There are a few other things to dissect though. Research firm like Cowen and Company believe that the split from Activision was due to the difference in vision over the game’s direction. Schreier notes that an annualized format of content release was a source of tension as well. Activision is also apparently looking to strengthen its own brands like Call of Duty, even if that means a short-term financial slump from losing Destiny.

"Those who have been in touch with reports over the years know that the situation between Bungie and Activision wasn’t quite so cut and dry."

Not that it matters to fans cheering at Activision’s removal from the equation. The Destiny subreddit wants to proclaim this as “Destiny Freedom Day”. Others have suddenly become more interested in purchasing Eververse items since Activision is not involved. Many believe that Bungie will finally have a chance to shine without an overbearing publisher looking over their shoulder.

Those who have been in touch with reports over the years know that the situation between Bungie and Activision was more than a little complicated. When the much-hyped 10 year deal was penned between both companies, Bungie agreed to deliver numerous Destiny titles and expansions in between those sequels under Activision’s label. Plans went for a toss when Destiny had been delayed from its original 2013 release date to early 2014. It then received another delay to September 2014.

Reports from Schreier and high-profile departures like writer Joseph Staten and composer Martin O’Donnell indicated that all was not well in development though. Once Destiny launched, it was a jumbled mess of plot points, shallow gameplay, fundamental design flaws and networking issues. Such issues were exacerbated with The Dark Below, Destiny’s first major DLC. It featured mission maps similar to the base game but backwards and a buggy as hell raid. Don’t even try to remind players about the process of re-leveling Exotics.

"Destiny had some bumps here and there but was at its peak going into the reveal of Destiny 2 in May 2017."

House of Wolves would improve things, especially for PvP since Trials of Osiris was introduced for hardcore competitive players to indulge in, but not by a huge margin. We eventually learned that the final product of Destiny was meant to encompass the base game, the first two DLC and The Taken King expansion. When Destiny was apparently rebooted in 2014, a spanner was thrown into plans and the additional content was sold off as separate DLC.

However, after The Taken King, Bungie seemed to be back on track. Festival of the Lost was neat. Sparrow Racing League was pretty cool. Crimson Days was lame but hey, new content, and the April 2017 update provided plenty of new, interesting things for PvE fans to engage with. For the most part, it seemed that Destiny was firing on all cylinders even if Bungie made many of us skeptical with its introduction of the Eververse.

Then we learned about Rise of Iron, Destiny’s next expansion, releasing in September 2016. Why was Rise of Iron releasing in September 2016?

According to Schreier, Destiny 2 was pushed back to 2017 because Bungie had rebooted development. Luke Smith was appointed director and the previous director left the company (but that fact would only be revealed later). As for Rise of Iron, it released to a middling reception. The Wrath of the Machine raid was praised but the story missions and overall content were criticized for regressing from The Taken King’s brilliance. The Festival of the Lost returned as a microtransaction-laden debacle but Bungie made good on things with The Dawning and Age of Triumph. Destiny had some bumps here and there but was at its peak going into the reveal of Destiny 2 in May 2017.

"Eventually, Schreier would report how Bungie renegotiated terms with Activision for Destiny 2. Its previous content cycle was thought to be too rigorous and producing so much content was deemed too difficult."

Bungie unveiled some controversial changes for the sequel but it’s a testament to the will of the community that things still looked pretty good. We heard about Lost Sectors, Adventures, World Quests, and tons more content to sink our eager teeth into. Destiny 2 would go on to become an incredible financial success at launch. Critics even lauded it for being an improvement over the first game.

However, as time passed, it was hounded by numerous issues concerning the end-game. Exotics were useless. The raid meant nothing and thus, hitting max Power level meant nothing. The Lost Sectors were rendered useless in the end-game simply because they gave lower level loot. PvP was a snooze-fest and encompassed team-shooting above all. A number of awesome looking cosmetics, previously earned through in-game activities like Strikes and the raid, were locked behind Eververse. Bungie’s decisions when it came to things like one-time use shaders, XP throttling, charging for Heroic Strikes, locking the base game’s raid behind the purchase of DLC and stingy seasonal events didn’t help matters.

