Destiny 2 fans are still embroiled in the Forsaken DLC, especially with the Last Wish raid coming up and the Dreaming City adding new challenges from week to week. However, Xbox One and PC fans will have a little bit more to chase, thanks to Bungie’s recent 2.0.0.1 update. This essentially makes previous content that was exclusive to the PS4 available for other platforms.

This includes the Exotic sniper rifle Borealis; the City Apex ship; armour sets for Warlocks, Titans and Hunters; the Lake of Shadows Strike; and the Crucible map Retribution. Players who own the Curse of Osiris DLC will receive the Wormhaven Crucible map, while Warmind DLC owners receive The Insight Terminus strike.

However, those who own Forsaken will have to wait for some time (“at least” till Fall 2019) before its PS4-exclusive content drops for other platforms. This content includes new armour sets, the Exotic Trace Rifle Wavesplitter, a ship, and an exclusive Strike called Broodhold.

The latest patch has dropped for Bungie’s Destiny 2 and it’s brought a whole slew of new things. There’s 6v6 PvP in Crucible’s Quickplay, the long-awaited return of Bounties and new Prestige Raid raid lairs. Currently, the Eater of Worlds Prestige raid lair is live with Spire of Star Prestige meant to go live today at 10 AM PDT. Completing these activities will reward 400 Power level weapons from the entire raid pool of loot. So it’s entirely possible to earn a 400 Power level version of Midnight Coup.

“Cool!” you’d think, but what if you get a 400 Power level drop that you’d rather infuse into something else? Bungie can’t let you do that, unfortunately. Reddit user Sir_Oswald discovered that infusing a 400 Power level Midnight Coup into another version of the weapon resulted in the latter capping out at 385 Power. Interestingly, Exotics can still be infused up to 400 Power and even go up to 405 Power.

Why is this? According to Bungie community manager dmg04 on Twitter, “Leading up to Forsaken, the only way to achieve 400 Power is to earn and equip Prestige Raid Lair weapons, and the Solstice of Heroes Armor Set. You will not be able to infuse these trophies into existing gear.”

Why is the infusion option even there in the first place? Why isn’t it locked for the current raid weapons to prevent players from making these mistakes? Ask Bungie. Regardless, in the meantime, try and collect all those Prestige raid lair weapons – one will be doled out for completing all encounters in a single raid lair per week.

Leading up to Forsaken, the only way to achieve 400 Power is to earn and equip Prestige Raid Lair weapons, and the Solstice of Heroes Armor Set.

You will not be able to infuse these trophies into existing gear.

Cheers!

— dmg04 (@A_dmg04) July 17, 2018

Exotic vendor Xur has returned to Bungie’s Destiny 2, carrying what could either be considered the most valuable items in the game, or junk. It really depends on your current progress. Xur can be found in The Rig on Titan- he’ll remain there until the next weekly reset on June 10th.

This week, Xur is carrying the Mechaneer’s Tricksleeves (Hunter gloves), Synthoceps (Titan gloves) and Karnstein Armlets (Warlock gloves), each for 23 Legendary Shards. Thanks to the round of Exotic buffs at Warmind’s launch, the Mechaneer’s Tricksleeves will increase sidearm damage when switching to it while critically wounded. Synthoceps increase melee lunge range along with melee and Super damage when surrounded.

Karnstein Armlets will cause melee hits to increase mobility and toughness while also highlighting injured enemies. Enemies also grant large amounts of health when killed by melee. This week’s Exotic weapon is The Jade Rabbit, a Kinetic Scout Rifle. Available for 29 Legendary Shards, The Jade Rabbit’s signature perk will increase the damage of the next headshot with each consecutive body shot. Other than that, it’s not exactly the best for PvE and PvP in this meta.

The weekly reset has come and gone for Bungie’s Destiny 2. It’s been a week since Warmind released so finally, after so long, there’s a new Nightfall, a new Flashpoint and Heroic Strike modifiers to look forward to.

The Nightfall this week is Strange Terrain which tasks players with killing Nokris, Xol’s necromancer. The normal Nightfall won’t offer any modifiers but Power level lowering and elemental burns can be added in the Prestige Nightfall with a Challenge Card. If the Challenge Card has been upgraded by Xur, then even more modifiers can be added.

Challenges for the Nightfall include the following:

• Unbroken: Complete the Nightfall with fewer than 3 deaths.
• Don’t Take Five: Don’t hold on to the relic for more than 5 seconds after picking it up.

The Flashpoint this week is Mars so complete different goals, including Public Events and Patrols, for a chance at powerful gear. Given the changes to progression, this is the only way for many solo players to properly gear up. Heroic Strikes will have Void Singe active for the week but other modifiers will rotate daily.

