Bungie dumped a gargantuan amount of information on players just prior to the release of Lightfall. It tracks as the Lightfall update ranges from 80GB-100GB across console and PC. There are a lot of changes that touch on nearly every aspect of the sci-fi looter shooter. So settle in with a drink and a snack as you browse through the highlights of the Lightfall patch notes.
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Destiny 2 Lightfall Update Highlights
Activities
- Crucible
- Equipping a different piece of Exotic armor while in Trials of Osiris or Competitive playlists drains all ability energy.
- Resolved a bug that caused the Competitive intro quest to auto-claim the completion reward. These are now claimed from Lord Shaxx in the Tower.
- Competitive Rift and Showdown have reduced revive delay time to 1.5 seconds from 2 seconds and reduced respawn time to 5.5 seconds from 7 seconds.
- Vanguard Ops
- When playing Vanguard Ops or Nightfall, your final score determines a reputation multiplier for that activity's completion. Multipliers range from 1.0 (under 30k points) to 7.0 (above 250k points). Also, the amount of Vanguard rank for completions, Nightfall quality, and streaks has been tuned.
- The Vanguard Ops playlist has increased in difficulty. Players can no longer level beyond the enemy combatants.
- Additional rotating modifiers have been added to the Vanguard Ops playlist.
- Difficulty Options
- Adept difficulty has been removed. Hero difficulty is soft cap +20, Legend is Power cap +30, and Master is Power cap +40.
- Most Hero/Legend/Master/Grandmaster activities now feature the ability to use "overcharged" weapons for increased damage. Which weapons are overcharged are determined by your Seasonal Artifact unlocks and activity modifiers.
- Elemental singer and burns have been replaced and broken out into incoming and outgoing components: "threats" and "surges." Damage bonuses for surges and overcharges don't stack.
- Raids and Dungeons
- Armor pieces from Master difficulty Grasp of Avarice, Duality, and Spire of the Watcher drop with higher stats.
Related: All Destiny 2 DLCs and Expansions
UI/UX
- UI throughout Destiny 2 has been updated to display the player's Guardian Rank.
- Triumph Tab has been relabeled as the Journey Tab.
- Seals are no longer broken into two categories (Seals and Titles). They are now just Titles.
- Triumphs and Titles have been migrated to bespoke sub-screens with the ability to equip and unequip Titles from the same sub-screen.
- Commendations can be sent and received near the end of most activities.
- The Post Game Carnage Report (PGCR) now consists of two tabs: Commendations screen and scoreboard.
- The reputation wheel has been simplified and is now displayed on the top right of the scoreboard page.
- Up to three Guardian Ranks objectives and up to six non-Guardian Ranks objectives can be tracked.
- The following Collections have been moved from Triumphs to Collections: Lore, Weapon patterns & catalysts, Medals, and Stat trackers.
- Guardian Ranks are replacing Season Pass level when checking out other Guardians.
QOL Updates and Fixes
- Removed the currency display on the Character screen.
- Fixed an issue where Hawthorne's icon on the Tower map wouldn't consistently pulse when a clan engram was available to claim.
Gameplay and Investment
- Armor
- Armor energy type has been removed. All mods can be socketed now.
- Armor mods that were previously based on weapon archetypes are now based on weapon damage type.
- Most armor mods that are based on weapon damage type also have a harmonic version, which is discounted when the weapon's damage type matches your subclass damage type.
- Armor mod costs have been reduced across the board.
- The Combat Style mod socket has been replaced on all armor pieces with an extra socket for mods associated with that armor slot.
- Charged with Light and Elemental Wells armor mods have been merged into Armor Charge.
- Players can gain up to three stacks of Armor Charge at a time (expanded up to six stacks by equipping Charged Up mods).
- Picking up an Orb of Power grants one stack of Armor Charge.
- Many mods that previously created Elemental Wells or granted stacks of Charged with Light directly have been modified to instead spawn Orbs of Power.