Eventually, Schreier would report on how the developer renegotiated terms with Activision for Destiny 2. Its previous content cycle was thought to be too rigorous; producing so much content was deemed too difficult. So instead, Bungie would focus more on cosmetic content through the Eververse and Seasons. As more cosmetic items landed up on Tess Everis’s shelves over the months, it seemed like Schreier’s report had plenty of truth to it.

"Bungie’s track record when it comes to development has been less than stellar. It rebooted Destiny 1 and 2 before their subsequent launches."

Of course, there was still DLC like Curse of Osiris and Warmind. Activision-owned studios like High Moon Studios and Vicarious Visions were assisting Bungie with content as the latter spent 2018 trying to get back on the good side of its longtime fans. It talked more and more about catering to the hobbyist, changing up its weapon slot system and bringing back random rolls for weapons and armour. Masterworks, Exotic revamps, Nightfall Challenges, Bounties and much more were introduced before Forsaken to appease the hardcore player. Bungie even announced the Annual Pass, something that would provide a consistent stream of “end-game” content after Forsaken, as it seemingly moved towards away from more cinematic adventures towards a much deeper grind.

In September 2018, Forsaken launched and was met with praise from critics and hardcore fans. Sure, there was dissent about the heavy RNG-based nature of Bungie’s content (like earning Exotics) and it also didn’t help that some activities were time-gated. But Forsaken delivered a good story (by Destiny standards), a great raid and tons of new loot to collect. The majority of Forsaken was also accessible to all players. Gating content behind high Power requirements, boring quest grinds and baffling puzzles really didn’t stick out as major issues until Black Armory came around.

If you’ve been keeping track of the story thus far, you might have noticed a common theme: Bungie’s track record when it comes to development has been less than stellar. It rebooted Destiny 1 and 2 before their subsequent launches. Throughout the history of both games, Bungie would also prove to be completely out of touch with its community’s needs, taking months to fix long-standing issues.

"For all intents and purposes, Bungie going independent and being free to pursue its own development cycle for Destiny is good."

Only a major exodus of players following the launch of Destiny 2 and Curse of Osiris (not to mention the failure of events like Faction Rally, Iron Banner and The Dawning 2017) would motivate the developer to sit down and actually address concerns. Even now, Destiny 2 is still lacking on issues like competitive PvP matchmaking, endgame economy items like Enhancement Cores and not locking DLC content that players paid for behind ridiculous requirements. And yes, one-time user shaders, awesome cosmetics locked behind Eververse, time-gated content and heavy RNG are still problematic. Did we mention Trials of the Nine was removed before Forsaken and has yet to return?

For all intents and purposes, Bungie going independent and being free to pursue its own development cycle for Destiny is good. However, the enthusiasm for the developer’s approach doesn’t look all that different from when it split from Microsoft.

“Finally, we’d get to see the developer separated from the evil corporation and free to pursue its own vision!” “Finally, we’d get the very best that Bungie could deliver!” That wasn’t quite the case though, as evidenced by the barreling rollercoaster that is the Destiny franchise. I’m no fan of Activision (especially following their treatment of Call of Duty creators Vince Zampella and Jason West) but reading about the additional time and resources, not to mention the new deals it negotiated with Bungie, makes it look like a publisher tried to help rather than impede Destiny’s progress.

"But hey, if you’re a Destiny player, all of this should be very familiar. Destiny has offered experiences to a player base that simply can’t get enough of it."