The Exotic weapon update has done a whole lot of good for Bungie’s Destiny 2, but the Exotic armour could still use some work. That being said, it might be worth checking out Xur’s wares this week – find him on Nessus in Watcher’s Grave.

This week, Xur is carrying the Knucklehead Radar (Hunter helm), Ashen Wake (Titan gloves) and Vesper of Radius (Warlock chest), each for 23 Legendary Shards. The Ashen Wake is one of the new Warmind Exotics and works with the Sunbreaker subclass. Not only does it allow Fusion Grenades to explode on impact but also increases their throw speed.

The Exotic weapon this week is the Prometheus Lens, which retails for 29 Legendary Shards and received one heck of a buff. The Trace Rifle causes more damage the longer its beam is trained on an enemy. Kills help extend the magazine’s ammo without taking directly from your reserves, making it a strong crowd-control weapon as well.

If you’re feeling feisty, then pick up the Five of Swords from Xur as well. It upgrades the Nightfall’s Rare Challenge Card to Legendary and allows additional modifiers to the Prestige Nightfall.

It’s that time of the year again. Or rather that time after a couple of months. Destiny 2 has a new raid lair courtesy of Warmind called Spire of Stars and it’s now live. You need six players and the Power level requirement is 370. So if you’re only 345 or so, it’s probably better to wait a while before attempting the raid lair.

Given how past raid activities have worked, exclusive gear and weapons are likely the rewards. Given the rumours that have been circulating, there’s a raid related puzzle for a likely Exotic that could be revealed down the line. Till then, seek our your favourite LFG site and find five other willing souls to make the sacrifice.

If you’re curious about the other content in Destiny 2 Warmind, then check out our review here. Though the campaign is fairly “meh”, there are post-game activities that will keep you busy. Keep in mind that the same repetitive objectives and reused enemies await.

"By the time any of these events matter, Bungie will probably just do another soft reboot with Destiny 3."

The “story” this time around is simple but when is it not? Ana Bray returns to the Clovis Bray research facility on Mars to commune with Rasputin. The infamous Warmind is known to Destiny 1 veterans but his motives have been mostly shrouded in mystery. His utter absence in Destiny 2‘s Red War was all the more bizarre but hey, his real body is on Mars and it’s up to us to help Bray. You see, an ancient army of the Hive is awakening thanks to the polar ice caps melting in the Hellas Basin. Why are they melting? Something about the Traveler awakening and melting the icecaps with his Light. Or was it because of Rasputin dropping Warsats onto the planet? Anyway, you go from driving off the Hive to Zavala emerging from Rasputin’s chamber and telling you something even worse has awakened.

Cut directly to Zavala explaining that Xol must be stopped but first we must bait him with a shard of the Traveller located in the European Dead Zone. Wait, who’s Xol? Why, the Worm God of the Hive who wants to destroy Rasputin because reasons. He has some herald known as Nokris, who you’ll probably recognize as Oryx’s other son. Or maybe you won’t – it’s not like the DLC does a good job building him as any kind of threat. Anyway, kill them both while enduring some truly terrible dialogue as Zavala, the Vanguard Commander constantly seeking to make contact with Rasputin in Destiny 1, is vehemently against taking its help. Ana Bray exclaimed “Aw, shanks” at some point too. It’s important only because no one at Bungie should look at how this scene played out and think it’s anything worth repeating.

You actually meet said Worm God, who says you’ll “drown in the Deep” before letting you go. Nokris is killed before this and honestly, at this point, you’re better off tuning out the story completely. Why doesn’t the game properly explain who Xol is? Why is Nokris disposed of so quickly with very little backstory? The lore entries about Nokris and Xol are actually pretty good. Why not incorporate these into the gameplay somehow?

"The loot as a whole is…fine but if you’re used to Destiny 2‘s weapons and gear, there’s nothing that will really push the boundaries of expectations."

Also, what is Rasputin’s purpose aside from wanting to protect humanity or something (which, to be honest, it could have done plenty of times instead of being all vague in the past)? What’s his relation to the Traveller or anything else that’s been going on? Why is Ana Bray only appearing now to commune with Rasputin? Why should you care about any of this? You shouldn’t, really, and to its credit, Warmind does an excellent job ensuring you won’t. By the time any of these events matter, Bungie will probably just do another soft reboot with Destiny 3.

Upon finishing the four-or-so story missions, which takes roughly 2 hours, Warmind devolves into post-game Adventures and quests. The Escalation Protocol public events open up and there are 45 Lost Memory Fragments to collect (unless it glitches, in which case you’re out of luck). These will unlock an Exotic Sword called Worldline Zero at 35 Fragments and an Exotic Sparrow at 45 (don’t ask, I don’t know). Completing data retrieval quests for Ana Bray will also grant weapons like an IKELOS hand-cannon and eventually, the Sleeper Simulant.

