Destiny 2 News Roundup – Lightfall Showcase and Bungie sues abusive player

Bungie was back this week with their This Week At Bungie Update. We have exciting news with a Destiny 2 showcase in the diary, that’s coming on August 23rd. Plus Banshee is getting some updates, we have a list of known issues related to Solstice plus news of Bungie suing an abusive player.

This week at Bungie, we’re talking Solstice loot, Gunsmith reputation changes, and—finally—we’d like to invite you to save a special date.

Before we go all-in on the latest TWAB, we want to share a small statement following recent events, particularly regarding instances of harassment within our community. Our aim is to foster a healthy, inclusive, and kind community. While there is a lot of conversation happening about online harassment, we want to take this opportunity to remind folks as we have done in the past, do not to attempt to harass, attack, or pile onto anyone that Bungie is engaged in litigation with. The best way to support this community is by being a positive example of that kindness and inclusivity that is at the heart of what it means to be a Guardian.

For this week’s TWAB, we’re sharing some details about a specific August date that you will want to pay attention to. We’re also checking out some awesome Solstice rewards for players to earn in the real world, opening up Trials of Osiris voting once more, and seeing what’s up with our good pal Banshee-44. But first, let’s kick things off with a special event we’re hosting next month because we’re honestly just too giddy to hold off any longer. With that being said, let’s just get right into it, shall we?

Save the Date

We’re stoked to announce the date of the next Destiny 2 Showcase! We’d like to invite you to mark August 23, 2022, down on your calendars. No spoilers, but we’re excited to show you what’s next. Who knows, we may even have some surprises up that proverbial sleeve.

Please enjoy a small teaser below, because you know we are just too excited to leave things at just “save the date.” Check out the No Escape video below that dives into the history of the Light and Darkness story thus far to prepare for the Showcase that looms on the horizon.

We also want to take this moment to set some expectations before the Showcase itself. Because we have a few exciting things set for next month, TWABs before that date will not be announcing any major news. We’ll still be updating you all on what’s going on in the live game itself, but we will not be sharing any ground-breaking revelations until everyone has witnessed (not you, Witness) the Showcase dropping next month.

And in case you may have missed it from a previous TWAB, we’re still looking for Guardian profile videos to feature at said Showcase! Don’t be shy, go ahead and use the #GuardianProfiles hashtag on social to share with us your favourite memories, any wholesome moments with the friends you’ve met along the way, and anything else that you want to share with us about what makes you a Guardian. Tag us in those moments, we would love to see them!

Banshee-44 Updates

We’ve been making changes to the various vendors in Destiny 2 and with a new season on the horizon, the team feels that Season 18 is the perfect time to make some tweaks to ‘ol Banshee. To talk about what sort of transformations players can look forward to when looking at ranking up that Gunsmith reputation track, we’ve got Economy Feature Lead Joshua Kulinski here to some of those changes on behalf of the team.

Joshua Kulinski: Over the course of the last two seasons, we’ve been evaluating data, as well as your feedback, regarding Gunsmith’s reputation progress. And just like Banshee-44’s memory, it’s not quite in the state that we would like it to be. In order to address this, we will be making a few changes in Season 18. Here’s a brief overview of what players can expect:

Firstly, starting in Season 18, completing daily Gunsmith bounties will now grant 50 Gunsmith reputations each (up from 25) for a total of 200 Gunsmith reputations each day. Because of that, you’re going to want to make sure and drop on by to give the ‘ol Exo your “hellos” when hanging out in the Tower.

Secondly, and more impactfully for players, Gunsmith’s reputation gained from dismantling Legendary or Exotic weapons and armour will be increased to 5 each (up from 3). This will offer a considerable boost to the rate at which Gunsmith’s reputation can be earned.

Overall, we want engaged players to be able to reset Banshee-44’s reputation at least once per Season. And though these changes coming in Season 18 will allow players to rank up with the Exo more efficiently, we will continue to monitor and evaluate progression over the course of the coming Seasons. We hope these changes make the Gunsmith reputation system feel more rewarding in Season 18. So, get out there and get that loot! Like Banshee-44 always says, “Every little bit helps. Trust me.”

Solstice Loot, Because Why Not?

Solstice is live and now we can all touch grass—together—in the Tower. Feel that? That’s some quality photosynthesis. Do you know what else is quality? The new Bungie Rewards 2022 Solstice T-shirt and a tank top are now available over at the Bungie Store. OK, OK, that Flamekeeper Seal Pin is pretty nifty too, not going to lie.

