New gear is supposed to come
It has been announced that new gear is coming. The question here is the same as with the “light level”: How extensive will it be? Will they swap the vendor inventory, take itemization to the next level, bring a complete load of new stuff into Destiny, or will they perhaps just add some exotics?
If they want to bring “a lot” of new gear, they need another endgame activity (as seen in the DLCs). If they only want to add a few new items, like in December, they don’t need that.
It can be assumed that some or all of the remaining exotic armor pieces will come into the game in the spring. Because: When else would they come if this is now the only significant update?
Some of the year 1 exotics should also get new year 2 variants in Destiny. Perhaps they still have some surprises left – new exotic weapons would be welcome by the fans.
New game content
Bungie has promised “challenges for PvE players that can also be replayed” for spring.
This is, as evidenced by previous statements, ultimately the crux of the update. Can they deliver a “challenge” that actually drops new gear with higher light levels?
Players wish for a new raid. However, it seems unlikely that Bungie can or wants to deliver something like this in a free update.
They could have also stuck with the paid DLC model from year 1. They parted from it because it was too complicated to maintain. The developers simply could not keep up with it timely.
It seems most likely to us that the Prison of Elders will be recycled as a year 2 activity and taken as a “raid substitute” for the second half of year 2. This would justify a new item tier.