Seraph Weapons also exist to be collected through receiving various materials, unlocking floating diamonds, getting loot nodes, so on and so forth. The loot as a whole is…fine but if you’re used to Destiny 2‘s weapons and gear, there’s nothing that will really push the boundaries of expectations. The existing Exotics like Graviton Lance and Skyburner’s Oath are definitely better but that was in a free update.

Of course, you’ll notice right off the bat that some activities like Escalation Protocol have a recommended Power level of 370. You should be around 345 or so when the campaign is done. How do you surpass the soft cap? Why, by doing raids, Trials of the Nine and Nightfalls, none of which have matchmaking or an in-game LFG system to this day. Maybe you could grind out the new Heroic Strikes which can range from difficult to exceedingly annoying if the right modifiers don’t fall into place?

"The levels still look like expensive movie sets, funneling players down hallways and skipping enemies to reach the next unskippable objective that requires defending a point."

Well, sure but despite requiring 350 Power, they don’t really drop 350 Power level loot. You’re probably noticing a pattern where completing Flashpoints and grinding out Milestones is your only means for getting high level gear. You would mostly be correct but accessing loot nodes is also a decent, albeit tedious way to do so. I can appreciate a grind but when you’re doing the same boring objectives again and again with almost no variety or dynamism just so you have a chance at other activities with the same boring objectives, it’s not a fun grind. And no, it’s not a good substitute for solo end-game activities.

Progression woes aside, there’s just nothing here that really changes up the Destiny experience at all. The boss fight with Xol was decent, if only because he’s a giant worm, but given the lore behind him, there was so much more Bungie could have done. The Valkyrie makes for a cool weapon but it’s essentially Rise of Iron’s axe meets House of Wolves’ Scorch Cannon. The Hive do get some variety thanks to the addition of snipers and sword and shield Knights but it’s nothing game-changing. For the most part, they’re frozen now. Hearing Ghost say “I’ve never encountered Hive like this!” is all the more laughable after the fact.

The Adventures and missions themselves are little more than “Go here, scan this, defend that”. You’ll recall this being an issue in Curse of Osiris as well. What happened to the days of running from unkillable enemies, sneaking into a funeral and platforming up to a tower in The Taken King? Once again, Destiny 2‘s art direction and music are top notch – even if the endless sands of Mars can get monotonous, the sheer attention to detail in Rasputin’s chambers and Xol’s underground tunnels is great. Granted, a number of assets are reused, from the enemies like Cabal, Taken and Hive to the general terrain of Mars.

The levels still look like expensive movie sets, funneling players down hallways and skipping enemies to reach the next unskippable objective that requires defending a point. I guess being able to look around for Lost Fragments introduces some variety but having to revisit the same areas again and again for Adventures, or seeing the last two story missions recycled as Strikes, just makes me wonder about the glacial rate that Bungie produces content. When it does produce content, it’s mostly recycled or barely tweaked with a number of cutscenes that have average voice acting and terrible dialogue.

"Whether you’re a fanatic or not is irrelevant – the question is whether you really, really want to play Destiny 2 content with a few new bells and whistles for a handful of hours."

It’s not all bad news. Escalation Protocol presents a neat little pseudo-Horde mode experience. On top of defeating Hive, additional objectives like shutting down shadow-rifts and defeating bosses are necessary. The Valkyrie can be unlocked at key points to turn the tide and coupled with the currently challenging enemies, Escalation Protocol is probably the best part of the DLC (even if that’s a fairly low bar to clear). For an end-game activity, it would have been great if Bungie allowed groups of six players to actually form a fireteam and tackle it head-on. In this day and age though, you’re limited to three players. Better hope that there are some randoms in the region. You also better hope they’re willing to cooperate with you while being leveled enough. What happens when the game’s player base drops again and there’s no one around?

I know many will criticize my not waiting for the raid lair to go live (which it isn’t, as of the time of this review) and trying it but that’s a six person activity. As a solo player, the tools for forming groups should be in-game by now if matchmaking isn’t going to be introduced. For now, take this as a review of the new region, campaign and post-campaign activities (i.e. the rest of the content).

As a whole, Destiny 2‘s Warmind is a mish-mash of pathetic and bare-bones acceptable. In an age where free updates for games like Warframe, Fortnite: Battle Royale, Path of Exile and Monster Hunter World are constantly engaging players, Warmind feels like the relic of a bygone age. Overpriced and forgettable plot-wise, Warmind is meant for those who want to grind out some more Destiny 2 without thinking too much. Whether you’re a fanatic or not is irrelevant – the question is whether you really, really want to play Destiny 2 content with a few new bells and whistles for a handful of hours. If the answer is “Yes”, then give Warmind a look purely for its post-campaign content. Even then, don’t be surprised if you tire of the lacklustre missons fairly quickly.

