Destiny 2: Beyond Light patch notes are up

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Here's the detailed breakdown of all that's happening in the next big Destiny 2 expansion.

Destiny 2: Beyond Light
(Image credit: Bungie)

Destiny 2's big Beyond Light expansion is live today, and that means it's time for some very long patch notes for what is technically and officially known as Destiny 2 update 3.0.0.

Most of the high points of the update have already been covered, so there aren't any big surprises to be found: Orbs of Light are now Orbs of Power, login screens and full-screen menus now have dark backgrounds, there are new vendors in the Tower, and The Moutaintop, among other pinnacle weapons, is being heavily nerfed. That last development left our resident Destinysmith Tim Clark feeling rather sad, even though he acknowledged that it's probably necessary.

"Given how strong Mountaintop and several other of the pinnacles were, it's no surprise that Bungie gave up on trying to balance them," he wrote in his recent ode to the defanged grenade launcher. "Instead, with Beyond Light the game is introducing a system that 'sunsets' all legendary weapons according to the season they were released.

"Regardless, Destiny is at its best when the sandbox is surprising you, making you think about your loadout and encounters in different ways. In a game that's fundamentally about chasing loot, I mourn the death of the pinnacles. Fundamentally, they were cool."

We also recently spoke with Bungie 2 creative director Luke Smith on why Destiny 2 is what it is, and what Bungie can (and can't) do about that as it carries on into the future—an interesting conversation if you've ever wondered why Destiny 2 continues to thrive while other looter-shooters have fallen by the wayside. 

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Andy Chalk
Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.