Heresy Act 2’s release keeps getting delayed as Destiny 2 players sit through maintenance downtime

Maintenance periods in Destiny 2 are common before major updates, and server issues seem to be almost as constant. The lead-up to the release of Heresy’s second act today is no exception, with an unusually large maintenance window that keeps getting extended due to technical issues.

The maintenance window ahead of the release of Act Two started at 4:45am CT today—considerably earlier than the standard—and was scheduled to last until the weekly reset at noon CT. At the time of writing, however, the developer has postponed that release twice, updating players through its social media channels.

Destiny 2‘s latest episode, Heresy, has brought back some of the interest lost from fans after eight months and two episodes that fell short of expectations at a time when the game desperately needed to excel. Act One was a success, with a popular storyline and a compelling activity.

Act Two promised to build upon that foundation by continuing the main storyline and bringing a litany of new elements: new seasonal weapons, the Court of Blades activity, the launch of the annual Guardian Games event, the Lotus-Eater rocket sidearm in the Nightfall pool, and catalysts for the Barrow-Dyad Exotic SMG. It was a much-needed bump in momentum for a title that was just taking off after an excruciatingly long dry spell.

Bungie’s standard procedure usually involves a downtime window before the update releases, when the developer disables the servers to perform maintenance. While veterans from years ago may remember when this downtime was merely 15 minutes, the studio has shifted to longer periods—usually around 90 minutes before the scheduled release window—and that’s not counting outliers like Heresy’s Act Two.

Unplanned server interruptions are a possibility for every game, but Destiny 2 players are usually aware of that possibility whenever there’s a new content drop. Even hotfixes can risk taking down the servers, though major releases bring a bigger share of risk. In those cases, booting up the game commonly leads to the age-old error code CAT. The message indicates you need to update the game to its latest version, even though the latest version isn’t available yet due to the service outages.

While the server issues can certainly mar the experience for those waiting in line, Heresy’s second act is bound to be jam-packed with action. It’s also shorter than its counterparts: at just three weeks, players can expect Heresy’s final act to kick off on April 1 instead of the usual six-week wait. There’s plenty to do after the weekly reset, even if getting to the Shaping Slab may take a bit more time than anticipated.

Update March 11 2:18pm CT: The Destiny 2 servers are back online with Update 8.2.5 and Heresy’s second act.