The Untapped Potential of Destiny 2's Auto Rifles Revealed

Highlights

Destiny 2's Season 23 will introduce major changes to auto rifles, including a 10% increase in PvE damage on red-bar enemies.

Speculation suggests that auto rifles might soon be granted access to Special or Heavy ammunition, potentially altering their effectiveness and position within the game. Season 23, it is believed, could introduce a fresh auto rifle archetype utilizing Special or Heavy ammo, or alternatively, lackluster firearms such as Cerberus+1 could undergo a revamp with an alternative ammo category.

Destiny 2's Season of the Witch continues to thrive even after the story finale, thanks to the revamped Festival of the Lost event. In just a little over a month, Season 23 is set to launch, setting the stage for The Final Shape in Destiny 2. Players can anticipate an engaging main quest and narrative that ties into the significant events of Year 6, along with substantial changes to the game's systems, weapons, and Exotics. Bungie has multiple planned adjustments for the final season of the Lightfall era, and a recent post discussing weapon fine-tuning in Season 23 hints at a significant change for auto rifles.

Auto rifles have been performing well for quite some time, to the extent that Destiny 2's Ammit AR2 had to be nerfed due to its dominance in the Crucible. However, Bungie is now increasing the PvE damage against red-bar enemies by 10%. This adjustment makes sense, as it allows players to rely on auto rifles more effectively in endgame content, a role that is not always achievable outside of clearing out additional enemies. However, what may catch some attention is the suggestion that this weapon type may soon have access to Special ammo.

Why Destiny 2's Auto Rifles Getting Special or Heavy Ammo is a Big Deal

The recent Dev Insights post for Season 23 highlighted the upcoming changes for all gun families, including auto rifles. It was mentioned that currently, all auto rifles in Destiny 2 use Primary ammo, but a hint was dropped suggesting potential changes in the future. This could mean that in Season 23, the Season Pass weapon may be an auto rifle that uses Special or Heavy ammo, adapting to the season's theme and offering a different gameplay experience. Alternatively, Bungie might introduce a new auto rifle archetype that specifically utilizes Special or Heavy ammo, releasing multiple weapons within this new category, both as Exotics and Legendaries.

There is a possibility that Destiny 2's underwhelming gun, Cerberus+1, may undergo a significant rework in the future. This rework could involve the addition of a different ammo type that aligns with its new capabilities and perks. A similar approach could be taken with auto rifles like Hard Light, where an enhancement could involve allowing it to rotate between all elements and adding unique perks for each element, such as Incandescent for Solar or Headstone for Stasis. However, this change would result in the gun no longer using Primary ammo, but rather having more limited ammo that should be used strategically.

In general, Bungie's recent teaser for Destiny 2 Season 23 hints at the possibility of auto rifles utilizing various ammo types. It is also possible that Exotic weapons using Special or Heavy ammo could inspire an entire weapon archetype, although this is currently speculative. Unique weapons like Eriana's Vow or Winterbite stand out due to their perks and ability to switch ammo types, without any follow-up guns possessing these characteristics. Nevertheless, players should pay attention to the Exotic weapons in Season 23, as they are the most likely candidates for this type of transformation.

Destiny 2 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.