- Mods that provide an ongoing benefit (Font of Wisdom) now grant that benefit as long as you have stacks of Armor Charge. These stacks decay every 10 seconds.
- Most mods triggered by using a finisher now make use of the Armor Charge System.
- Some functionality of Elemental Wells and their mods have been moved into subclass fragments and the new Firesprite and Void Breach.
- Warmind Cells have gone the way of the dinosaur.
- Seasonal Artifact
- Unlocking a perk in the Seasonal Artifact now grants that perk directly to the character when it is relevant. No more socketing!
- Column 2 of the Artifact now unlocked multiple discounted mods per node.
- The maximum number of unlocked perks has been reduced to 12.
- Resetting the Seasonal Artifact is now free.
- Artifice armor has had its bonus socket converted into a socket that allows you to increase any one stat on that armor piece by +3.
- Resilience has been adjusted. At tier 10, damage reduction is now 30% (previously 40%).
- The armor mods granting Resilience have had their armor energy costs increased to 4 (+10 Resilience) and 2 (+5 Resilience).
- The Iron Lord's Pride perk has been added to all Iron Banner sets from Season 8 to the present.
- Exotic Armor
- Khepri's Sting: Truesight is now granted when damaging an enemy with a smoke bomb. Additionally, when you have an undetonated smoke bomb on the battlefield and have not been made invisible by a smoke bomb, you gain significantly increased melee energy generation.
- Heart of Inmost Light: Reduced duration of the empowered ability buffs in PvE to five seconds (down from 10 seconds). Reduced bonus class ability regeneration while empowered to +25% per stack in both PvE and PvP (down from +150% and +38%, respectively)
- The Bombardiers now cause targets damaged by its explosive to become severed when used by a Strand Hunter.
- Weapons
- Crafting Changes
- Resonant elements have been removed.
- Crafting component costs have been replaced with standard currencies such as Glimmer and Enhancement Cores.
- Deepsight will now only manifest on weapons that have a pattern available to unlock.
- Deepsight has been removed on existing weapons that do not have a pattern available to unlock.
- The Deepsight attunement objective has been removed. You can immediately extract or dismantle the weapon to obtain pattern progress.
- Reduced Linear Fusion Rifle damage versus Champions, minibosses, bosses, and vehicles by 15% (Sleeper Simulant and The Queenbreaker are unaffected).
- Increased Machine Gun damage by 10% and increased reserve ammo by 50% at 0 inventory stat and 20% at 100 inventory stat.
- Increased Heavy Grenade Launcher damage against Champions, minibosses, bosses, and vehicles by 20% and minors by 40%. Improved projectile collision and increased blast radius by 1m. Parasite is unaffected.
- Shotgun reticles now change in size proportionally to the spread angle.
- Kinetic Primary weapon damage multiplier against unshielded combatants increased from 1.05 to 1.1. Kinetic Special weapon damage multiplier against unshielded combatants increased from 1.05 to 1.15. Kinetic slot Stasis weapons no longer have the 5% damage bonus versus unshielded targets in PvE.
- Exotics Weapons
- The Queenbreaker: Now uses Arc 3.0 blind. Show now chains to multiple nearby enemies.
- Ruinous Effigy: Transmutation sphere slam attack now suppresses.
- Leviathan's Breath: Now applies volatile on perfect draw impact. Increased damage from 396 to 442. Increased damage against Champions by 30%.
- One Thousand Voices: Each explosion now applies 10+5 (with Ember of Ashes) scorch stacks.
- Sunshot: Explosion on kill now applies 10+5 scorch stacks.
- Polaris Lance: Perfect Fifth shots now apply 40+20 scorch stacks instead of a custom burn.
- Two-Tailed Fox: Solar rocket now applies 60+30 scorch stacks instead of burn.
- Prometheus Lens: Added the Incandescent perk to the catalyst.
- Grand Overture: Switched the catalyst to use Arc blind.
- The Manticore: Added a hi-fire reticle element to showing current stacks of Antigrav Repulsor.
