The last couple of Destiny 2 seasons have seen several new weapons debut, alongside some fascinating perks to make them even more efficient damage-dealers compared to what you already had in your collection. As Destiny 2 heads towards The Final Shape expansion, Bungie is looking to shake up player arsenals by making them more than just DPS-focused tools.
“We have to think about it in the ways that utility matters to players,” game director Joe Blackburn explained to PC Gamer, pointing out that the alternative would be a slow weapon power creep that could ultimately make the Destiny 2 experience stagnate. Exotic rocket launcher Gjallarhorn is an example of Bungie trying new things, as not only does that weapon deliver one of the best explosive payloads in the game, it also buffs the rocket launchers of nearby teammates.
In previous seasons and expansions, Bungie experimented with these ideas with Exotics like the hand cannon Lumina, which can heal players with the Noble Rounds perk, or the trace rifle Divinity that can make short work of bosses when you’re in a fireteam. Bungie’s aim is to give players more options when fine-tuning their arsenal.
Even Legendary-class weapons will begin to get new support-style functionality. Blackburn added that players can expect that gear to enter a new support role. Some of these weapons were teased during The Final Shape showcase, and include an auto rifle that can fire healing rounds or a sidearm that can unleash mini-homing rockets. This season is already seeing some experimentation, as players can unlock the Heal Clip perk that restores health to your and your teammates when you reload after a kill.
“The law of diminishing returns means each one has to [work] harder to make an impact on your guardian’s loadout. We know that we have to do disruptive things to make that happen,” Blackburn explained. “That is a way to get into support that allows players to still shoot things, but be able to provide meaningful ways to modify other players’ output. So I think you’ll see us exploring more of those angles.”
Blackburn also teased the idea of keeping Destiny 2 fresh with “eras” of perks and artifact mods that could be available in cycles. “We’ll rotate things in and out,” Blackburn said. “There was like a year of Destiny where no one reloaded because of Barricades and Rifts. That was a time of Destiny! I think we’re going to continue to make different eras. We’ve moved the needle enough that we know ways to break into that and keep it constrained so it doesn’t also, you know, undermine the whole game.”
Destiny 2’s latest season, Season of the Witch, has just begun and has brought with it a reprised raid version of Crota’s End. In February 2024 the Light and Darkness saga will conclude in The Final Shape.
The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors.
GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.
