Destiny 2 Update 4.1.5 increases for dungeon weapon pattern drops, adjusts controversial Airborn Effectiveness, and more

Destiny 2’s mid-season update 4.1.5 made adjustments to several community sticking points, though it remains to be seen whether the changes to players’ biggest complaints go far enough. Among the updates was an increase to Duality Dungeon weapon drop rates, specifically to weapon crafting patterns, and across-the-board changes to the Airborne Effectiveness stat. There were also adjustments and fixes for armor and other bugs, plus what amounts to a PvE damage nerf across all Solar 3.0 classes.

The Duality Dungeon loot drop rate changes include a rebalancing of armor and weapon reward rates, with weapon drops now favoring those rewards that have weapon crafting Patterns. Before the update, it was next to impossible to collect enough Duality-only Opulent weapon Patterns to craft either the Epicurean Fusion Rifle or Fixed Odds LMG. Hopefully, this change makes that grind a little less grueling.

The other big-ticket change was a wide-reaching adjustment to the Airborne Effectiveness (AE) stat, which governs how accurate a weapon fires while players are jumping or otherwise in the air. Before the update, even with maximum AE, a perfectly stationary airborne player with a Sniper Rifle could still miss at medium range. Update 4.1.5 reduces the AE penalties for most weapons and buffs several perks to grant additional AE in hopes the mechanic works more as intended. These updates come on top of those made in the previous 4.1.0.4 hotfix.

There were several additional buffs and fixes in the update, one of which also amounts to a nerf to Solar 3.0. The Radiant player-buff provided a damage bonus that stacked on top of abilities like a Warlock’s Empowering Rift or the High Energy Fire Armor Mod. That’s no longer the case.

Gjallarhorn also lost its proximity detonation ability, and its Wolfpack Rounds now deal only half damage to players. Other Exotics saw adjustments of varying kinds, as did several weapon archetypes, including Shotguns, Scout Rifles, and Hand Cannons, seeing some of the more considerable changes. There were also several fixes to armor perks, abilities, and visual issues, among other smaller fixes.