14 DAY TRIAL // Bungie has just detailed the next major update for Destiny, which is supposed to come sometime this month. Patch 1.1.1 focuses on weapon tuning, so expect most of the popular weapons in the game to get some adjustments.
According to Bungie, most of the changes will be “subtle,” which means players will take a longer time to feel the differences implemented by this patch, while other changes will be immediately recognizable.
Auto Rifles, the backbone of Destiny's arsenal, will be slightly modified as Bungie wants players to deliver more precision damage with an Auto Rifle, but they will need to get closer after the update.
In order to do that, the following changes will be applied to the Auto Rifles:
- Reduce base damage of Auto Rifles by 2.5% (averaged across Rate of Fire stats, higher RoF took less of a reduction than low RoF); - Reduce effective range values so that damage falloff and accuracy are a stronger factor in combat decisions; - Range reduction is less severe in the higher stat values, so now your range stat is more critical to long distance engagements.
Bungie also states that Pulse Rifles are the least used weapons in the game, which is why they want to push them forward, but before doing that, they need some improvements. Patch 1.1.1 will increase base damage of Pulse Rifles by 9.7%. DPS is now more in line with other primaries.
Fusion Rifles and Shotguns receive consistent changes
Fusion Rifles, as some of the most controversial weapons in PvP, will be modified as well. The changes made to this type of weapon are meant to address some special ammo-related issues from The Crucible:
- Blast pattern on a Fusion Rifle burst cone is a little wider - Close to medium range volleys are largely unaffected, but at a distance the projectiles are less likely to land hits on a single target; - This reduces the reliability of landing a one hit kill at far range, and makes the weapon better at spreading damage into a group.
But these are not the only changes made to Fusion Rifles, as Bungie also confirmed that the initial starting ammo would be reduced across all ammo stats. This means that when starting a Crucible match, players will have less Fusion Rifle ammo in reserve.
In PvE activities, Bungies stated that they would persistently track players ammo and will only use initial ammo values if they are logging in for the first time, or starting a Crucible match.
Last but not least, Shotguns are the best weapons for close quarters, but Bungie claims it's mostly used for PvP and almost not at all in PvE. You can check below the full changelog of patch 1.1.1, including the changes made to Shotguns.