For Season 16 in Destiny 2, the current weapon meta has crystallized quite well. Players have found their clear and strong favorites, which are equipped for almost every activity without exception. However, Bungie is aware of this as well. MeinMMO has looked into which of your favorite weapons might soon be the focus of a nerf.
In Destiny 2, Guardians quickly have clear weapon favorites every new season.
- Some, like the submachine gun “Trench Barrel” in the current Season 16, remind players of a certain top weapon, with which one could dominate PvP for months.
- Others, like the rocket launcher Gjallarhorn, already have a reputation as the ultimate weapon icon, so its return has been foretold as a sure disaster.
However, it didn’t turn out to be that bad: With Bungie’s 30th Anniversary Event, Gjallarhorn made a return to the game. At least nowadays, even without owning Gjallarhorn, one can participate in activities in Destiny 2.
Nonetheless, the reintroduced exotic is present a bit too often in all activities, and this could potentially lead to the exotic rocket launcher facing a nerf soon.
Gjallarhorn could be the next nerf target
If you look at the current statistics on Warmind, the statistical memory of Destiny, the future for the exotic rocket launcher Gjallarhorn does not look good:
- The rocket launcher is used in the heavy slot by 51% of players in dungeons.
- Additionally, Gjallarhorn is utilized by 52% of players in Trials of Osiris.
- In the raid “Oath of the Student”, 67% of Guardians did not want to miss the exotic.
- 66% of Gambit players, including invaders, use the weapon for the heavy slot.
- And a whopping 71% of players like to aim their Gjallarhorn at enemies in Nightfalls.
The weapon’s usage rate is strikingly high, and understandably, many currently see no better alternative.
Even the best alternative is a copy of Gjallarhorn: The legendary and craftable rocket launcher Palmyra-B doesn’t even achieve a usage rate of 20% in various activities.
It could even be possible that it indirectly benefits from Gjallarhorn through the perk “Pack Hunter”. This means that one equipped Gjallarhorn provides nearby allies with pack ammo for their own non-exotic rocket launchers. This then turns them into a smaller version of the strong icon.
It’s also interesting to look at the other top weapons in the primary and energy slots. Here the usage rates are high as well, but still rather mixed. They are certainly not as dominant as Gjallarhorn or the Trench Barrel SMG.
- The submachine gun “Trench Barrel” has a usage rate of about 40% in Gambit, followed by the legendary glaive “Enigma” with only 19%.
- In the primary slot, there is even more diversity. Here, 26% of players like to use the grenade launcher “Scorched Collector” in raids, or 15% use the exotic submachine gun “Osteo Striga”.
- In Gambit, the auto rifle “Krait” dominates the primary slot with 25%.
None of these usage rates come even close to what we see with Gjallarhorn. Guardians clearly are reluctant to put down the exotic power weapon.
Why is the weapon so popular? The reason for this popularity is simple. Gjallarhorn is simply an all-rounder right now.
Its ability to fire rockets that then “split” into smaller, homing rockets is still strong in Destiny 2. The rocket launcher not only deals great damage to bosses, but is also a good anti-champion weapon and is suitable for mob clearing. Even the shield of a glaive cannot stop Gjallarhorn, as its homing pack rounds fly accurately around it.
The catalyst makes Gjallarhorn indispensable: With the catalyst obtainable in Destiny 2, the weapon becomes even stronger. Gjallarhorn can reload faster and generates additional stronger rockets when your pack rounds kill an enemy. The magazine size increases to 2 rockets. This means even the exotic rocket launcher “Eyes of Tomorrow” from the raid “Deep Stone Crypt” cannot keep up.
By now, the “Gjally,” as Guardians lovingly call the rocket launcher, has become the best boss and invader weapon and even ranks among the top 3 for boss damage.
Bungie is certainly aware of this: There is essentially no reason not to use this exotic rocket launcher. And exactly that could mean a nerf for the iconic Gjallarhorn, as Bungie is not blind. All the dominant and overly popular weapons have had to undergo nerfs so far, most recently the raid exotic Vex Mythoclast. It is quite possible that the weapon is already on the list for adjustments.
Where can you get the weapon? Gjallarhorn has been obtainable since December 7, 2021. However, the exotic quest is only available to those who own the “30 Years of Bungie” package. So you must have either purchased the small anniversary package or the “The Witch Queen” Digital Deluxe package, including “30 Years of Bungie”.
Those who have it can start the exotic quest “All Wolves Fly High” and secure Gjallarhorn. Our guide will tell you how exactly the quest proceeds.
What do you think about Gjallarhorn? Do you think the weapon should indeed be nerfed a bit? After all, this would lead to more equality and force Guardians to turn to other options. Or do you want to keep Gjallarhorn as a strong option without losing it to a nerf? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
