Destiny 2: How Weapon Slots Work in Forsaken

With the Forsaken expansion and the accompanying update 2.0.0 comes one of the most anticipated features to Destiny 2 – the change to the weapon slots. Now, further details about the changes have emerged during E3 2018 and the TWaB.

One of the upcoming features for Fall 2018 that players are most looking forward to is the changes to the weapon slots. With the current setup of kinetic, energy, and power weapons, and the corresponding division of weapon types across these three slots, many Destiny fans have never really warmed up to this system. A change to this system has been requested for quite some time.

Bungie had previously announced months ago that they were working on a change to the existing system, but fans were kept in the dark about initial details until recently. After some press representatives were able to play Destiny 2: Forsaken at E3 2018, more details have come to light. New information was also shared in the “This Week at Bungie” blog on June 14. We summarize the changes known so far for you.

Weapon slots like in Destiny 1, 2, or with 3 similar weapons – You have the choice

There will still be 3 slots: As was already shown in the reveal stream for the Forsaken expansion, there will continue to be three weapon slots. Speculations and rumors about a potential fourth slot have thus been put to rest.

However, it seems there will be no primary/kinetic or special/energy slots anymore. The first two slots will now be referred to as quick slots. These slots will soon allow players to equip a unique mix of primary and special weapons.

This means that primary weapons such as hand cannons, auto rifles, scout rifles, and pulse rifles, or special weapons like shotguns, snipers, and fusion rifles can be carried.

The heavy/power slot will remain in its current form. Heavy weapons such as rocket launchers, swords, linear fusion rifles, or grenade launchers can still only be found there. So you will not encounter players with three swords or three rocket launchers in the future.

Ammo tied to weapon type: The required ammo for the weapons and thus their availability will not be determined by the respective slots themselves but by the weapon type in the two quick slots.

Shotguns (special weapons) will therefore need green ammo crates (special ammo) in both the primary and special slots – regardless of whether they deal elemental damage or are purely kinetic. Primary or power ammo (white, purple) will not be helpful there. If you run around with three shotguns, it requires a combination of special and heavy ammo.

The ammo distribution is set up similarly to Destiny 1: Primary ammo (white) drops the most frequently, followed by special (green) and heavy ammo (purple).

Important: Currently, there is some confusion regarding the naming of weapon slots and ammo types in the upcoming Forsaken expansion. Some fans and gaming sites with hands-on experiences at E3 say that the slot and ammo names have remained the same (kinetic, energy, power). Bungie itself, however, explicitly refers to primary, special, and heavy weapons and ammo in the current TWaB in both the German and English versions. Whether the names have now officially been updated to those from Destiny 1 is still not entirely clear.

Shotguns in all slots? With the launch of Destiny 2: Forsaken, some weapon types such as shotguns will no longer be strictly tied to individual weapon slots. Instead, representatives of individual weapon classes can then be carried in all three slots – provided there is a suitable alternative for the power slot.

For example, with shotguns – previously reserved exclusively for the power weapon slot – it will be possible to equip two specimens in the quick slots and also carry the exotic shotgun Legend of Acrius in the power slot.

The same will apply to snipers. As for the other weapon types, it has not yet been officially announced. There is also no precise information on whether and to what extent the damage of the same weapon type will differ in the individual slots – although it is quite likely that a power shotgun will deal more damage than shotguns from one of the two quick slots.

What about weapons from Year 1? Although this aspect has not yet been officially confirmed, it currently seems that weapons from the first year of Destiny 2 will still be bound to their existing slots with the Forsaken expansion. You will still be able to use them in Year 2 and increase their power level, but the slots will likely not change. A Better Devil will presumably still be found only as a kinetic weapon in the quick slots, the exotic shotgun Legend of Acrius or the Sleeper Simulant correspondingly only in the heavy slot.

You should play as you like: Bungie emphasized that this new approach to weapon slots aims to give players as much freedom in their weapon choice as possible. If you prefer the system from Destiny 1, for example, you will be able to play with a scout rifle, a sniper, and a sword or rocket launcher. On the other hand, if you still want to play with two primaries and a heavy weapon, that will still be possible. But the new system is also designed for completely crazy experiments, like having three shotguns equipped at the same time.

More information coming soon: Although the explanation of weapon slots in the TWaB has caused more confusion and left open questions than was previously the case, Bungie promised that more precise details will follow shortly.