Destiny 2 update 8.1.0.4 patch notes fixes perk combination weighting

The latest update for Destiny 2 fixes the problem were some perk combinations were next to impossible to acquire.

Destiny 2 update 8.1.0.4 is now live and the patch notes offer a good insight into a number of changes and fixes. Chief among these is a fix to perk weighting. Players discovered that it was near impossible to acquire some perk combinations on weapons, which turned out to be a problem with the game’s core RNG systems. Take a look at all of the patch notes below.

Destiny 2 Update 8.1.0.4

The Destiny 2 update 8.1.0.4 patch notes were released on November 5, 2024 via Bungie.net. As mentioned in the post, Bungie will be providing a deep dive into the perk weighting conundrum in a future article. Suffice it to say, this seems like it was a massive issue, as it involved a problem with the game’s foundational RNG systems.

Activities

Crucible

• Increased the score limits for triggering mercy rules.
• Previously, the mercy rule would trigger only during a small window in the match, so the score limit to trigger it was intentionally set low. We have increased the window within which the mercy rule can trigger and increased the score limit accordingly to prevent games which still have a chance to be competitive from ending early in a mercy.
• Control, Iron Banner Control, Iron Banner Eruption, Supremacy - 60 to 70.
• Zone Control, Iron Banner Zone Control - 50 to 60.
• Clash - 40 to 50.
• Competitive rank adjustment now puts less weight on skill differential between player and lobby.

Trials of Osiris

• Fixed an issue where the Shaded Envy shader was not able to be equipped or viewed in Collections.

Raids & Dungeons

Vesper’s Host

• Fixed an issue where players could use terrain to skip straight to the first encounter.

Garden of Salvation

• Fixed an issue where secret chests only dropped armor. They can now also drop weapons.

Episode Echoes

Exotic Mission: Encore

• Fixed an issue where attempting a particular Secret Triumph could cause errors in the second half of the mission if reached without dying.

Breach Executable

• Fixed an issue where launching into the Expert version of the activity would cause errors.

Episode Revenant

• Fixed an issue where the Week 1 Seasonal Challenge “Onslaught Banes” did not correctly specify Expert Onslaught in the description.
• Fixed an issue where Eido's featured tonic requests could include unobtainable tonics.
• Fixed an issue where players who unlocked the 10% tonic buff had it only applied to the character that claimed the Act 1 Key Fieldwork item.

Gameplay and Investment

Armor

• Fixed an issue where Mask of Fealty would not consistently create crystals when defeating frozen targets with Withering Blade.
• The spread of Withering Blades released now has slightly increased gravity to tighten the spread to account for this fix.

Perks

• Fixed an issue where some random perk combinations were harder to earn per legendary weapon perk set.
• For more details, please see our previous update. We plan to do a deep dive on this in a future article, stay tuned.
• Fixed an issue where Foundry Weapons are dropping with more perks within certain columns outside of Master Lost Sectors.

The fix to perk weighting is a Big Deal, so it’s great to see that Bungie will be providing an entire article dedicated to the problem and solution. This harkens back to the old Heavy Ammo problem from the first game, which plagued players for months. Take a look at our Destiny 2 Strategy Guide for more information on the game.