In Season 7, two of the most popular weapons in the Crucible will be nerfed – the hand cannons Luna’s Howl and Not Forgotten. What exactly is changing?
These are the weapons: The hand cannons Luna’s Howl and Not Forgotten are two top weapons in the Crucible that came into the game with the launch of Forsaken.
They are tied to lengthy, challenging PvP quests and are difficult for most Guardians to obtain. However, for many, the effort is worth it – after all, you get two of the best weapons for PvP. But that might soon change.
What does Bungie have planned? As Bungie announced in the current “This Week at Bungie” blog, they plan to weaken these two top weapons in the upcoming Season 7. The changes are significant enough that they could disrupt the current PvP meta.
Bungie is aware that players have invested a lot of time and energy into obtaining these weapons or are still doing so. Therefore, they want to communicate these changes in a timely manner.
Why the nerf? The two weapons are very dominant in the Crucible – in Bungie’s eyes, too dominant. Their special perk “Magnificent Howl” is simply too effective.
This allows two rapid successive precision shots to grant bonus damage for a short time, until the next kill is made or a shot misses.
This effectively reduces the Time to Kill of the weapons to the point that many players feel that no other primary weapons can truly compete in direct duels.
Here are the changes: Apparently, nothing will change regarding the quests for the weapons. However, the perk mechanics and the rate of fire of the weapons will be adjusted.
The fire rate of Luna’s Howl and Not Forgotten will initially be reduced from 180 to 150 shots per minute. These two hand cannons will then be the only precision hand cannons with 150 RPM. However, the recoil behavior and animation will remain like those of hand cannons with 180 RPM.
The perk “Magnificent Howl” will only grant bonus damage on body shots and no longer on critical hits when activated. As a result, the weapons can no longer two-tap in the Crucible, meaning they cannot kill with just two hits. After the perk change, two critical hits and one body shot will be required to down an opponent in PvP.
How are the fans reacting? This news has divided the fan base. Some are happy, as this could break the meta and allow other weapons to become more viable in the Crucible. After all, these two hand cannons are currently very dominant.
Others are frustrated that they have invested so much time and effort into obtaining these weapons, only to see it all devalued – just because Bungie listens to the “crying casuals” again.
Additionally, many fans believe that the weapons, in their current form, are a worthy reward for all the effort they require. It still takes skill to use these weapons effectively, and the perk is situational. Therefore, they cannot really understand this nerf.
Meanwhile, other players remain calm and want to wait and see how the changes will actually play out.
What do you think about it? Do you own either of the weapons, or possibly both? Do you believe the nerf is justified?
