All buffs, no nerfs. It’s a great, albeit sometimes impossible philosophy for looter shooters and action games, but Destiny 2 has not exactly done that very often. Now, outside of some PvP nerfs that players actually want, Bungie is unleashing some serious, meaningful buffs that will be out next week with Destiny 2’s Renegades expansion.
While I don’t know if all of them are worth featuring (you can read the full list here), these are the ones that stand out to the point where I’ve already started crafting builds around them:
Hunter
Solar Hunter – These changes finally bring it back to do serious endgame damage and at long last, Golden Gun will be buffed by Well of Radiance. Also a bonus for Blade Barrage.
- Golden Gun Super – Increased damage against non‑boss combatants by 15%.Increased damage against boss combatants by 26%.Golden Gun projectiles now scorch targets (40 stacks base, +10 with increased-stacks fragment). When fired inside a Well of Radiance, Golden Gun now counts as Radiant for increased damage.
- Blade Barrage Super – Increased damage against combatants by 39%.
Void Hunter – These may be the most-discussed changes of the entire article, namely the new Moebius Quiver changes that when you combine this new functionality with some like the new heavy crossbows or Leviathan’s Breath, could in theory be one of the highest damage rotations in the game.
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- Shadowshot: Deadfall Super – Tether source now attaches to combatants on direct impact. Increased Weaken effect from 30% to 35%. (now the strongest weaken in the game). Now immediately weakens and suppresses enemies in an area-of-effect on impact.
- Shadowshot: Moebius Quiver Super –While the Super is active, dealing damage now increases the power of subsequent Shadowshot attacks and Bow weapons. This puts a bar on your screen that charges as you deal damage. When charged, your final shot (or final two shots with Orpheus Rig) deals significantly increased damage, turning it into one of the highest-damage Supers in the game (227% max). Increased base Super duration from 10 seconds to 16 seconds. Increased Orpheus Rig duration from 16 seconds to 20 seconds.
Stasis Hunter – Two small changes that have enormous ramifications for the entire subclass in terms of both survivability and damage.
- Shatterdive Aspect – Shattering Stasis crystals or enemies now grants Frost Armor.
- Silence and Squall Super – Increased damage against combatants by 63%.
Warlock
Solar Warlock – Minor change here but at least in theory, an offensive option for Solar Warlock if you’re tired of being stuck on Well or just doing Sunbracers for the millionth time.
- Daybreak Super – Increased damage against combatants by 20%, Projectiles now Scorch enemies by default.
Void Warlock – Nothing that huge here but you can bounce enemies around with gravity a bit more, which is fun.
- Nova Warp Super – Charging the primary attack now pulls enemies toward the Warlock. Increased primary attack damage against combatants by 15%. Dark Blink now releases Weakening seekers.
- Nova Bomb Super – Now repeatedly pulls enemies toward it during its lifetime.
Arc Warlock – Buffing some super damage here. I don’t think it moves the needle for Stormtrance, but my favorite super, Chaos Reach, is getting buffed, so yay.
- Stormtrance Super – Increased maximum sustained damage bonus from 50% to 65%, Increased landfall Jolt duration from 10 seconds to 16 seconds.
- Chaos Reach Super – Increased damage against combatants by 20%.
Stasis Warlock – Like Hunter, a small, but potentially huge change with a massive increase in super damage here.
- Winter’s Wrath Super – Increased shatterwave damage against frozen targets by 210%.
Strand Warlock – This, combined with buffs to Mataiodoxia, should make Needlestorm one of the highest single-shot supers in the game. I have already designed a Strand Warlock based on this and then the changes to make Threadlings smarter, listed further down.
- Needlestorm Super – Needles now prioritize bosses, minibosses, and Champions over other enemies.
All Warlocks – You can now cast Rift while moving at half speed, Rifts are now 5 meters, up from 3.75 metes (cast while moving is one of the most requested changes in Warlock history
Titan
Solar Titan – Minor, but rewarding for using the hammer in ways other than face-to-face bonks.
- Hammer Throw – Impact damage now increases with range. (This does not reduce close range bonk damage)
Void Titan – A ton of changes thrown into Sentinel Shield, but it remains to be seen how this will shake out and if it will be widely used.
- Sentinel Shield Super – Standing behind the shield now periodically reloads all weapons every 2.5 seconds. Now grants Void Overshield to allies behind the shield. Damage bonus while behind shield reduced from 40% to 25%. Blocking attacks now extends Super lifetime. Blocking attacks and protecting allies now charges Shield Throw damage. Note: This puts a bar on your screen that charges as you block attacks and when allies are behind your shield. When charged, your shield throw deals more damage and resets the bar.
All Classes
Strand Threadlings – Threadlings that lose their target before impact will land and look for another combatant instead of exploding. Note: This will reduce the cases where your big gang of Threadlings all explode on a single Dreg. The result is that they feel smarter and more alive.
So, I’ve made a Stasis Hunter and Strand Warlock based on this. I’ll probably keep my Solar Titan as-is for now as these changes are minor there. What catches your eye?
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