Destiny Update Weakens Auto Rifles, Closes Loot Cave

Destiny developer Bungie is reducing the effectiveness of the game's Auto Rifle and will be improving Scout Rifles as part of a wide-ranging update.

The latest Destiny patch, which rolls out on Tuesday, also applies numerous tweaks the gameplay, along with closing a loot cave and removing a trick that grants easy progress in the Vault of Glass raid.

Bungie added that it is working on an even larger future update that "will address under-performing Exotics and overall class balance".

The key change in the newest hotfix (1.0.2.2) is the Auto Rifle balancing, which decreases the gun's base damage by 2 percent, reduces its stability by 4-17 percent, and decreases the precision damage multiplier from 1.50 to 1.25.

Meanwhile, the less popular Scout Rifles are undergoing an upgrade, with its base damage being increased by 6 percent, along with improvements to its auto-aiming, its recoil tuning, and more.

Two other primary weapons will undergo some tweaks, with the shotgun's base damage at maximum range now 20 percent weaker (meaning it's even less effective at distance) while the revolver has increased mid-jump accuracy.

There are tweaks and changes which go beyond weaponry, with one easy sniper point in the Vault of Glass Raid now closed off, while a loot cave, situated at the rocket yard, appears to have been removed.

"The Fallen have also retreated from their hold over the Rocket Yard to discuss a new takeover plan," Bungie wrote on its official blog.

The full details of the fixes can be found below:

Summary

The most recent hotfix (1.0.2.2) for Destiny goes live on October 14th. This hotfix includes a number of changes to weapon balance across archetypes (e.g., lowering Auto Rifle effectiveness and increasing Scout Rifle damage output), specific weapons (Vex Mythoclast and Pocket Infinity) and includes a number of fixes to issues with the Templar encounter in the Vault of Glass.

We're still working on a larger update which will address under-performing Exotics and overall class balance.

General

Fixed a bug where the Valkyrie-O5X Ship was the same as the Aurora Lance

Classes

Titan
Unbreakable: Fixed an issue with the perk granting more agility than intended

Warlock
Brimstone: Perk can now activate if player is airborne

Weapons

General
Fixed some issues related to quick weapon swapping

Auto Rifles
Base Damage decreased by 2%
Reduced Precision Damage multiplier from 1.50 -> 1.25 (head shot bonus)
Stability decreased by 4% - 17% (driven by stat value)

Hand Cannons
In-air accuracy now increased

Scout Rifles
Base damage increased by 6%
Damage vs. Combatants increased by 6% - 25% (based on tier)
Improved target acquisition, plus additional recoil tuning.

Shotguns
Decreased base damage at maximum range (falloff) by 20%
Shot Package Perk now has a slightly wider cone of fire
The Rangefinder and Shot Package perks are now mutually exclusive

Exotic Weapons

Vex Mythoclast
Base Damage decreased by 34%
Increased Precision Damage multiplier from 1.25 -> 1.50 (headshot bonus)

Pocket Infinity
Enhanced Battery Perk has now been replaced with the Speed Reload Perk

Perks
Metal Detector: Fixed a bug that prevents this perk from actually providing additional ammo
Lightweight: Fixed a bug that allowed additional agility to apply even when a weapon was stowed

Activities

Strikes
Engram rewards from strikes now appear in the post-game Activity Summary

Raid - Vault of Glass

Templar Encounter
Kill volume added to sniper platforms to prevent players from sitting on top of them
Relic is now removed and respawned if the holder leaves the playable area

Destinations
The Fallen have also retreated from their hold over the Rocket Yard to discuss a new takeover plan