The long-awaited March update 1.1.4 for Destiny 2 is finally here. The penultimate update milestone from Bungie’s emergency plan brought numerous changes to PvP, the sandbox, and strikes. But what have the changes brought? How does Destiny 2 play after the update?
Since Tuesday, March 27, the March update for Destiny 2 has been live. Reason enough for many guardians to catch up on Destiny and see how the game has changed. For this occasion, our author Sven immediately made his way to the Tower after powering up the Destiny servers to retrieve his dusty Hunter gear from the vault and dive back into battle with his fellow weapons brothers. Read here his impressions from update 1.1.4.
How Destiny 2 plays after the March update
Like many of you, I have eagerly anticipated update 1.1.4 despite a hefty dose of skepticism. Destiny is a matter of the heart for me – and even though my head tells me that I will probably be disappointed, my heart forces me again and again to give Bungie another chance to bring back the gaming experience that remains unique and unparalleled to this day.
When the servers came back online on March 27 at around 8:00 PM, I immediately made my way to the beloved Destiny universe to see the numerous changes of the March update for myself. The heart had won again…
My impressions of the sandbox changes
After retrieving all the relevant weapons and armor pieces from my vault, I first ventured to Mercury. Since it was still difficult to find willing allies despite the brand new update, I decided to thoroughly test the sandbox changes solo while the rest of my team gradually arrived.
Subsequently, the tests were expanded to a team consisting of all 3 guardian classes across all relevant areas of PvE. Over the course of the week, I was able to form a good picture of the current state of the game. These are my personal impressions:
Movement speed – Go Fast?!
After just a few steps with my Hunter, I was admittedly a bit puzzled. I didn’t notice any real difference in running or sprinting compared to before the update. Even when jumping, my Hunter didn’t behave significantly differently. Is this what the Go Fast update is supposed to look like?
On the verge of a stroke, I desperately cranked up my character’s agility, and lo and behold – my fully agility-tuned Hunter moved noticeably faster, seemed more agile and lighter on his feet – even in the air. However, the difference only became truly noticeable at a mobility stat of 8. While sprinting, the mobility stat still has the same influence as before the update. With a mobility of 2, you will sprint just as fast after the update as before.
Even in the air, the Hunter felt better now – albeit only slightly. The movements while looking through the sights of a weapon seemed more agile as well.
Where a definite speed increase can be noted is with the revamped super of the Hunter. It now feels significantly quicker. The times when opponents could just run away from an Arcstrider in the Crucible are finally over, as I found out while playing later on.
However, the two other classes benefited from the adjustments much more noticeably than the Hunter. The Titan and especially the previously sluggish Warlock saw a lot of improvements. The jumps of both classes now feel significantly more agile and light-footed.
Since jumps contribute just as much to the movement of the guardian in Destiny 2 as running itself, the Titan and the Warlock are significantly faster overall after the March update.
The Sentinel and the Striker turn into true sprinting wonders during their super. The Dawnblade now resembles a Duracell bunny on LSD in its revamped form.
The overall improved movement of the guardians after the March update comes very close to the level of the popular predecessor title and does Destiny 2 noticeable good in pretty much all areas. Here, the agility value of the character plays a crucial role. As agility increases, movement speed also noticeably increases overall. If someone cannot perceive significant changes, they should increase this value.
Abilities and super
The cooldown of the abilities and the super has also been noticeably reduced. Especially when combined with appropriate mods, the abilities now recharge significantly faster than before the update.
The super is now significantly more frequently used thanks to the shorter cooldown and not least due to the masterwork weapons. The revamped supers of the Dawnblade and the Arcstrider finally feel like proper supers and no longer lag behind the other ultimate attacks of the guardians. Especially the Dawnblade feels extremely agile, fast, and powerful due to the adjustments. For the first time ever, I feel like a powerful guardian from the predecessor in Destiny 2.
The weapon performance
Not much needs to be said about the weapons. The balance changes introduced in the March update are noticeable after just a few hits and are largely successful across the board. The pulse rifles are now really fun to use, the linear fusion rifles are true killers – generally speaking, every weapon class feels significantly more powerful in PvE, even sniper rifles. Only grenade launchers still seem to desperately seek their justification for existence in the game.
