Destiny 2 is going to make lives easier for virtually all of its players with a simple but game-changing new tweak that's coming with the Lightfall DLC. Developer Bungie has already made it clear that the new expansion pack is going to include a set of substantial adjustments to almost every aspect of the gameplay loop, and much of it boils down to important quality-of-life changes.
Lightfall is bound to introduce a wealth of new content to Destiny 2, of course, but Bungie is making a point of focusing quite heavily on progression revisions, gameplay balancing, and other assorted improvements that aren't nearly as flashy as a new campaign. The latest blog post from the developer, for example, announced a set of subclass improvements coming alongside the DLC, and tucked between all of the ability changes was a crucial new change to how physics damage gets applied to player Guardians.
Most Destiny 2 players will have experienced physics collision deaths after spending some time with the game. Being one of the most common of all Destiny 2 glitches and exploits, players that get bumped into level geometry often instantaneously die, which is a particularly big issue while playing solo or while engaging in endgame-tier content. Once Lightfall comes out, however, all player Guardians will be a fair bit sturdier. According to Bungie, physics collision damage will no longer be lethal and will instead leave players with 1 HP to recover from their blunder.
While fall damage will still be lethal at the time of Destiny 2: Lightfall's release date, there are already plans to change that, too, to behave the same as physics collision damage. An extremely long fall will no longer instantly kill the player but should leave them with just enough health to successfully recover if the opportunity allows them to. This change will come as part of a subsequent mid-season update, with the specifics pending still.
It's almost a given, of course, that this set of changes has been spurred by the upcoming release of the mobility-focused Strand subclass. Destiny 2: Lightfall's Strand abilities focus on agility and mobility, and the game's physics engine was always going to cause issues in this respect. By reducing the severity of physics-driven hijinks across the board, Bungie is making the experience of using Strand that much more reliable.
The expectations for Destiny 2 in 2023 are understandably high, what with Bungie ramping up its promotional apparatus ahead of the Lightfall DLC's release window. From what's been shown so far, the game should feel more reliable and inviting across the board. While the announced physics changes aren't a huge deal on their own, they may well help elevate the game further still.
Destiny 2 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, and the Lightfall DLC is slated to launch on February 28 across all platforms.
Source: Bungie