Destiny 2’s final update brings a huge number of Guardians back with the aptly-named Monument of Triumph

Destiny 2 may be heading into its final live-service chapter, but Guardians are not letting the venerable, old shooter go quietly.

Bungie’s Monument of Triumph update has launched, and its first day appears to have given Destiny 2 its biggest Steam surge in a long time. According to SteamDB figures, the game hit a 24-hour peak of 167,867 players on Steam following the release of the update, making it the strongest spike the shooter has seen since The Final Shape. Back in February Lloyd reported fans were nervous about what the future held for Destiny 2, and well, today, that has all come home to roost.

That number is especially notable because Monument of Triumph is not a new expansion in the traditional sense. It is Destiny 2’s final live-service content update, designed as a kind of farewell lap for the long-running MMO shooter before Bungie moves away from regular active development.

Still, the update seems to have landed exactly where it needed to for lapsed players. Monument of Triumph brings back a lot of the things fans have been asking for, including the return of Sparrow Racing League, a refreshed Pantheon, new rewards, and major changes to the way Destiny 2 presents its activities. You can read about all the changes on the Bungie site.

Bringing players back

The update also winds back one of the game’s more unpopular recent decisions. The Portal, which had become a major sticking point for players, has effectively been pushed aside, with the Director returning as the main way Guardians navigate Destiny 2’s universe.

There is also a new progression structure built around the Monument of Triumph itself in the Tower. Players can complete objectives, earn Legendary Marks, and exchange them for a large selection of rewards, including armor ornaments, accessories, weapon engrams, and other cosmetic items.

For returning players, that gives Monument of Triumph the feel of both a museum piece and a proper loot chase. It is not just a goodbye screen with some fireworks; it is a substantial reason to log back in, revisit old activities, and see what Bungie has changed before Destiny 2 settles into its long-term future.

Launch day was not entirely smooth, with players reportedly running into Weasel errors as the update rolled out. That is hardly surprising given the scale of the returning crowd, although it does mean plenty of Guardians spent the first few hours fighting the servers before they could fight anything else.

Even so, the early response suggests that there is still a lot of appetite for Destiny when Bungie gives players the right reasons to come back. SteamDB also listed Destiny 2 near the top of Steam’s best-seller chart after the update launched, underlining how much attention Monument of Triumph has generated.

It is a bittersweet moment for Destiny 2. A player spike like this shows the pull the game still has, but it also arrives just as its active live-service era is coming to an end. For now, though, Guardians are back in serious numbers, and Destiny 2 is getting one last moment in the sun.

The post Destiny 2’s final update brings a huge number of Guardians back with the aptly-named Monument of Triumph appeared first on The Escapist.