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- Melee Rework
- Glaive Changes
- Class Melee Abilities Changes
- Exotic Armor & Weapon Changes
The countdown to Destiny 2: The Edge of Fate continues to accelerate. To build anticipation, Bungie has been revealing weekly updates on the upcoming expansion’s changes. This week’s TWID unveiled some exciting adjustments coming to melee, glaive, and exotic armor mechanics in Destiny 2: The Edge of Fate. These updates look fantastic—though some veteran players might need time to adapt, these improvements will streamline many longstanding gameplay challenges that players have faced for years.
Without further delay, let’s explore what awaits us on Kepler.
MELEE REWORK
Image Source: Bungie via The Nerd Stash
The Destiny 2 Sandbox Team detailed current melee mechanics and the changes coming with The Edge of Fate. Presently, melee depends heavily on buffs, resulting in long-term balance issues. The expansion will implement the following:
- Most effects that boost melee damage will be enhanced, some doubling their current damage output.
- In PvE, applicable melee damage-increasing effects will always stack at full value.
Additionally, these core systemic changes will be applied to melee damage:
- All melee damage boosts have been adjusted to use additive stacking for damage.
- Melee damage will no longer amplify Scorch and Ignition damage generated by melee attacks. This change follows the logic behind previous Jolt damage scaling revisions.
Initially, these changes might feel unusual to melee-focused Guardians, but they are expected to provide a more balanced and clear experience. While some players sought to one-shot bosses, others struggled against tougher opponents with weaker melee builds. These changes aim to simplify and improve melee damage dynamics for everyone.
GLAIVE CHANGES
Image Source: Bungie via The Nerd Stash
Bungie is also enhancing the relevance of Glaives, which currently feel less viable and rarely appear in melee metas. Significant updates in Destiny 2: The Edge of Fate include:
- Glaives are now categorized as an Unpowered Melee Ability, enabling them to benefit from buffs affecting unpowered melee attacks.
- Glaive melee now fully benefits from melee damage boosts granted by effects such as Synthoceps, Knockout, Offensive Bulwark, Combination Blow, Spark of Feedback, Wormgod Caress, Banner of War, and Stylish Executioner.
- Glaive melee triggers all effects typically activated by melee abilities.
- They will no longer receive some weapon damage bonuses like Radiant, since glaive melee is not weapon damage.
- Modifiers that change basic melee attacks’ behavior (e.g., Titan Aspect Knockout changing kinetic melee attacks to Arc) do not affect glaive melee.
- PvE damage of glaive melee has been rebalanced to account for increased access to melee damage boosts:
- Damage versus minor and major enemies reduced by 40%.
- Damage versus Champions and minibosses reduced by 28.5%.
- Damage versus bosses and vehicles reduced by 50%.
CLASS MELEE ABILITIES CHANGES
Bungie has outlined comprehensive melee ability adjustments across all classes for The Edge of Fate. Here’s a breakdown detailing the modifications to how various builds will function:
ALL CLASSES
- Prismatic – Facet of Courage: PvE melee damage bonus increased from 10% to 50%.
- Arc – Spark of Feedback: PvE melee damage bonus raised from 75% to 100% and now fully applies to Glaive melee.
- Damage bonuses no longer decrease when combined with Synthoceps, Liar’s Handshake, Knockout, Wormgod Caress, One-Two Punch, or Winter’s Guile.
TITAN
- Roaring Flames: Maximum PvE melee damage bonus increased from 73% to 200%. Note that since this buff targets Solar ability damage and glaive melee is kinetic, Roaring Flames does not enhance glaive melee damage under current rules.
- Melee damage bonuses no longer decrease when used with Peregrine Greaves, Wormgod Caress, One-Two Punch, or Synthoceps.
- Knockout: Uncharged melee PvE bonus up to 160% (from 100%), charged melee PvE bonus also 160% (from 50%), with full effect now benefiting glaive melee.
- Offensive Bullwark: PvE melee damage bonus up to 160%, fully affecting glaive melee; reduced damage no longer applies with Synthoceps.
- Banner of War: Damage boost for user and allies increased from 40% to 100%, and its melee damage bonus no longer decreases when combined with Wormgod Caress, Synthoceps, or Glaive melee. Bladefury damage bonus remains unchanged.
HUNTER
- Stylish Executioner: PvE melee damage increased from 200% to 300%, now fully supports glaive melee and all melee abilities that connect immediately after exiting invisibility (e.g., projectile melee like Threaded Spike at close range).
- Combination Blow: Maximum PvE damage bonus raised from 309% to 400%, now fully supports glaive melee and works with Tempest Strike (PvE) and Grapple melee (PvE). Note: Reference to Ascension was incorrect.
EXOTIC ARMOR & WEAPON CHANGES
Image Source: Bungie via The Nerd Stash
Exotic armor pieces and weapons are also receiving notable updates, including buffs and tweaks to maintain game balance upon expansion release. Below are some significant changes to specific class sets, weapons, and perks:
HUNTER
- Athrys’s Embrace: PvE Weighted Throwing Knife damage increased from 200% to 300%.
- Liar’s Handshake (and Spirit of the Liar): PvE basic and Arc melee damage increased from 200% to 400%.
- Ophidia Spathe: Max PvE Throwing Knife damage doubled from 100% to 200%.
- Triton Vice: PvE glaive melee damage bonus doubled from 100% to 200%.
TITAN
- Heart of Inmost Light: Max PvE melee damage bonus raised from 20% to 50%, now boosts unpowered and glaive melee abilities.
- Peregrine Greaves: Shoulder charge damage against non-Champion, non-Tormentor, and non-miniboss enemies increased from 363% to 400%.
