Bungie Launches Two-Week Experimental PvE Mode, Vault Breaker

Overview

• Bungie is adding Vault Breaker as part of a mid-season update that arrives July 21 and will run through August 4 as a time-limited experiment.
• Vault Breaker is a roguelite rework of the Cryo Archive map that players can run solo, in pairs, or in trios while collecting a new Vault Data currency to upgrade a sponsored kit and buy items in an in-event armory.
• The studio limited exfiltration of most in-run gear and designed rewards to stay separate from the main multiplayer loot economy to avoid destabilizing PvP progression.
• The update pairs the PvE trial with sandbox tuning and consumable caps, including shotgun buffs, a pistol nerf, and limits on grenades and bubble shields to curb spam on Cryo Archive.
• The short run is explicitly framed as a data- and feedback-gathering step after a quiet period for the studio, and Bungie says lessons from the trial will shape a fuller PvE mode arriving after September 22 in Season 3.