Destiny 2 Teases Major Exotic Gear Changes in Edge of Fate Expansion

Bungie reveals how exotic armor is changing in The Edge of Fate, with many underappreciated and underpowered Destiny 2 gear pieces set to be impacted. With just weeks to go, Bungie is continuing to highlight and answer various questions about how the Edge of Fate expansion is going to be changing the Destiny 2 core loot chase experience.

Some changes have largely been expected, as Bungie’s pattern with major releases, either with expansions or seasons, has been to introduce sweeping balance changes to weapons and armor. When Episode Heresy launched in Destiny 2 back in February, the new content also brought with it a massive update that saw plenty of exotic gear like Citan’s Ramparts, D.A.R.C.I., and plenty more seeing sweeping changes. It shouldn’t be much of a surprise then to learn that The Edge of Fate is also bringing even more exotic changes at launch.

Destiny 2 Announces Plans to Put Slumping Game Mode on Hiatus

Bungie reveals how some game modes and activities are changing in Destiny 2 The Edge of Fate with one actually being put on hiatus.

As expected, Bungie has a wide variety of updates planned for exotic gear once the Edge of Fate arrives. In the June 19 blog, the studio detailed the many changes on the way for various exotic armor, with some seeing minor tweaks while other less used armor pieces getting significant reworks to make them more viable. In fact, Boots of the Assembler is one of the most impacted exotic armors, receiving major changes in order to help it compete with the current most popular Destiny 2 support exotic called Speaker’s Sight.

Other exotic gear, like the Hunter’s consistently underpowered Blight Ranger helm or Warlock’s rift-based Promethium Spurs, are also set to be reworked to make them more appealing for use. Bungie has also tried to make certain exotics feel more unique, highlighting how Dragon’s Shadow and Speedloader Slacks won’t feel similar to one another anymore. For the former, Bungie has opted to have dodging impact the new stats system, while the latter will now provide benefits to allies in PvE activities.

It’ll be interesting to see where this new exotic armor fits within the meta, which is also set to be hugely impacted by upcoming changes. Bungie previously revealed a new armor system in Destiny 2, with legendary gear seeing set bonuses added, alongside armor tiering that provides better buffs and stats for higher levels found. However, one of the bigger changes is that the armor stats are changing entirely, ditching the current system for a new one that is easier to work with and understand.

Destiny 2 Edge of Fate Exotic Weapons and Armor Patch Notes

Hunter

Athrys’s Embrace
- PvE Weighted Throwing Knife damage bonus increased from 200% to 300%.
Liar’s Handshake (and Spirit of the Liar)
- PvE basic melee and Arc melee damage increased from 200% to 400%.
Ophidia Spathe
- Maximum PvE Throwing Knife damage bonus increased from 100% to 200%.
Triton Vice
- PvE Glaive melee damage bonus increased from 100% to 200%.
The Dragon’s Shadow
- Now passively increases weapon stability and ready speed.
- Dodging reloads your equipped weapon.
  - No longer reloads holstered weapons.
- Activating your dodge ability grants the following effects for a short time:
  - Increased stability and handling
  - Increased move speed
  - Increased sprint, slide, and ADS strafe speeds
  - Increased class stat
Speedloader Slacks
- Adjusted the Tight Fit perk:
  - Dodging reloads all weapons and grants increased handling and reload speed for you and nearby allies.
    - While this buff is active, additional dodges increase the strength of the buff and refresh the timer.
  - Dealing sustained damage grants class ability energy.
Mask of Bakris
- Effects are now active when either an Arc or Stasis Super is equipped.
- Reworked “Light Shift”:
  - No longer provides a non-stacking “Surge” damage bonus.
  - Now grants +10% damage for eligible weapons (Stasis weapons, Arc weapons, and Lord of Wolves) per stack.
  - Stacks up to three times.
  - While active, weapon final blows grant class ability energy.
Khepri’s Sting
- Removed automatic Smoke Bomb activation when using a melee attack.
- Removed Truesight when dealing damage with smoke bomb.
- Added:
  - Killing weakened targets creates a burst of weakening smoke and returns smoke bomb energy.
Oathkeepers
- Increased maximum damage bonus from +150% to +200%.
- Now provides more of the total damage bonus earlier in the overdraw.
Blight Ranger
- Fixed an issue where cancellation damage was not consistently scaling based on Voltaic Mirror progress.
- Adjusted Voltaic Mirror meter behavior:
  - Now requires 25% less reflections to reach maximum.
  - Fills more evenly.
  - Blocked melee attacks now count as a reflection.
- Maximum cancellation damage increased by 50%
  - This is in addition to the fix above.
- Minimum cancellation damage increased by 150%.
- Now always applies Blind before dealing damage.
- Updated visuals, audio, and timing of the blinding shockwave to better reflect its impact.

