The new Destiny patch – update 2.0 – is by no means a mini-update meant to fix "issues" in the game. On the contrary, the patch weighs a whooping 17GB and is an important update ahead of next week's DLC The Taken King.

Bungie has rolled out an absolutely massive document to list down the entire pre-Taken King changes that will come with patch 2.0, laying down the groundwork effectively before the big DLC is pushed out. But what are the new changes that the update 2.0 is bringing over?

Destiny 2.0: Major Changes and Tweaks

Nerfed Exotics Will Actually Help

There was an uproar previously when it was revealed that a number of exotics would be nerfed by the devs with update 2.0, setting some of them up for The Taken King, while scrapping others. Well, with the update now in place, it seems like all the complaints were exaggerated as the nerfing has been done with key points in mind. For instance, the nerf for Gjallarhorn now offers 33% reduction to Wolfpack rounds. Also, you got to remember none of the weapons will be treated to Year Two variants.

Character Level Cap Goes Up to 34

Another important change to have arrived with update 2.0 is the significant rise in the overall character level cap. While the old cap was 20, with light level building up upon it, the new character level cap increases to 34, although with the release of The Taken King, it will reach 40. This means players can hit the level cap via XP alone.

Gunsmith Reputation Now Open for Earning

As you may know, the upcoming Taken King DLC will bring along new vendors, currencies and kiosks. And fans can now get a taste of things to come with the Gunsmith 'Armsday' service. Fans will be able to earn this reputation by prototyping experimental weapons for the Gunsmith, apart from ordering legendary weapons after each weekly reset.

(Small) Changes to Exotic Armour

With the Destiny 2.0 update, fans will finally be able to put the right set of colours on their pieces of armour when shaders are concerned. However, several not-so-popular exotics have also received bonuses that were not really necessary – like the Heart of Praxis Fire (bonus agility in Raidance) and the Skullfort (couple of melee charges).

Added Time for Year One Emblems

This one may not sound that big a deal, but with the Destiny 2.0 now live, fans interested in getting their own exclusive emblems will now have about a week to complete every major Year One content, alongside its two small expansions.

Expanded Vault Slots for Bounties

There's now expanded vault slots on offer, with update 2.0 in place. The update has potentially doubled the space for players to store their armours and weapons. There will also be 16 bounty slots as of 2.0, and this is sure to excite every Destiny fan out there.

End to Daily/Weekly Missions

Before The Taken King comes around, with the patch 2.0, fans should know that there won't be any daily mission or weekly strike for them to partake. However, this isn't something new, as Bungie has done this time and again for previous mini expansions.

Every Crucible Map is Now Playable

This one will probably excite fans the most. With the update 2.0, Bungie has now added every new The Taken King multiplayer map to the Crucible a week ahead of launch as an early preview. But that's not all. Bungie has also unlocked House of Wolves and PS exclusive maps for the players. But this is for a limited time period, until The Taken King rolls out.

Wolf Packs, Elder Ciphers, & Eris Morn Bounties Dont Exist Anymore

With update 2.0, Bungie has scrapped a number of old mini-expansion content. This means there won't be Wolf Packs while on patrol anymore, apart from that fact that Eris will no longer offer bounties. Now, Elder Cipher will no longer drop and, instead, players will have a chance of getting the House of Wolves exotic weapons from the large chests at the end of Prison of Elders.

Skip Cutscenes

Nothing more to add here. You get what you see. Players will now be able to skip cutscenes with the update 2.0 in place.

For full Destiny 2.0 patch notes, head over here.

Stay tuned for more updates!

[Source: Forbes, Twinfinite]