The upcoming Lightfall expansion for Destiny 2 is set to significantly change the game's Resilience stat, and it bodes well for build variety in the game. Currently, Guardians that have 100 Resilience have 40% damage reduction, but in the Lightfall expansion, Bungie is nerfing this so that maxing out Resilience caps that damage reduction to 30%. This change might not seem like much, but it greatly impacts how players build their Guardians in Destiny 2.
One of the main reasons why this nerf is so significant is that it could mean that Bungie is willing to take a look at some of the worst stats, such as Mobility and Intellect. In recent times, players have been almost forced to max out Resilience at tier 10 because of the high damage reduction it provides, which is significantly worse at lower tiers. However, with the Lightfall changes, players should no longer feel it's almost mandatory to do this and can open their builds to more options because of how the damage reduction will scale. This will allow players to experiment with different builds, playstyles, and strategies and make the most of their Guardians in Destiny 2's sandbox.
Destiny 2's Nerf to Resilience Makes the Game More Balanced
Another reason why this nerf is so significant is that it will change the curve for Resilience. Players with lower Resilience, say 30, will have a higher damage reduction percentage once Destiny 2's Lightfall expansion drops compared to what they could have now. This will make it more viable for players to use lower Resilience builds and give them more options when creating the builds they want. This will also make the game more challenging, as players will likely have to be more thoughtful about how they want to engage enemies in combat.
The nerf to Resilience also makes the game more balanced. One could argue that, currently, players need to run high Resilience builds to tackle more difficult content because it's the single best stat in the game for what sort of investment goes into it. With the new changes, players will no longer be able to solely rely on high Resilience builds to survive and will have to think more strategically about how they want to develop their Guardians. This will make Destiny 2's endgame more balanced in PvE, be it in Raids, Dungeons, Grandmaster Nightfalls, or other activities.
Destiny 2 Nerfing Resilience Could Hint to Other Lightfall Changes
While the nerfs and overall balance to Destiny 2's Resilience stat is appreciated, some players hope that Bungie doubles down on a stat 2.0 situation where the other underutilized stats like Mobility, Intellect, and Recovery are overhauled as well. Some players have already gone and speculated online what such changes could look like with some suggestions for Mobility's overhaul allowing players to have less aim-assist against them, increase sprint speed and slide distance, or have a percent chance to dodge shots against them.
In conclusion, the nerf to Resilience in the Lightfall expansion for Destiny 2 is a step in the right direction. The changes to Resilience will still make the stat quite beneficial over many others (unless an overhaul happens), but it's possible that players won't feel like they're missing out if they don't cap it. The changes that Bungie is making in Lightfall could make Destiny 2 feel less forgiving, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, with that increased difficulty born from Resilience changes comes more freedom for players to find solutions in their builds or, more importantly, their playstyles.
Destiny 2 is currently available for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.