What this split means for the future of Destiny 2 is still unknown. Cowen and Company believes that Destiny 3 is still coming in 2020. Rumours regarding its content and features along with a greater emphasis on RPG mechanics have been doing the rounds for a few months. Will the studio repeat the same mistakes as before? What’s the plan for content after the Annual Pass? Will we receive another expansion and another Annual Pass until Destiny 3 comes out? Will Bungie scrap the idea of sequels altogether? Will Destiny go free to play? What’s the plan for Eververse? How likely is it that Bungie announces Destiny 3’s exclusivity on the Epic Games Store for PC in the coming years? Will the core issues with leadership that caused Staten and O’Donnell to leave in the first place be fixed?

Blame Activision all you want but Bungie was and still is the company developing the series. How it addressed the issues that plagued both games at their respective launches is available for all to see. It’s currently fine with the stingy RNG for Exotics and Power level system that makes much of the loot irrelevant. It’s the company that said Black Armory’s Niobe Labs was for anyone that was “smart and brave enough to attempt it” in a now-deleted tweet after frustrated attempts by players. At least it went ahead and unlocked the last Forge when no one could figure out the solution.

If you’re a Destiny player, all of this should be very familiar. Destiny has offered experiences to a player base that simply can’t get enough. I should know, having been part of that player base for a few years. Even when the content didn’t quite measure up, I plunked down my own money and waited till launch to join the hype train. Destiny has been a franchise that’s provided some truly amazing moments while simultaneously making me question the numerous blunders that could have been avoided. Looking back, at the end of the day, maybe everyone just wants that same kind of experience without the fear of Activision mucking everything up.

"Can Bungie adhere to long-time fans and become successful in its own right? Can it attract even more players to its franchise in the coming years?"

For Bungie, the real test begins now. Without the big bad villainous publisher for people to deflect blame to when things go wrong, it will take the brunt of not delivering worthwhile content and financial failure. Will it sink or swim in the process? This is an industry that’s being defined more by games-as-a-service titles like Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 and Fortnite: Battle Royale. That’s not including beloved free to play games like Path of Exile or Warframe. Additional competition from blockbusters like Anthem and The Division 2 is also coming. Can Bungie adhere to long-time fans and achieve the potential that Destiny seemingly promised all those years ago? Can it attract even more players in the coming years?

It’s hard to say but unlike October 2007, this isn’t a Bungie that inspires confidence. It’s a Bungie that makes me cautious of investing time or money in their products. Here’s hoping for the future to change. As a member of the Bungie.net forums so aptly put it though: We’re finally going to see who was responsible for Destiny’s failings – Bungie or Activision.

Changing Soldiers’ Names – Heroes and Generals

Free to play titles generally tend to make their money back through microtransactions, whether they’re cosmetic or pay-to-skip the grind. Heroes and Generals in 2016 decided to go an entirely new and dumb route however. When players would recruit new soldiers, they had to pay to change their names. It’s one thing if this is a user profile name or Gamertag but in-game soldier names?

Remember when Bungie announced that Destiny 2’s Curse of Osiris and Warmind DLCs would be free on purchasing Forsaken? Though this wasn’t the case when Forsaken launched in September, the developer later changed this to allow more players to hop into the experience. While it was a good deal for newbies, what about existing players, especially those who had dropped money on the DLCs prior to Forsaken’s release?

Bungie had announced the Veterans of the Hunt package for this purpose, which included such rewards as a unique emblem, two emotes, and an exclusive shader. While the developer originally planned to release these in early December, it’s since pushed the rewards back. It’s now planning to distribute the packages with Update 2.1.3, which has a tentative release date of December 18th.

Of course, any issues that come up with the update could mean a delay. That will lead to the Veterans of the Hunt package being delayed in turn. Regardless, Bungie hasn’t forgotten about the rewards, especially as the release of Destiny 2’s next DLC Black Armory nears its release.

If you’re still wary about playing Bungie’s Destiny 2, especially since Forsaken requires owning Curse of Osiris and Warmind, then there’s good news. In its recent weekly update, the developer announced that the Expansion Pass will soon be included with Forsaken at no extra cost. This change will go into effect starting on October 16th.

