The weapon sandbox inDestiny 2is always changing as Bungie tries to keep all weapon types on fairly even ground, however, the studio is planning on some big changes to one weapon type in particular which players have long seen as underwhelming inside PvE. A set of changes already hit the game with the start ofSeason of the Deep, as it does with every seasonal or expansion launch for the game to fit with the seasonal weapon mods both bring. The game’s next big update is not set to hit until the halfway mark of the current season, but players now have an idea of what to expect when it goes live in the game.
Season of the Deep is the current season inDestiny 2and sends players back to Titan, which has returned following the Witness' disappearance and brought back Deputy Commander Sloane with it. Sloane has requested guardians aid to protect a mysterious creature living deep in the moon’s methane ocean as it may have useful information about the Witness' origins and how it can be stopped. However, the Hive god Xivu Arath has also taken notice and is beginning to make her influence in Sol more directly known as her forces attempt to stop the Vanguard’s plans.
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In the latest This Week inDestinypost, Bungie took the chance to answer previously asked questions by the community about the game’s aspects they were curious about. One of those was about the current state of hand cannons and if there are plans for a buff to the weapon type to bring it back to “Shadowkeeplevels.” The studio appeared to agree, saying it was planning several changes as part of Season of the Deep’s mid-season update and beyond, though hand cannons would not be reverting to the damage seen inShadowkeep.
The weapon team said it does not want to go back to “Shadowkeeplevels” as it would cause a “substantial nerf” to non-critical hits, and will instead get a blanket 20% damage buff in the mid-season update. Future seasons could see a 15% buff to reload speed when the stat is at zero along with 20% and 75% damage buffs to red bar and orange bar enemies, respectively, based on the results of current playtests. Bungie will also introduce a new hand cannon sub-family in Heavy Burst Hand Cannons, the first of which will be theWarden’s Lawand fire a two-round burst.
It remains to be seen how effective these buffs and changes will end up being, but it shows Bungie is trying to address player complaints about hand cannons. Select hand cannons still deliver that punch in PvE and PvP, though these typically end up being exotics such asThe Last Wordor Thorn as they can rely on their unique perks to cover for any damage drop-off. If these planned changes prove effective, players can expect to see plenty more hand cannons around, especially in endgame activities.
Destiny 2is currently available for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
