Destiny 2's yearly expansions are often a time for Bungie to reflect on what changes to bring forward to improve the state of things, be it by balancing elements in the game's sandbox or refreshing existing systems that have gradually become outdated. The Witch Queen too was a great opportunity to do so, and Destiny 2 got its first new weapon archetype since Forsaken, a weapon crafting system, changes to Gambit, and a myriad of other tweaks. Although Bungie has been getting better at communicating things with players on social media or through more accurate patch notes than in the past, Strange Coins drops were changed without a single note about it.
Strange Coins used to drop anywhere in Destiny 2's playlist activities in the middle of Season of the Lost, which is when the 30th Anniversary Pack was released. This held through for the remainder of the Season, and players enjoyed this way of obtaining this Dares of Eternity currency because it allowed them to complete other tasks for more gear and bounties, and then go back to Xur's game show-like activity when needed. However, with The Witch Queen, Strange Coins stopped dropping from any game mode in Destiny 2 other than Dares of Eternity itself, which is a rather odd change that makes this activity self-contained.
How Destiny 2's Strange Coins Drop Change Affects Dares of Eternity
The fact that Strange Coins used to drop anywhere in the game before The Witch Queen was a good thing because players could do anything before jumping into Dares of Eternity, as they would have enough Coins to grab a Starhorse bounty or two, complete them, and get more loot. On the other hand, it had the potential of being bad since Destiny 2 players could simply forget about Dares of Eternity except for when they had enough Coins for a bounty, then run Legend mode once a week and call it a day.
Still, Dares of Eternity already dropped Strange Coins before, so those players who wanted to replay over and over had the opportunity to do so, which was also beneficial for unlocking the Forerunner Exotic sidearm and its catalyst. Furthermore, Dares of Eternity's Treasure Keys can be used to get more items after the activity is over, and they can also be used to obtain Universal Ornaments completely for free. Essentially, upon launch, this Destiny 2 game mode was very rewarding regardless of how Guardians chose to play, which was a great choice on Bungie's part.
Because Strange Coins now only come from Dares of Eternity, and because they are the only way to purchase Starhorse's bounties, the activity has suddenly become less rewarding in and of itself. Additionally, the Normal mode for Dares of Eternity is the quickest one to farm, but it only awards a single Strange Coin at the end, meaning that players might need to run the activity up to seven times before being able to purchase a bounty, and then once more to complete said bounty. Not all of Destiny 2's game modes are equally rewarding, but Dares of Eternity went from a good place to start to being something players only really do if they need anything that comes from it exclusively.
As it stands, Dares of Eternity is now a self-contained and self-sustained activity loop that doesn't really shine anymore. It doesn't help that Bungie never acknowledged or mentioned anything about this change, leaving players in the dark about it being a potential bug or a new norm. Based on what the game mode has to offer, Destiny 2 players who already got the Ornaments or weapons they wanted now have no reason to even play Dares of Eternity outside the Pinnacle gear it offers weekly.
Destiny 2 is now available on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.