Home Gaming Destiny’s Nightfall Strikes are also getting a complete overhaul in The Taken King

Destiny’s Nightfall Strikes are also getting a complete overhaul in The Taken King

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Nightfall (2)

Destiny, a video game where having the last word means a lead injection the face, is getting some big changes next month. I’ve already written about plenty of them, and believe it or not there are still more tweaks to come in The Taken King.

Next up on the chopping block? Nightfall Strikes, which will be retooled to be a little bit less of an hour-long punishment. But they’re also going to be doing away with experience boosts, as Taken King creative director Luke Smith wrote on the Bungie Blog:

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Our desired Nightfall experience is the weekly ritual where you get together with your friends for a test of thumbskill and allow players to optimize for gear.

Burn skulls motivate weapon rotation and now the Burn resist talents found on chest pieces will rotate armor.

The death penalty of being kicked to orbit often leads to players feeling forced to play too safe, rather than running through the world as a monster killing machine.

Another thing we didn’t like about the Year 1 Nightfall was how players could feel forced to play Nightfall as early as possible in the week to maximize the benefit from the Nightfall buff. So, we’ve shelved that buff until we can reform it into something closer to its original intent – a mark of prestige for having achieved something challenging. We’ve adjusted sources of XP and Reputation up to account for its absence.

  • Now requires Level 40
  • Wiping no longer returns Fireteams to Orbit
  • Now uses 30 second time-out penalty for Death (same as Raid Normal)

In other words, Nightfall Strikes are going to very much be weekly Heroic strikes that now have a new Weekly Heroic Playlist to hit:

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We’ve removed a dedicated Weekly Heroic Strike from the game this Fall. In its place we’ve added a new playlist: the Vanguard Heroic Playlist.

Each week players receive bonus Legendary Marks from the Weekly Heroic Playlist. These awards are received at the Account level rather than the character level – as was the case with Year One Weekly Heroic Rewards.

We made this change to enable players to focus on a single character more, or feel less pressure to gear three characters at once for Legendary Marks.

  • Requires Level 40
  • Removed the Weekly Heroic Strikes
  • Instead, accounts receive Legendary Marks for completing the first three Weekly Strikes
  • Removed the Weekly Cap on how many Legendary Marks can be earned.
  • Guarantee a Legendary Engram drop from a character’s first clear of a Weekly Heroic Strike

Daily Heroic and PVP missions will also be based on account completion, so you won’t have to hit them thrice a day as well. Plus, they’re going to have even better rewards:

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Did we mention that you’ll need to confront the immediate threat first? Oryx lies between you and these challenges. You’ll need to survive his wrath to partake in the new endgame.

Expansion pack my level 34 light-infused ass. The Taken King is starting to sound like the proper version of Destiny that I’ve been beta-testing with friends for the last year. Sweet Traveller, I need this more in my life than a Friday where Xur sells the Thorn.

Last Updated: August 28, 2015

22 Comments

  1. At level 34 you can craft the master crafted feline armour & weapons, they’re the boss. O_o

    Reply

  2. Hammersteyn

    August 28, 2015 at 09:42

    So many changes! How to keep track of it all. Also I’d be a bit miffed if Xur sells Thorn remembering the hell I had to go through to do the Thorn Quest

    Reply

    • Jonah Cash

      August 28, 2015 at 09:43

      I don’t think Thorn is going to be epic at all come the Taken King, which is sad because I also only got it recently!

      Reply

      • Hammersteyn

        August 28, 2015 at 09:44

        I don’t mind Xur selling exotics you get from loot drops. Because the game hardly drops any.

        Reply

  3. Jonah Cash

    August 28, 2015 at 09:42

    Can’t wait for this! Will be epic! Now if I can just get my friends to SMS like normal people then I can get two players to play with also!!!

    Reply

    • Hammersteyn

      August 28, 2015 at 09:45

      DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH A SMS COST! Get whatsapp already peasant!

      Reply

      • Brady miaau

        August 28, 2015 at 09:49

        SMS’s are free, right? Seems so. That is what my contract provider tells me.

        I see it as paying R1000 a month for loads of free SMS’s. So, not free then. Oh, and some data and voice too.

        Hey Jonah, call them then?

        Reply

    • Hammersteyn

      August 28, 2015 at 09:48

      Or use PSN messaging 😛

      Reply

      • Brady miaau

        August 28, 2015 at 09:50

        Now that just sounds ridiculous. Use the platform messaging service you want to play a game on to arrange a game, thus getting the folks together who are there and ready for the game> Pfft.

        Reply

        • Hammersteyn

          August 28, 2015 at 09:50

          LOL!

          Reply

    • RinceThis

      August 28, 2015 at 09:50

      • Hammersteyn

        August 28, 2015 at 09:51

        Then as soon as he uses Whatsapp we switch over to WeChat XD

        Reply

        • RinceThis

          August 28, 2015 at 09:51

          HAHAH 🙂

          Reply

        • Jonah Cash

          August 28, 2015 at 14:34

          F#4K YOU!!! Hahahaha

          Reply

          • Hammersteyn

            August 28, 2015 at 15:07

            XD XD XD

  4. Greylingad[CNFRMD]

    August 28, 2015 at 10:04

    I’m currently in two minds about purchasing MGS:V or Murderous Max, any suggestions would be welcome… Oh, and the taken king will be played once LTE makes it’s way to the far eastern side of the Capital city…

    Reply

    • Hammersteyn

      August 28, 2015 at 10:07

      I picked MGSV because Mad Max will have a season pass. So I’ll wait for the Mad Max GOTY edition.

      Reply

      • Greylingad[CNFRMD]

        August 28, 2015 at 10:09

        Do you think MGSV on PC or PS4?

        Reply

        • Hammersteyn

          August 28, 2015 at 10:12

          PS4, but that’s jsut me

          Reply

          • Greylingad[CNFRMD]

            August 28, 2015 at 10:22

            I was thinking the exact same thing… I’ll get the PC version on a Steam sale….

  5. RinceThis

    August 28, 2015 at 10:14

    It’s like a different language…

    Reply

  6. Francois Knoetze

    August 28, 2015 at 11:41

    ok if they are taking away the weekly heroic strike for a playlist. what the hell is happening to the strange coins and how do we get them now?

    Reply

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