Destiny 2 announces sandbox changes for the Season of the Witch and Season 23

Bungie has shared a preview of the sandbox changes coming to Destiny 2 during the ongoing Season of the Witch, which will extend until Season 23. The Season of the Witch in Destiny 2 began on August 22nd and will run until November 28th.

Aside from several new activities and a plethora of additional gear, Season 22 also introduced some significant changes that have made niche playstyles like supportive tank Titans a viable option for Destiny 2 players. And while Bungie is already hard at work developing more seasonal content for its popular competitive shooter, the developer also plans to introduce further sandbox changes - weapon and armor adjustments - in the meantime.

The newly revealed Destiny 2 balancing changes set to debut during the Season of the Witch target two older exotics: Antaeus Wards and Young Ahamkara's Spine. The Titan boots will be less effective at blocking damage in the future, as triggering this advantage will require full energy of the class ability, while the effect itself consumes that energy. Bungie stated that the goal of the change is to make it harder to combine Antaeus Wards with the Juggernaut shield while also reducing the overall duration of the effect. A seemingly similar line of thinking also shapes the upcoming changes to Young Ahamkara's Spine, which restrict the armor's impact on grenade availability by granting energy instead of damage on final hits.

Bungie is planning an even broader range of Destiny 2 sandbox changes in Season 23, including an increase in SMG recoil and increased sniper rifle damage in PvE. This damage improvement is not isolated but is intended to balance the developer's plans to weaken sniper rifle hitboxes in the Crucible. At the same time, two nerfs are planned for fusion rifles, targeting their Kickstart damage bonus and effective range, with their DPS being more significantly reduced over longer distances. Season 23 will also increase the "Airborne Effectiveness" value of shotguns and sniper rifles.

Furthermore, the Peregrine Greaves will receive a double-edged change, starting with the requirement that players must "remain airborne for a short time" to benefit from their shoulder charge bonus. However, this damage increase in PvE will now be significantly higher, while the exotic will also refund melee charges used against minibosses, enforcers, and champions.

Finally, in Season 23, Bungie will revert a portion of the recently introduced Glaive melee damage reduction in Destiny 2. Although the exotic gloves Synthoceps will also lose their additional range on attack in the upcoming season, they will increase the user's reload speed and improve weapon handling when surrounded by enemies to balance out this change. The developer confirmed that further adjustments to exotic armor for Season 23 are in progress and will be revealed at a later time.

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

Source: Bungie