With Forsaken, numerous changes are made to the sandbox of Destiny 2. One of the most powerful weapon perks is also being nerfed. Thus, with the fall expansion, the perk Box Breathing will change.
During the combat stream, Bungie demonstrated live what changes the Guardians can expect with the Forsaken expansion. Numerous weapons were showcased with the new random rolls. It became clear through one weapon: The perk Box Breathing is being nerfed and will function differently in the future.
How the perk Box Breathing changes with the sandbox changes of Forsaken
Different Box Breathing: One of the weapons shown in the stream was the linear fusion rifle Crooked Fang. The weapon had the perk Box Breathing among other configurations displayed. However, it functioned there differently than currently with the IKELOS Sniper Rifle or the masterwork version of the exotic sniper Whisper of the Worm.
This is how the perk Box Breathing currently works: Aiming with a weapon for a period without firing grants Box Breathing momentary bonus range and precision damage if one stays zoomed in with the respective weapon.
Especially in conjunction with damage buffs like the Warlocks’ Empowering Rift or the Titans’ Bubble Strike, the bonus damage was enormous. Additionally, the Whisper of the Worm has the perk white nail, which ideally provides infinite ammo.
What the masterwork version of the Whisper currently does with strike bosses, you can watch here in the video:
How Box Breathing changes with Forsaken: Aiming with the respective weapon without firing still grants momentary bonus range and precision damage if one remains zoomed in. However, with Forsaken, the bonus is reset upon firing the weapon or leaving the aiming view and will no longer remain active indefinitely while zoomed in.
The damage buff thus only counts for the first shot. To benefit from the damage bonus with the next shot, one must first zoom out and then zoom back in. This will soon cause the perk to lose a lot of its strength.
The IKELOS Sniper may lose some of its attractiveness because of this. The Whisper, on the other hand, due to its perk white nail and its overall performance will likely remain a top choice for numerous boss fights.
By the way: Many fans still hope that Box Breathing may only be implemented in this way for linear fusion rifles and remain untouched for snipers. However, this possibility seems rather unlikely considering previous nerfs in the Destiny history.
Further highlights from the combat stream:
- What weapon mods and the masterwork system can do in Forsaken
- With Forsaken, the 10th Better Devils becomes interesting in Destiny 2
- In Destiny 2, ammunition and weapon type determine the weapon slots
- These changes for the crucible are brought by Forsaken
What do you think about this change? Do you see it as a sensible and reasonable step?
