Destiny 2 players have spotted a major enemy change in Episode Heresy, making certain fights much tougher.
Destiny 2’s newest episode, Heresy, was released last month, bringing new Hive storylines, activities, and some powerful new loot. The story developments for Heresy Act 1 are already over and fans are now eyeing the release of Act 2, which goes live on March 11, 2025. With new exotic weapons up for grabs, along with the Derealize exotic mission and Sundered Doctrine dungeon, there’s plenty to keep players busy.
But not everything has been smooth sailing. Like previous releases, this episode also has its fair share of bugs and glitches. While Bungie has acknowledged some of these problems, one change that’s caught players off guard isn’t officially on the list of known issues.
It turns out, certain enemies are suddenly way harder to take down, and fans may have out the reason behind it.
A Hidden Destiny 2 Enemy Change Is Making Combat Tougher
A new thread on r/DestinyTheGame has gained traction after a player shared proof that a specific enemy type isn’t behaving like it used to. According to the post, Taken Phalanxes, the shield-carrying units that have been in the game for years, are suddenly much tougher to hit.
The post comes from a player who noticed something felt “off” while running missions, and after comparing old and new footage, they realized the enemy’s shield placement has changed. Before Episode Heresy, Taken Phalanxes held their shields slightly to the side, only raising them fully when using their knockback ability.
Now, they keep their shield directly in front of them at all times, just like the new Dire Taken Phalanx. The difference? Regular Taken Phalanxes still have their full-size shields, meaning their heads and most of their bodies are completely protected from damage. As a result, they’re far harder to kill than before, even in content where they previously weren’t much of a threat.
Here’s what Taken Phalanx looked like before the new update.
“Taken Phalanxes have changed: instead of holding their shield out to the side, only raising it to release their knockback blast, they now hold it in front of their bodies,” the Reddit post reads. “Just like the new Dire Taken Phalanx.”
Players are frustrated, especially in high-difficulty activities where a single Phalanx can block entire chokepoints. The player even noted they had previously solo-flawlessed the Starcrossed mission but now struggled due to how tanky these enemies have become.
“I solo-flawlessed Starcrossed in Season of the Wish, but when I tried to run it earlier this week I could barely get past the first Phalanx, and there’s just no way my skills have fallen that far.”
Here’s what Taken Phalanx looks like after the new update.
One user replied, “Noticed something was off in the GM this week when it was so much more difficult to stun them with most weapons. You basically have to shoot the edge of their right foot, most other shots just get absorbed.”
“I was running solo strikes for fun and when I was fighting the Lake of Shadows boss he was impossible to hit,” another user shared their experience. “He kept his shield up in front of himself constantly. I thought I was just not used to fighting him solo but his behavior definitely was not like I remembered.”
Many believe this has to be an unintentional change, but Bungie has yet to confirm whether it’s a bug or an intended tweak to enemy behavior. “I wonder if this is a bug or an intentional difficulty change,” another user replied.
Here’s a side-by-side comparison of the two. (thanks, Chablo 91)
So, what do you think? Have you noticed Taken Phalanxes feeling tougher than usual? Is this a feature or a glitch that Bungie needs to fix? Let us know your thoughts!
