In Destiny 2, the Recluse is about to face changes. Many players are annoyed by the nerf. But our author Philipp sees it differently.
This is about the weapon: The Recluse is a submachine gun that uses primary ammo and deals Void damage. It can be obtained through a Crucible quest.
The Recluse has solid stats and some good perks, including ‘Ricochet Rounds’ (more stability and range) and ‘Feeding Frenzy’ (faster reload after kills). However, the major highlight is the ability ‘Master of Arms’.
With Master of Arms, the SMG dominates both PvP and PvE. Scoring a kill with any weapon (including the SMG itself) noticeably increases the Recluse’s damage, especially the body shot damage significantly. Accurate aiming is basically unnecessary with this weapon.
Here’s how the Recluse is changing: Bungie is adjusting the unique perk Master of Arms. With the start of the next season in Destiny 2 on December 10, the following changes to the Recluse will take effect:
- The precision damage modifier has been removed.
- The Recluse will still receive a damage bonus from Master of Arms, but damage will not be applied to precision values when the perk is activated.
The precision damage modifier allowed blind firing to be just as effective as aiming accurately.
Bungie later explained that both body and precision hits will still deal bonus damage in the future. After the nerf, the bonus for body hits will not be as high as it currently is.
When Master of Arms procs there will be a damage buff to both precision and body damage, but it will not longer make every shot count as precision.
Cozmo23 via Reddit
Currently, the Recluse deals the following damage without buffs in the Lost Sector on Titan:
- A headshot deals 325 damage.
- A body shot deals 197 damage.
Once ‘Master of Arms’ is active, the numbers look like this:
- A head shot brings 393 damage (21% buff).
- A body shot deals 390 damage (98% buff).
For more in-depth investigations into the Recluse and how powerful it will be after its nerf, you can check out the YouTube video by Ehroar:
My Personal Opinion
I can understand both sides: The announcement of the planned changes to the Recluse led to heated discussions, even here on Mein-MMO. In the comments, Guardians have strongly opposed Bungie’s nerf policies.
Many players are especially annoyed that weapons they have worked hard for are being weakened.
Really?! Weapons played for 2-3 months and then nerfed. At this point, it hardly feels worth it to farm for anything! You might as well play D1; nothing gets nerfed there??
Malgucken via Mein-MMO
Strong weapons are one of the hallmarks of Destiny. Just think back to the ‘Gjallarhorn’ or ‘Vex Mythoclast’ from Destiny 1. Luna’s Howl or the aforementioned Recluse attract many players to the Crucible. Extremely powerful weapons are like a carrot in front of the Guardians’ noses, pure motivation.
Of course, after the sometimes lengthy quests or terrible drop chances, you want to show off your prized possession and demonstrate what the weapon can do to all opponents. It just feels good to be that powerful.
Why I think the nerf is justified: I am not a fan of constant nerfs and weakening all the cool things in Destiny 2. Back during Forsaken times, Bungie announced that they wanted individual items or abilities to stand out, and that they didn’t want to “flatten these outstanding nails”.
The philosophy of the Destiny developer has changed somewhat. For instance, they have completely dropped on top weapons. With the seasonal artifact, powerful mods and builds have found their way into the game. However, they now want to increasingly support weapons and playstyles that are underused or perform poorly.
The Recluse is currently the strongest primary weapon in Destiny 2. Furthermore, the SMG can be played in conjunction with the outstanding sniper Izanagi’s Burden and a Grenade Launcher as a boss killer. In nearly every PvE activity, I breeze through with this loadout.
And that’s also the reason why I think the nerf is justified.
I want to experiment, showcase new weapons, or play what I enjoy. Sure, I can do that currently too. But if I want to keep up with ‘the big ones’, there are hardly any options beyond the Recluse.
This weapon is currently almost overpowered and trivializes many activities. The choice between a weapon that is ‘best-in-slot’ (the best that can be equipped) or any other weapon often falls in favor of the Recluse.
This effect can also be seen in other video games. As soon as you have an overpowered weapon or the most powerful spell, you basically only use that item or skill.
I still want Destiny to dangle a carrot in front of my virtual nose. I want to farm for strong weapons, hope for god rolls, and live out my power fantasy. If I can’t feel powerful through space magic, then how?
I just don’t want an item or combination that is basically without alternatives. Destiny has one of the best gunplay and gameplay in the shooter genre. Therefore, I would like to try out as much as possible.
Let’s face it, there will always be a meta (the most effective strategies/weapons) in Destiny and every other game. But maintaining a balanced approach is important to me. And currently, Bungie is on the right track.
I’m not saying that there aren’t any issues. But the direction is slowly correct. It shouldn’t end up with Bungie forcing a playstyle on me. Too much support for underrepresented gear or rarely used playstyles can constrain me just as much as overly dominant builds or weapons.
What do you think – was I able to express my views clearly? Can you see anything positive in the nerfs, or does it really bother you? You can find strong alternatives to the Recluse here:
