In Destiny 2, Warlocks are supposed to have received a buff for their Rift that reduces damage taken by 20%. We tell you why this isn’t mentioned in the patch notes.
Beyond Light has brought many changes and significantly revamped the sandbox. However, players are only now discovering a “secret” buff and are discussing it.
This is the buff in question: In Destiny 2, all Hunters, Titans, and Warlocks have a specific class ability.
- Hunters dodge at the push of a button
- Titans create a protective barricade
- Warlocks conjure a Rift – the magical field heals or increases damage.
The Warlock’s Rift has now come into focus for players. On reddit , it is titled “You now have 20% damage reduction when placing your Rift”. And GameRant mentions “secret changes that Beyond Light made to the Warlock Rift”.
And indeed: As long as Warlocks are in the Rift animation, meaning in third person, they receive 20% less damage. Once the enchanted field is set and the first-person perspective is restored, there is no additional protection. This applies to both PvE and PvP.
This is why it is so good: Many Guardians complain that the Rift has a much too long animation. While the Warlock casts their spell, they remain defenseless in place.
What is often not so bad in PvE – just time-consuming – is often a death sentence in PvP. Thanks to the decent damage reduction, Warlocks survive longer in heated situations, and some weapons can be hindered. For example, hand cannons (140s) need 4 hits instead of the usual 3 to take down the Warlock.
“I can’t believe I overlooked this in over 1,000 hours of PvP”
What players are surprised about: In the corresponding reddit post, players discuss whether the change is a stealth change, meaning not officially found in the patch notes. Many Guardians are confused – they are grateful for the tip and think the Rift is significantly better because of it. Others even think that a nerf is coming soon, right after the Stasis Hunter was balanced.
Scrolling through the list of changes from Beyond Light or the patches since then, there is indeed nothing about the Warlock buff.
This is the truth about the Rift: The secret change to the Rift is not new. In fact, the Warlock Rift has granted its damage reduction since 2017 – the year Destiny 2 was released.
Some users in the comments back this up with corresponding threads from previous years (via reddit). Still, other users appear confused and disbelieving.
By the way, placing a barricade as a Titan also grants you such damage protection. Hunters break aim assist and even tracking from skills like grenades while dodging.
Did you know about the protection during the animation, or are you just as surprised as the other Guardians? Which class ability do you personally find most useful?
The Guardians are currently discussing another stealth change in Destiny 2: Players love secret changes but wonder if they will stick
