In Destiny 2, we now know when and how the Stasis Hunter is going to be nerfed. Players are pleased that Bungie is finally patching it purposefully. Additionally, there are more plans for a balanced sandbox.
These nerfs are coming: The new Stasis classes from Beyond Light are rampaging with their ice magic quite heavily. While it’s super fun in PvE, it turns PvP into a nightmare for many Guardians.
Currently, the Stasis Hunter (Revenant) is going wild with his deadly Shatterdive combo. Together with the right Stasis fragments, the skill allows Hunters to rush their target from the air and kill everything in the vicinity with an explosion – usually too quickly to react. Even Guardians in their Super are caught off guard.
Both the Shatterdive aspect and the fragment “Whisper of the Shards” are going to be nerfed.
When will it happen? On January 19, the update 3.0.2 is scheduled for Destiny 2. By the Weekly Reset, Hunters will have to bid farewell to arguably the strongest skill in the Crucible in its current form. But what do the changes in the patch look like exactly?
This is happening to Stasis in Patch 3.0.2
Shatterdive: The aerial attack is already strong without the fragment combo, and adjustments are being made:
- Impact damage against non-frozen targets is reduced
- Maximum damage range decreases from 50 to 5
- Damage reduction during the skill drops to 25% (previously: 50% protection)
Whisper of the Shards: This fragment allows ice walls to shatter in a larger area and deal more explosion damage. Especially in combination with a Glacier Grenade, team wipes were easily achievable.
- Damage from shatter explosion on Guardians is now a maximum of 30 and a minimum of 4 damage (previously: 42/22)
- Damage from shatter explosion on Guardians in their Super is now a maximum of 16 and a minimum of 2 damage (previously: 42/22)
- Range of the shatter detonation is 9 meters against other players (previously: 10 meters)
Whether the changes to the aspect only apply to the Hunter or generally to the Stasis classes is not quite clear from the patch notes preview. However, it is quite possible that the other Guardian classes will also deal less damage from exploding ice walls in PvP.
What does this bring? Currently, we do not know how high the damage of the Shatterdive combo will end up being. However, Hunters become easier to kill during this period, and the maximum damage drops off quickly – it is possible that a one-shot will only be possible at the center of the explosion. Guardians in their Super should survive the combo fairly safely after the changes.
In the same breath as the Hunter nerf, Bungie also mentioned keeping a close eye on the Stasis Titan (Colossus). However, they want to first observe the impact of the above changes before addressing the Titan Super.
That’s why Guardians appreciate the nerf
This is what players have been demanding since 2014: Players have been calling for Bungie to address the out-of-control Stasis classes since late 2020. They have been demanding for even longer that the balance in PvP and PvE be handled separately.
The announced changes demonstrate the trend since Beyond Light to adjust the two sandboxes separately – much to the players’ delight. Often, Guardians were frustrated about having to accept cuts to their favorite weapon or abilities just because that weapon was broken in a mode they hardly play.
Therefore, there have also been concerns since the announcement of the Stasis overhaul that the cool abilities in PvE would become significantly weaker. However, that is not the case.
Gladd, the biggest Destiny streamer, captures many people’s sentiments with his tweet:
According to Bungie, the faster patch cycles and precise adjustments are due to the background changes since Beyond Light and the (controversial) Content Vault.
Destiny 2 wants you to use weapons more often in PvP
Here are the goals: Bungie announced that they are working in the medium term to find a better middle ground between space magic and gunplay.
- Currently, abilities take up too much space and push the use of firearms into the background.
- This is particularly true for competitive PvP modes like Trials.
In modes like Trials, the meta crystallizes particularly quickly. Because here, only victory counts, regardless of the means used.
It has also been indicated that not only the new Stasis classes will be adjusted. The less performing Light classes will also be worked on in the future. So they want to improve the underperforming Arc, Solar, and Void focuses.
What do you think of the changes to Stasis? And do you think that it currently revolves more around abilities and skills instead of skills with firearms? Let us know in the comments.
The changes to Stasis in the Crucible are being demanded by many. They are one of the reasons why the PvP community has been so angry lately: In Destiny 2, players are now rebelling against PvP – Why?
