Destiny servers offline as Bungie performs network maintenance

As expected, Destiny's servers have been taken offline as Bungie readies to release the new patch (1.0.2.1). The scheduled maintenance is expected to last for "several hours," during which Destiny's servers will not be accessible.

Detailed yesterday, the new patch is aimed at improving the technology that enables players to connect to Destiny. "The player experience will remain unchanged, aside from the stability for some users who have encountered issues connecting to servers," Bungie says.

Below are the notes for patch 1.0.2.1:

Hopefully the maintenance goes quick because today also marks the start of The Iron Banner, a week-long Crucible event that offers players a different kind of PvP experience by removing the automatic balancing. Of course, there's also all sorts of rewards, like Legendary armor and weapons.

In addition to today's hotfix, Bungie last week week made note of another separate update that will focus more on gameplay balancing. Though they didn't give an exact date, they did say the update — which is coming "very soon" — will bring a batch of "enhancements, refinements, fixes, and tweaks."

We'll keep you updated on when the servers come back online, or you can keep track over at Bungie's help page.