In just over a week, Destiny 2 is not only getting a brand new expansion which brings the Moon back but the accompanying update is going to be changing a number of game mechanics. Many of the game mechanics have been detailed in the epic three part Director's Blog posts from Luke Smith including the armor 2.0 system, changes to super abilities, exotic updates, how debuffs are applied to enemies, and more.
Weapons are also getting overhauled with many types getting much needed buffs including scout rifles. With so many changes coming, the Destiny 2 meta is about to change once again, meaning various abilities and perks that may not have been great over the past year now have a chance to really shine inside of Year 3. Weapon perks are included in these changes thanks to the incoming game changes and YouTuber Ehroar has put together a new list of perks that players should be hunting now before Shadowkeep launches next week.
One thing he notes regarding his list is that the five selected can't already be amazing in the game, so while Rampage would definitely fit, its going to remain strong as always. It's not changing all that much and it isn't not much of a surprise to players at this point.
Field Prep
This weapon perk gives the weapon increased ammo reserves and gives a faster reload, stow speed, and ready speed when the player is crouched. During his testing, the Beloved sniper rifle received 40% more ammo with this perk, bringing it from 17 rounds to 24. When crouched, the sniper can also be reloaded in 1.8 seconds, down from 3.1 when standing. When Shadowkeep launches, having a perk like this helps sustain damage, especially with the nerfs to enemy debuffs and player buffs.
Triple Tap/Fourth Time's The Charm
Ehroar bundles these perks together as they have a similar function. Triple Tap returns 1 round to the magazine for rapidly landing precision hits, while Fourth Time will give 2 rounds back for multiple rapid precision hits. In his example, Ehroar uses sniper rifles with a 7 round magazine, a backup mag mod, and a extended mag masterwork. If optimized like this, players will be able to shoot 10 shots with Triple or 11 with Fourth. This is important for the free ammo and sustained damage output, though there is a bit of risk involved if the player misses a precision shot.
Rapid Hit
This weapon perk temporarily increases stability and reload speed after rapid precision hits. While Field Prep would be the preferred perk, Rapid Hit is a good substitute for weapons that can't roll it. When tested with the Beloved and Long Shadow sniper rifle weapons, Rapid Hit let Ehroar reload in 1.8 and 1.7 seconds respectively. The times are basically at the reload cap, which Ehroar believes will be removed in Shadowkeep.
Firing Line
This perk only exists on the Sole Survivor sniper rifle and it deals increased precision damage when near two or more allies. With the nerf to Box Breathing, Firing Line has taken its place and provides 25% more damage with the perk active. It's unknown if this powerful perk is going to be added to other Shadowkeep weapons, but for now, this is a weapon worth grinding Reckoning for, especially now that Bungie has made the controversial mode easier.
Auto-Loading Holster
The final weapon perk to grind for automatically reloads the holstered weapon after a short period of time. The test example is with the now easier to earn Wendigo grenade launcher, essentially firing the entire mag until its out, switching to the backup weapon, and then switching back after a short time to continue launching grenades. What's great about this technique is it nearly eliminates all downtime for reloading, keeping a constant stream of damage per second on the target. With limited boss melting strategies in Shadowkeep following nerfs to Shadowshot and Melting Point, methods such as this one will be key during boss fights.
Honorable Mentions
Ehroar also gives Multikill Clip and Subsistence an honorable mention in his list. Multikill Clip grants increased damage based on the number of rapid kills made before a reload. While this is already a popular perk, Ehroar predicts that it'll become even better due to the incoming 50% nerf to all precision damage to minor enemies. With Multikill Clip active, the damage output with the bonus active will be 100%, while a Rampage bonus will be around 60%.
Subsistence will partially reload the magazine from weapon reserves after a kill, but the capacity is reduced. It has already been confirmed to be getting a buff, reducing the capacity impact. This perk is mentioned because it essentially never requires the gun to be reloaded as long as the player is getting kills and has a full magazine. It's a good alternative to Kill Clip or Outlaw and pairs well with Rampage.
For all of the changes coming in Shadowkeep, Bungie doesn't have any immediate plans to roll out a Weapons 2.0 style change similar to what its doing with the armor systems. Instead, the team focused more on build crafting with armor sets, though with plenty of updates to weapons in Shadowkeep, fans should have plenty to test out and experiment with in the new expansion.
Destiny 2: Shadowkeep releases October 1, 2019 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One, with a Stadia version also in development.
Source: YouTube