Destiny 2 Releases Another Major Update for December 2024

Summary

Update 8.1.5.2 for Destiny 2 fixes many remaining bugs and buffs tonics.
Legendary Tonics now guarantee their drop, while all rarity tonics have increased durations.
The recent Titan Sentinel Shield melee damage bug has also finally been fixed.

As a seasoned Guardian with countless hours spent in the depths of the Last City and beyond, I must say that this latest TWAB has left me both thrilled and slightly perplexed. On one hand, it’s fantastic to see so many bug fixes and tweaks aimed at improving gameplay, especially for those pesky lost sectors where weapons would seemingly disappear on certain days!

Update 8.1.5.2 for Destiny 2 is rolled out by Bungie, focusing on resolving multiple game problems and enhancing user-friendly aspects such as tonics. However, the recent events like Episode Revenant and The Dawning have not met the anticipations of many Destiny 2 enthusiasts, with persistent challenges marring the gaming experience for players.

In simple terms, the game “Episode Revenant” has faced numerous challenges, such as the weapon perk weighting problem with Vesper’s Host drops, which was uncovered by the players. Even the holiday event, The Dawning, encountered its own set of problems, like malfunctioning exotics, a temporary free listing for the Destiny 2 Event Card, and an inability to focus on the new linear fusion rifle. It’s been a tough time for gamers, but Bungie has been consistently working to resolve these issues, as evidenced by their latest update.

The latest update, version 8.1.5.2, has been released for the game “Destiny 2,” focusing on resolving several lingering issues that have affected gameplay. This update has managed to tackle bugs related to missions such as Tomb of Elders and Vesper’s Host, among others. Additionally, a bug concerning the Titan’s Sentinel Shield in “Destiny 2” has been rectified. Previously, melee hits dealt increased damage, but this issue has now been addressed. Simultaneously, Bungie has boosted the PvE damage for non-Champion enemies by 44%, and for Champion enemies by 15%. Moreover, Spectral Blades have received another boost, with a 66% increase in damage against non-Champion opponents, and an additional 30% increase in damage against Champion adversaries.

Alongside addressing bugs, Bungie is enhancing the tonic system in Episode Revenant through some strategic boosts. As per the update details, Legendary Tonics will guarantee the associated reward, while raising the probability of procuring particular activity-specific gear. Additionally, the base duration for all tonics has been extended – Uncommon now lasts 40 minutes, Rare extends to 60 minutes, and Legendary endures for 80 minutes.

With this update, Bungie expects things to get better, but they’re also letting fans know about the upcoming changes alongside Act 3. Since there won’t be a live stream to reveal the new content, Bungie has announced in their final blog of 2024 that some Destiny 2 exotics will be tweaked starting January. More precisely, the powerful Graviton Lance pulse rifle is set for a few adjustments because it’s currently overpowering lower and intermediate-skill game lobbies.

Destiny 2 Update 8.1.5.2 Patch Notes

Seasonal

Tomb of Elders

Fixed an issue where players could join Contest of Elders after the final encounter had been completed.
Fixed an issue where one of the bonus chests during Contest of Elders would only reward Glimmer.
Fixed an issue where sometimes only five out of six explosive tanks would spawn during the Spider Tank encounter, resulting in a soft lock.

Onslaught: Salvation

Reduced the number of visual and sound effects in Cabal boss rooms.

Vanguard Ops

Fixed an issue where the Inverted Spire strike was disabled in the playlist.

Lost Sectors

Fixed an issue where weapons would not drop on certain days.

Raid and Dungeons

Crota’s End

Fixed an issue where the Master version of Crota’s End was not saving player checkpoints.

Salvation’s Edge

Fixed an issue where the Master version of Salvation’s Edge was not saving player checkpoints.

Vesper’s Host

Fixed an issue where the nuclear core could get stuck under the floor in the final encounter.
Fixed an issue where player’s Ghost could get stuck in a bad location when traversing between the second and third encounters.

Gameplay and Investment

Revenant Tonics

Legendary Tonics now 100% guarantee their specific reward.
Legendary Tonics now increase the chances of obtaining the specified gear from the activity they are made for.
- For instance, Tonic of Vangate Point (Onslaught) will increase the chances of that weapon dropping from Onslaught: Salvation chests.
Increased the base duration of Tonics across the board.
- Uncommon: 40 minutes
- Rare: 60 minutes
- Legendary: 80 minutes

Exotic Armor

Hunter

Fixed an issue where Knucklehead Radar was applying its target marking players instantly on hits.
- It should now only mark players only when breaking their shield.
- Functionality remains the same against combatants.

Weapons

Weapon perks

High Ground
- Damage bonus against players has been fixed. Perk has been reenabled.
- Increased the height differential required to activate High Ground’s damage bonus against players by 150% when using a Primary ammo weapon.
  - Let Bygones be Bygones…

Weapon crafting

Fixed an issue where trying to craft a Garden of Salvation weapon without its pattern unlocked would show an incorrect dialog.

Abilities

Titan

Sentinel Shield
- Fixed a bug that was unintentionally multiplying Sentinel Shield damage.
- Increased non-Champion PvE-combatant damage by 44%.
- Increased Champion PvE-combatant damage by 15%.