Destiny's servers will be down for an extended maintenance on Friday morning in order to prepare for updates planned over the next several weeks.

The servers will go offline at 5.00 AM NZDT, Friday, and should be back online by 8.00 AM, said Bungie.

"We're sorry about the interruption, but it's for the greater good," said community manager David "DeeJ" Dague.

"Once services are restored, your experience as a player will be unchanged. The updates we’re making will be on our side, so you won’t need to download or install a new batch of content."

These upcoming changes were outlined in the most recent Weekly Update.

They include:

◆ Channels for talking to matchmade teammates, if you so wish
◆ Exotic weapons that are stronger and more interesting to upgrade
◆ New gear to let you slip into something a little more Legendary
◆ That which waits in The Dark Below
◆ New shaders for your gear
◆ Ways to preview items before you spend your Glimmer
◆ Greater chances of “showers” in public spaces
◆ Adjustments to some arenas that needed better traffic flow
◆ New economies to equip you with upgrade materials
◆ Fixes, patches, and other invisible technical evolutions
◆ Some other tricks up our sleeve
◆ Maybe even a more generous Cryptarch (he’ll still be sort of a bastard)