The upcoming update milestone 1.1.4 will reorganize many things in Destiny 2 – including some Guardian classes that won’t escape adjustments. The Nightstalker focus of the Hunter will change with the March update.
The next big update will bring a lot of changes for Destiny 2 on March 27. The PvP will be fundamentally revised. There will also be significant adjustments to the sandbox. The balance of classes and weapons in Destiny 2 will be realigned.
While the Titan remains almost unchanged in the course of these changes and the Shadebinder focus of the Warlock receives a massive buff, the Nightstalker Hunter will be weakened in some areas.
But are the adjustments to the Nightstalker a harsh nerf or necessary fine-tuning?
This is how the Nightstalker changes
The Nightstalker focus of the Hunter will have to endure some weakening changes with the upcoming March update. The other two focuses, Arcstrider and Gunslinger, will, however, be spared from negative interventions.
Changes in PvE
In PvE, hardly anything changes for the Nightstalker. Only the invisibility will be extended by one second within the framework of the March update.
Changes in PvP
Most changes therefore affect PvP. The Nightstalker is currently very popular here and causes great frustration among enemy ranks with its invisibility and evade moves combined with Exotics like the Twin-Tails.
As soon as a Nightstalker evades or uses smoke grenades, its evade movement and invisibility disable aim assist and projectile tracking on the opponent’s side. And this is where the Nightstalker is now facing adjustments.
Currently, the following happens: If you evade, the evade movement temporarily disables the aim assist and projectile tracking of the opponent. Then, the invisibility effect kicks in. Meanwhile, aim assist and projectile tracking remain inactive. Only after the end of the evade move AND the end of invisibility will aim assist and projectile tracking become active again.
If you throw a smoke bomb, the smoke immediately triggers the invisibility effect. Aim assist and projectile tracking are deactivated for the duration of invisibility. Only after the invisibility ends do both effects reactivate.
After the March update, it will work differently: Then the disabling of aim assist and projectile tracking will end with the completion of the evade move. Neither the invisibility after the end of the evade move nor the invisibility effect of the grenades will now disable the aim assist and projectile tracking of the opponent. They will only be visual in nature – thus able to deceive the eyes of your counterpart, but no longer affect the aim assist and the projectiles of his weapons.
Additionally, just like in PvE, the duration of invisibility when evading and deploying smoke bombs will also be extended by one second.
Nerf or fine-tuning?
Given the fact that the invisibility of your favorite class is being weakened in PvP, Nightstalker fans will likely not burst into tears of joy – especially considering that it is the only focus among all three Guardian classes that needs to cope with a nerf.
But is this really a harsh, unjustified nerf? Or is fine-tuning steering a capability in a direction that fits better with the game balance while still retaining its character?
Passively, the Nightstalker focus of the Hunter certainly suffers the most from the upcoming changes of the March update among all three Guardian classes – that much is certain. Some popular Exotics like the Twin-Tails or the Weakhead Radar will completely lose significance in competitive modes. The Tripmine Grenade can also no longer confuse the opponent’s radar in corresponding modes, as there is no radar there anymore.
However, the change to invisibility makes sense and is logical. The ability to dissolve in smoke, ninja-style, to evade any fire – and sometimes for a remarkable amount of time – will now be adjusted so that it no longer seems excessive.
In the hands of a practiced Nightstalker player, it remains a powerful tool in the fight against other Guardians – especially as the invisibility effect is extended by one second. The Nightstalker will not become less competitive or weak due to this small, subtle adjustment.
To speak of a harsh nerf of the Hunter would therefore be exaggerated. It is more a sensible, well-measured fine-tuning that benefits PvP overall without decisively weakening the Nightstalker or taking away its character.
The PvE is not affected by this change. There, the Nightstalker focus will still enjoy its usual strength.
What do you think about the changes to the Nightstalker? Was it nerfed too harshly or adjusted appropriately?
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