With less than five days until the launch of Destiny's The Dark Below expansion, most expected that this week's Bungie Weekly Update would be a big one. However, most of the pertinent details regarding that forthcoming DLC have already come to light, meaning any big reveals were unlikely to be a part of the regular developer post.
That being said, the Bungie Weekly Update did provide another useful avenue for the developer to address gamer concerns. Now that the cat is out of the bag with regards to exotic upgrades, loot drops, and story content, Bungie has the opportunity to provide a little more clarity to those concerned gamers out there.
First and foremost, Bungie wanted to address Destiny fans' questions about the new exotic upgrading system that was revealed this week. While some seemed to enjoy the idea of trading in their old exotic for a more powerful version, there was some confusion with regards to how the process works and what limitations will be in place. To Bungie's credit, they were quick to try and clarify, but the confusion arose nonetheless.
So, how does this exotic upgrading system work? Many of the basic details are still the same, but Bungie wanted to clarify that Xur will have several upgradeable exotics available every week. It won't be just one exotic like his weekly sales. See the image below for an example:
Once players buy the new exotic – in exchange for the old exotic, an exotic shard, and 7,000 glimmer – they will be able to upgrade it to a higher attack or defense power.
The main goal with this exotic upgrading system is to bring current exotics up to speed with those coming in The Dark Below. It's a move by Bungie to ensure gamers' current selection of exotic weapons doesn't become obsolete since those new DLC guns and armor pieces will start with higher attack/defense ratings.
However, upgrading an exotic is still going to be a slow process, epsecially considering the steep costs involved. Even if players have a stockpile of exotic shards available, they will still need to farm a considerable amount of glimmer to purchase these new exotics. Obviously, players can farm glimmer pretty quick, but we'd rather see Bungie raise the cap from 25,000.
In other Destiny news, the Weekly Update also confirmed the third Iron Banner season will start on December 16th. While fans panned Iron Banner 1.0, the relaunch was a huge success due in large part to its new armor options. For many, Iron Banner 2.0 finally got them to level 30.
With this third season, Bungie is resetting all reputation earns, but they are also introducing new level 31 armor items. However, since the new Crota's End raid will go live at 1am PST on December 9th, it's possible Destiny players will have all the armor they need by the 16th. Especially, if Bungie's claims that the raid will drop better loot more frequently are true.
After further clarification have your thoughts on the new exotic system changed? What Dark Below changes do you like and which do you dislike?
Destiny: The Dark Below releases December 9, 2014 for PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
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Source: Bungie
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