DDoS attacks were the source of Destiny 2's server troubles this week
Nothing to do with a buggy patch or frankenguns, says Bungie.
An increase in Destiny 2 error code encounters earlier this week was caused by DDoS attacks, says developer Bungie. The attacks caused some players to be unable to log in or stay connected, and got worse over September 18 and 19—by the evening of the 19th many couldn't play at all.
A DDoS attack uses a network of devices, usually commanded by malware, to overwhelm a server with phony requests, inhibiting its ability to serve actual users. Bungie says it doesn't usually openly acknowledge attacks like this "for general game security reasons," but the proximity to a hotfix and patch compelled it to speak out in this instance.
Over the past couple of days, we've seen a spike in error codes and disconnects. The team has confirmed that these error codes are not related to the planned fixes rolling out for the recent crafting issue and are instead a result of DDoS attacks. While we typically don't confirm…September 20, 2023
"While we typically don't confirm these types of attacks and do not plan to in the future for general game security reasons, we believe it's the right thing to do for our players to communicate the added pressure to our systems given recent circumstances," the studio said in a post.
It was otherwise a pretty funny weekend for Destiny 2 due to an unrelated issue. A huge weapon crafting glitch caused players to be able to make bizarre frankenguns and frankenswords combining aspects of one weapon with another: Grenade launchers with a shotgun-level of projectiles, double-swords that double-leaped you double-forward—that kind of thing. Bungie hastily deployed a patch to fix those.
Destiny 2 is otherwise proceeding as planned, hurtling towards its epic The Final Shape expansion, in which the now almost decade long saga of Light and Dark might just get some kind of conclusion.