Amid the flood of Destiny news today comes yet another announcement, this one concerning weapon balance changes. In short, Bungie is rolling out a series of changes to weapons such as Shotguns, Fusion Rifles, Hand Cannons, Pulse Rifles, and others.
Below is a breakdown of what to expect when these changes are applied with Update 1.1.1 sometime later this month. For lots more, head to Bungie’s website to hear directly from sandbox designer Jon Weisnewski.
AUTO RIFLES:
Goals:
- Auto Rifle is optimal at close to medium range
- Damage, Stability, and Range are tuned such that players desire Stability for reliable close quarters damage, or Range for better accuracy at a distance
Changes:
- Reduce base damage of Auto Rifles by 2.5% (averaged across Rate of Fire stats, higher RoF took less of a reduction than low RoF)
- Reduce effective range values so that damage falloff and accuracy are a stronger factor in combat decisions
- Range reduction is less severe in the higher stat values, so now your range stat is more critical to long distance engagements
PULSE RIFLES:
Goals:
- Pulse Rifle is optimal at medium range, but can still effectively harass enemies at close or long range distances
- Rate of Fire sets a pace for players to both track moving targets, and then deliver precision damage in bursts
Changes:
- Increase base damage of Pulse Rifles by 9.7%. DPS is now more in line with other primaries
SHOTGUNS:
Goals:
- Shotgun is the most optimal at very close range
- Complements melee attacks and other close quarters class builds
- Offensively closing on an enemy with a Shotgun is a risk/reward timing game
Changes:
- Increase damage by 2x (100%) against all non-Guardian combatants (aliens)
- Reduce high end range values – damage falloff starts sooner, so Crucible players with long range shotguns need to be a little closer for successful one hit kills
- (Like the Fusion Rifle) Initial starting ammo is reduced across all ammo stats in the Crucible:
- Starting a Crucible match, you’ll have less Shotgun ammo in reserve
- In PvE activities we persistently track your ammo
- We only use initial ammo values if you are logging in for the first time, or starting a Crucible match
HAND CANNONS:
Goals:
- Hand Cannon is optimal at medium range
- Hand Cannon is optimal when shots are paced, becomes less effective when fired quickly
- Rewards agility when under fire, precision targeting, and snap shots
Changes:
- Reduce effective range
- Damage falloff starts closer to the shooter, and follow up shots are less accurate at long ranges
- Slight reduction to initial accuracy
- This is unnoticeable at close to medium range, but underscores the range intentions when used from far away.
FUSION RIFLES:
Goals:
- Fusion Rifles are optimal at mid-range, where targets are easier to track but they’re not close enough to attack while you charge up
- Requires combat foresight and the ability to predict a target’s movement to use successfully
Changes:
- Blast pattern on a Fusion Rifle burst cone is a little wider
- Close to medium range volleys are largely unaffected, but at a distance the projectiles are less likely to land hits on a single target
- This reduces the reliability of landing a one hit kill at far range, and makes the weapon better at spreading damage into a group
- Initial starting ammo is reduced across all ammo stats. This is change primarily affects The Crucible
- Starting a Crucible match, you’ll have less Fusion Rifle ammo in reserve
- In PvE activities we persistently track your ammo. We only use initial ammo values if you are logging in for the first time, or starting a Crucible match
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