- Tractor Cannon: Fixed a crash when Tractor Cannon was fired at large groups of Stasis crystals.
- The Fourth Horseman: Fixed an issue where this weapon had received an unintended 20% damage nerf.
- Thunderlord: Fixed an issue where this weapon's lightning strikes could disrupt you or your teammates.
- Perks
- Osmosis, Golden Tricorn, and Elemental Capacitor have been updated to work with Strand.
- Rewind rounds have been rebuilt to work on non-Vault of Glass weapons.
- Eager Edge no longer deactivates when moving faster than 35m/s. Deactivates correctly after a single melee swing. Reduced the base lunge distance buff from 2 to 1.8. Reduced airborne lunge distance penalty from 25% to 20%. The enhanced perk no increases lunge distance slightly, back up to 2.
- Blinding grenades have been renamed to Disorienting Grenades.
- Veist Stinger now reloads 25% of the magazine.
- Zen Moment now reduces incoming flinch by 1x for SMGs, auto rifles, and machine guns, 1.5x for pulse rifles and sidearms, and 2x for hand cannons and scout rifles.
- Danger Zone reduces self-damage while the perk is active.
- Wellspring will now reward the correct amount of energy. It also works with abilities that have multiple charges.
- Cascade Point no longer triggers off of non-precision damage against weakened targets.
- Crafting Changes
- Abilities
- Rescaled the efficacy of Discipline, Strength, and each class ability stat on grenade, melee, and class ability regeneration rates. Tier 10 is now equivalent to Tier 8 in the previous system.
- Hunter Supers
- Arc Staff, Marksman, Deadshot, Spectral Blades: Increased the maximum number of Orbs that can be created via defeating targets from 5 to 7. Spectral blades reduced base cooldown time from 10m25s to 9m16s.
- Gathering Storm, Silence and Squall, Blade Barrage: Decreased the maximum number of Orbs that can be created via defeating targets from 7 to 5.
- Hunter Class Abilities
- Marksman's Dodge: Reduced base cooldown time from 34s to 29s.
- Gambler's Dodge: Reduced base cooldown time from 46s to 38s.
- Hunter Melee
- Weighted Throwing Knife: Increased base cooldown time from 109s to 137s.
- Lightweight Knife: Increased base cooldown time from 90s to 100s.
- Proximity Explosive Knife: Increased base cooldown time from 100s to 111s.
- Withering Blade: Reduced base cooldown time from 113s to 100s.
- Titan Supers
- Fists of Havoc, Glacial Quake, Hammer of Sol, Burning Maul, Sentinel Shield: Increased the maximum number of Orbs that can be created via defeating targets from 5 to 7. Fists of Havoc increased PvE damage by 20%. Hammer of Sol reduced base cooldown time from 10m25s to 9m16s.
- Thundercrash: Decreased the maximum number of Orbs that can be created via defeating targets from 7 to 5. Reduced maximum flight time from 5 seconds to 4.5 seconds. Reduced size of the damaging volume around the player and pushed it further forward in front of the player to make drive-by disintegration more intentional. Reduced detonation size against players by -20%. Downward vertical influence now begins earlier in flight.
- Ward of Dawn: Ward maximum health reduced from 13,500 to 8000. Rescaled PvE combatant damage against the Ward to compensate. Standardized the damage dealt by each type of Kinetic and Energy weapon against the Ward. All weapon types now deal 1.5x damage to the Ward. Armor of Light has been updated to reduce its potency in PvP. Maximum health reduced from 425 to 300. Now inherits Void Overshield's 50% PvE damage resistance to compensate. No longer negates precision damage.
- Titan Melee
- Ballistic Slam: Now suppresses the attacking player's base melee for 0.9s after landing, so a follow-up melee cannot be performed until the player returns to first person. Increased base cooldown time from 90s to 114s.
- Shield Bash: Increased base cooldown time from 90s to 114s.
- Seismic Strike, Hammer Strike: Increased base cooldown time from 90s to 101s.
- Shield Toss: Reduced base cooldown time from 100s to 91s.
