Destiny 2 Season 22: All Changes We Know So Far (Updated)

Season 22 Economy Changes

• New Masterwork Material Caps
  • Ascendant Shard: From 10 to 30
  • Ascendant Allow: From 10 to 30
  • Enhancement Prism: From 50 to 100
  • No change for Upgrade Modules or Enhancement Cores

Season 22 Weapon Crafting Changes

• Buffed the weapon level progression obtained through more meaningful methods like activity completions and PvP kills. A currency-driven method of directly advancing a weapon’s level will also be added
• Increased activity completion progression across the following activity types:
  • Crucible
  • Trials of Osiris
  • Dares of Eternity
  • Wellspring
  • Gambit
  • Platinum score completions of Legend and Master Solo Lost Sectors
• Through a new rollover change, weapon leveling through completing activities should see a large overall increase in efficacy, not just limited to the specific activity types we’ve explicitly modified for Season 22
• Crafted and enhanced weapons will both receive a new mod slot in their weapon details, where you can spend Glimmer and Enhancement Cores to boost the level of the weapon. This mod will increase the weapon’s level directly, leaving your existing progress towards the next level untouched
• While there is no cap to how far you can boost the weapon’s level, the costs of this boosting will increase relative to the level of the weapon
• Resonant and Harmonic Alloys will be deprecated as a required material and will no longer be obtained during a dismantle starting in Season 22.

Neomuna Weapon Pattern Acquisition

• Weekly pinnacle story mission score challenge will provide guaranteed Neomuna weapon pattern progress the first time it is completed each week
• Neomuna vendor upgrade will increase the drop chance of Deepsight Neomuna weapons. This is retroactive if you have already claimed the vendor upgrade
• Throne World vendor engram upgrade will also receive the same behavior for the Throne World Deepsight weapons, and will also be retroactively implemented

Season 22 Ritual Activity Changes

1. Players will be more likely to receive Ritual engrams upon completion of activities within the Ritual playlist.
2. Newly added weapons [random drops] will be able to be focused from their respective vendors as soon as they are added to the game.
   • Quote: We want players to have greater agency in the rewards that they are chasing and reassured that the time spent within these activities yields exciting rewards.

Season 22 Ritual Activity Weapon Rewards

• Crucible
  • Unending Tempest (Stasis Submachine Gun)
• Strikes
  • Luna Regolith III (Solar Sniper Rifle)
• Gambit
  • Qua Xaphan V (Void Machine Gun)
• Nightfall
  • Warden’s Law (Kinetic Hand Cannon)
  • Pre Astynax IV (Solar Precision Bow)
• Iron Banner
  • The Guiding Sight (Strand Scout Rifle)
  • Point of the Stag (Arc Bow)
• Trials of Osiris
  • Igneous Hammer (Solar Hand Cannon)
  • Cataphract GL3 (Strand Heavy Grenade Launcher)

Some of the following set of changes come from the recent Bungie Developer Interview on the Destiny Massive Breakdown Podcast.

Update: Now includes the Dev Insights: Season 22 Weapons Preview.

