It seems that Bungie is cutting a popular weapon class in Destiny 2: the machine guns.
Shortly before the beta of Destiny 2, many Guardians are dealing with the new weapon system that Bungie will introduce.
In the “Power Weapon” category, the “heavy weapons” will continue to exist:
- Rocket Launchers
- Sniper Rifles
- Fusion Rifles
- Shotguns
- Swords (probably)
- and the new weapon class “Grenade Launchers” form the “Power Weapons.”
The weapons of this class will be used rarely by Guardians, as the ammunition is scarce, as scarce as the “heavy ammunition” in Destiny 1.
Machine guns have no place in the new Destiny system
But one weapon class that has been present from the start is missing among the Power Weapons: the machine guns.
The “Thunderlord” was one of the iconic Destiny weapons and even appeared explicitly as a “super weapon” in the first gameplay demos. In June 2013, it was the exotic weapon Thunderlord that was presented to the global audience.
So far, Guardians in Destiny 1 mostly had the choice between machine guns for sustained high damage, rocket launchers for “short bursts of damage,” and swords for close combat action in the “heavy weapons” slot.
But machine guns seem to have no place in the new Destiny 2 system. There is no direct statement from Bungie as to why this weapon class had to be cut. Therefore, there is theoretically hope that it might still appear..
The current “Power Weapons,” the heavy weapons, are actually meant to kill with “one shot” – an important feature for PvP.
It is noticeable that machine guns are the weapons among the heavy weapons that do not fit this definition. Machine guns do not kill with one shot, but with multiple shots.
The advantage of machine guns is that they are responsible for “sustained damage”: Guardians deal the most damage per second over time with machine guns – the weapons have the highest DPS value and are therefore hard to balance.
Bungie might have perceived this as a balance problem in Destiny 2, especially in PvE. Therefore, they may have decided to part ways with the weapon. In Destiny 2, it seems that Bungie prioritizes balance over everything else.
Submachine guns as a kind of replacement?
As a “compensation,” there will be a new weapon class with the submachine gun (SMG).
It could be that this submachine gun will take on the characteristics of machine guns, but will deal significantly less damage per shot from the outset, making it a cross between hand cannons and automatic rifles.
Grenade launchers as a new weapon class could also serve as a replacement and fill the gap left by the absence of MGs in Destiny 2.
More about the new weapon system in Destiny 2 can be found here:
Destiny 2: New Weapon System – This Is Why You Need to Get Used to It
