So far, Destiny 2's new midseason patch has done more harm than good (Update)

Destiny 2
(Image credit: Windows Central)

What you need to know

  • Destiny 2's new midseason patch arrived recently, bringing a variety of bug fixes and significant weapon buffs to the game.
  • Unfortunately, the update also introduce a large number of new bugs and glitches that are affecting everything from player subclasses to audio, loot drops, triumphs, and more.
  • Several mods and a popular Terminal Overload farm have also either been broken or stealth nerfed.

Update 4/19/23 at 3:41 p.m. PT / 6:41 p.m. ET: Bungie took to the official Destiny 2 Team Twitter account to clarify some things about the update and share additional patch notes. We've embedded the full thread below.

Our original story is below.


Destiny 2's highly anticipated midseason patch rolled out yesterday, with the highlight of the update being some significant PvE buffs to a variety of Legendary and Exotic primary weapons. Notably, these adjustments have had an immediate (and significant) positive impact on how using these weapons in the endgame feels. Some fixes for well-known gameplay issues were included, too, including a glitch that could cause the Scission encounter in the Root of Nightmares raid to soft-lock and a rare, but frustrating crash that could occur in The Arms Dealer strike.

Unfortunately though, the patch also shipped with a variety of bugs, as well as some potential stealth nerfs to fan-favorite farms and options for Destiny 2 builds. Below, I've listed every issue and stealth nerf I've caught wind of, all of which have been taken from multiple player reports on Twitter, Reddit, and other social media platforms.

  • The Firepower mod doesn't spawn Orbs of Power like it's supposed to, and there are reports of inconsistent spawns with the Reaper mod as well.
  • The Ashes to Assets helmet mod has either been stealth nerfed or is broken.
  • The Thread of Generation Strand Fragment has either been stealth nerfed or is broken.
  • Grenade-related mods no longer seem to work with Strand's Grapple Grenade.
  • Firesprites aren't spawning properly.
  • Radiant-buffed weapons aren't stunning Barrier Champions like they're supposed to.
  • Many players have been unable to collect ammo from raid banners.
  • Players are experiencing disconnects and crashes while playing the King's Fall raid.
  • Defiant Battlegrounds chests may not give loot when opened.
  • Raid encounter loot isn't being awarded to players properly (drops will either not occur or go to the Postmaster after several minutes).
  • The Terminal Overload exploit that allowed players to open chests multiple times has seemingly been stealth fixed.
  • Many players have reported severe audio issues that cause the game to sound horribly loud and distorted.
  • Some have somehow earned Guardian Games-specific triumphs even though the event hasn't begun yet.
  • There are several reports of gilded titles being lost or reset.
  • Players cannot finish the Retribution quest and obtain Amanda Holliday's ship if they already got it by resetting their War Table rank. The War Table was supposed to drop a Ghost Shell instead.
  • The Guardian Games statue in The Tower incorrectly states that Hunters, not Warlocks, won last year's competition.

Thread of Generation is a key component in many Strand builds. (Image credit: Windows Central)

While some of these bugs are fairly minor, several of them are severe and have a significant impact on player builds. For example, the inability to spawn Orbs of Power with Firepower and Reaper have made it much harder for players to engage with Destiny 2's new Armor Charge mod system, and the bugged/stealth nerfed version of Thread of Generation makes Strand builds feel much worse than they did before the patch. The audio glitches also make playing the game insufferable for anyone affected, forcing players to completely mute it.

Overall, it's a bummer that one of the best Destiny 2 patches since the Lightfall expansion's launch on paper has turned out to be a bit of a disaster. It's the latest in a series of frustrating technical issues in Bungie's looter shooter, from the servers going down for emergency maintenance to frequent API downtime and multiple instances of increased login queues, error codes, and mid-game disconnects. Hopefully the developers are able to get things fixed soon, and can clarify whether or not certain changes are intentional or the result of a glitch.

Destiny 2: Lightfall is available now on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One consoles, Windows PCs, and PlayStation systems. In it, you'll take the fight to Emperor Calus, gain access to Strand subclasses and their unique abilities, and more.

Destiny 2: Lightfall

Destiny 2: Lightfall

The Lightfall expansion takes players to the neon-soaked city of Neomuna on Neptune and pits them against the fearsome Shadow Legion — all while the threat of Darkness Pyramids, The Witness, and his new Disciple Emperor Calus looms overhead.

See at: Microsoft | GMG (Steam)

CATEGORIES
Brendan Lowry

Brendan Lowry is a Windows Central writer and Oakland University graduate with a burning passion for video games, of which he's been an avid fan since childhood. He's been writing for Team WC since the summer of 2017, and you'll find him doing news, editorials, reviews, and general coverage on everything gaming, Xbox, and Windows PC. His favorite game of all time is probably NieR: Automata, though Elden Ring, Fallout: New Vegas, and Team Fortress 2 are in the running, too. When he's not writing or gaming, there's a good chance he's either watching an interesting new movie or TV show or actually going outside for once. Follow him on X (Twitter).

Read more
Helldivers 2
I'm psyched for Helldivers 2's latest big patch update and its new western Borderline Justice Warbond
Helldivers 2
I can't stop using Helldivers 2's best new weapon, and it just got even better in a new update patch
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Season 2 screenshots and teasers.
Call of Duty launches an end-of-day update to address Season 2 launch issues, but many persist [UPDATE]
STALKER 2
STALKER 2's new Patch 1.3 update has arrived with 1,200+ notes, but its biggest problem still isn't fixed
STALKER 2
STALKER 2's new Patch 1.1.4 update fixes one of its nastiest Xbox bugs, and the devs say a bigger patch is on the way
Hooded character in metal armor and mask with glowing eyes
Here are all of Avowed's known bugs and glitches that we've identified, along with some potential fixes
Latest in Gaming
Atomfall
Can I play Atomfall on Steam Deck, ROG Ally, and other gaming handhelds?
The Thing: Remastered key art
The Thing comes to Xbox Cloud Gaming's "Stream Your Own Game" library alongside other new arrivals
Promotional screenshot of heroes fighting a giant in Pillars of Eternity
Obsidian's classic Baldur's Gate successor 'Pillars of Eternity' is getting a surprise turn-based mode later this year, alongside other updates
Atomfall
Atomfall reviews and Metacritic scores are in: Here's a roundup of what everyone's saying about this new Game Pass survival game
Screenshot of one of the new flat world presets in Minecraft.
Minecraft testing new flat world presets and a better way to locate your friends in-game
Cover art for Heroes of the Storm.
Xbox Game Pass will give you more benefits in free-to-play games like Heroes of the Storm
Latest in News
Cloud servers
Microsoft has killed "several" data center projects in the U.S. and Europe, according to reports — Microsoft responds (Updated)
Photo of Microsoft's new sign-in page for Xbox.com using the Microsoft Edge browser.
Over one billion users will get a new Microsoft user experience, and it has a dark mode
The Thing: Remastered key art
The Thing comes to Xbox Cloud Gaming's "Stream Your Own Game" library alongside other new arrivals
Promotional screenshot of heroes fighting a giant in Pillars of Eternity
Obsidian's classic Baldur's Gate successor 'Pillars of Eternity' is getting a surprise turn-based mode later this year, alongside other updates
Atomfall
Atomfall reviews and Metacritic scores are in: Here's a roundup of what everyone's saying about this new Game Pass survival game
Screenshot of one of the new flat world presets in Minecraft.
Minecraft testing new flat world presets and a better way to locate your friends in-game