1. A bug will be corrected that causes more heavy ammo to spawn when using double special
   • Note: This is not a direct nerf to double special. The Special ammo meta was never an intended outcome of carrying double specials.
   • Update: PvE kills with Special weapons equipped now generate Heavy ammo at the same rate as two primaries or one Primary, one Special.
2. Bungie feels snipers are underperforming.
3. Hand Cannons Changes
   • Increased reload speed at 0 stat by 15%
   • Increased damage against red bars by 20%
   • Increased damage against yellow bars by 75%
   • Added new sub-family, Heavy Burst
     • Changed Warden’s Law to be the first member of the sub-family
     • Fires 2-round burst
4. 180 RPM Cannons and 360 RPM Assault Rifles are getting buffed. (Could be pushed back to Season 23.)
5. Under Pressure is set to receive a nerf by reducing the max accuracy it gives to Fusion Rifles.
   • Reduced the maximum accuracy scalar from 0.5 to 0.75
   • Stability buffs are retained
6. Kickstart will also receive a nerf either in mid-Season 22 or at the start of Season 23.
7. Fusion rifles will have their custom range modifier removed. Damage falloff to be slightly lower than where it is now.
8. All Fusion Rifles: Fixed an issue where Adept Masterworks and Enhanced Intrinsic perks were decreasing the damage dealt by fusions when they changed the charge time stat.
9. Precision and Lightweight bow changes
   • Reduced the minimum reload animation duration from 0.5 seconds to 0.3 seconds. (This means that applying reload speed scalars on top of a high reload stat will still have an effect.)
   • Increased the projectile velocity at full draw sot that the projectiles will continue to perform as if they were hitscan at longer distances at higher frame rates.
   • Equalized the full draw projectile velocity of Lightweight Bows to be on par with precision bows.
10. Improvement to underperforming Legendary perks such as Bipod, Shoot to Loot, and Under-Over. (To name a few.)
    • Bipod: Reduced the damage penalty from 40% to 25%
    • Envious Assassin
      • There is no longer a time limit after kills within which you must activate the perk or get another kill
      • The perk will now activate if the magazine is overflowed. (It will stop activating once you hit maximum magazine size of 2.5x or greater)
      • Enhanced now provides fractionally more ammo per kill, instead of a longer window of time after a kill
    • Under-Over
      • Now provides bonus body shot damage against players with Woven Mail
      • Increased the bonus damage against combatant shields
      • Deals significantly increased damage to enemies who are enhanced by Dark Cabal overshields in addition to enemies shielded by Lucent Moths
    • Shoot to Loot
      • No longer triggers the reload when shooting a Special brick that could not be picked up while also having an overflowed weapon equipped
      • Explosive damage now interacts with Orbs of Power
    • Valiant Charge: Deactivates after the initial sword swing. (As was always intended)
    • Ambush: No longer deactivates from healing, fall damage, or being shot by allies
    • Explosive Light: Fixed a bug where the enhanced version of the perk was granting two stacks on the initial Orb pickup
    • Chill Clip
      • Reduced the slow stacks from 60 to 40
      • Wolfpack Rounds no longer trigger this perk
11. Zoom and damage falloff Tuning (Range finder nerf)
    • Bungie is going to enforce something called Range Compression, where the highest achievable damage falloff range on almost all weapons has been reduced to some extent. Then in many cases, the lower edges of their damage falloff ranges have been brought upwards.
    • Decrease the variance between the optimal engagement ranges of mid-range weapons (Autor Rifles, Pulse Rifles, and Hand Cannons) to reduce the instances of one weapon or another being the clearly advantaged choice, based on minor differences in engagement distance.
    • Slightly reduce the average engagement range in Crucible by pulling in the maximum damage falloff distances of many weapons.
    • Prevent individual weapons from overstepping their intended engagement ranges of the multiplicative scaling zoom provided to damage falloff. Allows Bungie to buff the weapon archetype itself, while not having to worry about top-end outliers.
12. Sword guard rework
    • Energy now recharges after a short delay when used, but recharges much faster.
      • The delay before recharge and the recharge rate are both governed by the guard charge rate stat
      • This delay ranges between 2.7 seconds and 1.05 seconds, decreasing with charge rate stat.
      • We’ve massively increased the rate energy returns after the delay to compensate, and they increase even more at higher charge rate stats. Even after the delay, swords now return to full energy from empty faster than before this rework
    • Full-power heavy attacks can now be used with any nonzero amount of sword energy, rather than requiring full sword energy.
    • Massively increased sword guard damage resistance, giving it between 82.5% and 95% damage reduction, depending on guard resistance stat
      • This damage resistance value is sharply reduced against other players, like Glaives. Then it provides between 52.5% and 65% damage reduction, depending on the guard resistance stat.
    • Sword guard no longer loses energy when taking damage
      • As a result of the above, guard efficiency has been removed as a stat
    • Sword guard duration is now increased across every guard type, with those with the shortest durations benefitting the most
    • Sword guard talent nodes have had their stats squished down
      • Combined with the above, even though their stats have been reduced, their damage reduction, charge rates, and guard durations are now increased across the board
      • This allows origin traits and other sword perks more room to increase these stats and allow performance beyond their previous maximum
    • Sword guard talent nodes now visually affect the “charge rate” bar on the inspection screen when you hover over or select them, similar to other stat-affecting nodes
    • Sword movement speed while blocking has increased from a 0.75x multiplier to 0.85x multiplier
13. Reticle Changes
    • Replaced the perk active hipfire reticle element. The new one should work better at different field-of-view settings
    • Added a perk active indicator to Symmetry
    • Moved Grand Overture’s charge meter further down the screen to reduce instances of overlapping other reticle elements
14. Aggressive SMG: Corrected a longstanding visual bug that prevented the RPM stat from displaying correctly. It should now should the correct value of 720 RPM. (Note: They have always fired at 720 RPM)
15. Aggressive Sidearms: Reduced based from 32 to 30
16. BxR Battler: Increased Zoom back to 20
17. Wave Frame Heavy Grenade Launchers: The size and damage of self-damage AOE is now reduced. This should make it much safer to fire the projectile closer to your feet.

