Destiny 2's new anti-cheat comes with a performance cost, Bungie warns

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Some framerate dips and a longer initial load may occur as part of BattlEye's integration.

destiny 2 mara sov
(Image credit: Bungie)

Last night, Destiny 2 upgraded its security efforts by integrating venerable anti-cheat software BattlEye to the game. But that extra safety may come with a performance cost, as Bungie warns of frame dips and increased load times.

"Anti-cheat solutions require some additional system resources to keep watch and you may see some reduction in frames and performance after Update 3.3.0 goes live," Bungie wrote in a Security Update ahead of last night's patch. "The new service will also increase the initial startup of the game."

BattlEye hasn't arrived at full power, mind. Automatic banning is currently disabled, as Bungie test the tool at scale in a live game environment. Should all go well, they'll turn on all its features somewhere ahead of the next Trials of Osiris on September 10—though, as ever, the developer stresses that fighting cheaters is an ongoing process.

"We want to be clear that this is not a silver bullet fix that will end all cheating in Destiny forever. This is another step in our strategy to combat cheats and improve our detection and banning methods."

Bungie also states it's taking a firmer stance on "win trading" in PvP, and will start tossing bans at players engaged in the practice. Hopefully, that means we won't see a repeat of this year's buck-wild Hakke emblem match-fixing schemes.

Yesterday also saw Destiny 2 kick off Season of the Lost, bringing back fan-favourite Mara Sov and the arrival of full crossplay ahead of the game's next big expansion, The Witch Queen. Hopefully, BattlEye's integration should will mean cheaters have a harder time finding their way into the Season of the Lost.

Natalie Clayton
Natalie Clayton
Features Producer

20 years ago, Nat played Jet Set Radio Future for the first time, and she's not stopped thinking about games since. Joining PC Gamer in 2020, she comes from three years of freelance reporting at Rock Paper Shotgun, Waypoint, VG247 and more. Embedded in the European indie scene and a part-time game developer herself, Nat is always looking for a new curiosity to scream about—whether it's the next best indie darling, or simply someone modding a Scotmid into Black Mesa. She also unofficially appears in Apex Legends under the pseudonym Horizon.