Destiny 2’s new PVP changes nerf Auto Rifles amid Crucible dominance

Destiny 2’s most recent PvP update sees Auto Rifles being nerfed after they began to dominate the mode thanks to the recent sandbox revamp.

Destiny 2 has announced nerfs to Auto Files in PvP due to a recent revamp that made them incredibly dominant. In the recent This Week in Destiny, the devs announced that Auto Rifles are “outperforming” the other weapon archetypes at mid-range. As such, the devs will be buffing several mid-range weapons while nerfing Auto Rifles.

According to Destiny PvP stat website DestinyTracker, four of the 10 top weapons in the Crucible are auto rifles. In particular, precision frame auto rifles like The Prosecutor have been outperforming weapons like The Summoner, which has perks specifically made for PvP.

As such, the devs will be nerfing damage for all Auto Rifles in an update 7.3.6 and increasing damage for Hand Cannons, Pulse Rifles, Scout Rifles, and Bows.

As announced in the TWID, precision auto rifles will have their base damage decreased by 5%. Conversely, Hand Cannons, Pulse Rifles, Scout Rifles, and Bows are having their base damage increased.

Alongside this, exotics Sunshot and The Last Word have also been buffed, with both hand cannons now able to kill in 3 critical hits.

Another change coming to PvP in update 7.3.6 will be a reduction in flinch. The recent sandbox relies much more on landing critical shots, which has resulted in more flinch than Bungie would like. Therefore the new patch will reduce flinch from primary fire by 15%.