Destiny developer Bungie announced two limited-time events today: something old, and something new. The new hotness is Bungie's next seasonal event: Crimson Days, which is a Valentine's Day-themed affair. But before that, there'll be no love lost in the latest Iron Banner event.
David "DeeJ" Dague, community manager at Bungie, said in today's weekly update that Crimson Days is "on a scale close to Festival of the Lost." That was Bungie's first effort at a microtransaction-based seasonal event; it arrived just before Halloween last October. The studio said in December that it was moving to a more event-based model for 2016, bringing in revenue with optional microtransactions across multiple events rather than charging for larger, less frequent expansions.
Crimson Days is what Bungie's Eric Osborne was talking about in December when he said Destiny's next event would be similar in scope to Festival of the Lost. The event that comes after Crimson Days will be "far larger than anything you’ve seen since the release of The Taken King," Osborne said at the time. Just like the previous events, Crimson Days will require Destiny: The Taken King.
Bungie will launch Crimson Days on Feb. 9, and it will last for one week. The event will go live around Bungie's planned February update for Destiny, which will introduce a new Crucible mode called Crimson Doubles. The setup is two-on-two, but with a "special twist born of new gameplay and mechanics that only battle-tested star-crossed lovers will appreciate," according to Bungie. In addition, the studio hinted that Crimson Doubles will involve candy and dances, both of which were also heavily featured in Festival of the Lost.
Prior to Crimson Days, Bungie will bring back Iron Banner next week. Iron Banner usually features the Control gametype, although Bungie tried out Clash in November. This time around, it's another first: Rift will be the focus for the upcoming Iron Banner. The event will run from 10 a.m. PT on Jan. 26 until 12 a.m. PT on Feb. 2. Iron Banner rewards include gear that will help you get your Guardian up to 320 Light.
As for Crucible in general, Bungie design lead Lars Bakken said the studio is working on some changes that are intended to reduce latency. Dague said the team will also provide updates on matchmaking soon; for now, it will remain skill-based instead of connection-based.
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