On June 4, 2024, Bungie launched Destiny 2 Update 8.0.0.1, marking a pivotal enhancement in the game’s mechanics and overall player experience. This update is meticulously designed to refine gameplay, address balancing issues, and rectify numerous bugs. Below is an in-depth exploration of the update’s key features and modifications.
Subclass Changes and Adjustments
Unified Super Abilities
To achieve greater consistency across subclasses, all Super abilities now adhere to uniform damage-based recharge parameters. This adjustment balances the recharge times between long-recharge and short-recharge Supers, resulting in a more equitable gameplay experience.
Arcstrider Updates
- Arc Staff: The heavy palm strike and heavy air slam now have the added effect of blinding enemies.
- Disorienting Blow: The cooldown time has been reduced from 100 seconds to 90 seconds, enhancing its effectiveness in combat.
- Tempest Strike: This ability now provides damage resistance against PvE combatants, with effects lingering post-attack for sustained benefit.
Striker Enhancements
- Knockout: Increased bonus damage for powered melee attacks against PvE combatants from 25% to 50%. Additionally, the healing behavior has been revised to grant instant health upon defeating an enemy with a melee attack, with healing scaling based on the type of target.
- Touch of Thunder: Modifications have been made to the Lightning and Storm Grenades to improve their performance in PvE scenarios.
Stormcaller Improvements
- Lightning Surge: Enhanced damage resistance during activation provides additional survivability.
- Ball Lightning: The final arming shape size has been increased by 30%, improving its effectiveness.
- Chain Lightning: The base damage of secondary chain projectiles has been doubled, increasing its damage output.
Solar Subclass Refinements
- Restoration: The intensity of visual effects during active Supers has been reduced for better clarity.
- Cure: Healing now occurs over a period of 0.1 seconds, making it more readable in combat situations.
- Gunslinger: The throw animation speed for the Lightweight Knife has been increased, and an additional melee charge has been added to enhance versatility.
Void Subclass Revisions
- Nightstalker: Extended the linger duration and damage-over-time effects for Snare Bomb and Trapper’s Ambush smoke, improving their effectiveness in disrupting enemies.
- Sentinel: Enhanced tracking and damage for Shield Throw, and revised Ward of Dawn mechanics now grant Void Overshield and additional damage resistance.
Stasis Subclass Enhancements
- New Frost Armor Keyword: This addition reduces incoming damage, with damage resistance increasing per stack, offering improved defensive capabilities.
- Revenant: Grim Harvest now provides health and Frost Armor stacks, with improved cooldown standardization for better reliability.
Competitive Gameplay Modifications
Introduction of the Blended “1-1-1” Special Ammo System
The Competitive playlist now employs a unified Special Ammo system, replacing the previous Crates system. This change aims to streamline gameplay and minimize randomness in ammo acquisition. Plans are underway to expand this system to other playlists.
Map and Match Adjustments
- Spawn Adjustments: Spawns on Altar of Flame and Dead Cliffs for Countdown Rush have been revised to enhance match balance.
- Private Match Updates: The Private Match screens have been updated for improved usability and expanded options.
- Sound Effects Enhancements: Sound effects for rank promotion and defense toasts in Competitive modes have been improved for a more engaging experience.
Exotic Gear Rebalancing
Armor Tuning
- Assassin’s Cowl: Activation now requires either melee charge expenditure or an enemy defeat via finisher.
- Other Exotic Armors: Various balance changes have been made to align with gameplay expectations, ensuring fair and balanced gameplay.
Weapon Adjustments
- The Lament Exotic Sword: Healing has been reduced by 20%, and damage at higher stacks has been decreased to balance its effectiveness.
Weapon Archetypes and Mods
- Modified Origin Traits: Players should check for updates affecting their preferred weapon types.
- Armor Mods: Changes have been implemented to Heavy Ammo Finder, Special Ammo Finder, Orbs of Power, and Raid-specific mods to enhance gameplay dynamics.
User Interface and Quality of Life Improvements
Journey Screen and Guardian Ranks
- Visual and Functional Enhancements: The Journey screen and Guardian Ranks have been improved for better clarity and accessibility.
Vendor Synchronization
- Banshee-44 Weapon Resets: These are now synchronized with all other vendors at 10 AM PT, ensuring consistency across the game.
Additional Gameplay and UI Fixes
- Relic Meter Progression: Fixed an issue to ensure correct tracking of relic meter progression.
- Private Match Modifiers Display: Corrected inaccuracies to provide accurate information.
- Fireteam Finder Lobbies: Adjusted to display proper player status and maximum capacity.
Shadowkeep Campaign Fixes
Mission-Specific Resolutions
- Beyond Mission: Addressed issues that were preventing progression in this activity.
- Warlord’s Ruin: Fixed missing sound effects that occurred after player freeze.
- All for One Challenge: Corrected issues preventing challenge completion.
Accessibility Enhancements
Gameplay Subtitles Option
- Speaker Identification: Added a feature that displays the speaker’s name before dialogue to enhance narrative understanding. This feature is off by default but can be activated in the Options menu.
Ritual Activity Reputation Boosts
- Director Display: Shows active reputation boosts for Vanguard Ops, Crucible, and Gambit nodes, providing clearer insights into reputation progress.
Quest Log and Milestones
- Milestones: Added to the quest log without impacting maximum quest or bounty capacity.
- Tracked Quests Sorting: Automatically sorted to the top when the quest log is reloaded, making it easier to manage.
- Default Quest Tab: Option to set a specific tab as the default for more efficient navigation.