Key Takeaways
- Bungie plans to overhaul Destiny 2’s armor system for Codename: Frontiers with stat reworks and set bonuses.
- The changes are intended to make the armor system less confusing and a more active part of buildcrafting.
- While exotic armor will largely be unchanged and old armor will see a few tweaks, Bungie will address vault space issues.
Bungie reveals ambitious plans to completely overhaul Destiny 2‘s armor system with Codename: Frontiers which reworks stat values, while also adding archetypes and set bonuses. The countdown is now on as Episode Revenant is officially ready to launch next week on October 8. However, Bungie has revealed a ton of new information about the upcoming Destiny 2 episode, helping to set player expectations.
This week has been a big one for fans, as Bungie’s latest showcase placed a major spotlight on Episode Revenant and all the new Destiny 2 content. In addition to making the entire Act 1 story available at launch, players will be interacting with characters like Mithrax and Eido while undertaking a new mechanic centered on potion brewing that offers limited time combat bonuses. In addition to new weapons and armor, Bungie is adding Onslaught: Salvation, an updated version of the activity that adds new enemy types with three maps and additional twists to help the mode standout a bit more. However, alongside the showcase, Bungie also revealed new details regarding the studio’s long-term plans for overhauling the current armor system.
In a new developer blog, Bungie confirmed a major overhaul coming to Destiny 2‘s current armor system alongside the launch of Codename: Frontiers next summer. In order to make the armor system less confusing and a more active part of buildcrafting, Bungie is completely reworking stat mechanics to hopefully prevent what the studio calls the “lock-in” effect when a player finds the perfect combination of stat values. Stat effects will be capped at 200 and no longer offer tiered bonuses every 10 points. Some stats are also seeing bigger changes, like Strength and Discipline and Bungie even confirmed that some Legendary armor will have Stat Archetypes baked in to offer bonuses to specific types.
Destiny 2 Armor Rework Also Adding Set Bonuses
Alongside those stat changes, Bungie also confirmed the introduction of Set Bonus modifiers as well. With Codename: Frontier, armor will lean more into themes and offer players bonuses for having 2 or 4 pieces equipped at the same time. The perks themselves will highlight specific playstyles, and have been integrated to account for players utilizing Destiny 2‘s extensive exotic armor as well. While subject to change, Bungie listed a few examples of what they’re crafting:
Theme | Perk 1 (2 Armor Pieces) | Perk 2 (4 Armor Pieces) |
Tex Mechanica | Shooting from the hip increases movement speed and weapon handling. Scoring hits increases the effect. | Tex Mechanica weapons have increased range and accuracy when hipfired. |
Nonstop Aggression | Final blows with freshly reloaded weapons heal the player. | Damaging a target with a Shotgun or Fusion Rifle increases the damage it takes from those weapons for a short time. |
Demolitions Expert | Direct hits with explosive weapons temporarily increases their reload speed. | Repeated direct hits with explosive weapons temporarily increase grenade ability damage. |
Vanguard Operative | Activating the grenade gives you and nearby allies damage resistance against combatants. | Defeating Champions with a finisher generates Special ammo for the player and their fireteam. |
Naturally, Bungie anticipated a number of player questions as a result of these changes. Bungie has confirmed that exotic armor is largely going to be left alone for now, though the studio is planning one meaninful updates as part of the roadmap. Old armor isn’t going to see much in the way of changes either, though with the stat mechanics and types being global changes, players will likely notice a few tweaks. One of the big issues with Destiny 2 is vault space, with Bungie confirming that it is aware of “vault pressure” being a real problem for many players. While the studio is considering adding more space, the team is looking into longer term solutions that it hopes to have resolved around the time the second expansion called Codename:Behemoth is ready to launch.
