This week I wrote about how Destiny 2 has a problem with primary weapons feeling underpowered, or relying on a few core perks when they are used. While larger problems remain, Bungie is at least focusing hard on one particular type of weapon that has struggled the most in PvE: hand cannons.
In this week’s TWAB (I am never going to call it a TWID), Bungie laid out big buffs coming to hand cannons, above and beyond the 20% buff they got at the beginning of this season, one that I was concerned would not be enough given their poor state and…here we are.
An interesting part of the discussion of hand cannons is before the buffs are listed, where Bungie explains that the much-desired reversion of the precision damage nerf back in Shadowkeep would actually nerf hand cannons currently, given that overall PvE balance has changed. Precision damage is essentially the same as it was, and body damage is higher. Still, things are in a bad state, and so:
- Hand cannon reload speed is being boosted at lower levels, while higher levels while remain unchanged. This helps aggressive and precision hand cannons specifically.
- Hand cannons are getting another 20% damage increase, this time against red bar minors.
- Hand cannons are getting a massive 75% damage increase against orange bar majors, where previously you would have been better off throwing rocks at them.
- There is going to be a new type of hand cannon introduced, the heavy burst hand cannon, starting with Warden’s Law.
Warden’s Law
Bungie
Again, these buffs appear to be applying to all hand cannons, which includes exotic ones that already have an additional 40% buff against red bars. I maintain this keeps separating the two kinds of primary weapons drastically to the point where it always feels just way, way worse to use legendary versions, but whatever. Enjoy these buffs with Sunshot, Lumina, Thorn, etc. I guess. We’ll see how legendary hand cannons fare. I wonder if even another 20% minor buff is enough in those cases.
One other thing I feel is that reload speed needs to be dramatically increased, and it feels like PvP is holding things back here. The glory days of hand cannons were things like pre-Outlaw nerf Midnight Coup where you could get insanely fast reload on the type of weapon that seems like it needs it. The feeling of that rapid flip reload on hand cannons was great, but A) you essentially needed something like Outlaw, and few things replicate that now perk-wise and B) Outlaw got nerfed. For PvE, to me, it feels like hand cannons need something wild like a 30-40% reload speed buff to keep that gunslinging cowboy fantasy intact. But that would likely drastically unbalance PvP, and Bungie does not do things like separate PvP and PvE reload speed.
These changes are coming during the mid-season 21 update, so this season. I look forward to trying them out.