- Synthoceps and Spirit of the Synthoceps: Melee damage bonus remains 165%; no longer reduced when combined with Combination Blow, Stylish Executioner, or glaive melee; still reduced against players when paired with Lightning Surge.
- Wishful Ignorance: PvE Frenzied Blade melee damage bonus raised from 100% to 200%; Flechette Storm melee damage bonus increased from 50% to 200%.
- Wormgod Caress: Max PvE melee damage bonus increased from 275% to 400%, no longer reduced when combined with Roaring Flames or glaive melee.
WARLOCK
- Winter’s Guile: Max PvE melee damage bonus raised from 275% to 400%.
WEAPON PERKS
- Close to Melee: PvE glaive melee damage bonus increased from 30% to 60%.
- One-Two Punch: PvE melee damage bonus increased from 100% to 150%; now works with all melee abilities and no longer reduced when combined with Liar’s Handshake; perk duration extended to three seconds.
EXOTIC WEAPONS
- Bastion: Saint’s Fists PvE melee damage bonus increased from 100% to 300%, now applies to all melee abilities; perk active duration extended to three seconds.
- Monte Carlo: Catalyst melee attack no longer deals reduced damage to bosses, minibosses, and Champions.
- Winterbite: Now benefits from various melee damage bonuses; enhanced melee damage with ammo reduced to +20% versus bosses (down from +50%).
EXOTIC ARMOR TUNING
In addition to these melee-focused updates, several existing Exotic Armor pieces are being reworked. Some have been strengthened, others slightly nerfed, all aiming for balanced gameplay at expansion launch.
HUNTER
- The Dragon’s Shadow: Passively boosts weapon stability and ready speed; dodging reloads the equipped weapon only (not holstered ones); activating dodge grants increased stability, handling, movement speed, sprint, slide, ADS strafing speeds, and class stat for a brief time.
- Speedloader Slacks: Modified Tight Fit perk – dodging reloads all weapons and increases handling and reload speed for you and nearby allies; sustained dodging strengthens and refreshes the buff; sustained damage grants class ability energy.
- Mask of Bakris: Effects now activate when equipping Arc or Stasis Supers; Light Shift reworked to grant +10% damage for certain weapons per stack, stacking up to three times; weapon final blows provide class ability energy.
- Khepri’s Sting: Removed automatic Smoke Bomb activation on melee; removed Truesight on smoke bomb damage; added effect where killing weakened targets releases weakening smoke burst and restores smoke bomb energy.
- Oathkeepers: Max damage bonus increased from +150% to +200%, delivering more damage earlier on overdraw.
- Blight Ranger: Fixed inconsistent scaling in cancellation damage; adjusted Voltaic Mirror behavior for easier max charge, included blocked melee attacks as reflections; max cancellation damage up 50%, minimum up 150%; always applies Blind before damage; updated impact visuals, audio, and timing.
TITAN
- Crest of Alpha Lupi: Added effects: sustained damage behind barricades triggers smaller healing pulse; healing allies grants barricade energy.
- Phoenix Cradle: Visual upgrades for Sunspots; dealing sustained Solar damage extends Sunspot duration; providing Solar buffs may create Sunspot at your location.
- Mk.44 Stand Asides: Sprinting with Juggernaut grants stacks of Static Charge; sprinting while amplified creates an area granting allies Speed Booster.
- Path of the Burning Steps: Boosts Solar weapon and Ignition damage based on Roaring Flame stacks, stacking with Surge mods; reduces duration of Suspend, Slow, and Freeze effects applied to you.
- Abeyant Leap: Increases duration of Suspend applied by enhanced Drengr’s Lashes.
- Actium War Rig: Final blows with Auto Rifles or Machine Guns increase stability, ammo generation, and damage; stacks up to ten times with faster expiration at higher counts.
- Spirit of the Alpha Lupi: Healing allies grants class ability energy.
WARLOCK
- Starfire Protocol: Now activates on Radiant damage as well; Fusion Grenade energy gained from damage dealt doubled from 2.5% to 5%, but energy gain from final blows reduced from 20% to 15%.
- Wings of Sacred Dawn: Enemies are less accurate while Tome of Dawn is active, similar to the Manticore effect; Solar Super weapon final blows grant Restoration and reload stowed weapons.
- Felwinter’s Helm: Added effect: powered melee damage weakens targets by 15%; bursts from melee or finisher final blows retain existing weaken effects.
- Promethium Spurs: Reworked Embers of Light perk; while Solar Super is active, weapon defeats grant class ability energy and weapon kills in rifts provide different Solar buffs depending on Rift type—Healing Rift grants Radiant, Empowering Rift grants Cure to you and allies.
- Boots of the Assembler: Noble Seekers spawn at a constant rate based on fireteam size rather than waves; tracking range fixed at 40 meters; target allies prioritized by healing cooldown and targeting rules improved; explosions impact only targeted allies; no longer extend rift duration but grant class ability energy based on fireteam size.
- Geomag Stabilizers: Reduced Super energy from ionic traces from 7% to 4%; retuned sprinting mechanics to top off Bolt Charge more efficiently with adjusted stacks and timing.
As demonstrated, the melee, glaive, and Exotic Armor updates introduced with Destiny 2: The Edge of Fate may feel intimidating at first. Nevertheless, these changes represent a solid direction to enhance gameplay and balance.
For further insight and detailed reasoning behind these adjustments, check out the official TWID post.
Also, with the ongoing Rite of the Nine event featuring fresh rewards this week, it’s an excellent opportunity to get ready for your expedition to Kepler.