Come May 3rd, Bungie will be releasing Destiny update 2.2.0.2 which will eventually change how the melee system works. While the update will go live tomorrow, the actual changes won’t go into effect until May 10th. Bungie hopes that in the week that the code is introduced, they can monitor how it affects things before fully implementing changes to the melee system. According to the team at Bungie:

 Changing the Sandbox always runs the risk of wreaking havoc on the fabric of virtual reality. We’re going to roll this out nice and slow. 

The full timeline of the new update is as follows:

• Update 2.2.0.2 deploys Tuesday, May 3rd starting at about 10AM Pacific
• We’ll monitor the base update for stability over the weekend
• New Melee code will be manually activated Tuesday, May 10th at 10AM Pacific
• We’ll monitor performance and gather feedback on the Sandbox

I have to say, despite being ‘minor’ compared to DLC like The Taken King, the April update has done wonders to making Destiny even more fun to play. As a whole, the game feels much more balanced out with less of a grind. If you’ve put the game aside lately, right now is a pretty good time to jump back in. After the jump, Bungie Sandbox Engineer Jon Cable talks specifics about the new update.

Jon Cable:

When a melee attack seems like it connects, but it doesn’t do any damage, this is usually a networking problem. Most commonly, it occurs when there is an issue communicating your position to the other machines in the game, or if your would-be victim is having a similar problem. I’ve tweaked some networking logic related to player positions during melee attacks which should help address these issues. This error can still occur, because the internet isn’t perfect, but it should be better.

When a melee attack whiffs, this is usually a sandbox problem. I’ve fixed a bug where we were starting the target search from an incorrect position. Normally, we begin searching for targets from the perspective of the attacker’s head. This bug would result in the target search falling short. If the melee lunge didn’t get you close enough to the target, or if the target was moving away from you, your melee would not connect. The new fix should make Arc Blade and Shoulder Charge much more reliable. There are still situations – especially when the target is moving away from you – where you will not connect.

Discuss:

How have you liked the April update?

[Via Bungie]