Destiny 2 is tinkering with performance in the upcoming DLC Beyond Light and upgrading its old technology. What do you get from it and why was it desperately needed?
Slowly but surely, more changes are surfacing for the major expansion Beyond Light, which is set to release on November 10. We already know the new DLC location Europa and the brand new Stasis element.
Bungie is also investing heavily in optimized and improved technology with Beyond Light.
In the TWaB from September 24 (via Bungie), it discusses complex server scripts or backend changes that very few people understand. MeinMMO has summarized the most important impacts for you and tells you what Destiny 3 has to do with it.
What do the technical improvements mean for me?
Many of the changes on the “technology behind the game” front happen under the hood. They lead to a smoother Destiny experience or a better programming environment for Bungie itself – at least that’s what Engineering Director David Aldridge says.
But some things also have a direct impact on the players.
You will benefit from:
- Destiny 2 shrinks: The game will be 30-40% smaller on your hard drive. Depending on the platform, you will then need between 59 and 71 GB – currently, Destiny 2 consumes 101.5 GB on PS4.
- Bungie can release patches and fixes faster, thus responding to urgent issues.
- They are switching to a new hosting system that recognizes more data and will offer more room in the future.
- You should be able to form fireteams faster – for example, you should be able to form a team in the Tower without everyone having to load into the Tower for a long time.
- Some locations will receive improved lighting – the EDZ and Nessus will get this visual upgrade.
As no Destiny 3 is coming, Bungie is tinkering with the technology
That’s why the changes are urgently needed: Bungie estimated at the release of Destiny 2 in 2017 that the life cycle of the game would be significantly shorter. Now we know that no Destiny 3 is on the horizon.
Instead, we already know the plans for Destiny 2 until 2022. To improve the game and especially the creation of new content, now is the time for technical optimizations.
The Destiny engine is notorious for being painfully slow and inflexible. Bungie confirms in the TWaB the rumor that it sometimes takes them 24 hours to load the game. Through optimization and separation of “dead content,” they were able to reduce the working time to under 12 hours.
This means for you that Bungie can work on content faster. They themselves say that they have been poorly able to respond to the live game so far and expect 1-2 weeks more flexibility per season with the new technology.
This also indirectly confirms what an insider said about the real reason behind the sometimes criticized Content Vault:
This is why a large download is coming: When Beyond Light becomes available, all players on all platforms will need to completely redownload and reinstall Destiny 2. Only this way can the technical improvements be implemented.
To mitigate the accompanying wait times, there will be a pre-load on November 9. This way, Guardians with slower internet connections should be able to start on time.
Beyond Light brings not only technical changes but also brings back long-forgotten characters: Destiny 2: Who is Variks and why do all Guardians want to take him down?
