For the first time since the Taken King expansion was released in 2015, completing the rotating weekly Nightfall strike — a challenging alternate version of an existing mission — will once again provide players with a 25 percent experience boost for all experience earned for the week. In addition, players’ heads will once again be surrounded by the prestigious telltale blue flames after completing the Nightfall each week.
Bungie has struggled to make the Nightfall activity rewarding and relevant since changing it with The Taken King, but this will likely go a long way.
The announcement came during the second of three scheduled live streams. The stream also revealed a new Nightfall modifier, Daybreak, which will cause players’ supers, grenades, and melee abilities to recharge extra fast in the Nightfall strike every fourth week (and every week between July 18 and the end of August). In addition, Age of Triumph will see an update to Challenge of the Elders and a new story mission playlist at light level 380, plus all the new content previously detailed, including the all-important raid updates.
Bungie announced Age of Triumph, Destiny‘s final expansion, on March 3. In its announcement, it teased the return of the Vault of Glass — the game’s original raid and many players’ favorite. Then Bungie released the above trailer, which shows new gameplay from the beloved Vault of Glass.
Age of Triumph will bring Guardians back to not only the Vault of Glass, but provide an incentive to revisit all of the game’s raids. During its first live stream, Bungie announced that all four of the game’s raids will move up to Light level 390.
Raids are Destiny‘s toughest and most rewarding missions, generally requiring teams of six players to coordinate their efforts to defeat massive enemies and other challenges. The Vault of Glass, which was added to Destiny a week after the game’s launch in 2014, is widely viewed as the best of the four raids that exist in the game. However, since the Taken King update in 2015, the Vault hasn’t rewarded players with gear that is relevant to the game’s current max level, making it obsolete in players’ eyes.
The Age of Triumph will make both The Vault of Glass and the second Year 1 raid, Crota’s End, relevant again in terms of doling out impactful gear for successful raiders. Both of the Year 1 raids, as well as the raids from Taken King and Rise of Iron, will be marked with a 390 Light level. All four raids will have rituals to help players level up to that point. However, the update will keep the Light cap at 400, which may be a bit of a bummer for guardians who have already topped off their Light level.
Additionally, the update brings weekly featured raids. These raids will also be 390 Light and level 42 challenges, but in an interesting twist, all challenges will be active simultaneously. The raids will feature collectibles and elements not previously seen in the game.
Age of Triumph will also add a final 13-page record book. Milestones that players have already completed will be filled in, while Guardians who complete the new milestones will rack up experience points and in-game rewards such as emblems.
Bungie has one final live stream scheduled to discuss Age of Triumph: A “sandbox update” stream on March 22. Stay tuned for more Destiny news then.
Article originally published on 03-03-2017. Updated on 03-15-2017 by Mike Rougeau: Added details from a second live-stream event.
