Destiny 2 Episode Echoes is the first ever Episode to hit the game and will be a landmark moment for fans as they jump in to explore the new narrative that’ll be the standard for Year 10. However, before you can play, there’s going to be some server downtime.
No Destiny 2 update goes live without at least a little server maintenance and downtime. It’s just a part of the game because it’s always online, and developer Bungie needs some way to be able to add new files to it without players getting in the way. You won’t be able to play during this downtime, but it should be short if Bungie’s notes are to be believed. I wouldn’t hold my breath, though, because the launch of The Final Shape wasn’t exactly smooth.
When does the server downtime for Destiny 2 Episode Echoes Act 2 start and end?
The server downtime for Destiny 2 Episode Echoes Act 2 will begin at 6:45 a.m. PT on July 16, 2024. Bungie explained that the downtime will end at 10 a.m. PT on July 16, 2024, but background maintenance will continue until 12 p.m. PT on July 16, 2024.
Server maintenance for the game will actually start 45 minutes before downtime, so I’d expect to see errors pop up around then. This means you should really expect there to be a full 4 hours of downtime for Destiny 2 before the servers are back up.
After that, the game should be playable because we’ll be at the weekly reset time. Based on how smooth Act 1‘s launch was, I’d say this update should be over in a flash, and players should be let in as soon as the maintenance is over. The only trouble I had with Act 1 was there were too many players trying to get into the game at once, so I had to sit and queue for a while.
What is Destiny 2 Episode Echoes?
Destiny 2 Episode Echoes introduces a new threat to the game. After killing The Witness, pieces of Darkness energy are shot out into the system. These will form the narratives we explore in Destiny 2 from now on, as Echoes of The Witness land on nearby planets.
This first Episode revolves around an Echo that dropped onto Nessus and found its way into the Vex. There’s a new threat, a Vex enemy we can actually speak to, and both the Vex and Nessus have been irrevocably changed by this presence.
The Episode adds a new three-player activity and story to explore and a few new pieces of loot to collect as we play. More content will be added every six weeks across three acts, so there really is a lot to look forward to from this storyline.
Act 1 introduced us to a calmer universe where the Vanguard is trying to figure out what’s happening on Nessus, working with Failsafe to do so. Act 2 should bring The Conductor into focus. This enemy is some sort of amalgamation of an Echo of the Witness and the Vex, controlling creatures using strange collars. We don’t know its intentions just yet, but this second Act should see them laid bare.
