[GameSpot] - Destiny 2 Update Keeps Refining Commendations In Guardian Ranks, Fixes Quicksilver Storm

[343iBot]

A new update has gone live for Destiny 2, and while the list of changes aren't long, they are substantial. According to the hotfix 7.0.0.7 patch notes, the biggest tweaks are focused on Lightfall's Root of Nightmares raid, two underperforming Exotics, and the way commendations factor into Guardian Ranks.

For the raid, expect Nezarec to no longer be confused when a Warlock on your team pops their Well of Radiance Super, as the Final God of Pain would often be halted in his tracks by this display of empowering space-magic. With this fix, expect Nezarec to snap out of his confused state and put that gigantic scythe of his to good use.

Part of the update is focused on Quicksilver Storm and Touch of Malice, two Exotic weapons that were doing reduced damage against red-bar enemies. Bungie had previously mentioned that fixing Quicksilver Storm was a complicated process, but with this fix, they'll rip through cannon fodder enemies as they'll now do 40% extra damage against them. Useful for when you want to do some crowd control with experimental Neomuna weaponry or a scout rifle that contains the dark essence of a fallen Hive god.

For players looking to earn higher Guardian Ranks, there's some good news on this front. Bungie is reducing the Commendation score needed to complete certain Guardian Rank goals by a substantial amount, so reaching that threshold won't require as much grinding as before in social events. This is only for Ranks 7-9, and the hotfix does get rid of the requirement to hand out commendations for those ranks. Hawthorne's weekly challenge has also been reduced by 75%. (Also of note, the actual Commendation score needed for Ranks 7-9 has been corrected since the patch notes were first published.)

Interestingly, several high-level PvE activities will also be easier, as enemy health is being reduced in Legend and Master-tier Nightfalls, Battlegrounds, Lost Sectors, Offensives, Hunts, and Legend/Master campaign missions. There has been some debate in Destiny 2's social circles about just how challenging these activities are, especially with some enemies being able to soak up a ridiculous amount of damage, but this fix should help add some more balance to these pursuits.

A few other minor issues are also being addressed, including missing Riskrunner Exotic catalysts, a nerf for the Flare Up artifact perk in PvP, and fewer high-level enemies roaming Neomuna.

Destiny 2 Hotfix 7.0.0.7

Trials of Osiris

• Fixed an issue where wins on a seven-win Trials Passage would reward unfocusable Trials of Osiris engrams.

Neomuna Freeroam

• Reduced the prevalence of elite (orange healthbar) enemies to lower the base difficulty of Freeroam.
• Fixed an issue that was causing Cabal turrets in Ahimsa Park to respawn too quickly.

Root of Nightmares

• Fixed an issue where Nezarec would not react to players that were positioned in a Well of Radiance.

Difficulty

• Combatant health scaling for two- and three-player fireteams reduced in the Season 20 Legendary Exotic mission.
• Reduced enemy health in Legend- and Master-tier Nightfalls, Battlegrounds, Lost Sectors, Offensives, Hunts, and Legend/Master campaign missions.

UI/UX

Reduced the Commendation score required for Guardian Ranks 7, 8, and 9:

• Rank 7 is now 200 (was 460).
• Rank 8 is now 477 (was 790).
• Rank 9 is now 910 (was 1290).
• Removed Guardian Rank objectives that require players to give Commendations from Ranks 7, 8, and 9.
• Reduced the number of Commendations required for Hawthorne's weekly challenge from 20 to 5.

Armor

• Reduced the number of additional scorch stacks added by the Flare Up artifact perk in PvP to 15 (down from 30).

Weapons

• Fixed an issue where the Target Lock trait was not correctly deactivating on a miss if the weapon was firing at 720 RPM or higher.
• Fixed an issue where some players were unable to acquire the Riskrunner catalyst.
• Fixed an issue where Quicksilver Storm and Touch of Malice were not receiving the 40% damage bonus against minor enemies.

Power and Progression

• Fixed an issue where certain Ghost and Weapon mods were not correctly unlocked when progressing through Guardian Ranks.
• Fixed an issue where certain new players were missing access to patrol destinations.

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