Destiny patch looks to fix loot system so you won't need a 'loot cave'

Bungie's first efforts to improve Destiny's loot system are coming in a patch next week, the studio announced today.

Destiny players have been finding workarounds for the game's stingy loot system, with the most widely used one being the now-famous "loot cave" in Russia that Bungie removed with a server-side update this week — only for players to discover another one today. The problem isn't just that loot drops are too infrequent; the system itself is currently designed in a way that frustrates players. Engrams, the item pickups that are decoded into weapons and armor, aren't guaranteed to contain gear of a rarity level that matches their color.

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That's changing with Destiny's v1.0.2 patch, which is set to be released next week. After the patch, engrams will always decode into gear that is at or above the rarity level of the engram — so, no more decoding a purple engram only to receive a Rare weapon. In addition, there will be a higher probability for Rare engrams to produce Legendary items upon decryption.

All of this applies only to engrams picked up after the patch. In fact, all Legendary engrams now sitting in players' inventories will be downgraded to Rare quality when the patch goes live — so it behooves you to decrypt them now, while they still have a chance of actually producing a Legendary item.

Bungie is also increasing the opportunities for players to receive these special drops. Following the patch, three different strike playlists — Daily Heroic, Weekly Heroic and Vanguard Tiger — will offer Rare and Legendary engrams along with their existing rewards.

For more on Destiny, check out the video below on the post-level-20 grind.