Bungie overhauling Destiny 2 armor in Frontiers with new stats, set bonuses, more

Admitting armor has been an “unexciting reward” for years now, Bungie is set to completely overhaul the reward in Destiny 2 with the release of the next major expansion, currently codenamed Frontiers.

With The Final Shape came the end of the Light and Darkness saga, closing the chapter on Bungie’s first big storyline in the universe. What comes next is still a little mysterious, but we know Frontiers is the codename for the next big arc set to come into focus next year.

Exactly what it looks like is anyone’s guess for now, but developers are starting to let Guardians in on a few tidbits before we get there. Namely, we now know for certain armor will be completely overhauled when the new era arrives.

As unveiled in an extensive October 1, 2024 blog post, devs are entirely changing how armor functions to not only improve the reward path but incentivize unique builds too. Here’s the full rundown on what’s changing.

What’s changing with Destiny 2 armor?

First up, it’s crucial to note the changes will be gradual over “the year ahead,” as Bungie outlined. Rather than all the adjustments coming in one fell swoop, it will be more of a process as Frontiers draws closer.

Topping the bill, armor stats are being reworked from the ground up to “be more impactful, less confusing, and less constraining.” Delving into specifics, we know stat effects will no longer be tiered at every 10-point interval. Instead, every single point allocated to a stat will provide a meaningful benefit.

As Bungie explained, the idea is to weight stats differently, with certain armor providing ‘spikes’ to certain stats rather than many pieces of gear falling in the middle, spreading stats around, and not providing any drastic gameplay differences.

“The result will be a smaller number of unique stats on any piece of armor, with larger contributions to these stats, and every stat point providing a benefit. These changes should ultimately make every piece of armor more interesting and easier to evaluate.”

Next, stats themselves will be changing, including overhauls to Discipline, Strength, and Special Ammo, with more on the way. How these specific bonuses function is being assesed as Bungie looks to make it all more impactful.

Last but not least, proper set bonuses are finally in the works. While veteran Guardians have certainly seem some set bonuses in the past, especially with the odd raid set over the years, this feature is now being expanded across the board.

Guardians will be able to access exclusive perks when equipped two or four pieces of armor from the same set. This means you can go all-in on one particular playstyle, or mix and match from two different sets to get two different bonuses.

The idea is for each set to “represent the theme of the armor,” meaning PVP armor will more than likely provide bonuses to help in the Crucible, for instance.

As these changes roll out, we know existing Legendary armor will “be changed as little as possible.” The same goes for most Exotics too, at least in the initial overhaul. However, Bungie has assured there will be a method to help players update some beloved bits of armor to bring their stats in line with all the new changes.

There’s currently no clear release window for Frontiers, so it’s a waiting game to see when all these armor tweaks will be finalized, as well as what new content we’ll be diving into. Rest assured, we’ll keep you updated with all the latest as we get closer to launch.