Bungie’s latest move has sparked a fierce backlash from fans over its decision to timegate half of the returning weapons in Destiny 2 Into the Light.
With the upcoming release of the Into The Light update, anticipation was high among players eager to explore new content and wield familiar weapons. However, Bungie’s recent announcement that only half of the returning arsenal will be available at launch has left many devoted fans feeling frustrated.
Related: How to Get Superblack Shader in Destiny 2
The decision to timegate half of the weapons for the Into The Light expansion was revealed in a new Developer Insight article for Brave Arsenal released earlier today; going over the perk pools for all of the returning weapons in Destiny 2.
Destiny 2 Timegates Returning Into the Light Weapons
While the initial announcement showcased twelve returning weapons, including favorites like The Recluse The Mountaintop, and Luna’s Howl, excitement quickly turned to disappointment as players learned that only six of these weapons would be accessible upon launch.
The remaining six would be drip-fed to players on a weekly basis over the course of several weeks, effectively prolonging the wait for those with limited time to play each week.
“Half of these will be available starting April 9, including The Recluse, Hung Jury SR4, Succession, Edge Transit, Elsie’s Rifle and Falling Guillotine. The remainder will unlock one at a time each week through the week of May 21,” the article reads.
“The BRAVE Arsenal weapons will continue to drop from Onslaught after The Final Shape, but the limited-edition variants won’t be available after June 3, so go get them while you can!”
UPDATE: Bungie has now officially announced in its weekly This Week In Destiny article that players can get their hands on the new Superblack shader once they have unlocked “all of the BRAVE arsenal,” which contains a total of twelve weapons. However, the complete set will not be available until May 21st due to six of the weapons being timegated, which means that players will not be able to get their hands on this new shader until May 21st, after they acquire the full Brave weapon set.
“Shaxx will be there to welcome you and provide the quests to earn your first BRAVE weapons. By his side as always, Arcite has some bounties for Onslaught as well as a very special vanity reward once you have unlocked all of the BRAVE arsenal. One clue: it goes with everything… OK, forget the clues—it’s the highly-requested Superblack shader!“
UPDATE #2: Bungie has responded to the backlash and is now “condensing the schedule to release everything by April 30th, rather than May 21st.”
“We’ve seen the feedback on releasing an additional weapon each week after the first six drop on April 9, and we’re condensing the schedule to release everything by April 30th, rather than May 21st,” said Bungie in a post on X (formerly Twitter)
“We still think it’s important to have fresh rewards to look forward to in the first few weeks, and we want to pack the first half of Destiny 2: Into the Light before we introduce more playable content in the second half.“
The following is a list of weapons that will be released on a weekly basis until May 21st in Destiny 2 Into the Light: (order not confirmed)
- Midnight Coup
- The Mountaintop
- Forbearance
- Blast Furnace
- Luna’s Howl
- Hammerhead
This move by Bungie has ignited a firestorm of criticism within the Destiny 2 community. Many players feel that timegating some of the fan-favorite weapons like Hammerhead, Luna’s Howl, and Midnight Coup, diminishes the excitement and enjoyment of the free update.
Related: Destiny 2 Into The Light: List of All Confirmed Returning Weapons
In a game where loot acquisition is a central motivator for many players, the prospect of having to wait weeks to access certain weapons feels like a slap in the face to dedicated Guardians who have invested countless hours into the game.
One user on the r/DestinyTheGame subreddit posted a thread titled, “Bungie, can we maybe reverse the decision to have 6 of the 12 new weapons timegated?” Another user replied, “We all know Mountain Top is going to be the last gun they release. Going from Mountain Top being available in 2 weeks to 2 months just killed all the hype for me.”
Reddit user luckyteep14 replied, “Absolutely ridiculous decision. Already too much time gating in this game. Probably won’t even bother logging on that first week now since I don’t care much for any of the initial guns.”
Related: Bungie Bans Destiny 2 Players for Toxicity Toward Dev During Into The Light Reveal
“Timegating the weapons is an incredibly lame decision that kills my desire to play,” replied another user.
Players are increasingly expressing their dissatisfaction with Bungie, and are urging the developer to reconsider its decision regarding the time-limited availability of Destiny 2’s Into The Light weapons. It remains to be seen whether Bungie will listen to the feedback of its community. However, one thing is clear – the controversy surrounding this decision has cast a shadow over the highly anticipated update.