- Titan Aspects
- Knockout: Reduced basic melee damage bonus against players from 60% to 50%. Reduced full-body melee damage bonus against players from 25% to 20%.
- Warlock Supers
- Stormtrance, Nova Warp, Winter's Wrath, Daybreak: Increased the maximum number of Orbs that can be created via defeating targets from 5 to 7. Daybreak's throw cost reduced from 10% to 6.5% per swing. Increased damage against PvE combatants by 25%. Reduced base cooldown time from 10m25s to 9m16s.
- Chaos Reach, Nova Bomb: Decreased the maximum number of Orbs that can be created via defeating targets from 7 to 5.
- Warlock Class Abilities
- Phoenix Dive: Reduced base cooldown time from 82s to 55s. While Daybreak is active, Phoenix Dive's Cooldown is significantly reduced, allowing for rapid reactivations. Also, the detonation damage is increased from 40/80 min/max to 100/220. Restoration duration when activated while Heat Rises is active increased from 1s to 3s.
- Warlock Melee
- Celestial Fire: Increased base cooldown time from 100s to 112s.
- Incinerator Snap: Reduced base cooldown time from 90s to 83s.
- Penumbral Blast: Reduced base cooldown time from 114s to 101s.
- Warlock Aspects
- Heat Rises: Split the airborne effectiveness bonus previously granted by consuming your grenade between a passive and active benefit.
- Grenades
- Arc
- Lightning Grenade: Increased base cooldown time from 121s to 152s. Increased PvE damage by 20%.
- Storm Grenade: Increased base cooldown time from 105s to 121s.
- Flux Grenade: Reduced base cooldown time from 182s to 152s.
- Pulse Grenade: Increased PvE damage by 20%.
- Solar
- Healing Grenade: Increased base cooldown time from 82s to 91s.
- Tripmine Grenade: Increased base cooldown time from 91s to 121s.
- Solar Grenade: Increased base cooldown time from 121s to 152s. Increased PvE damage by 20%.
- Thermite Grenade: Increased base cooldown time from 105s to 121s. Increased PvE damage by 20%.
- Incendiary Grenade: Reduced base cooldown time from 121s to 105s.
- Void
- Void Spike Grenade: Increased base cooldown time from 91s to 121s. Increased PvE damage by 20%.
- Voidwall Grenade: Increased base cooldown time from 105s to 152s. Increased PvE damage by 20%.
- Vortex Grenade: Increased base cooldown time from 121s to 152s. Increased PvE damage by 20%.
- Magnetic Grenade: Reduced base cooldown time from 121s to 105s.
- Scatter Grenade: Reduced base cooldown time from 121s to 105s.
- Stasis
- Duskfield Grenade: Increased base cooldown time from 64s to 91s.
- Arc
- Elemental Pickups
- Void Breach: Created by a selection of new and existing Void fragments, and grant class ability energy on pickup.
- Firesprite: Created by a suite of new and existing Solar fragments and grant grenade energy on pickup.
- Elemental Fragments
- Arc
- Spark of Resistance: Increased nearby enemy count requirement for activation from 2 to 3. Reduced linger time after you're no longer surrounded from 4 to 2 seconds.
- Spark of Instinct: When critically wounded, taking damage from nearby enemies emits a burst of damaging Arc energy that jolts targets.
- Spark of Haste: You have greatly increased Resilience, Recovery, and Mobility while sprinting.
- Solar
- Ember of Tempering: Now creates a Firesprite on Solar weapon kills while active, in addition to its original effects.
- Ember of Combustion: Now creates a Firesprite on Solar Super defeats, in addition to its original effects.
- Ember of Searing: Now creates a Firesprite when defeating scorched targets, in addition to its original effects.
- Ember of Mercy: When you revive an ally, you and other nearby allies gain Restoration. Picking up a Solar Flare grants Restoration.
- Ember of Resolve: Solar grenade final blows heal you.
- Void
- Echo of Domineering: Now creates a Void Breach when defeating suppressed targets, in addition to its original effects.
