Destiny 2 brings extensive class adjustments in Season 15 – This is changing

With Destiny 2, the new Season 15 is around the corner and brings various changes and new features – including for many abilities of all 3 Guardian classes. MeinMMO shows you what will change with the major ability balance patch.

What is the balance patch about? Some time ago, Bungie announced that they would take another look at the individual Guardian classes and make adjustments if necessary. Especially many old Light focuses have fallen behind compared to Stasis – not only regarding customization options.

In Season 15, starting on August 24, it’s finally time, and the studio has now presented the changes coming to the players in the current edition of “This Week at Bungie” blog.

The ultimate goal of these changes is for abilities to complement gunplay, but not replace it and not dominate everything. This balance patch is intended to pave the way for large-scale, systematic changes to the abilities. Over the course of the coming seasons, for example, the frequency of ability usage in the Crucible (PvP) will be adjusted.

By the way, there were already fresh details about the future of PvP: Destiny 2 finally talks about the future of PvP – What’s coming in the next seasons

How the abilities of the Guardians change in the new season

The focus of the changes is mainly on the abilities of the Light classes of the Guardians, but there were also a few adjustments to the icy Stasis abilities.

General abilities

Stasis freezing: Being frozen by Stasis can be quite frustrating. That’s why there were some adjustments to freezing.

• Frozen players can initiate breaking free from the ice in the air
• The breakout animation and camera transition have been shortened
• Long freezing and short freezing can now be visually distinguished, making the respective status easier to recognize

Sliding: Bungie found sliding into a fight to be too effective. Therefore, they added some disadvantages (for weapons) to it. While sliding, the following applies:

•  - 20 stability 
• + 15 % shotgun pellet spread
• 1.5x flinch (shrink when hit by an enemy) 

Titan abilities

Gunfight Barricade: This variant is rarely used, so they have spruced it up a bit. In addition to the reload bonuses, the following buffs apply when standing behind this barricade:

• + 30 stability
• + 10 % range
• – 50 % flinch

All barricades: Some abilities currently allow players to move quickly through an enemy barricade while suffering only minimal damage. This is set to change. Although barricades will still not deal lethal damage, you will noticeably take more damage.

• Players moving at high speed through an enemy Titan barricade will now take more damage
• Barricades now slightly reach into the ground to better protect the Titan’s feet on uneven ground. This should occur less frequently, with explosions and projectiles slipping under the barricade and hitting the Titan 

Colossus (Stasis): After the extensive Stasis nerf, there’s now some fine-tuning for this Titan focus.

• Cryoclasm (Aspect):
  • When equipped, base slides now shatter crystals and frozen enemies
  • The FX effect duration on screen that signals when the long slide is ready has been increased from 1 second to about 4.5 seconds
• Shiverstrike:
  • Movement speed increased by 25 % 
• Whisper of the Wisp (Fragment):
  • A bug has been fixed where the overshield granted by this fragment did not scale precision damage properly

Sunbreaker (Middle Tree):

• Throwing Hammer:
  • The time before the hammer explodes after it lands on the ground has been increased from 6.5 to 10 seconds (more time to pick up the hammer)
  • Damage against orange and yellow bar enemies in PvE (powerful enemies) has been increased by about 50 %

Striker (Top and Bottom Tree):

• Fist of Havoc:
  • The detonation radius of the fist slam has been increased by 14 % 
  • The damage drop-off from the slam has been reduced 
  • The activation cost for the slam has been reduced from 21 % to 18 % 

Striker (Middle Tree):

• Overcoming Inertia:
  • Duration increased from 4 to 6 seconds 
  • Sliding over ammunition now grants 20 % melee energy

Sentinel (Top Tree):

• Dusk Shield: 
  • Damage taken from bosses increased from 0.25x to 7x (at 0 resilience)
  • Then scale the damage taken down to 0.25x – depending on the user’s resilience stat

Hunter abilities

Revenant (Stasis): The nerf of the Stasis Hunter was considered too harsh in some parts, so in Season 15 there are now the following adjustments:

• Shadebinder: 
  • Movement speed of the storm increased by 20 %
  • The storm now stays in place when it touches a boss
• Blade of the Withering: 
  • Projectile speed and tracking increased by 10 %

Gunslinger (Middle Tree):

• Deadshot: 
  • Burn duration increased from 3 to 4 seconds

Gunslinger (Top Tree):

• Six Shooter: 
  • Damage drop-off now starts at 25 meters rather than 20

Arcstrider:

• Arc Staff:
  • Passive duration of the super increased from 16 to 20 seconds 
  • Detonation radius of the heavy attack increased from 5 to 6 meters 
  • Damage against PvE enemies increased by 33 % 
• Top Tree: 
  • Deadly Reach 
    • Duration increased from 8 to 10 seconds 
• Middle Tree: 
  • Chain Lightning 
    • When dealing damage with Arc Strike, this now triggers Chain Lightning
    • The timer can be extended by dealing damage with any weapon

Nighthawk (Middle Tree):

• Spectral blades:
  • Damage reduction during the super decreased from 52 % to 47 %
  • Additional damage reduction while invisible: decreased from +5 % to +3 %

Warlock abilities

Shadebinder: Here, the Stasis nerf hasn’t gone far enough, so there is now an additional nerf for PvP.

• Winter’s Wrath: 
  • Damage of the shatter shockwave against close-range supers reduced 
    • The Warlock now has to freeze and shatter players with active close-range supers (Dawnblade, Fist of Havoc, Sentinel Shield, Nova Warp, Arc Staff, or Spectral Blades) twice to defeat them (For Glacial Fortify, you only need to shatter once)

Dawnblade (Top Tree): This subclass has been too dominant for Bungie in PvP, which is intended to change with the following adjustments:

• Celestial Fire:
  • Angle of the tracking cone reduced. 
  • The detonation size will decrease over time 
  • Detonation size reduced by 1 meter 
  • Damage drop-off at short ranges increased
• Icarus Dash: 
  • Dodging in the air is now possible every 4 seconds 
    • Under the effect of Heat Rises, dodging is enabled at 2x every 5 seconds
• Heat Rises: 
  • Duration increased from 10 to 15 seconds 
  • Timer extension for aerial kills while Heat Rises is active has been increased. The duration of the extension varies depending on the type of enemy defeated 
  • Your position will now be displayed on the enemy radar when Heat Rises is used

Dawnblade (Middle Tree): Here, the effectiveness in boss fights is to be reduced, while performance in PvP is to be slightly increased – through the following changes:

• Well of Radiance:
  • Damage received from bosses increased from 0.25x to 7x (at 0 resilience)
    • Damage taken is then scaled down to 0.25x – depending on the user’s resilience stat 
    • This applies to the well itself, not to the players inside the well
  • The damage resistance buff against enemy players has been increased from 20 % to 40 % 
    • Players inside the well are now immune to Stasis freezing and Stasis slow effects 
    • The well sword can now be frozen and shattered by Stasis
• Guiding Flame: 
  • Duration increased from 7 to 10 seconds 
  • Damage buff increased from 20 % to 25 % 

Dawnblade (Bottom Tree): This subclass felt too lackluster compared to the other options, so it has been spruced up a bit.

• Phoenix Dive:
  • Delay before the dive starts has been reduced
  • Now the direction can be specified to dive in
• Firebrand: 
  • Ability overhaul: Solar ability kills and kills from burning targets now cause the targets to explode and burn nearby enemies (who also explode if they die while burning)

Stormcaller (Middle Tree): Here, the main focus was on ensuring that enemies would not be hit behind walls as much as possible.

• Arc Soul:
  • Size of the environment collision for the beam has been increased
  • Damage radius of the beam in PvP reduced by 20 % 
  • Radius of the endpoint sphere of the beam in PvP reduced by 33 %

In future seasons, the aim is to make it harder to use the beam in the Crucible.

Stormcaller (Bottom Tree): This subclass will receive a bit more love in regard to player feedback and will be spruced up a bit.

• Arc Soul:
  • Duration increased from 12 to 13 seconds 
  • Rate of fire increased by 10 %
• Electrostatic Surge:
  • Now increases sprint speed when allies are nearby
• Landfall:
  • Now fires 5 Arc floor projectiles upon triggering

Voidwalker (Middle Tree): This subclass also requires a bit more attention in Bungie’s eyes – especially in PvE – and will be strengthened as follows:

• Nova Warp: 
  • Damage against PvE enemies increased by 73 % 
  • No longer slows movement speed when charging or charged
  • Now detonates upon triggering 
• Hand Supernova: 
  • Damage against PvE enemies increased by 100 % 
  • Hold time increased from 2.5 to 3.2 seconds 

What do you think of these changes to the abilities of the Guardians? Are you satisfied with it, is it at least going in the right direction in your opinion, or did you expect much more – especially regarding the Light focuses? Feel free to let us and other readers of MeinMMO know in the comments.