During yesterday’s Destiny 2: Into the Light live stream Bungie revealed the 12 weapons that make up the Brave Arsenal.
Destiny 2: Into the Light Brave Arsenal Overview
G’day folks, Chris Proctor and the Weapons Team here with the details on the Destiny 2: Into the Light weapons set.
In Destiny 2: Into the Light, we wanted to ship new versions of as many of the most iconic weapons from all over Destiny’s history as we could, including a couple of original Destiny throwbacks, with updated art as well as rebuilt or brand-new perks. Many of the original versions can no longer be acquired, while others can only be obtained from endgame activities.
We’ve pulled these weapons from many sources, including raids, pinnacle weapons, Black Armory and… one epic meme. Then we carefully weighed impact of rebuilding certain weapons against others before deciding on these to represent different eras of the game and a variety of weapon archetypes.
The selection we ended up with is twelve iconic weapons remembered with a smile by many players. Many of these have random rolls for the very first time, while others have updated perk pools. Our goal was to make them feel like they used to, and many retain their original stat packages, but others have been updated to achieve that feel in the current weapon sandbox. But let us be clear, only the Destiny 2: Into the Light versions of these weapons have updated perk pools, even compared to the weapons that are currently obtainable in the game.
Each weapon comes with a brand-new Origin Trait, Indominability, and many of them can roll with a new right-column trait, Desperate Measures. We also made sure all of these BRAVE Arsenal weapons were updated to our current art quality bar, and they have a consistent visual theme across the whole set.
Bungie Dev Insight
While there are some criticism of some of the choices, like Forbearance and Succession are both currently craftable, there are some welcome returns. These include confirmation Recluse and Mountaintop have finally returned. There is also criticism for the “limited-edition” variants going away with The Final Shape, though we will need to see what that ends up looking like.
BEHOLD, BRAVE ARSENAL
Here are the twelve weapons that we’ve brought back:
FORBEARANCE – THE WITCH QUEEN, SEASON OF THE RISEN
This Wave Frame Grenade Launcher has been a staple in PvE since it shipped, with the potent combination of Ambitious Assassin and Chain Reaction. (It was only the second Special ammo weapon to include this strong add-clear perk). This is from the Vow of the Disciple raid, so normally it requires ownership of The Witch Queen and an active raid group to get it. But we want all players to experience this so-strong-it-could-be-an-Exotic weapon and get a taste of endgame artillery. We also took this opportunity to update its perk pool to include Disruption Break, Demolitionist, and more.
- Third Column: Unrelenting, Stats for All, Demolitionist, Ambitious Assassin, Surplus, Steady Hands, and Disruption Break.
- Fourth Column: Wellspring, Golden Tricorn, One for All, Bait and Switch, Chain Reaction, Rampage, and Desperate Measures.
SUCCESSION – BEYOND LIGHT, SEASON OF THE HUNT
With its combination of Reconstruction and Vorpal Weapon, this Sniper Rifle doesn’t have to be manually reloaded, hits very hard, and sees a lot of usage in long-range raid and Nightfall encounters. It lured players into the Deep Stone Crypt raid when Beyond Light launched and again when the weapon set was reprised more recently. As with Forbearance, while acquiring this from the Deep Stone Crypt raid requires ownership of Beyond Light, this version is available to all players.
- Third Column: Moving Target, No Distractions, Lead from Gold, Reconstruction, Firmly Planted, Demolitionist, and Discord.
- Fourth Column: Snapshot Sights, Redirection, Recombination, Vorpal Weapon, Focused Fury, Firing Line, and Box Breathing.
FALLING GUILLOTINE – SHADOWKEEP, SEASON OF ARRIVALS
The first Legendary Vortex Frame Sword, Falling Guillotine is descended from the Dark Drinker Sword from the original Destiny. It immediately jumped to the top of the Sword meta when it shipped and is still relevant now, making it one of the most persistently popular Legendary weapons in Destiny 2.
Now Falling Guillotine is back with an updated perk pool and some spicy combos, including Repulsor Brace + Destabilizing Rounds, and Chain Reaction + Surrounded, and long-time favorite Relentless Strikes + Whirlwind Blade.
- Third Column: Vorpal Weapon, Relentless Strikes, Repulsor Brace, Frenzy, Attrition Orbs, Chain Reaction, and Duelist’s Trance.
- Fourth Column: Surrounded, Whirlwind Blade, Destabilizing Rounds, Eager Edge, Bait and Switch, Sword Logic, and Desperate Measures.
