Destiny 2 Dev Insights: Ability Tuning Has Hunters Rejoicing

Heading into Destiny 2 Renegades, Hunters are getting some crazy buffs. While the Exotic Tuning did not give much to the class, many of the Hunter’s abilities are becoming better in Renegades. Renegades might be an expansion for the Hunters and Warlocks to shine, because Titans have received little to no help. However, Titans have dominated the Destiny 2 PvE meta for some time, and they might be okay in Renegades.

Destiny 2 Ability Tuning Preview

All information is per the Destiny 2 Ability Tuning Article released by Bungie yesterday.

Destiny 2 Hunter Changes

• Golden Gun
  • Increased damage against non-boss combatants by 15%.
  • Increased damage against boss combatants by 26%
    • Nighthawk Golden Gun will challenge Cuirass Thundercrash
  • Projectiles scorch targets
  • Gains the radiant buff while inside a Well of Radiance for the increased damage
• Blade Barrage
  • Increased damage against combatants by 39%
• Solar Melees
  • Increased damage against red-bar enemies by 50%
  • Increased damage against other enemies by 36%
  • Lightweight Knife crit multiplier increased from 1.3 to 1.5
• Acrobat Dodge
  • Cooldown will now match Gambler’s Dodge
• Gunpowder Gamble
  • Shooting the dynamite mid-air increases damage by 50% (5% in PvP), expands the radius, and creates submunitions.
• Shadowshot: Deadfall
  • Attaches to combatants on direct impact
  • Weaken effect is now 35%
  • Immediately weakens and suppresses enemies in an AOE.
• Shadowshot: Mobeius Quiver
  • Dealing damage increases the power of subsequent tethers and Bows (max 227% increase)
  • Increased base duration from 10 to 16 seconds
    • Orpheus Rig increases to a further 20 seconds.
• Smoke Bomb
  • Smoke bomb lasts 9 seconds instead of 3
  • Smoke lingers for 2 seconds instead of 5 in PvP.
  • Screen effect intensity and duration are reduced while the enemy is in the smoke.
  • Reduced damage against players by 16%.
• Storm’s Edge
  • Passive energy regen increased by 25%.
• Tempest Strike
  • Reduced damage against players by 16%.
• Shatterdive
  • Shattering Stasis Crystals or enemies grants Frost Armor
    • Full in PvE, two in PvP.
• Silence and Squall
  • Increased damage against combatants by 63%
• Widow Silk
  • You are granted a free non-offensive grapple after looking at a Grapple Tangle for a short time.
  • Grapple Tangles created near the ground rise after creation.
  • Grapple Tangle base lifetime increased from 15 to 20 seconds.
  • Hitting an enemy with a Grapple Melee creates a Grapple Tangle.
• Marksman’s Dodge
  • Increased ammo pickup radius from 10 to 15 meters.
• Gambler’s Dodge
  • Only refunds 35% of melee energy instead of 50% in PvP.

Destiny 2 Warlock Changes

• Daybreak
  • Increased damage against combatants by 20%.
  • Projectiles scorch enemies by default.
• Nova Warp
  • Charging the primary attack pulls enemies towards the Warlock.
  • Increased primary attack damage against combatants by 15%.
  • Dark Blink now releases Weakening Seekers.
• Nova Bomb: Vortex
  • Repeatedly pulls enemies towards it.
• Stormtrance
  • Increased max sustained damage from 50 to 65%.
  • Increased landfall jolt duration from 10 to 16 seconds.
• Chaos Reach
  • Increased damage against combatants by 20%.
• Ionic Sentry
  • No longer blinds the user.
• Lighting Surge
  • Reduced damage against players by 16% (Prismatic only)
• Winter’s Wrath
  • Increased shatterwave damage against frozen targets by 210%.
• Frostpulse
  • Reduced player freeze radius to 5 meters from 7.5
  • Slows players between 5 and 8 meters.
• Needlestorm
  • Projectiles prioritize bosses, minibosses, and Champions.
• Healing and Empowering Rift
  • Can be cast while moving (half-speed)
  • Rift duration increased from 3.75 to 5 meters.
  • Melee and Grenade regen increased by 20% while standing in the Empowering Rift.
  • Healing Rift healing is reduced by 10% in PvP.

Destiny 2 Titan Changes

• Hammer Throw
  • Impact damage increases with range
    • Additive increase
• Sentinel Shield
  • Standing behind the shield periodically reloads all weapons every 2.5 seconds
  • Grants a Void Overshield to allies behind the shield.
  • Damage bonus reduced to 25%, was 40.
  • Blocking attacks extends the lifetime.
  • Blocking attacks and protecting allies charges Shield Throw damage.
• Fists of Havoc
  • Light attacks increase the next heavy attack’s damage.
• Howl of the Storm
  • When used during Super, Super energy cost increased from 5 to 15%.
• Banner of War
  • Melee damage bonus against players scales with stacks.

General Destiny 2 Changes

• Suppressor Grenade
  • No longer suppresses the user.
  • Increased detonation damage by 10%.
• Spike Grenade
  • Attaches to combatants
• Void Fragments
  • Echo of Undermining negative stat reduced to -10 from -20.
  • Echo of Provision and Exchange give +10 to Grenade and Melee, respectively.
  • Only Echo of Starvation and Persistence have kept the negative stats.
• Invisibility
  • Invis players are more visible in PvP
• Overshield
  • Enemy VFX scales with the remaining health of Overshield.
• Lightning Grenade
  • Attaches to combatants.
• Flashbang Grenade
  • No longer blinds the user.
  • Increased detonation damage by 10%.
• Threadlings
  • Should now look for another combatant when they lose their initial target.

Impact on the Renegades Sandbox

Hunters are returning to the top of the Destiny 2 damage meta in Renegades. The combination of Golden Gun and Still Hunt getting buffed will enable them to match most classes’ damage output. One Hunter on Tether will become necessary for maximum damage. The Moebius Quiver changes could replace Golden Gun. However, testing is required. You will also have to run Void to make use of the super.