Destiny Plus's rifles are stronger

Destiny Plus’s rifles to get stronger!

News has it that Destiny's weapon types will have an Update 1.1.1, this has been stated by Bungie. Chief among them is the pulse rifle, one of the most underused weapons in the game.

Now, when the developer told the community members about their favorite pulse rifles, they were answered back with "Don't use 'em," "None of them are good though...," and "Is that a trick question?"

Bungie's community manager, DeeJ, wrote on the developer's site. " ...We’re keeping a promise we made prior to launch - that Destiny would be a place of diverse fighting styles, where everyone would have a chance to be powerful in different ways, If you like Pulse Rifles, help is on the way. If you’re like me, and you think you can solve every problem with your trusty Suros Regime? Well, we’re about to be challenged in some new and exciting ways."

Bungie's sandbox designer, Jon Weisnewski lengthy blog post details what's changing with every weapon type in Destiny. Below are the highlights:

Auto Rifles

Goals:

• Auto rifle is optimal at close to medium range
• Damage, stability, and range are tuned such that players desire stability for reliable close quarters damage, or range for better accuracy at a distance

Changes:

• 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 area stronger factor in combat decisions
• Range reduction is less severe in the higher stat values, so now your range stat is more crucial to long distance engagements

Pulse Rifles

Goals:

• Pulse rifle is optimal at medium range, but can still effectively harass enemies at close range or long range distances
• Rate of fire sets a pace for players to both track moving targets and then deliver precision damage in bursts

Changes:

• Increase base damage of pulse rifles by 9.7%. DPS is now more in line with other primaries

Hand Cannons

Goals:

Hand cannon is optimal at medium range

Hand cannon is optimal when shots are paced, becomes less effective when fired quickly

Rewards agility when under fire, precision targeting, and snap shots

Changes:

Reduce effective range

Damage falloff starts closer to the shooter, and follow up shots are less accurate at long ranges

Slight reduction to initial accuracy. This is noticeable at close to medium range, but underscores the range intentions when used from far away

Fusion Rifles

Goals:

Fusion rifles are optimal at mid-range, where targets are easier to track but they're not close enough to attack while you charge up

Requires combat foresight and teh ability to predict a target's movement to use successfully

Changes:

Blast patteron 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 onto a group

Initial starting ammo is reduced across all ammo stats. This change primarily affects the Crucible. Starting a Crucible match, you'll have less fusion rifle ammo in reserve. In Pv#E activities we persistently track your ammo. We only use initial ammo values if you are logging in for the first time, or starting a Crucible match.

Shotguns

Goals:

Shotgun is the most optimal at very close range

Complements melee attacks and other close quarters class builds

Offensively closing on an enemy with a shotgun is a risk/reward timing game

Changes:

Increase damage by 2x (100%) against all non-Guardian combatants (aliens)

Reduce high-end range values. Damage falloff starts sooner, so Crucible players with long range shotguns need to be a little closer for successful one-hit kills

(Like the fusion rifle) Initial starting ammo is reduced across all ammo stats in the Crucible

Scout Rifle, Sniper Rifle, Heavy Machinegun, Rocket Launcher

The update will, "for the most part," leave these weapons alone.

For more on Destiny, check out our all-Destiny podcast, Fireteam Chat.