It may be hard to believe that Destiny is still changing. Some games stop receiving updates within weeks of their release, and yet, Bungie has been constantly updating the shooter/MMO since Day 1 - which was over four months ago. If there's one thing people can agree on when it comes to Destiny, it's that Bungie is truly dedicated to making its new IP work.
As such, Bungie has fully detailed its latest patch, which focuses on the new Dark Below expansion and its Raid, 'Crota's End.' While the standard bug fixing and re-balancing is present in the update, there's quite a bit of new stuff in there for players, too.
The big focus of this patch is the newly added Hard mode. This isn't just some difficulty slider for 'Crota's End,' this is a fully reworked mission, with new enemies and traps to conquer. Bungie has spoken about taking the new Raid up a notch when it released the Hard mode update, and it seems like players will finally get to take a shot at it. The team has compared it to the previous Raid's Hard mode, though any similarities or new changes will still have to be discovered by players.
Of course, it wouldn't make sense if Bungie introduced a more difficult Raid without any incentive for clearing it. Sure, Raids are a great way to get upgrade materials, but players are always hoping for one thing when Crota finally falls: a shiny new gun. The rewards for clearing the original Raid were impressive, but the new Hard mode rewards are a powerful lot. Bungie is adding four new Legendaries to the mix, and has already revealed them all:
Finally, there's an exclusive set of shaders for completing 'Crota's End' on Hard mode. In the Vault of Glass, these shaders were extremely sought after, and while it's easy to expect something similar for this new coat of paint, Bungie hasn't revealed what the new shaders look like just yet.
That's great and all, but none of the Hard mode updates matter if people can't play it. There's still a little more time before Hard mode goes live: the patch should be released on Wednesday, January 21 at 10am PST, though Bungie has made it clear that said time isn't exact. For some, there may be a slight delay, but you should still expect to take on Crota's new form sometime next Wednesday.
The Raids are the most highly-praised aspect in Destiny, so it's understandable why Bungie is so intent on keeping them fun to play and engaging. Despite the game's somewhat lukewarm reception, the team has constantly made improvements and changes to the game - the new 'Crota's End' Hard mode update is simply proof of that.
For even more info on the latest patch for Destiny, head on over to Bungie.net.
