Destiny 2’s primary PvP offering is going to feel a lot different come next week. Bungie has revealed in its latest weekly update that it’s lined up a swathe of changes for Crucible weapons that’ll go live in a mid-season patch.
Bungie is taking another pass at putting shotguns in a better place. Weapons feature lead Chris Proctor explains that the interstellar boomsticks don’t allow much counterplay with primary weapons right now, with sidearms and SMGs particularly suffering. Ideally, you’re going to use shotguns to engage at point-blank range, “using skill at movement or positioning to get close enough to get a one- or two-hit elimination”. As such, aggressive frame shotguns are getting their cone increased, whereas all categories of shotguns will have a reduced minimum damage fall off and an increased maximum fall off.
“We want them to excel in a narrower niche than they do currently, so this change aims to retain the reliable one-hit elimination, but at closer range, and push them to be slightly rangier than currently at getting two-hit eliminations,” Proctor says. “As with our intent for all special weapons, if a player is caught out of position with a shotgun, they should be at a clear disadvantage.”
Aggressive hand cannons are also getting reined in again. They’re going to be doing less headshot damage, have lower aim assist fall off, and their minimum damage fall off is being knocked down by one metre.
“With this change, we expect other primaries to become viable where previously 120s ate their lunch, including adaptive hand cannons, pulse rifles, Scout Rifles, and auto rifles, while allowing 120s to keep the advantage of hard-hitting peek shooting at range,” Proctor says.
On the Exotic front, Bungie is toning down the Dead Man’s Tale. Hip-fire damage is being tweaked, whereas the aim assist cone is getting reduced.
“We’re keeping the fast-firing in hip, which we believe is key to the feel of the weapon, but with this change it will no longer have ADS levels of damage falloff while hip-firing, and so will be subject to falloff much closer,” Proctor explains. “It will also require better aim to land hits while hip-firing. We’re deliberately only lightly touching ease of use in this change with the goal of not making it harder to use on controllers.”
That’s not all that’s happening in Destiny 2 next week, either. The Solstice of Heroes event is coming back, which means you are heading back to the EAZ to grind for some nifty looking armour. There’s also a new shotgun to work towards this year.
If you’re curious what the Destiny 2 Legendary Lost Sector is today, you know where to click.