All the sandbox changes for the Destiny 2 December update

Bungie is prepping for their 30-anniversary celebration and communicated sandbox changes in their This Week at Bungie (TWAB) blog post. We wanted you to get your vault ready and finalize some builds, so we’ve got all the changes expected with the patch. 

Weapon Archetypes

Bungie wanted more parity between shotguns in PvE, so precision-frame, slug shotguns still outclass pellet shotguns, but you’re not throwing for using one in raids anymore. Linear Fusion Rifles, Caster Swords, and Bows all got quality-of-life changes in PvE that they sorely needed. Sidearms were nonexistent on PC due to a workaround Bungie did to convert non-hitscan projectiles into hitscan projectiles. Reducing the travel time of projectiles, making them instant, will increase the PC users rocking their favorite secret special weapons.

Shotguns

• Reduced slug Shotgun PvE damage bonus from 30% to 20%. 
• Gave pellet Shotguns a 10% PvE damage bonus.

Linear Fusion Rifles

• Increased PvE damage by 10%.

Caster Swords

• Reduced Heavy attack ammo cost from 8 to 5.

Bows

• Increased damage vs rank-and-file enemies by ~10%.

Sidearms and Fusion Rifles

• Increased Sidearm and Fusion Rifle projectile speed from 999 to 9999 (which makes them hitscan regardless of framerate).

Exotics

The real standouts here are the buffs/reworks to Crytothesia 77K, Whisper of the Worm, D.A.R.C.I., and Sleeper Simulant. Cryothesia 77K was considered unusable by many because of its restrictive playstyle. It is fantastic for Stasis builds, but these changes will afford it some flexibility. Whisper, D.A.R.C.I., and Sleeper Simulant deserve to shine in boss encounters as DPS deities, so we’re sure that many Guardians will set Gjallarhorn aside for bosses that don’t favor rocket launchers. Suros Regime and Malfeasnace look to be sleeper hits in the next patch.

Vex Mythoclast

• Reduced Aim Assist stat by 25.
• Reduced the Linear Fusion Rifle mode Aim Assist Cone scalar from 1.1 to 1.05. 
• Now requires 3 eliminations for full Overcharge instead of 2.

Fighting Lion

• Removed the multi-hit requirement.
• Increased the buff to the reload stat from +50 to +70.
• Increased the buff duration to 7s.

Arbalest

• Now has intrinsic anti-barrier.

Sleeper Simulant

Increased magazine size from 3 to 4, increased PvE damage by 6%.

Suros Regime

Dual Mode Receiver mode now grants the following in addition to its current effects: +30 range, +3 zoom.

Cryothesia

• Removed Variable Trigger completely. Now fires on trigger press instead of release (this will make it feel much more responsive). 
• Charged Shot moved to special reload. Getting a final blow with the Sidearm enables access to the special reload. 
• Once the Charged Shot is fired, the weapon reverts back to standard Sidearm mode. 
  • This does not cost your entire magazine. 
• Charged Shot now causes an AOE which freezes AI and slows players (direct hits still freeze).

Leviathan’s Breath

• The catalyst now grants the Archer’s Tempo perk in addition to its other effects.

Whisper of the Worm

• Reduced delay on activating Whispered Breathing from the catalyst from 2.1s to 1.2s.
• White Nail magazine refill changed. Was 3 from inventory but now pulls 2 from inventory and 1 from thin air.
• Increased damage in PvE by 10%.

D.A.R.C.I.

• Reduced flinch, recoil, and accuracy degradation by 50% while Personal Assistant is active.
• Personal Assistant now has a 1s delay before deactivating when off-target (was instant).
• Increase damage in PvE by 20%.

Malfeasance

• Increased explosion damage by 50%.

Dead Man’s Tale

• Increased reticle friction falloff distance (no effect on mouse and keyboard).
• Less recoil (reduced effect on mouse and keyboard).
• Improved accuracy (reduced effect on mouse and keyboard).

Lorentz Driver

• Removed ability energy regeneration on picking up a telemetry.

Traveler’s Chosen

• Now grants 10% ability energy per stack on activation, equalizing energy gains across all stacks.
• Reduced stacks granted on a Guardian defeat from 3 to 2.

Perks

Adrenaline Junkie is now something you should look for if tossing grenades is your thing. It’s essentially Swashbuckler for grenades, and we can’t wait to test it out. Vorpal is more dynamic now and emphasizes the use of primaries when supers are active in PvP. In PvE, you’ll have more options to choose for trait slots since the 10% on heavy weapons is outclassed by perks, like Firing Line. Whirlwind Blade got the Vorpal treatment, niching itself for longer damage windows and ad-clear. Pulse Monitor got a buff, so you won’t be one-shot when it procs. Pair this with Unrelenting to never reload and heal on killstreaks.

Adrenaline Junkie

• Eliminations with the weapon can add single damage stacks or extend existing ones.
• Grenade eliminations boost the stacks immediately to x5.
• Lowered the duration to compensate for weapon activation.

Vorpal Weapon

• Was 15% damage on all weapons.
• Now 10% on heavy weapons, 15% on specials, 20% on primaries.
• No change to damage vs players in Super.

Whirlwind Blade

• Increased number of stacks needed to hit maximum damage from 5 to 10.

Pulse Monitor

• Changed threshold for activation from 90% health to 30% shield.

Mods

Weapon swap speeds needed a build-cost, and with the changes to Quickdraw, Quick Access Sling was an outlier. Losing the +100 handling for an overall more consistent experience will hurt some players, but exotic armors, weapon traits, and armor mods can help fill the gap. The Full Auto Retrofit is a stopgap measure Bungie is introducing until its function becomes an intrinsic menu option when Witch Queen releases. Firing all sidearms in full auto is going to feel amazing.

Quick Access Sling

• Functionality changed:
• Was: +100 handling, 0.9 * ready/stow/aim down sights time for 0.4s after running out of ammo. Now: 0.9 * ready/stow time all the time.
• This change also applies to the Swap Mag perk, as they use the same perk behind the scenes.

Full Auto Retrofit

• Added a Full Auto Retrofit weapon mod that enables full auto while the trigger is held, usable on Legendary Hand Cannons, Sidearms, Scout Rifles, and Pulse Rifles.
• This is unlocked by default for all players.

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