If you’re like me and have zero self-control when it comes to awesome new loot, earning the latest items is pretty simple. (Sans glowy-y parts, but we could make them radioactive if you really wanted. Maybe. Be right back, checking with Legal…). For the wearable gear, Guardians will need to make sure they complete the onramp pursuit series of Solstice before August 9 at 10 AM PT. For the pin, Guardians will need to complete the 2022 Solstice Seal and earn that associated title by the same date. And no, you’re not going mad, this is actually the first time Solstice will have a Seal to earn, so go ham. After all, the great Rihanna once said, “Shine bright like a diamond.” Just pretend “diamond” means that sweet, sweet armour glow. It’s practically the same thing.

Player Support

MAXIMUM SILVER ASH

Players who complete the Bonfire Bash activity while holding a maximum stack of Silver Ash may still have their Silver Leaves converted while not receiving any more Silver Ash.

Players should ensure that they have space available to earn more Silver Ash prior to completing the activity.

HOTFIX 4.1.5.1

Next Tuesday, July 25, Destiny 2 Hotfix 4.1.5.1 will be released. View our Destiny Server and Update Status page here for maintenance times, as well as the timeline below:

• 9:00 AM (1600 UTC): Destiny 2 maintenance begins.
• 9:45 AM (1645 UTC): Destiny 2 is brought offline.
• 10:00 AM (1700 UTC): Destiny 2 Hotfix 4.1.5.1 will begin rolling out across all platforms and regions.
• 11:00 AM (1800 UTC): Destiny 2 maintenance completes.

KNOWN ISSUES

• Some players who donated to the Bungie Foundation Giving Festival may have blank emblems listed in their Collections.
• The Kindling and Ember armor mod slots of the Candescent armor are incorrectly using the icon for a Combat style armor mod in the armor’s menu screen.
• The Solstice Seashore set isn’t unlocking for player after unwrapping the bundle. We are currently working on a fix for the players who are affected.
• The latest update has made unintended changes to The Last Word damage output, which will be adjusted back to intended levels next hotfix.
• Some activities don’t drop Silver Leaves, including, Dares of Eternity, Sever, Altars of Sorrow, Patrols, and the Blind Well.
• The Hyperborean Pinion exotic Sparrow earned from the Solstice triumph “Fuel for the Fire III” doesn’t appear in Collections.
• Solstice Candescent armor cannot be synthesized into an armor ornament.
• The Molten Overload grenade sometimes doesn’t stun champions.
• The “Claim” button doesn’t appear for Hunter characters on the Season Pass Reward page. Players can still acquire the items by scrolling down past the Season Pass track reward and clicking the claim button on the individual unclaimed rewards that are listed.
• Some completed triumphs can’t be untracked for some players.

Bungie sues Destiny 2 player

Ed Nightinggale, Eurogamer

Bungie has filed a lawsuit against a Destiny 2 player, accusing them of cheating and harassing the game’s developers.

The player, Luca Leone, regularly streamed the game using cheats on his Twitch channel miffysworld, for which Bungie repeatedly banned him. Leone created 13 separate accounts in an attempt to evade bans, with each account violating the game’s Limited Software License Agreement.

Leone sent threatening messages from his Twitter account, about his desire to “burn down” Bungie’s offices and declaring certain Bungie employees were “not safe” as he intended to move to their neighbourhood – including community manager Dylan Gafner.

Further, the lawsuit alleges that Leone is an active member of OGUsers, a hacking and selling forum where he sells non-transferrable Destiny 2 emblems and other social media accounts.

“As Bungie has demonstrated repeatedly, it will not allow its game, its community, or its employees to be abused, defrauded, or threatened. Leone has done all three, and this action is the consequence,” reads the lawsuit.

“It would be a vast understatement to merely describe Leone as a serial ban evader and cheater,” it continues, before listing each new account and subsequent ban.

Leone tweeted an image of Gafner’s employee badge, responded that he’d be moving to a place “30 minutes away from dmg [Gafner]”, and then replied, “he is not safe”.

Other tweets include threatening arson, warning Bungie to “keep [its] doors locked”, and other harassment of community managers.

The lawsuit also details his boasting of ban evasions and his emblem sales, as well as Bungie’s methodology of identifying Leone through his various accounts.

Bungie is seeking considerable damages for each instance of copyright infringement and the use of cheating software.

The lawsuit follows on from others from Bungie recently.

Bungie recently sued the perpetrator behind fake Destiny 2 DMCA takedowns for $7.7m

Before that, the company successfully won $13.5m from a group of Destiny 2 cheaters.

Let me know in the comments what you think of the latest news from Bungie.