A number of weapon changes are coming to Destiny 2 at the end of January with auto rifles, scout rifles, sniper rifles, and some exotics getting tweaks. The game's developer, Bungie, gave a preview in its weekly blog about how these weapon types would be changing with the upcoming game update. While no hard numbers were given, Bungie gave a preview of the general buffs and nerfs that are planned.

As Bungie discussed the weapon changes, it sounds like the goal is to open up the number of viable options players have, which is leading to a majority of buffs with these changes. Of course, a few specific weapons that tend to tip the scales of being a little too overly effective in Destiny 2 are being brought down slightly.

When it comes to auto rifles, their damage is being increased for rapid-frame, adaptive, and high-impact archetypes. Auto rifles are meant to be a short- to mid-range weapon and Bungie said they are not as effective in this range when they have to contend with a number of inherently more powerful Special weapons that have come into use since the Year 2 weapon slot changes.

All scout rifle archetypes are getting a damage increase in PvE, and in PvP, the lower damage lightweight and rapid-fire archetypes specifically are getting a buff. Bungie said that scout rifles are underperforming when compared to other primary weapons, but it sounds as though this buff won't be huge, as Bungie wants to make sure that players can't put out too much damage at long-range with a scout rifle while completely staying out of danger. There's another buff coming to the other long-range weapon class, with rapid-fire sniper rifles getting a slight buff that will allow them to two-shot an opponent in the Crucible with two body shots.

As for exotics, Legend of Acrius will get damage and range increases to help it contend with other very powerful Power slot exotics. Telesto, which is one of the most powerful exotics in the Crucible, is getting adjusted; with a damage reduction in PvP to match a standard Fusion Rifle charge rate and more effective long-range optics to keep it viable. Bungie says in playtesting, Telesto is still powerful but not quite as generous as it has been.

Lastly, trace rifles will be given more ammo from special ammo sources. This buff to all trace rifles made the Wavesplitter exotic stand out, so that specific trace rifle is getting a damage nerf.

All these changes are scheduled to hit Destiny 2 on January 29.

Destiny 2 is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

Source: Bungie