Five things to know from Destiny 2’s ‘Go Fast’ update

Destiny 2 developer Bungie has been teasing the “Go Fast” patch for weeks now, and it has finally arrived. Update 1.1.4 hit live servers on March 27, and brought with it a heap of changes. From class rebalancing to weapon tweaking to brand-new rewards, the “Go Fast” update may just have enough to bring players back to the game.

Here are the five most impactful things in the newest Destiny 2 patch. For a full list of changes, check out Bungie’s patch notes.

Strike-specific loot

Remember this from Destiny? Well, after months of community begging, Bungie has finally put strike-specific loot into the game. However, players can only acquire it during the weekly Nightfall. For example, this week’s Nightfall is the Pyramidion, and if you get lucky, you’ll be awarded the new sniper rifle Silicon Neuroma. The drop rate on these weapons is very low, but you’ll have an increased chance based on your Nightfall score.

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Repetition reduction

There has been a problem with repetition in Destiny 2 since day one. Maybe you’re sick of getting repeat exotics or tired of seeing the same strike over and over and over again when you match up for quick play. Well, great news! It’s now impossible to get back-to-back duplicate exotics from exotic engrams. You will also never have to play the same strike or Crucible map twice in a row again.

Dawnblades are finally good

Patch 1.1.4 came with a host of balance changes for classes. The Titan dash is back to how it used to be, the Arcstaff got some much-needed buffs, and super generation as a whole got a serious boost. But the real star of this update is the Dawnblade Warlock. In addition to delivering general speed increases to the Warlock’s glide, allowing it to go extremely fast if done correctly, Bungie has buffed the Dawnblade’s Daybreak super: It now lasts longer and can fling even more swords. This combines in a pretty stellar display of fast-moving fire-slinging.

Crucible changes return things to the way they were in Destiny

The Destiny 2 Crucible has caught a lot of flak over the past few months for making things a bit too slow and far too team oriented. Well, Bungie is kicking it up a notch in v1.1.4. Iron Banner is back to 6v6, rather than the sequel’s original 4v4. Power ammo drops more frequently than before, and players drop a percentage of any power ammo they have on them when they die. Combine all that with the super increases mentioned earlier, and the Crucible just got a lot more hectic.

So. Many. Guns.

It wouldn’t be a Destiny patch without gun changes galore. In 1.1.4, almost every major weapon archetype is getting some kind of buff. Shotguns and sniper rifles are getting increased PvE damage as well as more ammo. Grenade launchers will blow up bigger than before. Linear fusion rifles are getting massive buffs in PvE. Submachine guns and sidearms are getting bonus ammo and damage. Hand cannons and scout rifles are seeing buffs across the board, and pulse rifles are being completely reworked to be far more desirable. If you’re paying attention, you’ll notice that auto rifles are absent from this list. They’re just as powerful as before — they now have some sorely needed competition.