A big wave of weapon nerfs will arrive in Destiny 2: Beyond Light, and two of the most popular weapons in the game, Mountaintop and Falling Guillotine, are being hit the hardest.
Bungie previously teased that Mountaintop, a pinnacle kinetic grenade launcher from season five, would finally be reigned in after years of tyranny, and it wasn't kidding. The latest patch notes confirm that weapon's splash damage is being cut by a third (with slightly increased impact damage to compensate), its bonus projectile velocity is being slashed in half, and its in-air accuracy will be greatly reduced (though an Icarus mod can offset this). Together, these nerfs should make the weapon much more difficult to use, and hopefully less rampant inside PvP.
On the PvE side, everyone's favorite sword, Falling Guillotine, is getting a well-deserved nerf as well. Its iconic heavy attack will deal around 24% less damage going forward, but Bungie maintains that it "will continue to be slightly above average, just not to the extent that it is now." In other words, don't scrap your god-roll Falling Guillotine out of spite, but don't expect a single attack to melt everything in sight, either.
In addition to individual weapons, a few archetypes are getting hefty changes as well. The 600 RPM auto rifles which have dominated this season will have their damage toned down, though they'll still be stronger than they were before their most recent buff. Sniper rifle aim assist will now be tied to zoom, with low-zoom scopes providing little to no aim assist, and the previously nerfed Outlaw perk is getting a slight boost to its reload speed.
The biggest changes are tied to hand cannons, some of which are being outright removed from the game. More accurately, all 150 RPM hand cannons will now be 140 RPM (minus Sunshot), and all 110 RPM models will be 120 RPM. Meanwhile, 180 RPM hand cannons have had their magazines extended by roughly 37%. Bungie hopes to level the playing field and create more bespoke hand cannon subtypes with these changes, while also giving each subtype more distinct advantages. The new 120 RPM hand cannons, for example, will have more effective range than the condensed 140 RPM family.
Rocket launchers, which have been totally neglected in Destiny 2 for years, are also getting a slight buff to their reserves. However, Bungie says it's not done with these heavy weapons, and will revisit them in a future season. Season of the rocket soon?
With a few weapon subtypes leaving the game, Beyond Light is also a great time for Bungie to introduce some all-new weapons, hence the Adept weapons coming to Trials of Osiris. These weapons will grant bonus stats when fully masterwork, and they'll support unique Adept mods that further boost specific stats. They also come with a slick and exclusive shader, and all Adept-related loot can only be acquired from the Lighthouse by completing a flawless Trials card. This will address one of the most pointed bits of feedback regarding the Trials loot pool, and it will give top-tier players something to chase and something to show off.
The latest trailer for Beyond Light properly introduces Eramis, the new leader of the Fallen.
