Destiny 2 Update Is Out; Patch Notes Include Weapons Overhaul And Much More

With the big Forsaken DLC expansion drawing close, Bungie has released a major Destiny 2 update (as well as a Forsaken launch trailer). Patch 2.0 is now live and makes sweeping changes to certain areas of the game before the DLC launches. While some changes, like the overhaul of mods, won't come until the expansion hits, the patch does completely rework how weapon slots work, among many, many other things.

Alongside a roadmap of the free and paid content to come after Forsaken, Bungie shared update 2.0's patch notes on its website. The headlining change is that most weapons are no longer locked to the Kinetic, Energy, or Heavy slot. While those that use Heavy ammo will remain confined to the Heavy slot, you'll be able to have weapons that use Primary ammo or Special ammo in either the Kinetic or Energy slot. Additionally, the type of ammo used and damage dealt by a weapon is now fixed.

With this adjustment comes a variety of other changes. Each class of weapon will now take a set type of ammo; hand cannons take Primary ammo, while shotguns take Special and rocket launchers take Heavy. Grenade launchers, depending on how they're loaded, will take either Special or Heavy ammo. Here's exactly how things shake out on that front:

Primary Ammo Weapons

• Hand Cannons
• Scout Rifles
• Auto Rifles
• Sidearms
• Submachine Guns

Special Ammo Weapons

• Fusion Rifles
• Shotguns, Sniper Rifles
• Trace Rifles
• Single Shot Grenade Launchers

Heavy Ammo Weapons

• Drum-Loaded Grenade Launchers
• Rocket launchers
• Linear Fusion Rifles
• Swords

Because of the change to what weapons go in which slots, there are a variety of former Heavy weapons you'll find in new slots. For instance, Hawthorne's Field-Forged Shotgun now goes in the Kinetic slot. However, there are some exceptions--while shotguns and snipers now use Special ammo, the Exotic DARCI continues to use Heavy ammo, as does Tractor Cannon, The Legend of Acrius, and Whisper of the Worm.

"The tuning of Destiny weapons and abilities is inexorably tied to the systems that we build upon," Bungie explained. "Ultimately our goal is to still provide gameplay challenge despite a global increase in player damage output due to the new systems introduced." With weapons that formerly used Heavy ammo like shotguns, snipers, and fusion rifles now being a more regular part of the rotation, Bungie has made numerous adjustments to other weapon types and perks to compensate.

Other changes of note in update 2.0 include being able to apply shaders to swords; the replacement of Year 1 Meditations with a Heroic Story playlist; new Strike playlists; more Vault space; adjustments to Xur; Cayde has left the Tower; and the appearance of escaped prisoners from the Prison of Elders (though they won't drop rewards until Forsaken is out). There's a lot going on.

Forsaken launches on September 4 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC, increasing the level cap, adding new subclasses and Supers, introducing Gambit mode, and more. Before then, you'll be able to try out Gambit on September 1.