Destiny 2's game director Christopher Barrett has outlined a number of changes and planned updates coming to the sequel in 2018, promising that the developer is "not just listening, we are doing."
Chief among the plans Barrett listed is a features roadmap, highlighting three key release windows for which Bungie will provide more details as each update nears. All content and features in these updates will be made available to all Destiny 2 players.
Barrett also explained the team is "shifting the balance of new content" away from Bright Engrams and more toward activity rewards. So items like Ghosts, Sparrows, and ships will be includes in achievement reward pools. Bungie pledges to "provide a gameplay path to earn Bright Engrams and all contained rewards," while also giving players "more direct purchase options."Barrett mentions some of these changes will begin with the Crimson Days event, which launches on February 13.
Bungie is still investigating XP earn rates, something the Destiny 2 team has been criticized for before.
Much of what Barrett discusses is in an effort to prevent Destiny 2 players from being locked out of certain content because they don't own the game's expansions. As part of this, Destiny Hotfix 1.1.1.3 will be implemented on Jan. 16, fully lifting any requirement to own the Curse of Osiris expansion in any Seasonal Content. Players previously had been locked out of Destiny 2 content as a result of not owning the Curse of Osiris expansion.
On January 30, the Masterwork system will be tweaked to also include arm, which allows for increased damage reduction while a player uses their Super. Masterwork Armor can be upgraded with Masterwork Cores and Legendary Shards.
This update will also make Raid rewards "more unique and interesting." These include mods featuring Raid-specific perks, an adjustment to make sure Raid items drop with each major encounter. Additionally, the Raid vendor will now sell Leviathan and Eater of Worlds armor and weapons. A Ghost featuring Raid-specific perks may also drop from Leviathan and Eater of Worlds final encounters.
The next update will come in February, though no exact date has been given. In that update, Strike Scoring will come to Nightfall in place of the current time limit mechanic. Barrett explains the scoring system works similarly to that of Destiny 1 but emphasizes "competitive execution of Strike objectives and support for player selectable score modifiers." February will see Nightfall High Scores revealed in-game through new emblems, and will also unlock reward. Clan and Community High Score plans are also being made.
February will also feature Mods 2.0, "a full rework" of mods to pare down redundant mods, allow for more unique theming, and "greatly increasing their impact on your power." Barrett notices Mods 2.0 may be pushed later into the spring depending on the work required. Lastly, this update will include PC Tower Chat, quickplay improvements, the appearance of Fireteam members on the destination map.
In the spring of this year, other than Expansion 2, Crucible will see vast changes, including Seasonal Crucible Ranks with the start of Season 3, private matches for all players, 6v6 PvP, the return of Mayhem as a limited-time event, other fixes and various balance passes. Though not much else is known about Expansion 2, the PSN may have outed its title as Gods of Mars.
Beyond these updates, the Destiny 2 team is aiming to have a number of other additions in fall of this year, or sooner when possible. Check out the full list in Barrett's post, but these updates include Item Collections and Records, more Crucible playlists, Masterwork exotics, Trials of the Nine improvements, and more.
For more on all things Destiny 2, check out IGN's review of the Curse of Osiris expansion, and watch IGN's dedicated Destiny weekly show Fireteam Chat.
Jonathon Dornbush is an Associate Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter @Jmdornbush.