In Destiny 2, the Nightfall strike has been completely overhauled. How is the new Dawn 2.0 along with the Challenge Cards received by the Guardians?
With Update 1.1.3, on February 27th, the Nightfall strike was revamped. The most significant change was the removal of the time limit. You no longer need to rush through the Nightfall but can approach the challenge at your own pace. Instead of the time limit, there is now a Strike Scoring system.
These changes were communicated clearly in advance and were well received in the community. Many Guardians wrote that they look forward to the annoying timer finally being gone and being able to tackle the Nightfall solo. Because of this, they will start playing Destiny 2 again.
However, there was another change to the Nightfall that was not clear until now: In the Dawn on normal difficulty, there are no more modifiers.
A post in the reddit forum is currently pointing this new feature out critically. It has received nearly 1000 upvotes. The user is ranting and cursing, wondering who at Bungie thought that Guardians did not want modifiers in the normal Nightfall just because they don’t want a timer anymore. He honestly cannot fathom what Bungie has done. The new Nightfall is a step forward but two steps back.
“Nightfall without modifiers? FFS Bungie. Do you even play your game?”, writes another user.
How does the new Nightfall work now?
The most important changes to the Nightfall that Bungie communicates:
- The Nightfall timer is replaced by Strike Scoring
- The score is team-based and calculated as the sum of individual performances
- You score points through kills and generating Orbs of Light
- The score “bleeds” over time
- After 15 minutes, you only receive 50% of the score gains. After 18 minutes, you no longer receive any new points. You should quickly finish the Nightfall to bring your score, which is permanently bleeding, to completion
- Your score will then be displayed on a specific Nightfall emblem. If your scores exceed certain target values, you activate the Nightfall Aura and a Vanguard token bonus.
These are the Nightfall Challenge Cards
Once you have completed the first Nightfall, the “Curse of Osiris” owners will receive a Challenge Card. With this card, you can activate modifiers in the Prestige Nightfall.
That this card is the only way to activate modifiers in the Nightfall, and only in the Prestige version, was not previously known. It was assumed that it unlocked additional modifiers which would further enhance the challenge.
By activating modifiers via the Challenge Card, you increase the score multiplier. In other words, you can increase your score gains, but the Nightfall will become more challenging.
Here’s how it works:
- “Extinguished” is always active when the card is applied. If you die in an area where respawning is restricted, you will return to orbit.
- You can choose Element Modifiers to increase damage dealt and received.
- Additionally, the difficulty can be set with a power handicap. The handicap can be at zero, then the score modifier is x1.5. The maximum handicap is 40, at which point the score modifier is x3.65. You can set the handicap between 0 and 40 individually. At 40, the enemies are 40 power levels above you.
- Once the Nightfall has started, you cannot change these modifiers anymore. Additionally, it is sufficient for the fireteam leader to have the card active. Then the challenge applies to all fireteam members in the Prestige Nightfall.
How is the new Nightfall being received in the community?
The first reactions to Nightfall 2.0 are mixed, with negative comments currently being more prevalent.
Positives about the new Nightfall: People are glad that the time limit is finally a thing of the past. They will no longer be sent back to orbit when time runs out. This particularly pleases solo Guardians who can now take their time in the Nightfall strike. Moreover, it is interesting that with the handicap on the card, the difficulty can be set by oneself, creating personal challenges.
Negatives about the new Nightfall: The fact that the normal Nightfall now has to do without modifiers is silly. This decision by Bungie is being heavily criticized. Furthermore, there are far too few modifiers on the Challenge Card. There is a complete lack of variety. While the previous modifiers were not particularly creative either, they would have preferred more modifiers instead of fewer.
Additionally, there are several Guardians stating that it still needs time. The Strike Scoring is a first step in the right direction but many more steps need to be taken. Currently, there are hardly any incentives to play Nightfall 2.0. You only receive a new emblem. But new and exciting loot is still missing.
In the future, the strike-specific loot and additional modifiers are to be added to provide more motivation. Bungie emphasizes that this is only the first version of the new Nightfall, and they will continue to work on it.
We can only hope that the many small changes Bungie is currently implementing will eventually lead to a significant improvement that can sustainably attract Guardians back to the game.
Have you played the new Nightfall yet? What is your opinion on it?
