Destiny 2's newest seasonal update is here, and Bungie has revealed a set of three new ritual weapons for players to unlock with the MMO shooter's Gambit and Crucible game modes and by completing Strikes for the Vanguard.
Fans should find the requirements for the weapons familiar, with the quests for each of the Season of Dawn weapons requiring similar tasks as ritual weapons and pinnacle weapons from Destiny 2's prior seasons.
Gambit's ritual weapon for Destiny 2's Season of Dawn is the Python void shotgun. Players can pick between the Overflow trait, which fills the magazine past its initial capacity by picking up Special or Heavy Ammo bricks, or Feeding Frenzy, which temporarily boosts reload time when players score a kill. The final column offers a choice between Shield Disorient, which stuns foes when players cause shield explosions on void-shielded enemies, or One-Two Punch, which boosts melee damage for a short time if Guardians hit enemies with every pellet in a round. If one earns 500 shotgun kills, 150 close-range shotgun kills, and earns the Heroic Infamy rank in Gambit, the special weapon is theirs, courtesy of the Drifter.
The PvP faithful can unlock the Komodo-4FR linear fusion rifle from Lord Shaxx in the Crucible. A Solar-powered heavy weapon, the Komodo features the No Distractions and Moving Target perks in its first option column, letting players choose between reduced flinch on aiming and increased movement speed and target acquisition while strafing and aiming down the sights. The final column features the Eye of the Storm perk, which buffs handling and accuracy when players are low on health, and Box Breathing, for bonus range and precision damage when players aim the weapon without firing. Guardians can add the rifle to their collection by earning the Heroic rank in Glory points from Destiny 2's competitive PvP modes, and landing 125 final blows and 15 precision final blows with linear fusion rifles in the Crucible as a whole.
Rounding out the trio, the Buzzard kinetic sidearm offers a choice between the Outlaw perk, for quickened reload speed upon landing a precision kill, and the Fourth Time's the Charm perk, which grants two extra rounds to the magazine after rapidly landing precision hits. Additionally, the sidearm comes with the option to choose the Osmosis perk, which temporarily matches the gun's damage to a player's subclass element after throwing a grenade, or Swashbuckler, which increases damage by getting kills with the weapon or with melee abilities. Players can earn the Buzzard sidearm in Destiny 2's Vanguard and Nightfall Strikes with 10,000 points, 50 airborne sidearm kills, and 400 sidearm kills.
All three of the ritual weapons are limited to their curated rolls and drop as Masterworked items. Of the three weapons, the Python looks to have the most potential for PvP supremacy in Destiny 2 on paper thanks to the enduring power of shotguns in the shooter's ever-evolving metagame. The Komodo-4FR and Buzzard shine a light on some of the less popular weapon archetypes in the game, making both appear to be more niche options for PvE and PvP content than previous pinnacle and ritual weapons like the recently nerfed Recluse SMG. The only way to know for certain how the three will stack up against the existing arsenal of powerful weapons in Bungie's MMO is for players to go out there and earn them.
Destiny 2 and the Shadowkeep expansion are out now for PS4, Xbox One, PC and Stadia.