Destiny Offline for Maintenance Today, September 3

Update 2:

Destiny is back online! Thank you for your patience. Game on!

— Bungie Help (@BungieHelp) September 3, 2015

Update:

If you were thinking that the maintenance was for a new patch launching today, DeeJ said, “No Patch Notes today. We’ll cover some basic 2.0 previews in the Weekly Update. Today is just a ‘Pardon our Dust’ moment.”

Original Story:

Beginning at 8am PT/11am ET/4pm BST, Destiny will be offline for approximately six hours today on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, and Xbox 360 due to maintenance.

Expected to end at 2pm PT/5pm ET/10pm BST, here’s what Bungie has to say about the maintenance:

Players signed in shortly before maintenance will receive prior notice via in-game messaging.

Once maintenance is concluded, all services and Destiny login functionality will be restored.

Additionally, some Bungie.net sign-in and Companion app services may be restricted during this time.

Asked about the timing of the maintenance during prime gaming time, Bungie Community Manager DeeJ said, “It’s when we have the most smart people in the building. Blame continental drift.”

This maintenance is likely being done to prep for Destiny update 2.0 on September 8 and Destiny: The Taken King on September 15.

While we don’t know full details about 2.0 quite yet, it will include major changes to weapons, replaces Peter Dinklage with Nolan North, increases the number of Bounties you can carry, and more. This update will require 18GB of free space on PS4 and 20GB of free space on PS3.

If you’re planning on buying The Taken King, remember that the King’s Fall Raid doesn’t go live until September 18.

We’ll keep you updated with any additional news from Bungie today as the maintenance progresses.

[Source: Bungie]

Essential Reading:

Now Loading...Destiny The Taken King Pricing and It Should Be Valued

Now Loading... Destiny The Taken King Pricing and How It Should Be Valued
Alex Co

@excaliburps

I remember when Destiny first came out, I literally couldn't stop playing the game every single day. Unfortunately, after doing almost everything there is to the game, I got stuck in a rut, dropped it and haven't been back since.

Is The Taken King worth $40? It's really hard to say. If you're going to sink hundreds of hours into it, then yes, $40 is a paltry sum given how long you'll be playing it, no?

However, I do get why people are upset. It's how Activision structured the game and this expansion. It just looks...I dunno, greedy? Let's say it doesn't look that way, but this gives a whole new meaning to Season Passes and its price point.

I shudder to think the moment comes that other publishers follow suit with this product structure and pricing model.

Although, regardless of everyone's bitching, I know this expansion will sell and everyone's complaints will fall on deaf ears.
Chandler Wood

@FinchStrife

We have no idea. At first glance, I can't sufficiently answer this question because we don't know what's all in The Taken King yet, though from my previous experience with Destiny, I will be purchasing it and partaking in the content. With three new subclasses, new story, whole new enemies, new locations, new strikes, a new raid, new crucible modes and maps, and new weapons (and that's just the stuff we know about), it seems like this is almost an entire new game being added on.

So yes, for me, The Taken King seems like it will be well worth the $40, but I can't speak for everyone. You have to determine your own personal value on things. To me, games like World of Warcraft or Final Fantasy XIV don't seem worth the monthly fee to keep playing. That doesn't mean the value isn't there for some people. It's just not for me. Going back to the question on The Taken King, I've had nearly a year of great evolving content in Destiny and never had to pay a single dime in subscription fees, so if a $40 expansion is the price of that constant support in addition to a whole ton of new content, then I'm all in.
Mark Labbe

@markymark255

No, I don't think this is a fairly priced expansion. The Season Pass, which included two expansions, was only $35, so to have this single expansion cost more than that is a bit ridiculous.

While there are a few bundles that give discounts on the expansion, day one players who have been keeping up with the expansions as they release are at a huge disadvantage, as they have already spent almost $100 on the game.
Heath Hindman

@TheHeathHindman

I don't play the game, so take my comments with a grain of salt or bag of garbage.

But the beautiful things about expansions and prices is that neither are requirements. If you don't want the expansion, cool, you don't have to expand. If you don't think the price is fair, great, don't buy it.

For every single product on the market, there are people passing it up because of the price. From games to clothes, cars, books, and breakfast cereals -- people have lines they draw. If you've drawn your line below $40 for an expansion, then that's good. You have your principles and you should stick to them. And if it turns out that the pack has truly been priced way too high, then it won't sell and hopefully the publishers will learn their lesson. It could get a price drop in the future, or you could use you money on an entirely new game.

If they're making a stupid decision with this price, then they'll learn that the hard way. I don't see the problem here.
Mack Ashworth

@GamingWithMack

I think the $40 price is a big ask from Bungie but, what with the community being so huge and committed, I think it's a smart move by the developer and publisher. Destiny fans are deeply invested into the world now and, judging from the success of the first two expensive DLCs, I think it's safe to say that The Taken King will sell well.

Do I think it's priced fairly? No. Do I think that will matter to Destiny players? No.
Dan Oravasaari

@Foolsjoker

I think Destiny's The Taken King is a new benchmark for content that not many console gamers are used to paying for in DLC, and that is what is causing a great deal of discussion across the web.

While it is at a higher price point than the previous expansions, I think it is a sign of what they are looking to offer in regards to moving the game forward and expanding the already deep universe.