- Echo of Harvest: Now creates a Void Breach when defeating weakened targets with precision damage, in addition to its original effects.
- Echo of Starvation: Now grants devour on picking up a Void Breach, in addition to its original effects. Now allows Orb of Power pickup with full Super energy.
- Echo of Cessation: Finisher final blows create a burst of Void damage that causes nearby enemies to become volatile. Defeating volatile targets creates a Void Breach.
- Echo of Vigilance: Defeating a target when your shields are depleted grants you a temporary Void Overshield.
- Arc
- Subclass Keywords
- Arc
- Jolt: Jolt lightning now stuns Overload Champions.
- Blind: Blinding Unstoppable Champions now stuns them.
- Solar
- Radiant: While radiant, your weapons now also pierce Barrier Champion shields and stuns them.
- Ignition: Ignition damage now stuns Unstoppable Champions.
- Void
- Volatile Rounds: While you have volatile rounds, your Void weapons now also pierce Barrier Champion shields and stuns them.
- Suppression: Suppressing Overload Champions now stuns them.
- Stasis
- Slow: Slowing Overload Champions now stuns them.
- Shatter: Shatter damage now stuns Unstoppable Champions.
- Arc
- Combatants
- Champions now correctly stun even when they're playing another animation, such as a spawn-in.
- Champion stun time is now consistent across all champions.
- Barrier Champions are weak to shots from a player with the Solar radiant buff, Void volatile rounds, and Strand unraveling rounds.
- Overload Champions are weak to Arc jolt, Void Suppression, and Stasis Slow.
- Unstoppable Champions are weak to Arc blind, Solar ignition, Stasis shatter, and Strand suspend.
- Finishers
- All subclass-agnostic finishers now support Strand coloration when using a Strand subclass.
- Updated the VFX for Stasis finishers to fix a coloration issue.
- Emotes
- The "Ghost Fist Bump" Exotic emote now supports Strand coloration when using a Strand subclass.
- Power and Progression
- Weekly powerful rewards have been removed from Savathun's Throne World and added to Neomuna.
- Seasonal Updates: Engrams, Energy, Focusing, Chests, and Keys
- Umbral engrams are no longer used to focus seasonal weapons and armor and will no longer drop from the game.
- Seasonal engrams are the new type of engram. They are stored at the vendor and don't require inventory space.
- There is a wallet item you can acquire by visiting the seasonal vendor. Hovering over this item in your inventory will show you how many engrams you have for each vendor. If you delete this item, you can reacquire it from the vendor.
- Owners of a season will now periodically be rewarded with a seasonal engram and/or a seasonal key upon completing activities throughout the game. These are defiant engrams and defiant keys for Season of Defiance.
- Playlist versions of the seasonal battlegrounds have one chest at the end of the activity. If you don't have a seasonal key when you open the chest, you will receive a seasonal weapon or armor. If you do have a seasonal key, it will be consumed and you will receive either a seasonal weapon with Deepsight resonance that you haven't completed the crafting pattern for or a high-stat piece of seasonal armor and a seasonal engram.
- World pool weapons and armor no longer drop at the end of the playlist version of seasonal activities.
- Direct launch versions of the seasonal battlegrounds will not have chests and instead award world pool weapons and armor.
Related: Destiny 2 Cataclysmic God Roll Guide
Platforms and Systems
- Added support and in-game setting to toggle Nvidia Reflex.
- Fixed various minor QoL issues regarding the controller settings menus on PC.
General
- Collision damage is no longer lethal against Guardians.
- Ghost projections that changed color based on your subclass now support Strand coloration when using a Strand Subclass.
For more Destiny 2 goodies, check out Destiny 2 Wendigo God Roll and Possible Perks on Pro Game Guides.
Christian has been playing games since he could hold a controller in the late 80s. He's been writing about them for nearly 15 years for both personal and professional outlets. Now he calls Pro Game Guides home where he worships at the altar of Destiny 2.