Just the important bits.
This week at Bungie, we’re taking final steps to make Destiny Update 1.1.1 a reality.
That’s the one we’ve been talking about for a while now. We know you’ve been waiting, but we’re also keenly aware that you’ve been asking for more insight into what you can expect from our team. So we’ve been sharing their ongoing efforts to prioritize and deliver tweaks, updates, and features based on your feedback. While the team has been plugging away, I’ve been eavesdropping - even hovering over shoulders, carefully leaning in to whisper softly into many an ear.
Before I get into the new intel I’ve gathered, here’s a quick summary of our ongoing conversation (in case you missed it).
When the bits from 1.1.1 stream into your drive, we’ll be (finally) fixing a heavy ammo bug, applying some newfound balance to the weapon sandbox, and enhancing the view into your ever-growing reputation.
Assuming you’re caught up now, or already were, you can scroll down to find even more 1.1.1 goodness that the team is excited to share.
Move to Strike!
If you didn’t know anything about Destiny, I’d look earnestly into camera, cock an eyebrow, and tell you that Strikes are one of the primary cooperative activities in Destiny. Kick some alien ass. Earn some rewards. Do it all in the company of friends or complete and total strangers via matchmaking.
But you don’t need to hear that from me. You’ve played your share of Strikes. Your alien ass kicking comes with a side of gameplay modifiers and Strange Coins. All the while, to ensure you’ve been fighting alongside Guardians as battletested as yourself, we suspended matchmaking.
Until now…
As part of 1.1.1, we’re changing the Weekly Heroic Strike to be a matchmade activity. Why? Let’s ask Design Lead M.E. Chung.
-M.E. We wanted the Weekly Heroics to be a challenge that pushed you and your buddies, but what we observed was that these strikes don’t demand the same cooperation of a cohesive pre-made group. The overwhelming community response was such that many players didn’t have the numbers on their friends list to experience the activity on a weekly basis.
Can I still solo the Weekly Heroic?
-M.E. No, this change applies to all levels of the Weekly Heroic.
What about the Nightfall?
-M.E. No change. Since players are kicked to Orbit on team wipe, we want people to be able to preserve that group so they could give it another go.
So, no matchmaking for Raids neither?
-M.E. No, but we are keenly aware of the issue. We think good Raid sessions rely on groups of communicative players who are invested in each other, but we know that it’s challenging for many players to find groups for Raids and Nightfall today. We are thinking hard about how we can help make that an easier experience in future releases.
Beyond this update, we’ll talk more about M.E.’s team and how they work. Supporting a live game like Destiny is a job that’s never finished, and they have plans for the update that will follow 1.1.1 that I think you might find exciting.
Bullet Time
Now you’re asking, “When can I have the bits I so richly deserve?”
I’m still getting the answer I expect. “When they're ready!”
I’m still placing my bets on “before the end of February.” Even though it’s the shortest month of the year, I’m feeling lucky.
In the meantime, here are some of the other things you’ll enjoy when we deliver fresh bullet points to the Updates blog:
Xûr will stop forgetting to bring his Exotic engrams when he visits us from… wherever Xûr is from.
Iron Banner will work as previously promised, with a greater variety of maps in rotation as well as a couple of new Bounties that give you more control over which weapon you can use to complete them – and we were hoping that one would have arrived before the current event.
Strikes and Crucible Maps will be less likely to repeat themselves when you stay in a matchmaking playlist with your Fireteam.
Grimoire Cards will drop when you expect them to.
There's also some other stuff that we’ll detail out for you once we’re go for launch. SoonTM.