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Destiny 2: Beyond Light’s stasis abilities get major changes after fan outcry

By Giovanni Colantonio November 19, 2020

Bungie released its first patch to Destiny 2 following the release of Beyond Light on November 10. The update heavily scales back the power of the game’s new stasis abilities and fixes a popular exploit that allowed players to kill raid bosses in seconds.

The biggest change is that Bungie fixed the new Shadebinder super ability, which brought several problems to the live service game. Streamers quickly discovered that a full team of Warlocks running the ability could defeat the game’s most powerful bosses in seconds, even bypassing multi-phase fights entirely. The bug threatened to derail Bungie’s usual plans for a community world record race when the game’s new raid drops on November 21.

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Hi Riven!

Bye Riven!

ur ded pic.twitter.com/dUjq3CKYsF

— Gladd (@Gladd) November 16, 2020

Other Warlock abilities like the Penumbral Blast melee have been rebalanced, with significant reductions to range and speed.

Wider changes reduce the new element’s power for all players. The amount of damage players take while frozen is reduced and freeze duration for certain abilities is now more than three seconds shorter.

Stasis created major tension in the Destiny 2 community shortly following Beyond Light‘s launch. The ability has had an especially notable impact in the game’s PVP Crucible mode, with many players complaining that the ice abilities were overpowered. Popular Destiny streamer Gothalion called the multiplayer mode “a nightmare” the day after Beyond Light launched.

Stasis makes pvp a nightmare. The CC is so long and you just get fucked. It’s not even a “get good” scenario, it’s a “how was this shipped” scenario.

— Gothalion (@Gothalion) November 11, 2020

In our own review of Destiny 2: Beyond Light, we praised the new ability, but criticized the current implementation, saying that “stasis is absurdly powerful in a way that feels unsustainable in the long run.” The new update is live now, so players can see if Bungie’s changes have made a difference.

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Giovanni Colantonio

Senior Gaming Editor

As Digital Trends' Senior Gaming Editor, Giovanni Colantonio oversees all things video games at Digital Trends. As a veteran…

Gaming

Destiny 2: Lightfall fails to deliver its Avengers: Infinity War moment

A titan wielding a grenade launcher in Destiny 2..

The comparison between Destiny 2: Lightfall and Avengers: Infinity War is immediate from the opening moments of Bungie's latest expansion. There is no more exposition to get through; the Witness, a mythical villain that represents the root of the Darkness that Guardians have fought against for close to a decade, is here, and the Traveler who has given our heroes the Light and their god-like abilities is under direct threat. The stakes couldn't be higher, but Lightfall doesn't live up to that moment.

I'm not drawing connections here that shouldn't be made -- the bombastic opening moments of Lightfall call back Infinity War's unrelenting momentum in its first act. The Traveler is under siege in Lightfall and Guardians are dismantled by a flick of the Witness' wrist, echoing the immediate slaughter brought by the hands of Thanos moments before he arrived on Earth. That feeling is the same; our antagonist is here, and there's nowhere else to run. In the final moments of the campaign, a member of my fireteam even exclaimed, "hey, that's a line from Infinity War."

Gaming

Destiny 2: Where is Xur for the weekend of December 30

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Seasoned Destiny 2 players know they can count on the elusive merchant Xur to make an appearance with special exotic items every Friday, but what's not so clear is where you'll be able to find him. Below, you'll find a map with a marker that indicates where Xur is, as well as a list of his wares.

Who is Xur?
If you're new to Destiny 2 and need a bit more information about how this works, you should know that Xur is a special vendor who sells exotic weapons and armor. Each week, he comes to the solar system with a slate of goods, including an exotic weapon and one piece of exotic armor for each character class. As of The Witch Queen, he now stocks legendary armor and weapons and sells additional exotic weapons with random rolls every week.
Where to find Xur (December 30 to January 2)
The trouble with Xur is finding him. We always know when Xur will show up -- at the 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET reset each Friday. The question is where Xur will be. Previously in Destiny 2, Xur’s location was marked on the map. He’s now unmarked and harder to find each weekend. Here’s where to go to track down Xur, the Agent of the Nine, as well as everything you need to know about what he’s offering this week.

Gaming

Destiny 2 Halloween event: details and rewards

Three guardians wearing halloween armor.

It's that spooky time of the year, and what better way to celebrate than with some limited-time events in every Guardian's favorite game? As is the tradition at this point, Destiny 2 is embracing the holiday season with a limited-time event with exclusive themed rewards around the Halloween holiday. The entire tower will be getting a spooky makeover, but the really exciting part is, of course, the special event and rewards you can earn.

Called the Festival of the Lost, this event is technically still part of the current Season of Plunder but is available for all players for free, regardless of what expansions they have or have not purchased. While Bungie hasn't fully outlined all the specifics of how Festival of the Lost will work, there have been some details shared, plus a couple of leaks, to sink our teeth into. If you want to get your Guardian ready for some holiday fun, here's all the information out there on the Destiny 2 Halloween event.