[GameSpot] - Destiny 2 Weapon Nerfs And Buffs Are Coming In Season 14

[343iBot]

Bungie has provided a preview of some balance changes coming to Destiny 2 as part of the as-of-yet untitled Season 14. While numerous areas of the game will be tweaked, the latest weekly blog post keys in on changes to weapons, which will see certain swords and hand cannons nerfed, the effectiveness of certain perks reduced, and more.

Weapons feature lead Chris Proctor detailed a selection of changes, which will be further explained in future patch notes. Among the most wide-ranging changes are a nerf to Aggressive (120rpm) hand cannons. Proctor describes them as "very dominant" in PvP modes, so Bungie wants to "rein them in a bit." It's doing this by reducing the damage and aim assist falloff distance by 2-4 meters, depending on the given weapon's Range stat. Proctor says this should tone down the Beyond Light buff to Aggressive hand cannons by about half.

Vortex Frame swords will see their effectiveness reduced, but not by decreasing their damage. Bungie is increasing the amount of ammo a full-energy Heavy attack requires from 4 to 6, so you'll need to be a bit more selective with how you attack. All swords and the Exotic weapon Bastion will also see the removal of chip damage, which is what allows you to bypass shields to deal direct damage. Proctor says chip damage causes a variety of issues, including problems with enemies in Stasis and the mechanics involved with certain encounters. (It's not all bad news for Bastion, as it will intrinsically stagger Unstoppable Champions following the update.)

The Quickdraw perk will also see a nerf, as it currently provides more of a benefit than intended, offering a major boost to weapon handling. Proctor points out that this "completely negates" what is meant to be the drawback of using weapons with low Handling stats, like sniper rifles or Aggressive shotguns. Now, the Handling bonus goes away after one second when switching to a weapon with Quickdraw, or as soon as you aim down sights. You'll also see Quickdraw replaced by Surplus on both new and existing versions of two weapons: Felwinter's Lie and Astral Horizon.

Frenzy will also be nerfed due to how effective it is in PvE; you'll now only get 15% bonus damage from it (as opposed to 20%). Reservoir Burst will also be adjusted to increase magazine size but with reduced battery bonus damage (25%, down from 33%). Proctor also teased the need to make this change due to some upcoming content.

And finally, another Exotic, The Lament, will be nerfed due to it being a "clear outlier for sword damage." Its revved Heavy attack will deal about 16% less damage, but it will still have anti-barrier effects even with chip damage being removed.

While these were the only specifics shared, Bungie did say that some underused perks and linear fusion rifles will be receiving buffs. Those changes should be outlined later in April.

Destiny 2 Season 14, whatever it ends up being called, is expected to launch in mid-May.

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