Destiny 2 had a hidden XP cooldown system that blocked up to 95% of normally-earned XP, it was recently revealed. Unsurprisingly, developer Bungie has advised that cooldown system has been turned off.
Players have flocked to Reddit in recent weeks, detailing an XP block that seems to kick in after around 30 minutes of play. User lbeLIEvel illustrated the block using two GIFs, engaging in two different public events. In the first instance, lbeLIEvel’s gains far more XP than in the second one.
The XP block was easier to identify during last weekend’s Clarion Call event, where double XP was offered to players.
While XP isn’t as important to Destiny 2 as Power levels, getting past the game’s Level 20 XP cap will provide Bright Engram drops when a certain amount of XP is earned. If XP is reduced, the user’s Bright Engram drops are too — which means they may be encouraged to use real-world money in the Eververse to buy more. Yuck.
In light of this, Bungie has fessed up to the block and has already disabled it.
“Currently, XP will scale up when playing longer or fixed duration activities like Crucible competitive multiplayer matches and the Leviathan Raid, and XP will scale down when playing activities that can be quickly, repeatedly chained, like grinding Public Events,” Bungie detailed in a recent statement. “We are not happy with the results, and we’ve heard the same from the community.
“Effective immediately, we are deactivating this system. As a result, players will see XP earn rates change for all activities across the board, but with all values being displayed consistently in the user interface. Over the course of the next week, we will be watching and reviewing XP game data to ensure that these changes meet our expectations, as well as yours.”
What do you make of the news? Was it an attempt to stop power levelling, or merely a ploy to get players to the Eververse, much like design decisions within Star Wars: Battlefront 2?
Destiny 2 is available now on Windows PC, Xbox One and PS4.
This article may contain affiliate links, meaning we could earn a small commission if you click-through and make a purchase. Stevivor is an independent outlet and our journalism is in no way influenced by any advertiser or commercial initiative.
