Destiny 2 Buildcrafting Changes Coming with Lightfall

BUNGIE ARTICLE TL;DR:

  • Consolidation is a major theme in many of the changes you’ll be seeing today.
    • The current (pre-Lightfall) mod system has been built piecemeal over the years and contains a lot of redundancies.
  • The Loadouts system empowers Guardians to suit up for whatever task, on the fly.
    • Up to ten slots available to save multiple loadouts.
    • This single-screen system also provides opportunities for players to create and share their loadouts with the community more easily.
  • The Mod Customization screen will make managing your mods easier with them all in one place.
    • Like the Guardian Appearance screen, this screen creates an easy to reference space where you can see all your armor pieces and mods at any given time.
  • Champion counters are being spread between Artifact perks, subclass abilities, and more.
  • Updates to mods streamline the process and bring new and exciting build potential to Destiny 2.
    • We’re taking the opportunity to touch and tune every single mod in Destiny 2.
    • We’re removing Energy types from mods and armor, giving players more flexibility in crafting their builds. No more switching between Energy types to find the mod you want.
    • We’re reducing the pressure on Armor Energy by re-tuning armor mod costs and changing Artifact perks to no longer require mod slots.
    • We’re moving from weapon-type-specific mods to damage-type-specific mods for increased flexibility in builds.”

MORE: Check out this article from PC Gamer from more on what’s coming.

The long awaited Loadouts feature is coming with Lightfall on February 28, 2023. Bungie shared details about the new in-game Loadouts and Mod Customization systems, Champions, Elemental Wells, and more. Bungie ‘s main goal is to streamline the buildcrafting experienced and as Bungie stated this evolution is not an end point.

“We have plans to continue tuning and improving this system and will be adding new buildcrafting elements to fill power gaps we didn’t have a chance to get to with this release. We’re excited to see what you build with this new toolbox and look forward to seeing all the new builds shared out.”

LOADOUTS

A new Loadouts system is coming to Destiny 2 in Season 20 (for all players). Loadouts will give players a way to save multiple loadouts and easily switch them without having to leave the game.

Players will have a total of ten (10) slots to fill with their best builds. Loadout slots can be unlocked through new Guardian Ranks system coming next season. Each loadout created will have it’s own name, color, icons to help easily identify them. Stay tuned for details about Guardian Ranks.

Correction: Bungie stated that existing players (who have been active and playing) will start out at rank 6, and will instantly have all armor mods unlocked. New players will have to grind to reach rank 6. (It is said by unofficial sources that rank 6 will include six loadout slots).

MODS AND MOD CUSTOMIZATION

Mod customization will start from a fresh slate to make new builds when Lightfall launches (please note, it was mentioned by Bungie that not all builds will be possible upon launch). “Bungie’s goals are to save time on managing mods, remove limitations that caused confusion, remove waiting for Ada-1 to sell specific mods you need, and retune mods to give players more forms of expression, while tampering down on areas of power creep.”

An all new Mod Customization screen is arriving to with Lightfall (view images below). This screen will feature a weapons tab, so players are able to view what perks and stats current weapons have without having to go back to the Character screen.

Bungie stated that existing players (who have been active and playing) will start out at rank 6 and will instantly have all armor mods unlocked. New players will have to grind to reach rank 6.

MOD APPLICATION

  • Mod Energy types are being removed. This eliminates the need to four different version of a given armor piece for builds.
  • The Combat Style socket will become an additional mod socket for that armor slot (helmet, gauntlets, etc.)
  • Energy cost of many mods are being reduced to help give more opportunities to mix and match.
  • Armor mods that provided benefits to weapons based on their archetype (for example, Hand Cannon Loader) will now instead provide benefits to weapons based on their damage type. 

Seasonal Artifact mods are changing into unlockable perks. Seasonal Artifact mods will not need to be socketed and will be automatically be applied to your loadout once unlocked. 

“So what does that mean, exactly? Let’s say the anti-barrier weapon of the Season is Pulse Rifles. This change means that you’ll no longer need to equip a mod for this, taking up precious space and energy. All your Pulse Rifles (unless they have an intrinsic Champion mod) will automatically have anti-barrier applied. As you can imagine, having every single Artifact mod active at the same time would be a little OP! Because of that, you won’t be able to unlock them all at the same time and will have to choose which 12 perks you have active at any given time. However, we do want to make it as easy as possible to change up your builds so resetting the Artifact will not cost anything.

