Exciting changes to Destiny‘s PvP experience are afoot.
In preparation for the upcoming expansion, The Dark Below, Bungie has made a few necessary changes to the way the Crucible work, some of which are currently in effect.
For starters, the studio has now implemented what they are calling “Slaughter Rules”, the intention being that mismatched players that differ severely in skill level will have a better time in the Crucible over all. Here’s what’s new:
Slaughter Rules
- In the event of a massacre, all parties are returned to orbit at the conclusion of the match
- Team-based playlists
- If one team is grossly under-performing, the session is dissolved in favor of matchmaking
- Rumble playlist
- If three or more players are grossly under-performing, the session is dissolved in favor of matchmaking
As for what’s coming, players will notice some tweaks to both Public and Premium (new) playlists that will take effect once The Dark Below DLC hits on December 9. Here’s what to expect:
- Limited-time playlists (Salvage and Combined Arms) will be available to all players
- Bastion and First Light have moved out of Control and Clash to Combined Arms
- New Playlists will let you play new content right away
- Playlists will require The Dark Below to enter
- Each week, we’ll have two additional Premium Playlists
- Week One will be Clash and Rumble on new maps
- Rotators will change each week
- New experimental modes to be included!
Additionally, competitive Guardians can once again look forward to the return of Lord Saladin and his Iron Banner on December 16. The Dark Below DLC will not be required to enter, but players will be able to earn Level 31 gear by winning matches. Here are some of the notes from the latest Bungie Weekly Update:
- Lord Saladin returns to the Tower on December 16th
- He’ll reset Event Standings – like a new season
- Level 31 inventory can be earned by winners
- The Dark Below will not be required to compete
If you missed out on the previous Iron Banner, here are all the changes that have been made that will carry over to this event.
Last, but not least, Bungie has also addressed a few of the bugs that were introduced in Destiny’s last big update that have been affecting the game as a whole. Here’s what’s being fixed soon.
Upcoming Fixes
- Pocket Infinity
- Charges too quickly after the first shot
- Fix in progress, to be released in a future update
- Daily Event Reward Packages
- No longer delivered by the Postmaster after a Public Event
- Will be fixed automatically in The Dark Below update
- All players will receive the fix when Expansion I goes live
Bungie notes that these are just the items that were made apparent in the game’s last update. Other fixes are still “being prepped and giftwrapped” for future updates.
Destiny Expansion I: The Dark Below will land on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, and Xbox 360 on December 9. The new Raid, Crota’s End, will open at 1AM Pacific Time and will not include any prerequisites in order to enter, so you and your Fireteam can have at it right away.
What do you think of the new changes to Destiny’s PvP? Looking forward to the return of Iron Banner once again?