Destiny 2 has enjoyed a replenished player base thanks to The Final Shape being released. However, one major change deployed with the expansion could drive Guardians away as fast as they’ve returned.
Raids and Dungeons, the meat of Destiny 2’s endgame content, has received substantial balance tuning to coincide with the DLC’s release and players have become concerned that Bungie has gone too far with wanting to juice up the challenging nature of both.
In an extensive thread, a player has broken down how the changes will ultimately affect both. User Sentostalo said “Bungie has changed the Power caps in normal (non-Master) Dungeons and Raids from +20 (over level enemies by 20 Power) to -5 (always locked to 5 Power below enemies).”
On paper, this has resulted in a notable 35% reduction in damage players can dish out, but it’s proved to be not that simple. Compensating for the deficit, Bungie has introduced Surges to Raids and Dungeons.
Should Guardians match these — using a Void-heavy loadout during Void Surge, for example — they’ll deal 25% additional damage. The total reduction therefore comes out at 10% lower than pre-Final Shape levels.
However, no additional means of compensating for the effect -5 Power reduction will have on damage resistance exists.
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Unsurprisingly, the shift has resulted in numerous concerns among the community. “Not only does this nerf raise the bar for triumphs and other achievements, but it raises the entry point and skill level for raiding, making it even more unfriendly,” Sentostalo continued.
Other concerns related to the exponential increase in difficulty for solo dungeons. “I couldn’t imagine soloing Ghosts of the Deep with 30% less damage. The boss was already like 15-20 minutes long for me per attempt.”
Likewise, others have taken issue with being forced to use a specific loadout for damage optimization. “Possibly one of the worst changes to happen to Destiny in years. Kills speedrunning and most challenges,” wrote Destiny streamer Saltagreppo on X/Twitter.
“Please consider reverting this, allowing players to turn Surges off, or turning them all on. ANYTHING but a weekly rotation,” they continued.
Bungie’s decision could be motivated by requests from players over the years for content to be more challenging, but, on this occasion, early signs point to this being the incorrect remedy. With many yet to finish The Final Shape’s campaign and trial the changes themselves, sentiment could change.