Originally, anyone who played Destiny 2 (or received it free as part of their PlayStation Plus subscription) would have to purchase the Expansion Pass, and then Forsaken. However, newcomers could invest in the Destiny 2: Forsaken Legendary Collection, which includes the base game, the Expansion Pass, and Forsaken, all for $59.99.

This change is pretty cool, especially for those who want to skip paying for the terrible Curse of Osiris and underwhelming Warmind DLCs. As for players who purchased the Expansion Pass before diving into Forsaken, they’ll receive exclusive benefits, like a unique Emblem and shader, a few consumables (which can be earned in-game), and two emotes – Knife Trick and Coin Flip – for free.

“Forsaken Veterans” can expect these bonuses in December. Though the Emblem and shader will remain exclusive, the two new emotes will be coming to Eververse at an unspecified point in the future. With Festival of the Lost out next week and introducing some cool new ideas, it isn’t such a bad time to hop into Destiny 2.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

Raid Difficulty is Pointless Without Great Rewards

When Spire of Stars, Warmind’s raid lair went live, the difficulty was grueling. While this could be attributed to players not being the right Power level (progression of which was nerfed by Bungie), the raid lair itself has numerous fail states. As such without a regular group, even LFGing the activity can be trying process. Of course, none of this matters because many of the items across the raid and raid lairs are ultimately pointless. The armour is mostly cosmetic and aside from Sins of the Past and Midnight Coup (both obtainable in the base raid), there’s nothing worth the headache.

If you’re ready, then let’s get started!

OVERRIDE FREQUENCY GUIDE

Once you’re done with the main campaign, there are tons of things to collect but some of these will require you to have the correct Override Frequency. Once you finish your main story mission, you’ll start coming across an item called Resonance Stem and once you have four of these, they can be be combined into an Override Frequency. You can get a number of versions and each of them are unique. You’ll get a description with each of these and while it may seem like gibberish, it’s actually a clue to the location. Just pay attention to the words that are not fully in capital letters and you’ll be led to a location with a node that essentially works like a treasure chest. If you’re at the right location, then you’ll be able to see the “Collect Loot” prompt and you’ll also hear music coming from the node. Once you collect 15 of these, you’ll be able to get the Sleeper Stimulant which is an exotic rifle.

EXOTIC ARMOR AND WEAPONS

There are quite a few Exotic items that the new expansion has brought and this section will show you a list of all the various items you can obtain from this expansion.

Listed below are all of the Exotic Armor.

• Warmind Exotic Sanguine Alchemy
• Warmind Exotic The Oculus Xol
• Warmind Exotic Wormhusk Crown
• Warmind Exotic Frost EE5
• Warmind Exotic Sealed Ahamkara Grasps
• Warmind Exotic Ashen Wake
• Warmind Exotic Apotheosis Veil
• Warmind Exotic Claws of Ahamkara
• Warmind Exotic Armamentarium
• Warmind Exotic Eternal Warrior
• Warmind Exotic Ophidia Spathe

You can find below the list of all the Exotic weapons you can find in the game. Apart from the list provided below, there are also weapons such as the Sleeper Stimulant which you can find out how to unlock in a separate section.

• Destiny 2 Warmind Exotic Weapon Worldline Zero
• Destiny 2 Warmind Exotic Weapon The Huckleberry
• Destiny 2 Warmind Exotic Weapon Suros Regime

HOW TO GEAR AND LEVEL UP TO 385

One of the most important aspects of this game is the grind which means that you’ll have to put a lot of time into it until you’re able to reach the level cap and have the best gear…that is, until the next expansion. To get to level 380, first git your character to level 340 and then just keep doing milestones and raids. Keep running the normal Leviathan raid lair and the Prestige leviathan raid. Eventually, you’ll be able to reach the level you watch. You can check the video below for more information of how to get to level 380 and get the best gear in Warmind. 