This game was reviewed on Xbox One.

Bungie’s latest weekly blog is available and while talking about the various happenings around Destiny 2, especially with the launch of Warmind, it also talks about current issues. One such issue impacted the Exotic sidearm Rat King where a glitch allowed players to hold tons more ammo than should be possible.

Seeing this issue, Bungie disabled the gun in-game. It’s now looking to deploy update 1.2.0.2 on May 15th to address the same. Another issue that will be remedied is that with the Destiny 2 Companion API which is used to view different characters and one’s inventory.

Other known issues can be seen below. There’s no date as to when all of these will be addressed (especially the issue with Strike Pursuits not being properly tracked) but more information should be coming soon.

• Clan XP Milestone Rewards: We have identified an issue where players are not receiving Powerful Engrams when completing the Clan XP Milestone. Players are instead rewarded with Legendary Engrams, granting rewards under 340 Power.
• Crucible Fireteam Matchmaking: Due to issues discovered at launch, Crucible Fireteam Matchmaking changes introduced in Update 1.2.0 were temporarily disabled. A portion of this feature has been enabled. This will slightly improve the matchmaking experience for solo players vs. pre-made fireteams in Crucible playlists.
• Rat King: Due to an issue impacting Rat King, we have temporarily disabled access to this weapon. Players may experience issues if they currently have the weapon equipped. Signing out and back in to Destiny 2 will resolve these issues.
• Strike Pursuits: We are aware of and investigating issues where strikes may not be tracked correctly for some in-game pursuits. If you run into this issue, follow the mitigation steps.
• Console Performance: We are currently investigating player reports regarding impacted performance on some consoles following Update 1.2.0.
• Contender’s Shell Engrams: Players have reported that the Contender’s Shell is awarding Illuminated Engrams from Season 2.
• Robes of Sekris: We are investigating an issue that prevents the lower portions of the Robes of Sekris from displaying properly in game.
• Shadow Dance and Salute Emotes: We are investigating an issue that may be preventing the Shadow Dancer or Salute emotes from being accessible in the Emote Collection of players that own the license for these emotes.
• Season 3 Emblems: We are investigating an issue in which stowed Season 3 emblems may not be showing up in the Emblem Collection for players who do not own Warmind.
• Gunsmith Mods: We are investigating an issue preventing players from purchasing some legendary mods from the Gunsmith.
• Boon of the Vanguard/Crucible: We are investigating an issue where the Boon of the Vanguard and the Boon of the Crucible are not currently available on their respective vendors.
• Joining Allies: We are investigating reports from players who get stuck in an endless “Joining Allies” loop when playing in Strikes. Players encountering this issue should report to the #Help forum and include any video footage they have of this issue.

Destiny 2’s Warmind DLC launched on May 8th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC. Though the reception to its post-game activities has been decent, Bungie’s treatment of the story and overall progression has been criticized. What are your thoughts on the same? Let us know below.

It won’t be long now before Destiny 2 players received some new paid content courtesy of Warmind. Bungie has released a new launch trailer to tide fans over, revealing some new weapons, teasing the Spire of Stars raid lair and even showcasing Xol. Check it out below.

Destiny 2: Warmind sees players returning to Mars but this time, it’s the Hellas Basin. Mysterious figure Ana Bray has arrived to learn about her origins but in the meantime, the AI warmind Rasputin is melting the ice caps, awakening an ancient Hive army. What’s Rasputin up to? How does Clovis Bray fit into all this? Will Zavala stand around and pretend to help or actually have some hero moments?

Along with new story missions, players can look forward to a new end-game activity called Escalation Protocol. This will see players fight against progressively tougher waves of enemies, earning activity-specific weapons and gear in the process. Destiny 2: Warmind is out on May 8th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Servers for Bungie’s Destiny 2 will be undergoing maintenance on May 8th. There’s a lot coming tomorrow so the maintenance window will be a whopping five hours long, and starts at 6 AM PDT/9 AM EST/2 PM UK time. During this time, the Warmind DLC, update 1.2.0 and hotfix 1.2.0.1 will all be deployed.

You can start downloading Destiny 2’s Warmind DLC at 7 AM PDT/10 AM EST/3 PM UK time. Servers will be back online at 11 AM PDT/2 PM EST/7 PM UK time and that’s when Warmind will be playable. It should be noted that the current maintenance window is the estimated time and could very well take longer.

Along with the Warmind DLC, Bungie will be pushing the launch of Season 3 content including Crucible Ranks, Ranked Play rewards, new ornaments for Crucible and Iron Banner, and so on. New features like Private Matches, Exotic weapon changes, Heroic Strike modifiers, Legendary Nightfall Challenge Card and more will also be available.