Destiny 2 News Roundup – Trials Labs Freelance, Whisper of the Worm Buff plus Fashion Show

Bungie was back this week with their weekly news drop. We’ve got a lot of news about Trials Freelance, an upcoming Festival of the Lost Fashion Show and Pumpkin carving contest, plus whispers of some interesting Exotic buffs.

I’m going to flip the This Week At Bungie update on its head and start at the end, as there are some interesting details there from DMG, one of the Community Managers at Bungie. Looks like in early December we’re going to be getting some Exotic tuning, including a well-needed buff to Whisper of the Worm.

SOON (TEE EM)

The team has been hard at work over the last few months planning some special things for the 30th Anniversary release. Not just in content, but also some quality-of-life updates. Cozmo and I have been responding to a few questions here and there about bug fixes, like a pass on Dunemarchers chain lightning, some aim-assist tuning on Vex Mythoclast (which will help keep the weapon viable in PvE while addressing some PvP concerns), and even a fix for those pesky “Valor Overflowing” screens that occasionally pop up in the middle of your Crucible matches. Our upcoming patch is more than just bug fixes, though. The team was able to squeeze in a little time for other bits of Exotic weapon tuning as they transition to fully focus on The Witch Queen.

Now, don’t get me wrong – this isn’t a full Season’s worth of buffs, but a handful of fun things to give some Exotics a fighting chance in a given Guardian’s loadout. I’ve heard whispers of a few changes that have already got me thinking about switching things up. I’ve also seen a few previews of upcoming Exotic ornaments that I just need to get my hands on.

The end of November/early December is the target for the full writeup from our Sandbox-centric teams, so stay tuned! Until then, we’ve got spiders to dodge and pumpkins to carve.

TRIALS OF OSIRIS: FREELANCERS WELCOME

In less than 24 hours, Saint-14 will be dabbling another Labs weekend for Trials of Osiris. For this round, we’ll be looking at Freelance. For those that don’t know, Freelance is a matchmaking node specifically for solo players; no premade fireteams may enter. While players continue to earn Trials reputation and even go for a Flawless run, this is a separate node that will be located directly above Trials of Osiris in the Director.

Now remember, if you’re going in alone, watch your back. There’s no telling if your Freelance teammates will be looking out for you. Find a buddy, move together, and maybe your team will come out on top.

Through this Freelance Labs weekend, Trials reputation will be doubled. If you’re rounding out your Trials specific armor collection or aiming for a good roll on any of the weapons that Trials has to offer, this is a great weekend to jam out some rep! Now remember, once you’ve completed a full card, even if you’ve lost a game or two, your post-game rewards are increased! Enhancement Prisms, Ascendant Shards, and Trials Engrams all have the chance to drop. Whether you want to Focus your engrams and roll a specific reward or just roll the dice , this is the best way to earn Trials loot. Armor drops also have higher chances for better stat rolls!

This week also introduced a fresh set of Seasonal Challenges, including Trial by Firing Squad. To complete it, win 20 rounds over the course of the weekend and be rewarded with a Reed’s Regret Linear Fusion Rifle, XP, and Bright Dust ! Once you’ve gotten your hands on Reed’s Regret, this also unlocks the ability to focus Trials Engrams for more rolls at Saint-14.

Good luck this weekend. While there (thankfully) won’t be any spiders clouding your view, I’ve heard our setting this week is a little spooky. Be careful when you open doors. Could be a normal 1v1 engagement with an opponent, or you could find yourself staring a bullcharging Striker Titan in the face. Just the thought is terrifying to me!

COSTUME CONTEST

It wouldn’t be Festival of the Lost if we didn’t have a fashion show. Guardians have been donning masks while hunting for Spectral Pages and candy, but now it’s time to see who can cook up the best costumes. Interested? Here’s the ground rules:

Get dressed up!

• Masks, costumes, and badass armor combinations are welcome.
• Creative use of settings, shaders, and vehicles get extra points.
• Group shots are allowed.
• Post your submission to Twitter, Instagram, or our Community Creations portal with the hashtag #FOTLFashion2021.

What’s up for grabs? Well, we thought it was about time to bring back a slick emblem that represents the pinnacle of fashion: Levante’s Prize.

We’ll be sharing winners through the end of October 31, 2021. We’re excited for you to trick and/or treat us with some awesome looks through the end of the month.

PAINT AND PUMPKINS

In-game fashion isn’t the only show we’re putting on. How about an art show, too? Over the years, we’ve seen wonderful creations sprout up around Festival of the Lost. Some are created with pen and paper, others with some digital art programs that cook up amazingly spooky effects. Pens aren’t your thing? Out of paper? No problem! Grab a pumpkin and something to carve it with. Here’s what you’ll need to do:

Make some art!

Whether it be a pumpkin carving, a digital painting, or something hand crafted to show your skills – it’s all welcome! Post your submission to Twitter, Instagram, or our Community Creations portal with the hashtag #FOTLArtShow2021.

Just like our costume contest, we’ll be sharing winners through the end of October 31, 2021. If your work is shared, we have the following emblem for you to enjoy: Chromatic Intention.

Having trouble getting started? We’ve cooked up a fresh collection of pumpkin stencils for you to enjoy! Back in 2018, we put out a collection of Destiny 2 themed stencils for players to use. We thought it was about time to spruce up the offerings!

Now remember, it’s not about the emblem. It’s about having fun. Right? Show us what you’ve got.

CREEPY CRAWLIES

Earlier today, we deployed a hotfix to smash some bugs (did you know that spiders aren’t bugs?). If you missed the patch notes, check them out! Player Support has a quick update to cover issues we’re still tracking, and some other need to know information!

This is their report.

HOTFIX 3.3.1.1 IS LIVE

Earlier today, we released Hotfix 3.3.1.1. This hotfix resolved several issues including:

• The Prophecy Ghost Shell now takes shaders as intended.
• In The Corrupted strike, Sedia’s shield no longer regenerates at an unusually high speed.

XBOX vs. MICROSOFT STORE SILVER CLARIFICATION

Last week, Destiny 2 launched on the Microsoft Store for PC. Players on Xbox can use the same Microsoft Account they use on Xbox to log into the Microsoft Store on any Windows PC to play Destiny 2 with their characters.

Due to the Microsoft website selling products for both the Xbox and Windows PC version of Destiny 2, players should carefully verify they’re buying Silver for the correct platform. We are working with Microsoft to make these names and descriptions clearer for everyone. If players purchase Silver from Microsoft’s website for the wrong platform, they will need to log into that platform to obtain the Silver. The same applies for emote bundles, but players will also have to visit Master Rahool in the Tower on that platform to obtain the emote.

In the meantime, the Silver pages show what platform the Silver is for and players can also distinguish the Silver with the following information:

If the Silver only says “Destiny 2 Silver” this is the Xbox version of Silver.
If the Silver says any of the following, this is the Microsoft Store for PC version of Silver:

“500 Destiny 2 Silver”
“1000 (+100 Bonus) Destiny 2 Silver”
“2000 (+300 Bonus) Destiny 2 Silver”
“3000 (+500 Bonus) Destiny 2 Silver”
“5000 (+1000 Bonus) Destiny 2 Silver”

Silver bundles, such as the Season of the Lost Silver Bundle and Throne of Atheon Emote Bundle, are also platform-specific.