THE RECLUSE – FORSAKEN, SEASON OF THE DRIFTER
This weapon shipped as a pinnacle Crucible reward, instantly became mandatory in PvE and ruling PvP with an iron fist. Now it’s back with random rolls, including the iconic Master of Arms perk. (“Kills with any weapon improve this weapon’s damage for a short time.”) We’ve tweaked this perk to be more balanced than the previous version, but The Recluse remains an extremely potent option in PvP and PvE.
- Third Column: Feeding Frenzy, Enlightened Action, Subsistence, Threat Detector, Repulsor Brace, Hip-Fire Grip, and Dynamic Sway Reduction.
- Fourth Column: Master of Arms, Target Lock, Frenzy, Destabilizing Rounds, Surrounded, Tap the Trigger, and Desperate Measures.
THE MOUNTAINTOP – FORSAKEN, SEASON OF THE FORGE
Another pinnacle PvP weapon that was the backbone of raid teams for more than a year, The Mountaintop had massive damage output in PvE and PvP. We’ve turned its Micro-Missile perk into a new Breech Grenade Launcher intrinsic perk, so it retains that functionality, but has two traits on top of that.
We didn’t want a return to the days of The Mountaintop PvP meta, so we opted to rebuild Micro-Missile. It retains its PvE strength, but with decreased self-damage and a massively increased physics impulse, hilarity ensues.
- Third Column: Ambitious Assassin, Impulse Amplifier, Demolitionist, Lead from Gold, Slickdraw, Auto-Loading Holster, and Overflow.
- Fourth Column: Rampage, Vorpal Weapon, Adrenaline Junkie, One for All, Harmony, Recombination, and Frenzy.
HAMMERHEAD – FORSAKEN, SEASON OF THE FORGE
The first Legendary Machine Gun introduced into Destiny 2 is overdue for a return. Hammerhead is still considered one of the best of its kind, and it’s coming back with top-tier perks and that iconic Black Armory style. The new perk combinations of Rampage + Killing Tally and Rampage + Desperate Measures are particularly spicy for PvE.
- Third Column: Feeding Frenzy, Destabilizing Rounds, Envious Assassin, Rampage, Fourth Time’s the Charm, Rewind Rounds, and Under-Over.
- Fourth Column: Surrounded, High-Impact Reserves, Target Lock, Onslaught, Killing Tally, Desperate Measures, and Tap the Trigger.
BLAST FURNACE – FORSAKEN, SEASON OF THE FORGE
Not the first but certainly the most beloved Aggressive Burst (a.k.a. 4-burst) Pulse Rifle, Blast Furnace now comes equipped with the Rasmussen ISA scope by default and rolls barrels instead of scopes in that first column. It was a powerhouse when it arrived and is once again, with the advantage of some top-tier new perks, including the potent combination of Kinetic Tremors + Firefly for PvE and Zen Moment + Rapid Hit for a perfectly stable PvP roll.
- Third Column: Zen Moment, Snapshot, Shoot to Loot, Keep Away, Perpetual Motion, Kinetic Tremors, and Headseeker.
- Fourth Column: Kill Clip, Firefly, One for All, Frenzy, Rampage, Rapid Hit, and Desperate Measures.
EDGE TRANSIT – FORSAKEN, SEASON OF THE OUTLAW
This Heavy Grenade Launcher is a longtime fan favorite and the most often requested weapon to reprise in this list by far… Ok, not really, but the ridiculous drop rate in early Forsaken was such a persistent meme that we couldn’t resist including it and turning it into one of the strongest Grenade Launchers in the entire game, with the greatest hits of Grenade Launcher damage perks and one particularly spicy option of Cascade Point in the Third Column.
With Chain Reaction getting buffed on Drum Grenade Launchers in The Final Shape, the Chain Reaction + Destabilizing Rounds combo provides some of the most potent add clear in the game, and Cascade Point + Bait and Switch is particularly synergistic for single-target damage. This weapon is also why we pulled the Heavy Grenade Launcher buff from The Final Shape into the 7.3.5 update.
- Third Column: Chain Reaction, Cascade Point, Impulse Amplifier, Field Prep, Autoloading Holster, Envious Assassin, and Repulsor Brace.
- Fourth Column: Frenzy, Destabilizing Rounds, Deconstruct, Adrenaline Junkie, Bait and Switch, Full Court, and Explosive Light.