What does this mean for Artifice armor’s extra Artifact mod slot? Starting in Lightfall, Artifice armor will have a new unique mod slot that grants three additional points to your character stats like strength, mobility, intellect, etc. This will help you round out your stats as you perfect your builds.”

MATCH GAME

Bungie has decided to remove Match Game from high-difficulty activities.

  • “Bungie is also making changes to different types of shields. Base shield resistance to non-matching damage types, across the entire game is being adjusted to 50% (similar to Gambit now). Bungie stated they will have some other ways for you to do some bonus damage to shields that they will share before Lightfall launch.”

CHAMPIONS

In addition to anti-Champion Artifact perks available with your current weapon, Bungie is also adding some anti-Champion options to subclasses.

Barrier Champions (Solar, Void, and Strand Counter)

  • When using volatile rounds from your weapon it will also pierce the barrier and stun the Champion. When a player is radiant, their attacks pierce Champion’s shields and stun them. Strand will also have a method of piercing barriers.

Overload Champions (Arc, Stasis and Void Counter)

  • Damaging an overload Champion by triggering the jolted condition stuns the Champion. Likewise, suppressing the Champion stuns them, as does slowing them with Stasis.

Unstoppable Champions (Arc, Solar, Stasis, and Strand Counter)

  • Blinding an Unstoppable Champion instantly stuns them. Encasing them in Stasis and then shattering it or triggering a Solar ignition on them likewise stuns them. Strand will also include an Unstoppable Champion counter.

ARMOR CHARGE MODS

Charged with Light and Elemental Well mods will be combined into the new Armor Charge system (The affinity system in armor will also be leaving). As long as players have an Armor Charge mod equipped, players will receive the effects of Taking Charge. Here is Bungie’s explanation of how the Armor Charge mechanic functions:

  • Socketing an armor mod that uses the Armor Charge system gives you access to the system.
  • The functionality of Taking Charge (picking up an Orb of Power to gain 1 stack of the charge) is now granted to you whenever you have any Armor Charge mod equipped.
    • Many mods that previously created elemental wells or gave you stacks of Charged with Light have been converted to instead create an Orb of Power.
  • You can now hold between 0 and 3 stacks of Armor Charge by default, which appears as a buff in the Status Effects area.
    • By socketing chest armor mods (Charged Up), you can increase your maximum number of Armor Charge stacks as high as 6.
  • Some mods provide a passive, ongoing benefit while you have any stacks of Armor Charge. When you have one of these armor mods equipped, every 10 seconds a stack of Armor Charge falls off if not consumed by something else.
    • Players can extend this decay time by socketing the Extended Charge mod in the Class Item socket.
    • For example, Font of Wisdom in the head socket will provide a bonus gain to intellect while you have any Amor Charge active.
  • Some mods consume 1, 2, 3, or all stacks of Armor Charge on a particular trigger, granting you an instantaneous benefit when they do.
  • A few other mods (Stacks on Stacks in the Leg socket, Powerful Friends and Radiant Light in the head socket, Time Dilation in the Class Item socket, etc.) can modify the Armor Charge system for you without providing you with a specific benefit while you have Armor Charge.
  • Finishers will now consume Armor Charges and not dip into your Super energy.

ELEMENTAL WELLS

Elemental Wells are also getting a rework with Lightfall. Bungie stated “while many of the mods that previously created or benefitted from Elemental Wells are being changed to instead focus on Orbs of Power”. Even though the traditional Elemental Wells are being removed, each subclass will create elements based on damage type used.

  • Ionic Traces for Arc
  • Firesprite for Solar
  • Void Breaches for Void
  • Stasis Shards will continue being used for Stasis
  • Strand “will also have an object” Bungie stated they will share details in the future.

“The ability to spawn these objects will not come from armor mods but from your subclass instead. For example, while the Ember of Tempering Fragment is active for Solar Hunters, it will now create a Firesprite when you defeat an enemy with a Solar weapon.

Picking up any of these objects will grant ability energy or have other effects depending on your subclass build. For example, if you’re running a Solar subclass and you have the new Ember of Mercy Fragment equipped, picking up a Firesprite will grant you the restoration effect. The number of these types of interactions will be limited at launch, but we intend to add to this system moving forward.”

WARMIND CELLS REMOVED

The days exploding balls are coming to end.

  • Warmind Cells are being removed starting in Season 20 to make way options for your combat style.

All of these changes are to improve your experience while playing Destiny 2. Lightfall is about 41 days, and more news is to come so stay tuned.

Source: https://www.bungie.net/7/en/News/article/buildcrafting

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