Destiny 2 Update Fixes An Extremely Frustrating Issue Plaguing This Season

A new Destiny update is now available, and while its version number (7.1.5.1) and relatively short list of patch notes don't suggest anything major, that understates its importance. Deep Dives, one of the major new modes introduced as part of Season of the Deep, has been plagued by an issue that's only gotten worse over time, but it should no longer be an issue as of this patch.

Specifically, Bungie has enabled join-in-progress for Deep Dives. That means that, during gameplay sections, players will be able to join and take the place of anyone who might have left--something that has become a frustratingly common occurrence in Deep Dives.

There are a variety of reasons for that. Some people leave when other players don't opt in to the higher-difficulty Pressure Trials of the mode. Others seemingly leave because the other people in the group don't intend to segue the Deep Dive into the hidden Exotic mission. And then there are those who have the usual reasons for departing early, like internet disconnects, bathroom urges, and needy cats.

Whatever the case, any of these scenarios would lead to a frustrating experience, given the mode concludes with a boss fight in a Darkness Zone that a group of only one or two people might struggle with. And the old join-in-progress restriction meant that, even if you had a friend willing to jump in to help, you were out of luck, forced to either bash your head against the wall in dealing with the boss fight at a disadvantage or leave to start all over again, sacrificing the time you had already put into the Deep Dive. The frequency with which people leave Deep Dives has kept me from playing what is otherwise a very fun mode. But now, with this change made, entering a Deep Dive might be less of a crapshoot, which is great news.

The remainder of the patch largely deals with bugs, such as progress being blocked in the ongoing Solstice event, Bonfire Bash not providing experience for crafted weapons, and clarification in the text for a seasonal challenge. You can check out all of the patch notes below. Up next for Destiny 2 is Season 22, which launches in August but largely remains a mystery.

Destiny 2 Update 7.1.5.1 Patch Notes

ACTIVITIES

DEEP DIVES

• Join In Progress has been enabled for Deep Dive activities during gameplay sections of activities.

SEASONAL ACTIVITIES

• Fixed the number of surges/skulls applied to multiple Vanguard Ops Playlist activities & Seasonal activities.
• Experience is now properly being awarded for Weapon Crafting via Solstice Bonfire activity.
• Player progression in Solstice is no longer blocked by completing Kindling objective early.

GAMEPLAY AND INVESTMENT

ARMOR

• Fixed an issue with Utility Kickstart that was allowing more class ability energy to be gained than intended.

ABILITIES

• Fixed an issue that allowed players to cancel the activation of their Super by picking up a Diamond Lance during cast causing them to regain ability energy.

GENERAL

• Fixed an issue where people launchers would repeatedly play their SFX.
• Clarified the objective text for Week 5 Seasonal Challenge "Battle Rhythm"—must earn progress in Ritual activities specifically.