WARSAT DOWN PUBLIC EVENT GUIDE

Warmind comes with its own public event and there is a Heroic version of this as well. If you’re able to successfully complete the Heroic version of the event, then you’ll get better rewards. The event is available on Mars and you will need to first defend the Warsat from hordes of enemies. Stay near the Warsat and take out enemies as data is transferred. However, don’t let the data get transferred too fast if you want to get the Heroic completion of the event. To get the Heroic completion, you will first need to kill 2 wizards which will then result in a Shrieker being spawned. You will have to kill 3 of these Shriekers before the data transfer is over. If you follow all of these steps correctly, then a Ogre will spawn and you will have to defeat it. Keep in mind that you will need to have a party of level 340+ or you will not be able to beat this boss. Once you have beaten the boss, you will have successfully completed the Heroic version of the event and you’ll be able to gain some great rewards.

HOW TO GET THE SLEEPER STIMULANT

One of the questions many fans have had with regards to the new DLC expansions is how exactly to get the Sleeper Stimulant. If you’ve been wondering the same, then look no further! Keep in mind however that it’s a long and arduous journey to get this weapon.

Once you’re done with Warmind’s main campaign, talk to Ana Bray and you’ll receive the quest to get the Sleeper Stimulant. You will first have to complete a couple of tasks for her and then you’ll receive the IKELOS hand cannon. Equip the weapon, and get ready to do a whole bunch of stuff with it equipped. For the first stage, Violent Intel, you’ll have to get headshots against Cabal. A good spot for this task is the northern landing zone in Hellas Basin because it’s nearby the spawn point for both kinds of enemies. Now, just get firing away and try and get as many headshots as possible. Just keep in mind that you will need a LOT (about 600!).

The next stage is Rasputin’s Culling and you’ll have to kill more enemies. You can either go for the Exodus Siege Adventure on Nessus or do a Leviathan raid to get this done as quickly as possible.

For the next part, you’ll have to complete five Heroic Strikes. These will require you to be at least at a power level of 350 as it’s going to be much harder otherwise. This can be quite a challenge, so make sure you’re ready for it.

The next part is about gaining access to sleeper nodes which are hidden around Mars (we have a separate section for the locations of all of them). You will need a specific Override Frequency for each of the nodes and each Override Frequency is made from four Resonance Stems. Next, you’ll have to successfully finish three rounds of the Escalation Protocol mode. This starts only at level 370, so the biggest challenge here is simply grinding your way to the required level.

For the final stage, you’ll have to finish the quest called ‘Perfect Form’ which requires you to finish the level 360 Strike called ‘Will of the Thousands’. That’s it! Once you’ve done all of this (with the IKELOS hand cannon equipped), you will receive the Sleeper Stimulant.

ALL DATA FRAGMENT LOCATIONS

There are 45 data fragments to collect in the game and this can be done simply by shooting the correct element according to the corresponding color. You can see below which elements correspond to which color.

• White: Kinetic
• Purple: Void
• Unique: Javelin
• Orange: Solar
• Blue: Arc

For the precise locations of each of the data fragments, you watch the video below. Additionally, the video will also show you how to get the Exotic Sword and Sparrow.

ALL REGION CHEST LOCATIONS

The are a total of 6 region chests to find on Mars. The locations of these chests are marked on your map, so you just need to go ahead and collect them. Three of the chests are in the Glacial Drift region while three others are in the Braytech Futurescape Region.

Glacial Drift

• One can be found near the Center and a little to the East of the map. Go inside the large hangar and you will see high walkways to the left. Jump up from a high spot onto the walkways and you will see the chest.
• Another one can be found to the Southwest of the region. Just go to the southwest of the radio tower building. To the west of the landing zone, you will see a concrete doorway which will be guarded by some enemies. The chest can be found here.
• The last can be found to the southeast of the region. Go to the edge of the cliffs just before the Lost Sector region. Look to the cliffs to your right and from the ramp, you will be able to see the chest below on a ledge.

