Bungie has released new details on Destiny 2's final update, Monument of Triumph, ahead of its June 9 launch, and boy, I would have been excited about these changes before the end of the game was announced.
Per a fresh blog post, on June 9, Destiny 2's Director, the entire view of the universe, will be reinstated as the "center of your gameplay" following the disastrous rollout of the Portal activity hub, which has been partially sunset.
"It's your guide to the Destiny universe and the place to plan your adventures," Bungie seems to have realized. "It creates that feeling of wonder we all love. You see the Sol system before you, ready to be explored."
As Destiny 2 is frozen in time, with no more updates coming, the Director has also been updated for the last time. The Lawless Frontier and Kepler areas have been added, giving us our final view of Sol.
The many destinations on the Director have been updated as well. "Pre-Edge of Fate" areas have gotten "loot with new perks, tiered weapons for non-craftable pools, and set bonuses that reflect their themes and stories," mostly earned through public events. Some of that loot will come with the new perk Eyes Up, a nod to one of Destiny's most iconic lines, which reads: "This weapon gains reload speed, range, and increased damage against combatants for a short time when combat begins. Final blows extend and enhance this bonus."
Destinations will also receive a new event of sorts called Distortions. This will appear on a new destination every hour, empowering enemies and unlocking a new event. "You'll also discover some familiar challenges in new places and some strange signals leading to hidden rewards," Bungie says.
The Portal will technically still be here, but "Portal, the tab, is gone." Bungie says "we've heard your feedback on the Portal loud and clear," so it's been reduced to a quick-access menu for playlists and activities. Reward and modifier scoring has been simplified, Gambit has been added as a category to go with its reward overhaul, and dungeons and raids will have quick-start nodes as well. "Dungeon Ops will be retired, and this space will simply be a space to quickly find and play full raid and dungeon content," Bungie clarifies.
"The overarching theme is less math, more playing Destiny," Bungie says of the revised Portal.
Loot is a focus throughout the update, with "exclusive weapon reward pools and an armor collection with a unique set bonus" coming to Crucible and competitive playlists, Trials of Osiris, Iron Banner, Gambit, and the now-permanent Sparrow Racing League.
Onslaught, perhaps the best grind mode Destiny 2 ever received, has also been punched up: expect a new difficulty curve, more defense resources, and no revive tokens. The Contest of Elders has gotten similar changes along with The Coil, one of the best seasonal modes in Destiny 2's history, to essentially make them more rewarding and easier to get into.
This is, of course, a whole bunch of good, highly requested stuff. The Director! Universal tiered loot! Less Portal cruft! Gambit, I guess, sure, why not, bring it in! But it's hard to get too excited about the update knowing this is the end. A selfish part of me almost wishes the Monument of Triumph was weaker just so uninstalling Destiny 2 would be less painful. This game has always been about aspirational content, and now there's nothing left to aspire to. The final update perfectly encapsulates the game's history of extreme ups and downs: simultaneously, we are so back and it is so over.
