In recent years, Bungie has continually upped the ante in offering Destiny 2 players unprecedented control over what type of rewards they can accrue in-game. Now, exotic armor drops are the latest to get this treatment, as Bungie introduces a new system of Exotic armor focusing.
Beginning in Season 21, Rahool at the Tower will offer a new way to gain Exotic Engrams – you can choose to ‘Advanced Decrypt’ the engram to focus it into an Exotic from a particular expansion and its corresponding seasons. Unlocking this option is no small feat though; you’ll need 30,000 glimmer and one Ascendant Shard, in addition to the required Exotic Engram. There are four slot-specific options for Exotics from the original Red War campaign – helmets, gauntlets, chest armor, and leg armor – while subsequent expansions, up through Lightfall, will have only a single focusing option. So if your sights are set on a specific piece of Exotic gear, be prepared to pay up!
Precision Decryption is an alternative path to acquiring powerful Exotic armor – albeit a more costly one. This method allows the user to specifically focus a piece of Exotic armor of their choosing, provided they have obtained it previously. Due to the desirable nature of this option, the cost has been increased to a hefty 60,000 Glimmer, three Ascendant Shards, and one Exotic Cipher. In order to assist in this endeavour, the cap on Exotic Ciphers has been raised from one to five, allowing you to amass a small collection of these valuable items to fund this type of decryption.
“As far as obtaining Exotics goes,” Bungie has conceded that Legend Lost Sectors are “not currently a great method for new players to acquire them from Beyond Light onwards, and with the activity level changes, they become even less inviting to many players.” And the issue with getting what you want is further compounded by the fact that the rotating Legend Lost Sector only allows you to target gear for a particular slot – yet, with the ongoing addition of Exotics, this approach becomes increasingly unreliable, which likely accounts for the introduction of the Precision Decryption system.
Bungie acknowledged that they had recently upped the Exotic drop rates for Legend and Master Lost Sectors, yet players were still unsatisfied, claiming the increase was inadequate. However, the developer warned against overdoing it, remarking that “the activity itself will be getting easier and easier, especially in view of other changes coming.”
Following a future update, Bungie is planning an additional change to the Vex Strike Force event on Neomuna, assuring players of a new piece of Exotic armor upon completion – regardless of whether they’ve still left some to collect or have already obtained all of the available Exotics, in which case they will receive a random roll.
Another potential pain point for many players, obtaining raid and dungeon-exclusive Exotics, will also be getting addressed, although Bungie didn’t go into much detail. It said that there will be “exciting news” for those who like obtaining Triumphs to enhance the chance of acquiring these hard-to-come-by Exotics. It’s unclear if Bungie plans to augment the drop-rate incentive that existing Triumphs present, add additional Triumphs of this sort, or something else.
In terms of individual Exotics, Bungie has planned to enhance the power of over a dozen “lower-performing” armors, while further tweaks are in store for more than a dozen weapons, including the likes of Graviton Lance and Salvation’s Grip. A recent post on their blog outlined the upcoming buffs and adjustments.
The Season of the Deep is quickly nigh, and with it a bevy of new changes to be unleashed upon the world. As May 23 approaches, so too does the promise of fresh armor mods and buildcrafting alternatives. Are you ready to brave the unknown and dive into the depths?
Fiction Fixer