A glitch with the Wish-Ender exotic bow in Destiny 2 has boosted the weapon's damage output to unprecedented levels among primaries in Bungie's multiplayer FPS. The bug has turned what was once considered a middle-of-the-road exotic weapon into a must-have for PVE encounters in the loot shooter, even if only for a little while.
Content creator Ehroar gave the bugged weapon a breakdown in a Destiny 2 gameplay video released Thursday. The individual arrows shot from the bow appear to deal triple damage from extra hits registering on each shot, causing the bow's damage output to multiply far beyond the intended amount.
Ehroar's measurements place the weapon's current damage per shot at 28,910 enemy HP, placing the bow in league with Destiny 2's selection of sniper rifles. The bug appears to work alongside the intended exotic perks of the Wish-Ender, which include overpenetrating arrows and the ability to highlight enemies behind walls when the arrow is aimed and fully drawn.
Because the Wish-Ender is classified as one of Destiny 2's primary weapons, players with the bow would be able to take down most regular enemies in one shot almost indefinitely, and make short work of most boss encounters as well. The bug affecting the Wish-Ender seems to only be localized to Destiny 2's PvE content, like Strikes and against regular enemies in Gambit. The bow's effectiveness against enemy Guardians in the Crucible is unchanged.
Wish-Ender made its debut in Destiny 2 with last year's Forsaken expansion, which is still a requirement for players to earn the weapon. To complete the exotic quest for the Wish-Ender, players will need to perform two runs through the Shattered Throne dungeon in the Dreaming City and a hidden mission on the Tangled Shore.
The unintended effectiveness of the Wish-Ender came as a pleasant surprise for Destiny 2 players after Season 8's introduction of the Leviathan's Breath, the FPS's first heavy bow, drew mixed reception thanks to a long draw time and lowered effectiveness on damage than earlier exotic weapons like the Izanagi's Burden sniper rifle. Guardians can safely bet that it won't be long before Bungie brings the bow back in line with a hotfix for Destiny 2, but players who have already completed the associated exotic quest may want to try it out while they can.
Destiny 2 and its two expansions, Shadowkeep and Forsaken, are available now for PS4, Xbox One, PC and Stadia.