Today, Destiny Update 1.1 has launched as promised, and we can confirm it’s a big one. Not only does the patch address issues like the aforementioned exotics, but it also adds new ways to acquire upgrade materials, removes a very popular Vault of Glass exploit, and even tweaked the way exotic upgrades worked as well.

As Bungie explained in their Update post, the main goal of this patch is to prepare players for the release of The Dark Below DLC. That is no more evident than in the introduction of the Exotic Shard. Exotic Shards were first spotted while players were digging through hidden files tied to said DLC expansion, and were believed to be a new way to change exotics. As we now know, Exotic Shards have now become the only material that can unlock the final upgrade on any exotic’s upgrade tree.

Unfortunately, exotic shards will be much harder to come by, more so than even Strange Coins. According to Bungie, the only way to procure an Exotic Shard is either by dismantling an unwanted exotic or by purchasing them from Xur for 7 strange coins. Sure, this change will make finishing the upgrade path on an exotic feel meaningful but it also introduces more hoops into the game. And the last thing Destiny players need is more hoops to jump through.

Speaking of those exotics, Bungie has made some changes to quite a few of them, both good and bad. Some weapons, like the Vex Mythoclast, Thorn, and Bad Juju have seen improvements to damage and weapon-specific abilities, while others, like the Suros Regime, have seemingly decreased in quality. It appears that Destiny continues to be about checks and balances, meaning that for every good change there is likely a bad change as well.

Case in point: alongside all the improvements, Bungie also patched out the Templar exploit from the Vault of Glass. We haven’t tested it ourselves, but it sounds like teams can no longer push the Templar off the edge of the board – a strategy that made the fight infinitely easier and gave the team an extra chest.

Check out the full update list below:

The only other item worth noting is the changes to Destination Materials (Spinmetal, Spirit Bloom, Helium Filaments, and Relic Iron), specifically that they will be more readily available. Now, players can purchase 20 Destination Materials for 10 Vanguard/Crucible marks and they can earn Materials from completing daily activities like the Story Mission or Daily Patrols. No more running in a circle opening chests.

All told, this Destiny update will likely please more than it will disappoint. Gamers have been asking Bungie to improve the exotic weapons for months and finally they have listened. But, they also introduced an exotic shard system that is sure to turn some people off.

Similarly, losing the Templar exploit is a harsh blow to regular Vault of Glass runners. Obviously, it’s not unexpected, but just like the Atheon exploit patch, it simply changes up our strategies. The best takeaway, though, is that Bungie is still listening and improving Destiny. It may not be in a timely fashion or in the way we expect, but they are trying to keep players on their toes.

What do you think of this latest Destiny update? Anything you are happy to see changed/improved? Mad to see changed?

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Source: Bungie

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