Exotic Weapon Changes

• Cloudstrike: Reduced the radius around the player that gets headshot from 5m to 3m.
• Le Monarque: PvP nerf
  • Reduced draw time from 684ms to 612ms
  • Reduced body shot damage from 100 to 85 (against players)
  • Increased critical hit multiplier from 1.5x to 1.6x (crit damage against players goes from 150 to 136)
  • Changed the poison DoT effect
    • Reduced poison DoT duration from 3 seconds to 1.75 seconds
    • Moved from 8 damage ticks to 6, but poison deals the same total damage to players
    • Poison damage increased in PvE by 50%
• The Lament: Now benefits from the increased guard damage reduction and duration from the sword changes while keeping its original charge rate and delay
• Monte Carlo: Added new buff called “Bayonet Locked” alongside the new Monte Carlo stabbing animation. Really high damage output melee
• Quicksilver Storm: Fixed an issue where ammo was loading into Quicksilver Storm slightly too late in the reload animation
• Two-Tailed Fox: Now fires a three-shot burst with the catalyst, instead of firing three rockets in a two-shot burst
• Verglas Curve
  • Whisper of Fissures detonations now generate Hail Barrage stacks if the Stasis crystal was created by this weapon
  • Shiver Quiver now activates when slowing enemies
  • Increased the slow stacks from 40 to 60 when hitting players directly with Hail Barrag arrows. This allows for a freeze if two Hail Barrage arrows hit the same player
• Vex Mythoclast
  • RPM reduced from 390 to 260 to match other high-impact Auto Rifles
  • Increased damage against red bars and yellow bars by 25%
• Tommy’s Matchbook: Updated Scorch value
  • Previously 14+7 (with the Ember of Ashed fragment equipped) now to 15+5
• Touch of Malice
  • Increased final round damage in PvE by 20%
  • Decreased the self-damage from the final round from 10 to 7
  • Final round damage can no longer kill the user (leaves the user with 1 HP)
  • Increased the health awarded by the Touch of Mercy perk from 30 to 75
  • Set up Touch of Mercy to work like Unrelenting
  • Ball of Darkness now appropriately deals Arc damage and will blind combatants and stun Unstoppable Champions
• Malfeasance: Fixed an issue where the Vorpal Weapon catalyst wasn’t displaying the status buff text
• Wicked Implement
  • The timing window for Creeping Attrition has been increased from 3.5 seconds to 4.5 seconds
  • You can now also activate Tithing Harvest by destroying Stasis crystals
  • The Wicked Implement Exotic catalyst now also includes the Headstone perk

Exotic Armor Changes

• Knucklehead Radar: The functionality of Foetracer Exotic helmet has been completely removed and added to Knucklehead Radar, on top of its existing benefits.
• Foetracer: When you deal damage with one of your abilities, you gain a damage bonus with weapons that have damage types matching your subclass damage type. When you defeat an enemy you’ve damaged with one of your abilities (either with another ability or with a weapon with a damage type matching your subclass type), you will spawn one of the collectible objects associated with your subclass, such as Ionic Traces or Firesprites.
• Lucky Raspberry: This exotic still expands the chaining capabilities of Arc Bolt grenades. But now instead of basing the grenade energy gains on those chains, each time you damage an enemy with the lighting strikes from the jolted – as well as each time you pick up an ionic trace – you gain additional grenade energy. It has also been given intrinsic Overload Champion stunning ability. No need to jolt them first.
• Renewal Grasps: Undone the previous nerf to Duskfield grenade cooldowns when using this Exotic
• Icefall Mantle, Doom Fang Pauldrons, Path of the Burning Steps, and Eternal Warrior: Added an escalating damage bonus to Arc and Solar weapons, respectively.
• ACD/0 Feedback Fence: Mechanical rework. Melee hits give you an Armor Charge, you take reduced melee damage while you have that Armor Charge. Takin melee damage causes to you to emit a burst of damaging Arc energy that jolts targets, consuming Armor Charge and dealing more damage based on the number of stacks consumed.
• Hallowfire Heart: Removed the base energy to Solar abilities and replaced it with a perk that will let you build more into Sunspots.
• Astrocyte Verse: When you blink, the enemies near you when you reappear will be volatile. Leaping away will allow you to trigger a series of explosions when you fire upon them. Also, when using the Nova Warp Super, the Dark Blink ability no longer consumes Super Energy.
• Geomag Stabilizers: Picking up an Ionic Trace while wearing this Exotic will grant Guardians additional Super energy.
• Wings of Sacred Dawn: This Exotic now automatically reloads Solar weapons from reserves each time you get a kill while aiming down sights.
• Winter’s Guile: Added a new perk for this one. Combatants encased by the Penumbral Blast melee will automatically shatter after a short delay.