The number of possible alternatives for effective weapon choices has definitely increased. All enemies – from the smallest Vex to the largest strike boss – can be defeated noticeably faster with virtually any weapon. Even in fights between guardians, one can now confidently reach for some new alternatives without immediately becoming uncompetitive.
However, the top favorites largely remain the same. There was only a slight increase among their ranks. Weapons like Better Devils are still hard to pass up. While the range of useful and solid weapons has certainly increased, once you have assembled the “new” top-tier guns, there’s hardly any reason to reach for other firearms even after the March update.
Furthermore, there are still some inconsistencies with weapon performance. For example, in the Nightfall strike, with an active elemental burn, some weapons from the kinetic slot deal more damage than their counterparts from the energy slot – despite having the corresponding elemental damage and although both belong to the same archetype. Bungie should either clarify this or make adjustments.
Other innovations
The update 1.1.4 also introduced some new mechanics and systems that should improve various small aspects of the game.
A mechanic was introduced to prevent strikes and Crucible maps from immediately repeating in their respective playlists. However, just a few hours after the update was released, this mechanism was deactivated again, as it was obviously responsible for players being randomly sent back to orbit with the error code BAT. When the mechanic will be reactivated is currently unknown.
Also, the system for avoiding duplicates from exotic engrams doesn’t seem to be functioning as Bungie intended. Exotic duplicates remain a common occurrence.
The newly introduced Nightfall-specific rewards have also received little favor from players. Considering how intensively Bungie promoted the exclusive Nightfall loot and in light of the time required for it, the result is at best disappointing. The rewards are currently limited to seven items such as sparrows, ghosts, and weapons.
As many have feared, these are mostly reskins of familiar models. In my opinion, these special rewards will not really contribute to long-term motivation. Most people expected much more.
My impressions of PvE
The PvE in Destiny 2 has definitely been enhanced by the changes, that is for sure. Whether it’s the stronger weapons, the more frequent use of abilities and the super or the improved movement of the guardians – all of this undoubtedly contributes to a better overall experience. You finally feel more powerful, and for a time, it is really fun to blast your way through enemy ranks and test your new limits as a stronger hero.
But is this enough to bring back wayward players and to keep guardians engaged with the game in the long run? I can say a clear NO to that question. For this fun does not last long.
After extensive tests of the sandbox changes, my team and I dove into the Nightfall strike. In our third Nightfall run, even the last team member received the exclusive sniper, and so we flew into orbit, where a period of silence prevailed.
Then came: “And now? I need nothing more. How about you? The changes feel okay. But what does it matter? There’s nothing I haven’t seen. Nothing worth playing for again. I’d say we’ll see each other for the DLC, guys…”
With these words, our PvE evening came to an end, which can be considered representative of a large part of the guardians according to our own discussions and the comments of many players. And that reveals the true problems of Destiny 2. But more on that in the conclusion.
My impressions of PvP
I look at PvP after the March update with mixed feelings. Many of the changes introduced turn out to be sensible and good in guardian duels, but some also bring new problems or exacerbate existing ones.
The changes to guardian classes, the new weapon balance, and most of the PvP-specific changes visibly benefit the Crucible. The pace is faster, abilities are more frequently used, and there’s a wider variety of weapons to choose from. This is exactly what many guardians wanted.
However, due to some changes, the fun in PvP depends more than ever on the playlist you are in. The player experience between Quickplay and Competitive now differs, in my opinion, like night and day.
Quickplay
Quickplay has lost a lot of its appeal for me. Due to the changes in power ammunition allocation, this mode has become almost unbearable – especially for the people for whom it was originally designed. If someone wants a few quick guardian duels in the Crucible, they will likely be disappointed.
This mode is now highly dominated by power weapons. Bungie’s current solution for power ammunition allocation makes that possible.
Most matches have since been very one-sided and follow the same pattern. The team shooting factor that Bungie wanted to address has instead been reinforced. Teams now almost exclusively camp at their power ammo source or try to occupy both spots if they are well coordinated. Once the ammo appears, you mostly have to deal with the Colony spiders.
Defeated opponents now also drop their power ammo, enabling a good team to play almost constantly with heavy ammunition and to send their spider mines back immediately even with slight radar spikes.
A randomly thrown together team tends to lose such duels by as much as 70 points. Because even the buffed kinetic and energy weapons cannot compete against such a dominance of power weapons. Quickplay is currently not recommended for solo players. Too often, random teams are pitted against fixed teams – with the corresponding outcome. The heroic moments promised by Bungie barely if at all shine through.
