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When the second act of Echoes, Destiny 2‘s current content Episode, drops on July 16, it’s going to refresh the game with a few significant changes. Among them are new weapons for players to chase and new Artifact mods that will add some big enhancements to sniper rifles and Solar weapons, giving a chance for new builds for players to use during the next six weeks.
Bungie gave a sense of what’s coming in Act 2 in its recent livestream. The new act brings three new Battlegrounds activities that will continue to advance the story, while also adding more guns for players to chase in Episode activities. There are also five new Artifact mods for players to earn and unlock, and some significant balancing changes coming to the game, as well.
The new guns coming to the game are pretty notable. One is Aberrant Action, a new Solar rocket-assisted sidearm, a gun archetype that has quickly become one of the best in the game. Aberrant Action can roll both Incandescent, which sets enemies on fire, and Heal Clip, which heals you when you reload based on the kills you scored, which already sounds extremely overpowered. There are only two other rocket-assisted sidearms–essentially, pistols that shoot rockets–currently available, and both are excellent, so this is going likely to be the best weapon in Act 2, and possibly the entire episode.
Bungie showed off two other Act 2 guns. The first, Corrasion, is an Arc pulse rifle with the newish Heavy Burst archetype, which fires a powerful two-round burst. The second is Perfect Paradox, a shotgun we haven’t seen in the game since the Season of the Dawn in 2020. Bungie says it’ll include its old, classic set of perks, as well as new ones that have been added to the game since its original release.
Alongside the opportunity to use new weapons, the new mods coming to the Echoes Artifact have the potential to change PvE gameplay in some significant ways. The five mods are focused on boosting Solar weapons and sniper rifles, so guns like Whisper of the Worm are going to become pretty strong in Act 2. That’ll give players a reason to use some new weapons and craft new builds to take on high-level content.
Here’s the list of new mods and what they do:
Anti-Barrier Sniper: Sniper Rifles can stun Barrier champions.Authorized Mods: Scavenger — Reduces the cost of Scavenger armor mods.Incendiary Rifle Rounds — Solar sniper precision hits scorch targets.Solar Fulmination — Solar ignitions do increased damage and have a larger radius.Sniper’s Meditation — Sniper hits grant stacking bonuses to sniper damage, stability, and reload speed for a short time. Heavy ammo sniper rifle hits count as more than one.
Finally, Bungie outlined a few balancing changes to weapons coming in Act 2. To further enhance the usability of sniper rifles, Bungie is cutting the amount of flinch you receive for taking hits by half in PvE activities, which should make hitting targets a little easier. Scout rifles are getting a 30% damage buff in PvE to make them more effective, which should make Timeworn Wayfarer, the Episode’s Solar scout rifle, significantly stronger. And Eriana’s Vow, a Barrier-punching hand cannon, is getting its damage against those Barriers increased by 67%, which will make its ammo economy feel a little better.
Also on the docket for Destiny 2 is Solstice 2024, the game’s summertime event. Solstice brings unique guns and armor pieces that are only available during the event, and Bungie showed off concept art for how this year’s armor will look. Bungie said the look is meant to evoke the idea of exploration and discovery. Check out the shots below.
Bungie made another announcement about Act 2: The developer will drop all Act 2’s story beats at its launch. Watch the livestream for yourself on YouTube.
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