When Bungie announced that it was removing auto-loading mechanics like Lunafaction Boots from Destiny 2: Shadowkeep, most players assumed a follow-up change would be announced to balance things out. And in today’s weekly blog post, Bungie detailed how it plans to make weapons stronger in PvE.
Almost every weapon class in Destiny 2 is getting a buff in Shadowkeep, with some smaller subsections getting negative tweaks. This should both help players deal more damage per bullet/round/etc. and also assist with clearing out minor enemies (commonly referred to as ads).
In a general sense, Bungie has removed the precision damage multiplier from every minor enemy. Previously, a precision hit would do more damage to a minor enemy than any other enemy type (major, boss) and that has been removed. Now precision damage is wholly determined by the rank of the weapon and player.
Many of the oft-neglected weapon types like scout rifles, sidearms, and auto rifles are getting substantial buffs in Destiny 2: Shadowkeep. At worst, some of these weapon types will deal 15 to 20% more damage, but the damage dealt is determined by the rank of the combatant.
While the vast majority of changes are meant to make these weapons more viable, there are some tweaks that will lessen the viability of weapon types in Destiny 2: Shadowkeep. Specifically, ricochet rounds will no longer offer bonus range and submachine guns will no longer do bonus damage when close to a target. On the flip side, the 140/150RPM hand cannon archetype has had its animation retooled in an effort to reduce “ghost bullets.”
The only genuine nerf is to the one-two punch perk on shotguns and its ability to combine with the Liar’s Handshake Hunter exotic. Most figured a change was coming and Bungie even acknowledged that the combo allowed players to beat Last Wish raid boss Riven in seconds.
Overall, the Destiny 2: Shadowkeep changes should help increase the diversity when it comes to weapon choices and bring some neglected archetypes back into the fold. Players have been waiting a while to see scout rifles get bumped up and it seems like this is a big change for those.
Additionally, there are some exotic weapon changes coming with Shadowkeep that should make specific weapons in these archetypes even better. For example, Sunshot is getting extra rounds in the magazine to make it more viable.
Of course, Destiny 2 players won’t know for sure how these weapon changes will truly feel until Shadowkeep releases on October 1st. Finding out what new metas arise is always one of the more interesting parts of a major Destiny 2 expansion release.
Destiny 2: Shadowkeep releases October 1, 2019 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.