Braytech Futurescape

• The first one can be found to the West of the region. Go inside the lair structure find a stairwell near the exit passage at the north. You will find the chest under the stairs.
• This one can be found to the South of the region. Go to the south of the blue building and you will find the chest in an alcove.
• The final chest is to the northeast of the region. Walk to the end of the catwalk and then fall to the safety nets below. You will be able to find the chest in the area underneath the catwalk.

SLEEPER NODE LOCATIONS

There are over 40 sleeper nodes in total and these can only be unlocked if you have the specific Override Frequency. As such, you will first need to get the Override Frequency which tells you the location without which the location of a sleeper node would be useless. You can get an Override Frequency by combining four Resonance Stems. To find the sleeper node, you will have to see the name of an Override Frequency. The last 3 words of the Override Frequency give you a clue as to the location of the specific node. Using this, you will then quickly be able to find the node you need to find. When you get close to the node corresponding to an Override Frequency, some kind of music will play which will let you know that this is the corresponding sleeper node.

You can check the video below which contains locations of every sleeper node. You can just check the Override Frequency you have and check for the last three words which are listed in the video’s description to find the corresponding sleeper node.

HOW TO GET DARCI CATALYST

For a select number of Exotic weapons, you can unlock extra abilities by equipping Crystals. There are specific Crystals for each weapon and a specific task will have to be completed to make the weapon a Masterworks weapon. To find out how you can obtain a required crystal, just hover over the slot for the crystal in the weapon’s menu. For the DARCI rifle, you will have to kill any enemy in PvE and they may drop the crystal. Once you have it, equip it and then kill enemies in either PvE or PvP with precision slots. After getting enough precision skill, the weapon will become a Masterworks weapon and the DARCI rifle will now gain improved stability.

ARMORY CODES GUIDE

There are a number of armory codes to get in the game and you can randomly stumble across these codes. However, there is porbably a higher chance to find these during quests or public events so make sure you do these. The Heroic Version of the Warsat Down Public event is guaranteed to give you an armory code almost every time so make sure you try and do this as many times as possible.

Once you have the armory code, you will have to find the armory stashes which will reward you with a Mars token every time along with some other randomized goods, even some rare items.

Bungie has dropped the ball repeatedly with Destiny 2. They have failed to put out compelling content to retain player interest and engagement ever since the game launched. The first expansion for the game, “Curse of Osiris”, was already disappointing. “Warmind” has a spate of issues, including a short campaign that recycles missions.

But its worst sin yet, as pointed out by ResetEra, may be that it adds a total of three new Strikes- of which two are literally just the last two levels of the campaign reused, and the last one, the only new Strike, is PlayStation exclusive. Which means Xbox owners literally get no new Strike with the expansion.

Bungie’s “exclusive content” for PlayStation with Destiny has always felt scummy, but this takes it to an all new low- I really hope Xbox owners will vote with their wallets and not buy Destiny expansions as long as it continues to hold its customers, especially on Xbox, in such open contempt.

The second Destiny expansion has been vaguely known to be coming this May for a while now. But with time ticking towards the month, and no information whatsoever about the DLC and what players can expect from it, many assumed that Bungie might be gearing up to announce a delay, presumably to rework it around the feedback they have been receiving from legions of dissatisfied Destiny 2 players.

However, today Bungie announced that the second expansion, Warmind, is in fact going to be launching in May. It will be available on May 8, and Bungie says it will “send you to new places to meet new heroes and battle new enemies. You’ll earn new loot and master new activities”, promising more information on it in a reveal stream on April 24.

Bungie also shared a development roadmap update for the game, promising Weapon Randomization, Weapon Slot Changes, Gear Collections, and Records, as well as PC clan chat, bounties, and more. These changes are supposed to come starting May and all the way through to September, with more changes to be revealed along the way—whether or not this pace is going to be enough to salvage the troubled game in terms of fan base satisfaction remains to be seen.

Destiny 2 is available now on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.