laser into your eye until you can see good(aka LASIK surgery)? If you’re planning on it, I recommend not doing it while a huge plume of smoke blankets your area for several days. How is the air where you are? We’re having a bit of “helmet on in the Tower” kind of time here on the West Coast right now.
Wherever you are, we hope you are doing well and looking forward to the bonus weeks of this Season as we rapidly approach the release on Beyond Light in a few short months. Next week, we will have Triple Infamy available, so go bank some motes. 
<3 Cozmo
Destiny 2 - contact@rockpapershotgun.com (Alice O'Connor)

Do not, as this official Destiny 2 screenshot suggests, bring an Arcstrider to Lake of Shadows.

If you’re short on upgrade materials in Destiny 2, you fancy building a stockpile ahead of the new expansion, or you just enjoy a challenge, this week has a fun opportunity to farm for huge rewards. The Lake Of Shadows mission is giving double rewards in Nightfall: The Ordeal mode until Tuesday, and I recommend having a go on a high difficult level. Lake cranked up to Grandmaster turns Destiny into a tactical shooter, requiring careful, planning, coordination, and execution or even a small fight will get you murdered, which is a lot more fun than it sounds. Scoring loads of Ascendant Shards and Exotic items is just gravy.

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Destiny 2

UPDATE 4.50pm UK: Bungie has attempted to douse reports it has discussed acquisition with Microsoft.

Replying on Twitter to internet tipster Nibel, Bungie boss Pete Parsons said it was "false" that Microsoft had been in talks to acquire Bungie multiple times and that each time the talks had fallen through due to Bungie's price.

It's a broad-handed denial to a very specific tweet, which summed up information discussed on the GamesBeat podcast. But it also seems to be Bungie's response to this story - I received a link to this tweet via a Bungie spokesperson this afternoon in place of an official comment.

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