Over the years, Destiny 2 players have been accustomed to many different roles in their time as Guardians. Serving Mara Sov as a member of her Queens Guard, acting as Mithrax’s second-in-command as a Slayer Baron, and even becoming a Weapon of the Nine in Destiny 2: The Edge of Fate. Now, with Destiny 2: Renegades set to launch on December 2, the Guardian will find themselves taking on a new role, as a Renegade finding adventure among the crime syndicates of the Lawless Frontier.
As the old saying goes, a successful job requires the right tools. With Renegades, Guardians will dip into a new set of weapons: Blasters (aka heat weapons). Inspired by the blasters made famous in the Star Wars films, this new weapon archetype wears its design influences proudly while also providing players with some new advantages (and considerations) when diving into battle against Dredgen Bael’s Imperium.
“Heat weapons are kind of in the DNA of Bungie, looking back at the Covenant weapons from Halo CE all the way through Reach,” said Destiny sandbox designer Mercules. “Even before we knew we’d be working on a Star Wars-inspired expansion, we had been wanting to do heat weapons. A couple years back, we were interested in implementing something inspired by Halo’s heat system into Destiny 2, but knew it was going to take quite a bit of effort to get it working, so we kind of filed the idea away for a better time. And what better time than now?”
The sandbox team spent time discussing how that heat system could be updated for the modern needs of Destiny 2. “There was a big focus on making the weapons feel like they fit into the game’s existing sandbox. It was important to us that the heat weapons would look, feel, and perform differently, while still merging into Destiny 2’s gameplay.”
First and foremost, heat weapons fire ammo directly from reserves. This means there is no reloading of a magazine; instead, the reload mechanic controls the weapon’s venting, allowing the player to dissipate some of the weapon’s heat. (Note that players can run out of ammo for heat weapons that use Special or Heavy ammo). Heat weapons use several heat-centric stats, including cooling efficiency (how long it takes for the weapon to cool down after being fired), vent speed (how quickly heat dissipates while venting), and heat generated (how much heat is created during firing). Perks like heatsinks and a new masterwork option, as well as mods unlocked at higher Gear Tier, will all affect how it reacts and performs under fire.
There are also a trio of new heat-specific perks, as well as a pair of origin perks that interact with heat. One of the new perks makes you deal more damage when in a high heat state (and enemies defeated while in that state explode) and another dramatically reduces your heat when you pick up Orbs or elemental baubles.
The team wanted to make several types of heat weapons, each with their own niche. Primary ammo heat weapons, by default, deal more damage to powerful PVE combatants. One sub-family, Balanced Heat Weapons, excel at laying down sustained fire. “With some build crafting you can do crazy things like firing nearly 100 rounds from an Auto Rifle before overheating,” Mercules said. The Dynamic Heat Weapons are focused on putting out a lot of damage very quickly. As Mercules explains, “Since they natively cool down fast, you can backpack them and use them effectively in weapon-juggling rotations.”
Each of Renegades’ new heat weapons features a unique visual design, and they all clearly wear their Star Wars influence on their metaphorical sleeve. From the Uncivil Discourse Hand Cannon to the Refurbished A499 Sniper Rifle, there is plenty for fans to geek out about, just like the Bungie team did during development.
“For me personally working on these weapons and Renegades as a whole has literally been a dream come true,” said Mercules. “When I was a kid, I had two dreams: One was to work at Bungie (maker of my favorite game, Halo), and the other was to work on Star Wars (my favorite fictional universe). Never in my wildest dreams did I get to think I’d do both at the same time!”
Whether navigating the underground syndicates of Tharsis Outpost, wielding powerful heat weapons in the new Lawless Frontier activity, or preparing to forge their own Praxic Blade, adventure awaits when Destiny 2: Renegades launches on December 2.