In Destiny 2, an a revision of the Exotics is planned. Bungie now reveals how the exotic items are to become even more exotic.
In early February, Bungie released a roadmap with endgame updates planned for spring 2018. This roadmap indicates that the update 1.1.4 should arrive at the end of March, which includes a revision of the exotic weapons and armor pieces. Because these are major changes, this “Exotic Tuning Pass” might only be released later.
Now, senior designer Jon Weisnewski speaks up in the new “This Week at Bungie” and explains what the team is currently working on to make “the exotics even more exotic”.
Gameplay Goals of the Exotic Revision
Weisnewski first looks back at Destiny 1: Back then, Exotics were released that he hoped would live up to your time and the hype. After the launch, there was a flood of feedback, allowing for fine-tuning and sandbox adjustments to the exotic weapons. This is now being repeated in Destiny 2: The exotic weapons and armor pieces will be revised based on player feedback.
Three goals are being pursued:
- The exotic gear is being revised to provide players additional and/or increased power
- The focus of the revisions is on the exotics that are currently rarely used. These should become more popular, while also keeping an eye on the other exotics
- Additionally, the exotics should not lose their previous identity. Thus, there will be no complete overhauls; instead, the aim is to pick up the existing gameplay of these items and significantly improve it.
The Graviton Lance as an Example
How does one intend to implement these goals concretely? Weisnewski cites the exotic pulse rifle Graviton Lance as an example.
What is the Graviton Lance? The Graviton Lance is a weapon that looks cool, sounds unique, and creates nice explosions. The idea behind it is that the first two shots per burst can be fired with almost no recoil, and the third shot subsequently “rips a hole into the space-time continuum” – meaning this shot deals increased damage, has no damage falloff, but does have heavy recoil.
The problem with the Graviton Lance? It’s actually an exciting concept, but the community concluded that the weapon’s usefulness is too low, which is why hardly anyone uses it now. In PvP, it’s hard to get kills with it, and in PvE, the explosion is rarely of much benefit, as it pushes the body of the enemy back too far after the kill.
This is How the Graviton Lance Will Be Revised
To make the gun more effective in PvP, the following changes will be made:
- The recoil of the burst will be reduced
- More aim assist will be added
- Instead of three shots per burst, the Graviton Lance will now fire only two shots. This will make the damage per burst more competitive in PvP encounters. Actually, the lance now has a small mathematical advantage over other pulse rifles.
To make the explosions more effective, the following changes will be made:
- The body of a defeated enemy will no longer fly back violently; instead, it will float gently backward and slightly upward before exploding.
- The explosion will be larger
- The damage of the explosion will increase
- Additionally, a few Void projectiles will be added that seek nearby enemies
Which Exotic Weapons Will Be Revised?
Bungie lists a number of exotic weapons that will initially not receive a revision:
- Merciless
- Telesto
- Wardcliff Coil
- MIDA Multi-Tool
- The Colony
- Legend of Acrius
- Wings of Sacred Dawn
These weapons are already performing well and, according to Bungie, do not require adjustments. Additionally, some, like the Wings of Sacred Dawn, will benefit from further sandbox adjustments planned for update 1.1.4 in March.
All other exotic weapons not mentioned here will receive an increase in their power or usefulness. Either a few stats will be increased, or more profound changes will be made.
What do you think of Bungie’s plans for the exotics?
Here we present all exotic weapons in Destiny 2:
