Destiny's 'loot cave' has been shut down by Bungie

Update: There's already a new loot cave, and it's actually easier to mine than the first.

The endlessly farmable "loot cave" of Destiny is no more. Developer Bungie issued a hot fix today that, in its words, reduces "the effectiveness of a humbling number of economy exploits."

In a hot fix note, Bungie says, "The Hive of the holy 'Treasure Cave' have realized the futility of their endless assault on Skywatch and have retired to lick their wounds and plan their next attack." That's the more poetic way of saying that Bungie has nerfed the loot cave and that Destiny players will no longer be awash in easy drops.

Destiny players discovered shortly after launch that they could exploit the endlessly respawning acolytes and thralls, which were rich with gear and engram drops, in a specific area. It was a fast, effective way to grind for higher-level loot, but didn't align with how Bungie envisioned players should experience Destiny.

"The social experience of a cave farming run is amazing: the herding to get a team of Guardians all behind the line and firing in the right direction, the rush to grab the loot, the scramble when the panic wave starts, the beckoning glow from inside the cave," Bungie said in a developer note. "The speed at which the community organized around this activity was inspiring and humbling to us.

"But shooting at a black hole for hours on end isn't our dream for how Destiny is played. Our hope is that social engagement in public spaces is only one part of the Destiny experience."

While many players were likely expecting the loot spigot to dry up at some point, Bungie has made another change that will make it a bit more difficult to boost your gear. From today's hot fix: "Material rewards for dismantling Queen's Wrath gear will no longer provide ascendant materials, but missions will continue to drop Legendary items."