Titan

Heart of Inmost Light
- Maximum PvE melee damage bonus increased from 20% to 50%.
- Now increases the damage of unpowered and Glaive melee abilities.
Peregrine Greaves
- Shoulder charge ability impact damage bonus against non-Champion, non-Tormentor, and non-miniboss targets increased from 363% to 400%.
Synthoceps and Spirit of the Synthoceps
- Melee damage bonus is unchanged (165%).
- Melee damage bonus is no longer decreased when used with Combination Blow, Stylish Executioner, and Glaive Melee.
- Damage bonus is still decreased against players when used with Lightning Surge.
Wishful Ignorance
- Maximum PvE Frenzied Blade melee damage bonus increased from 100% to 200%.
- Maximum PvE Flechette Storm melee damage bonus increased from 50% to 200%.
Wormgod Caress
- Maximum PvE melee damage bonus increased from 275% to 400%.
- Melee damage bonus is no longer decreased when used with Roaring Flames or Glaive melee.
Crest of Alpha Lupi
- Added additional effects:
  - Sustained damage while behind a barricade triggers another smaller healing pulse.
  - Healing your allies grants barricade energy.
Phoenix Cradle
- Updated VFX on Sunspots while the user has Phoenix Cradles to look more clearly supportive to allies.
- Added additional effects:
  - Dealing sustained Solar weapon damage in a Sunspot extends its duration.
  - Providing Solar buffs to allies has the chance to create a Sunspot at your feet.
44 Stand Asides
- Sprinting with Juggernaut active periodically grants you a stack of Static Charge.
- Sprinting while amplified creates an area behind you that grants allies Speed Booster.
Path of Burning Steps
- Increase Solar weapon damage and Solar Ignition damage based on the number of stacks of Roaring Flame you have.
- Roaring Flame x1/2/3 grants +10/15/20% bonus Solar weapon damage and +5/10/15% bonus Ignition damage.
- Reduces the duration of Suspend, Slow, and Freeze effects applied to you.
Abeyant Leap
- Now increases the duration of Suspend applied by enhanced Drengr’s Lashes.
Actium War Rig
- Auto Rifle or Machine gun final blows increase their stability, ammo generation, and damage.
  - Stacks up to ten times. Higher stack counts expire more quickly.
Stoicism
- Spirit of Alpha Lupi
  - Added: Healing your allies grants class ability energy.

Warlocks

Winter’s Guile
- Maximum PvE melee damage bonus increased from 275% to 400%.
Starfire Protocol
- Now also activates on Radiant damage.
- Increased the Fusion Grenade energy gain from dealing damage from 2.5% to 5%.
- Reduced Fusion Grenade energy gain from final blows from 20% to 15%.
Wings of Sacred Dawn
- Combatants are less accurate towards you while Tome of Dawn is active.
  - This is similar to Manticore’s effect.
- While a Solar Super is equipped, Solar Weapon final blows now grant Restoration and reload your stowed weapons.
Felwinters Helm
- Added: “Powered melee damage weakens targets.”
  - Applies a 15% weaken.
  - Weaken effects applied by the burst via melee or finisher final blows are unchanged.
Promethium Spurs
- Reworked the perk Embers of Light:
  - While a Solar Super is equipped, weapon defeats grant class ability energy and weapon defeats in a rift grant a different Solar verb depending on the Rift:
    - While in a Healing Rift, weapon defeats create a pulse that grants Radiant to you and nearby allies.
    - While in an Empowering Rift, weapon defeats instead grant Cure to you and nearby allies.
Boots of the Assembler
- Noble Seekers no longer spawn in waves and instead spawn at a constant rate based on fireteam size.
  - Average number of Noble Seekers produced per eight seconds is unchanged – it will produce one per ally in that time period.
- Noble Seeker tracking range changed to 40 meters always (from 20 to 40 meters based on time alive).
- Noble Seekers will prioritize allies who have not been healed in the last eight seconds.
- Noble Seekers can now target allies standing in the rift producing them.
- Noble Seekers will not target an ally more than once every four seconds.
- Noble Seekers will not detonate when passing near an ally they are not targeting.
  - They will still detonate if they make direct impact with an ally they are not targeting.
- No longer grants extended rift duration on Noble Seeker impact with allies.
  - Instead, grants class ability energy on Noble Seeker impact with allies (scales based on fireteam size).
Geomag Stabilizers
- Reduced Super energy granted by ionic traces to 4% (from 7%)
- Retuned sprinting to top off Bolt Charge:
  - Decreased Bolt Charge stacks required before sprinting will grant additional stacks from six to five.
  - Decreased the amount of time required for sprinting to start granting Bolt Charge from two seconds to one.
  - Increased the rate Bolt Charge is granted while this effect is active from one every 1.5 seconds to one every 0.33 seconds