'Destiny' Loot Cave Is No More: Bungie Gets Rid Of Feature In Latest Patch

Develop Bungie launched another update, Hotfix 5, for shooter “Destiny” on Thursday, which focused on a number of the game’s features.

The Bellevue, Washington-based company addressed several important aspects of the game, but to the disappointment of many players, got rid of the game’s infamous Loot Cave, the popular exploit gamers were using to earn a lot of loot. The cave had become a popular destination for "Destiny" fans, a place that would spawn new enemies infinitely, allowing players to take part in endless assaults.

“The social experience of a cave farming run is amazing: the herding to get a team of Guardians all behind the line and firing in the right direction, the rush to grab the loot, the scramble when the panic wave starts, the beckoning glow from inside the cave. The speed at which the community organized around this activity was inspiring and humbling to us,” Bungie said, addressing its decision to kill the treasure cave.

“But shooting at a black hole for hours on end isn't our dream for how ‘Destiny’ is played. Our hope is that social engagement in public spaces is only one part of the ‘Destiny’ experience. Expect changes soon which decrease the efficiency of cave farming and correspondingly increase engram drops from completing activities.”

Bungie also made the following changes in its latest patch:

Activities

Missions

Reduced drop rate of engrams following a hard wipe [fixed in 1.0.1.4]

*Clarification: This effect only lasts for a short period of time immediately following a hard wipe

Queen's Wrath Event

Material rewards for dismantling Queen's Wrath gear will no longer provide ascendant materials, but missions will continue to drop Legendary items

World

Destinations

The Hive of the holy “Treasure Cave” have realized the futility of their endless assault on Skywatch and have retired to lick their wounds and plan their next attack.

Respawn timers for monster caves in Skywatch have been normalized to 40 seconds (increased from 6)

Respawn timers for monster caves in Forgotten Shore have been normalized to 40 seconds (increased from 10)

Respawn timers for monster caves in Ember Caves have been normalized to 40 seconds (increased from 10)

Respawn timers for monster caves in the Shattered Coast have been normalized to 40 seconds (increased from 10)

Respawn timers for monster caves in the Barrens have been normalized to 40 seconds (increased from 20)