Dark Below Changes [GUIDE]This article can also be found at Bungie.net

New Legendary Gear

You can view all of this new Legendary gear in the middle of this article.

• Existing Legendary gear on display in the Tower will be replaced
• New Legendary gear will feature higher Attack and Defense values
• Legendary items will still require Ascendant Materials for upgrades
• This new, more powerful gear will be available to all players of Destiny
• Legendary gear will not be as powerful as new Raid gear or Exotics

New Rank Commendations

• In addition to Crucible or Vanguard Marks, purchasing new Legendary items will require a Crucible or Vanguard Commendation
• Commendations are received in Reputation Reward Packages delivered by the Postmaster upon reaching a new Reputation Level

Exotic Talent Changes

• As part of the December 1st Destiny Update, Exotic Armor and Weapons no longer require Ascendant Materials for upgrades
• The final power node of all Exotic Gear will require an Exotic Shard
• This new material is obtained by one of the following means:
  • Purchased from Xûr for 7 Strange Coins
  • Dismantling unwanted Exotics

New Exotic Upgrading

• Exotic Gear in The Dark Below will have higher Attack and Defense values than current Exotic Gear. For players and their current caches of Exotics, a path will exist to bring them forward into The Dark Below.
• Starting December 9th, Xûr will offer players the opportunity to upgrade Exotics to the higher Attack and Defense values
• Upgrading an Exotic in this way will require an Exotic Shard
• The upgrade will reset the progression invested into the item
• Each week, Xûr will possess a selection of upgrades for existing Exotics in his inventory

Crucible (PvP) Changes

Trials of Osiris emblem in the middle

• Expansion I will include two new exclusive competitive playlists – Inferno and Hardcore (and Trials of Osiris)
• New Crucible arenas (Pantheon, Skyshock, and The Cauldron) will be featured in map rotation
• Playlists available in the Director will change week over week
• Experiences will alternate between 12 and 6 player engagements
• Map rotation will alternate between focusing solely on new expansion arenas and including original launch maps in the mix

Heroics and Nightfall (PvE) Changes

• With the Light level increase to 32, Heroics and Nightfalls will be increased by 2 Light levels to keep up with new content, level increases, and gear items

New Raid: Crota’s End

• The new Raid, Crota’s End, will unlock on December 9th
• Players at Light level 30 can lead a Fireteam immediately upon release
• Raid loot in Crota’s End will drop at a higher rate
• New Raid gear will contain a wider variety of potential perks
• Weapons and Gear from Crota’s End will not require Ascendant materials for upgrades
• Radiant Shards and Radiant Energy acquired in the Raid will be used to upgrade new Raid gear
• Unwanted weapons and gear from Crota’s End will dismantle into Radiant materials
• Primary weapons will only drop in the hard version of Crota’s End, released sometime in January