Game informer has new details on the Dark Below Expansion:
Gear
- Old exotics can be upgraded to the higher defense/attack rating, this can be done through Xur at the cost of an Exotic Shard, Glimmer (7000 as of preview), and the original version of the weapon. This will reset upgrade progress.
- You can only upgrade one Exotic per week, and Xur will have a limited selection of exotics available for upgrade.
- Leveling Exotics now requires less experience
- Upgrading Exotics doesn’t require ownership of The Dark Below
- Raid gear can no longer be upgraded with ascendant materials, only can be upgraded with radiant shards and energy. Radiant materials can be earned from dismantling Crota’s End gear and as a Crota’s End drops.
- Eris will offer an exchange of radiant shards for radiant energy and vice-versa
- Crota’s End will be more aware of your recent earnings and how long it’s been since your last “Fun Drop” This doesn’t eliminate randomness, just is said to make the experience more rewarding
- New raid primary weapons will only be available through the launch of hard mode for Crota’s End raid in January
- Legendary factions items now require commendations for purchase, commendations are awarded within reputation packages
- Purchasing newer legendary items doesn’t Require Ownership of The Dark Below
Activities
- Quests will connect to strikes and even the raid
- Crota’s End hard will launch in January
- Quests will have significant rewards such as weapons
- New level 30 Heroic and Nightfall strikes are coming
- There are three new Crucible maps and the various game modes you can play on them will show up in the playlist rotation, and Bungie told Game Informer that the available experiences will alternate between 12 and 6 player modes. The playlists available to play in the Director are set to change each week.
- Story missions and strikes introduce gameplay mechanics that become important later. For instance, one story mission applies a condition called “A Dark Burden,” which eliminates my guardian’s ability to use their vertical movement mode during a challenging fight – this same mechanic shows up later in a much more dangerous situation. Another story mission battle puts damaging energy circles down on the ground, forcing players to navigate carefully.
Latest trailers for The Dark Below
Destiny: The Dark Below comes out Dec. 9 on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.