5 things to know about Destiny 2’s new patch: 1.2.1

Destiny 2’s latest update, version 1.2.1, brings a host of quality of life changes to the game today, including reworked exotic armor and the removal of the worst strike in the history of Destiny from the heroic strike playlist.

Bungie is also bringing back the Faction Rally, although we’ll have to wait to learn more about it later this week week. The 1.2.1 update also brings players the first real test server in Destiny. Much like Faction Rally, Destiny 2’s Crucible Labs is coming soon and will let players test experimental changes before they get put in the real game. There are, of course, tons of other fixes in this update.

For a complete list of Destiny 2 1.2.1 patch changes, check out Bungie’s official notes. Here are the most important updates.

1. Destiny 2’s exotic armor pieces are getting updated

Destiny 2 has some pretty lackluster exotic armor pieces from its launch days. 1.2.1 brings some changes to a few of the weakest pieces, with more updates to come later this summer.

For Hunters, Mechaneer’s Tricksleeves and The Dragon’s Shadow are getting buffed. Tricksleeves will now deal bonus damage with sidearms when critically injured. The exotic Hunter gauntlets are widely viewed as the weakest exotic in Destiny 2, and this change could make them more useful; although admittedly in mostly fringe cases. Dodging with The Dragon’s Shadow will now reload all your weapons, rather than just one, which could be a nice perk for newer players.

Titans are seeing buffs to the Synthoceps and Lion Rampant. The Synthoceps will now buff melee damage and super damage by a flat amount for a full eight seconds after being surrounded by three or more enemies. This is potentially a very powerful exotic now. Titans can now hip-fire midair while wearing Lion Rampant and their hip-fire is more accurate.

Warlocks’ Sunbracers will now grant them unlimited grenade energy for a short time after getting a solar melee kill, turning a decent Warlock exotic into a very powerful damage tool in strikes and raids; as long as an enemy is available to melee kill. The Lunafaction Boots will now continually reload your allies’ weapons while they stand in your rift, rather than requiring them to walk in and out. Empowering rifts will also boost the weapon range.

2. Faction Rallies is coming back

Faction Rallies has been missing in Destiny 2 since late March, with Bungie promising improvements. Faction Rallies will now offer much better rewards, including exclusive exotic catalysts. Players will only be able to pledge to one faction per event, per account. Faction Rallies’ first event of season three will start on June 5.

Image: Bungie

3. Destiny 2’s worst strike is getting benched

Nobody likes the Exodus Crash strike in Destiny 2. The primary frustration comes from the extremely difficult last boss, an invisible Fallen assassin that disappears for prolonged periods of time. Thanks to the recent heroic strike playlist changes, the Exodus Crash strike is now also nearly impossible to complete due to the revamped difficulty. Bungie has removed it from showing up in the playlist until it can rework the strike.

Strikes are also getting some bonuses. They are now guaranteed to drop Escalation Protocol keys and a will drop a 360 piece of gear 25 percent of the time.

4. Crucible Labs is coming soon

Crucible Labs is a new feature coming to Destiny 2. It’ll exist as a kind of test server for Destiny 2 PvP. It’s still unclear how exactly this system will work, but with 1.2.1, Bungie now has the ability to push a experimental playlist to the live game. Here, players can check out new modes or changes and give feedback before they hit the live game.

5. Warmind’s worst bugs are getting fixed

Destiny 2’s Warmind expansion introduced a lot of weird bugs into the game. Some of those bugs have already been fixed, but other have lingered. Patch 1.2.1 brings some much needed fixes to several of those bugs. Hawthorne’s weekly Clan Engram will now drop powerful gear as was originally intended, a problem that’s plagued the game for several weeks. Other long-time bugs, like the extremely large Calus shield in the Leviathan raid, has also been fixed.

Update 1: Bungie has revealed that the Crucible Lab’s first test will start Wednesday, May 30 at 9 am PST.

Update 2: Bungie has revealed how Faction Rallies will be changing in season three.