Destiny 2's next update has the quality of life changes you've been asking for

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Update 2.0.5 will improve Exotic drops and buff two weak Exotic weapons

Cayde-6 in Destiny 2: Forsaken

Destiny 2 update 2.0.5 will arrive on Tuesday, October 30, and per the patch note preview in yesterday's This Week At Bungie blog post, it's bringing a bundle of essential quality-of-life improvements. Among other things, the update will add Exotic duplicate protection, more ways to earn masterwork cores (which are being renamed to enhancement cores), and some inventory tweaks which will make everyday tasks less tedious. 

As of update 2.0.5, you'll have a greater chance of receiving an Exotic item you don't have in your collection whenever you get an Exotic drop. It will still be possible to receive duplicates, but they'll be much less common than they currently are. And when you do get a duplicate Exotic, there's a good chance it will be an armor piece rather than a weapon; that way, you at least get a shot at rolling a better set of armor perks on that Exotic. 

Additionally - and thank heavens for this - Exotic quest weapons like Malfeasance and Wish Ender are being removed from the Exotic loot pool. Not only that, Malfeasance and Wish Ender are both getting a much-needed damage buff. Here's hoping activity-exclusive Exotics like the Last Wish raid's One Thousand Voices are also removed from the global loot pool. Receiving these weapons from normal drops after earning them from their respective activities felt like a punishment and undermined their exclusivity, so it's nice to see this changed. 

Enhancement cores, formerly masterwork cores, will also be easier to come by after this update. Each week, Tangled Shore merchant Spider will sell six bounties which reward enhancement cores. The scrapper bounties obtained via normal bounties and activities will also dish out cores. Here's some more good news for Spider's regulars: you'll be able to purchase the planetary materials he sells without holding down the freakin' button every time, and you'll be able to hold up to 20 of the Ghost Fragments used to purchase his bounties. 

In a similar vein, Gunsmith turn-ins are being increased from 10 to 25 at a time, and dismantling shaders will be much faster going forward. All of these changes are going to save players a lot of time in the long run - time they can spend playing Gambit to take advantage of next week's double and triple Infamy. 

Tuesday's update will also kick off Destiny 2's refer-a-friend program, which works just like the program in the original Destiny. You can't just convince your friend to play Destiny 2 with you; you also have to play through the refer-a-friend quest and show them the ropes. As you check off steps, you and your friend will both receive an exclusive ship, emblem, and Borealis ornament. If you refer multiple friends, you'll also get a nifty sparrow. 

Another exceedingly annoying Destiny 2 bug was also fixed recently. Suffice it to say, getting Whisper of the Worm is much easier now.  

Austin Wood
Austin Wood
Senior writer

Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.