Over the years Destiny 2 During their time as Guardians, players were accustomed to many different roles. He served Mara Sov as a member of her Queen’s Guard, served as Mithrax’s second-in-command as a Slayer Baron, and even became the Weapon of the Nine in Destiny 2: Edge of Fate. Now, with the launch of Destiny 2: Renegades on December 2, Guardians will take on a novel role as renegades adventuring among the criminal syndicates of the Lawless Frontier.
As the ancient saying goes, effective work requires the right tools. Thanks to Renegades, Guardians will be introduced to a novel set of weapons: Blasters (aka heat weapons). Inspired by the blasters made eminent in Star Wars movies, this novel weapon archetype proudly boasts its design influences while providing players with some novel benefits (and considerations) as they dive into battle against Dregen Bael’s Empire.
“Heat weapons are kind of in Bungie’s DNA, looking back to Covenant weapons from Halo CE all the way back to Reach,” said Destiny sandbox designer Mercules. “Even before we knew we would be working on a Star Wars-inspired expansion, we wanted to create a heat weapon. A few years ago, we were interested in implementing something inspired by the Halo heating system in Destiny 2, but we knew it would take a lot of effort, so we put the idea aside for a better time. And what better time than now?”
The sandbox team spent time discussing how this heating system could be updated to meet the state-of-the-art needs of Destiny 2. “A lot of emphasis was placed on making the weapon feel like it fit into the game’s existing sandbox. It was important to us that the heat weapon looked, felt, and performed differently while still blending into the gameplay of Destiny 2.”
First of all, heat weapons fire ammunition directly from reserves. This means there is no need to reload the magazine; instead, the reload mechanic controls the weapon’s ventilation, allowing the player to dissipate some of the weapon’s heat. (Note that players may run out of ammo for heat weapons that operate special or weighty ammo). Heat weapons operate several heat-focused statistics, including cooling efficiency (the time it takes for the weapon to frigid down after firing), ventilation rate (how quickly heat dissipates when ventilating), and heat generated (how much heat is generated when firing). Benefits such as heatsinks and the novel Masterpiece option, as well as modifications unlocked at higher equipment levels, will impact how it reacts and performs under fire.
There are also three novel heat-related bonuses, as well as two origin bonuses that interact with heat. One of the novel perks makes you deal more damage when in a high heat state (and defeated enemies in that state explode), and another dramatically reduces your heat when you pick up Orbs or elemental baubles.
The team wanted to create several types of heat weapons, each with its own niche. Primary weapons with ammunition deal more damage to powerful fighters by default in PVE. One subfamily, balanced heat weapons, specializes in continuous fire. “With some build skills, you can do crazy things like fire almost 100 rounds out of an automatic rifle before it overheats,” Mercules said. Dynamic heat weapons focus on dealing a lot of damage very quickly. As Mercules explains, “Because they cool down quickly, they can be carried in a backpack and used effectively during weapon juggling rotations.”
Each novel Renegades heat weapon has a unique look and everyone clearly carries it Star Wars influence on their metaphorical cover. From the Uncivil Discourse hand cannon to the refurbished A499 sniper rifle, fans have plenty to play with, just like the Bungie team did during development of the game.
“For me personally, working on this weapon and Renegades as a whole has literally been a dream come true,” Mercules said. “When I was a kid, I had two dreams: one was to work at Bungie (the makers 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 think I would be doing both at the same time!”
Whether you’re traveling through the underground syndicates of Tharsis Outpost, wielding powerful heat weapons in the novel Lawless Frontier activity, or preparing to forge your own Praxic Blade, adventure awaits when Destiny 2: Renegades launches on December 2.