Season 22 Gameplay Changes

• Towering Barricade: Base cooldown increased from 48 seconds to 70 seconds.
• All Barricades: Maximum health reduced from 600 to 500. Damage resistance vs PvE combatants increased to compensate.
• Thundercrash: Increased base cooldown time from 500 seconds to 556 seconds, matching the majority of our roaming Super roster.
• Knockout: Reduced damage bonus vs players from 50 to 30.
• Suspend
  • Reduced base Suspend duration vs non-Champion PvE combatants from 8 seconds to 5 seconds.
  • Thread of Continuity now extends this to 7 seconds, down from 12 seconds.
  • Reduced base Suspend duration vs Champion combatants from 8 seconds to 3 seconds.
  • Increased snap damage dealt to Suspended boss combatants by 67%.
• Thread of Mind
  • Reduced class energy gain, based on the tier of the defeated target.
    • Minor combatants reduced from 15% to 10%.
    • Major combatants reduced from 25% to 15%.
    • Bosses, Champions, and Minibosses reduced from 50% to 25%.
• Thread of Generation
  • Reduced the overall energy gain per damage instance against PvE enemies by about 20%.
  • Rebalanced the energy gain multiplier across primary weapon archetypes.
    • Overall, reduced the efficiency of fully automatic primary weapons and increased the efficiency of precision primary weapons to compensate.
• Threadlings: Increased Threadling damage vs PvE combatants by 30%.
• Tangles: Reduced Tangle creation cooldown time from 15 seconds to 12 seconds.
• Sever: PvE combatants affected by Sever now have their outgoing damage reduced by 40% vs 30%.
• Silkstrike
  • Increase Silkstrike damage resistance from 40% to 45%.
  • Reduced suppression time between Silkstrike super air attacks.
  • Reduced vertical lift provided by Silkstrike heavy air attack to reduce instances of missing the primary target.
• Threaded Specter
  • Increased Threaded Specter lifetime from 10 to 12 seconds.
  • Increased Threaded Specter health vs PvE combatants.
  • Threaded Specter now takes longer to detect nearby PvE combatants at the beginning of its lifetime.
  • PvE combatants now more consistently focus on Threaded Specter instead of the Hunter.
  • Allied players no longer have reticle magnetism toward Threaded Specter.
• The Wanderer
  • Destroying a Tangle now creates a delayed Suspending detonation.
  • Increased Suspend detonation radius from 6 to 7 meters against PvE combatants.
  • Increased thrown Wanderer Tangle detonation damage to match standard Tangle detonations.
• Grapple: Grapple melee always takes priority while active, regardless of whether or not a target is within range.
• Tread of Propagation: Now grants +10 Strength.
• Thread of Continuity: No longer grants +10 Strength.
• Thread of Wisdom: No longer requires a precision kill to activate.
• Thread of Isolation: Reduced the number of precision hits required to activate by an average of about 30%.
• Thread of Rebirth
  • The number of created Threadlings now increases based on the tier of the defeated target:
    • Minor combatants: 1
    • Elite combatants or players: 2
    • Boss, Champion, or miniboss combatants: 3

Season 22 Game Mode Changes

1. A new PvP game mode called “Checkmate” will be introduced in Season 22.
   • New take on PvP with modifications
   • TTK (Time to Kill) values shifted up & modified ability cooldowns
   • Checkmate TTK will be between 0.80s and 1.20s.
2. Reprived Raid at the start of the Season. No details announced yet. What is known is that the raid will go live on Friday, September 01, 2023.
3. A brand new PvP map set within the Vex Network
4. Addition of the Exotic Mission Rotator
   • Exotic missions such as Presage (Season 13), Vox Obscura (Season 16), and Operation: Seraph’s Shield (Season 19) are confirmed to be part of the rotator.
   • Dead Man’s Tale will be added to the loot pool for the Presage Exotic Mission. This is also where players can get red borders of DMT for crafting.

Season 22 System Changes

• Deploying a large set of improvements meant to improve the “self-healing” ability of Claims and reduce the odds of Bungie needing to bring Destiny 2 temporarily offline when an issue occurs.
• A host of changes to the Claims system.
• Deploying improvements that will help Bungie to make Destiny 2 even more robust in the future.
• Bungie may be adding an in-game cutscene archive for Season 22. But for sure, Guardians will have new ways to experience key in-game moments in Destiny’s history.