Destiny 2’s Season of the Deep’s mid/end-season patch goes live tomorrow, launching alongside Solstice 2023 where we will all be throwing balls in a bonfire. While larger changes are coming at the beginning of the next season of Destiny 2, like huge hand cannon buffs, this is a little more subdued. Except for one area.
Most changes are PvP focused around Pulse Rifles, Bows, Submachine Guns and Shotguns, but one change to one exotic is about to make it a monster in PvE, it seems, while simultaneously neutering its recent dominance in PvP.
That, of course, is Graviton Lance, which has turned into a terror in PvP after past changes meant to make it shoot more like Revision Zero’s two-burst. But it’s gone too far with its easy kills and chain reaction explosions. However, in an effort to simultaneously boost in PvE, Bungie is taking a huge swing.
- PvP Nerfs – No more aim assist with catalyst. Reduced damage from the Cosmology explosion to players by 40% (not in PvE)
- PvE Buff – 67% more damage in PvE.
Sorry, 67% more damage? Graviton Lance is not exactly terrible in PvE already, and keep in mind that this is both on top of its primary exotic intrinsic 40% buff against redbars. From the wording of this, I am a little unsure if the 67% also applies to the Cosmology explosions. They say it “remains unchanged” in the PvP section, but it seems possible that the 67% buff could apply in PvE to the explosions as well. Either way, it’s a huge buff, and it may put it on part with how good Revision Zero feels to shoot in PvE, minus being intrinsically anti-barrier and plus the ability to have AOE explosions.
In terms of other PvP and PvE changes, the biggest are probably to two perks. Gunshot Straight is reducing its tradeoff Aim Assist penalty by 37.5%, meaning the bigger body damage has less of a drawback. Slickdraw is seeing its Aim Assist penalty reduced by 33%, meaning more handling for less of a penalty. Probably mostly helpful for PvP, but could be utilized in PvE as well. Also in this patch, Target Lock is being capped at 25% increased damage in PvP down from 40% in another attempt to reign in the god roll Immortal. In PvE it’s unchanged.
I was about to dust off my hand cannons for their 20% additional PvE minor damage buff and 75% major damage buff, but I only realized this morning that’s not until season 22 launches. But I am certainly going to be giving Graviton Lance a spin tomorrow with these PvE changes.
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