In the most recent TWID blog post, Bungie outlined a long-awaited change coming to Sparrows in Destiny 2. At the start of Season 23, all Sparrows will have their speed increased to match the Exotic Always on Time Sparrow.
What made Always on Time special was that it had slightly more speed than any other Exotic and Legendary Sparrows in the game. Although Always on Time says that it has 160 speed like other Exotic Sparrows, its known in the Destiny 2 community to be faster than that, making it the best possible Sparrow you could equip. The speed bonus made it extremely useful for timed Sparrow sections, such as the one found in the Scourge of the Past raid or the Grasp of Avarice dungeon.
With the change coming in Season 23, players will no longer have to choose between the max speed of Always on Time or the aesthetics of their favorite Sparrow design — as there will be less of a clear-cut “best in slot” Sparrow — allowing for greater expression and freedom for players. The change does not mean that Always on Time will never be used again, as its Stealth Running perk that causes the user to be targeted less by enemies can still be very useful in challenging Sparrow sections.
Always on Time was introduced during the Season of the Forge, and was only available as a reward from the Scourge of the Past raid, where it had a low chance of dropping from the secret chest that would unlock once players activated all eight buttons during the Sparrow portion of the raid. Once this raid was sunset, the Sparrow became available for purchase at the Monument to Lost Light in the Tower, where it cost 240 Spoils of Conquest, a currency earned when completing encounters in raids.