LUNA’S HOWL – FORSAKEN, SEASON OF THE OUTLAW
Of all weapon types we wanted to include, selecting a limited number of Hand Cannons was by far the hardest. We probably could have filled the entire list with often-requested Hand Cannons. We have not forgotten them, but there are a couple that stand out both for nostalgia and dominance, one of which is Luna’s Howl.
Originally this was a Precision Frame 180 RPM Hand Cannon, and the Magnificent Howl perk would let you two-tap on follow-up kills in PvP, driving massive amounts of players to engage with Competitive PvP when it launched as a pinnacle weapon. The blisteringly fast Time To Kill (TTK) was a bit over the top for the amount of effort the weapon required, so we reduced its rate of fire and redesigned the perk to have a higher reward for more effort than the original.
For this iteration, we’ve kept it as a Precision Frame, 140-RPM Hand Cannon,and redesigned the Magnificent Howl perk. (“The number of precision final blows before reloading affects the total rounds granted with increased range and damage. Precision final blows with Magnificent Howl active extend the effect for additional rounds.”) This will allow for those two-taps, but with more effort required, and the Precision Frame will still make it very easy to control.
- Third Column: Eye of the Storm, Subsistence, Discord, Encore, Slideshot, Enlightened Action, and Heal Clip.
- Fourth Column: Magnificent Howl, Kill Clip, Incandescent, Desperate Measures, Opening Shot, Precision Instrument, and Harmony.
(Note: it didn’t make sense to ship Not Forgotten in this release, but we’re on the lookout for a good opportunity to bring it back, too.)
MIDNIGHT COUP – DESTINY 2 YEAR 1
This Hand Cannon dominated PvP and PvE in Year 1, mostly because raid weapons were the only ones with two-trait columns back then, plus it had amazing stats. These have fallen behind a little bit, so we’ve updated them at the same time we have given it a brand-new perk pool. It still includes the original combo of Outlaw + Rampage but keep an eye out for Firefly + Kinetic Tremors for PvE and Moving Target + Zen Moment for a PvP consistency roll.
- Third Column: Outlaw, Firefly, Shoot to Loot, Explosive Payload, Moving Target, Attrition Orbs, and Enlightened Action.
- Fourth Column: Rampage, Kinetic Tremors, Zen Moment, One for All, Frenzy, Opening Shot, and Desperate Measures.
HUNG JURY SR4 – THE TAKEN KING
Hung Jury SR4 was at one time one of the most requested weapons to bring forward from the original Destiny, and we did in Destiny 2’s Season of the Splicer. But it was only right to include it again here, given its legacy.
- Third Column: Rewind Rounds, Enlightened Action, Kinetic Tremors, Rapid Hit, Shoot to Loot, No Distractions, and Loose Change.
- Fourth Column: One for All, Cascade Point, Box Breathing, Firefly, Precision Instrument, Desperate Measures, and Explosive Payload.
ELSIE’S RIFLE – ORIGINAL DESTINY
Known as The Stranger’s Rifle when it originally shipped, this Pulse Rifle is familiar to any Guardian who played through the original Destiny campaign, and it’s the oldest weapon on this list. Now it returns as a Void weapon, with top-tier PvE and PvP perks.
- Third Column: Feeding Frenzy, Zen Moment, Repulsor Brace, Loose Change, Keep Away, Under-Over, and Rewind Rounds.
- Fourth Column: Adrenaline Junkie, Frenzy, Destabilizing Rounds, Kill Clip, Desperado, Desperate Measures, and Headseeker.
And that’s all of them! Half of these will be available starting April 9, including The Recluse, Hung Jury SR4, Succession, Edge Transit, Elsie’s Rifle and Falling Guillotine. The remainder will unlock one at a time each week through the week of May 21. The BRAVE Arsenal weapons will continue to drop from Onslaught after The Final Shape, but the limited-edition variants won’t be available after June 3, so go get them while you can!
Bungie Dev Insight
Finally, next week will have the last developer insight for Destiny 2: Into the Light. What we know is at least one exotic mission will return, with a lot of players thinking it’s Whisper of the Worm. This makes sense as a new ornament is Silver only this season, one can be seen in the background of the dev stream, the current ornament is a nightmare to unlock, and it’s an iconic weapon that could use a bit of help.
This doesn’t mean it’s the only mission, some people noted bungie said missions, though for now I would keep expectations on the lower side.