Rumble
As much as I was looking forward to the return of Rumble, I was just as disappointed. The everyone-against-everyone mode is almost unplayable in its current state.
The maps quickly proved to be too small for 8 guardians competing against each other. For 2 teams of 4, the map size may suffice, but when fighting against 7 other opponents, it gets very cramped quickly. If you perish, the likelihood is high that you will respawn right in front of the barrel of one, if not several opponents. The respawn mechanic is really suboptimal.
Thanks to the unfortunate respawns, it’s sometimes possible to take out 5-6 opponents at once with a super – some even multiple times in a row as they immediately pop back up right in front of you due to the shortened respawn times. The opposite also holds true. After just a few matches, the fun factor drops almost to zero. Bungie definitely needs to address this.
Competitive
In the competitive playlist, the situation is somewhat different. Although you will still come up short against established teams when in a random team, the lack of radar allows for some maneuvers where you can shine individually or in pairs against multiple opponents.
Also, more weapons are being used here than just the Colony and maybe the Legend of Acrius. Shotguns and scattered fusion rifles are also becoming more prevalent.
While teams still camp heavily at the power ammunition, the lack of radar and the ensuing tactical possibilities to flank or ambush the opponent allow for more situations where you can effectively counter this style of play – even without your own power ammo. I now perceive the absence of radar as a boon for the Crucible.
Trials of Osiris
After my team and I completed the first match in the Trials, I was once again very positively surprised. While the competitive playlist represents an upgrade to Quickplay, the Trials of Osiris embody the complete opposite of the now problem-ridden mode. The last time I had so much fun in PvP was in Destiny 1.
Since only fixed and usually well-coordinated teams compete in the Trials, much of the criticism of the other PvP modes is undermined. The matches are now much more tactical and much more exciting and close due to the absence of radar, even when facing overwhelmingly powerful teams.
Camping was almost nonexistent. Almost all rounds were pursued offensively by both teams. Flanking from the side, cornering the opponent, or pushing aggressively head-on without warning – all of this works much better now than before.
Communication now plays an even more significant role. While you could previously see your backline on the radar, you now need to communicate constantly. You also run the risk of falling victim to the enemy’s tactical ambush if you do not communicate properly.
Even more different weapons are now being utilized than in the competitive playlist. Aside from grenade launchers and linear fusion rifles, almost all weapon classes are now facing off against each other evenly due to the weapon changes. We have not encountered a 4-man Colony team in a single match as has become almost standard in Quickplay.
With the Trials of Osiris, Bungie has once again achieved a paradox in my opinion. The mode, which is actually only intended for a small elite circle among PvP players, is simultaneously the only one in its current state that is truly accessible to the masses. In this exclusive PvP club, even casual Crucible tourists are currently having much more fun than in the other modes – provided they find a fixed team.
My conclusion on the March update
What have the changes achieved? Does Destiny 2 now offer a better gaming experience? Has Bungie finally managed to stop the free fall of the game?
In my opinion, the March update is both a curse and a blessing. On one hand, most changes have definitely benefited the game. It plays significantly better in many areas now and comes much closer to the players’ expectations and the original Destiny feeling. The update is undoubtedly a step in the right direction. And yet, this update milestone could only slow down, not stop, the free fall of the game.
On the other hand, the update simultaneously reveals the real problems of the game. A large part of these reasonable changes should have been integral to the release version of Destiny 2 at the latest, based on the experiences from the beta. Furthermore, Bungie simply takes too long to implement such adjustments. If Destiny 2 had come to market in its current state, things would have certainly taken a very different course.
Guardians do not turn their backs on Destiny 2 due to an unfortunate weapon meta, a too high time to kill, slow guardians, or ammo problems in the Crucible.
Even the reasonable and urgently needed changes from update 1.1.4 cannot overshadow the fact that Destiny 2 suffers from much more fundamental and urgent problems.
As long as Bungie does not consistently tackle issues such as trivial loot, the boring exotics, the current weapon system, or the lack of long-term motivation in general, Destiny 2 will remain far behind its potential in the future. All those who had nothing to do in Destiny 2 prior to the update will find little new to occupy themselves with even after the update.
I cannot really recommend a return at this time.
What do you think of the March update for Destiny 2? What have your experiences been so far?
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