Arbalest, Gjallarhorn, and other popular Exotics set for nerfs in Destiny 2’s season 19

Some of Destiny 2’s most popular Exotic weapons will go under the knife before season 19—and come out on the other side just a bit weaker.

Divinity, Arbalest, Witherhoard, and Gjallarhorn will all receive some form of nerf when the next season of Destiny 2 lands on Dec. 6, according to today’s This Week at Bungie blog post. The first three are the undisputed kings in raid usage, based on data from Bungie, and Gjallarhorn isn’t too far behind. The cluster of changes is a part of a larger-scale pass on Exotic balance, which will also tune some underused Exotics and change a myriad of perks.

Arbalest is the most popular weapon in numbers, as reported by Bungie, with over 25 percent usage in raids. The linear fusion rifle has also been causing trouble in the Crucible thanks to how relatively easy it was to down a guardian with one body shot using Arbalest and the right buffs. The weapon also didn’t require enough precision in PvE, Bungie said. Because of this, Bungie is nerfing Arbalest’s body shot damage across the board, bringing it in line with Lorentz Driver, the other Special Exotic linear fusion rifle.

Witherhoard is also seeing a nerf. The weapon is “extremely strong in both PvE and PvP,” according to Bungie, though the developers will largely keep its damage and ammo capacity the same. Instead, Witherhoard’s blight duration will drop to 4.5 seconds (down from 7.5). It’s a drastic change for a weapon that excels at area denial, though its direct hit potential and damage will continue to make this a coveted gun.

Gjallarhorn, one of the most iconic launchers in the Destiny franchise, will come out considerably weaker starting on Dec. 6. It’s both “the highest DPS Rocket Launcher and a great support weapon for Legendary Rocket Launchers,” according to Bungie, so the team decided to focus on the second aspect. The damage from the primary shot will drop by 25 percent, though the Wolfpack Rounds will be unaffected. This should bring it more in line with Legendary rocket launchers.

Lastly, the highly controversial Divinity nerf was announced earlier this season. Divinity is nearly ubiquitous in raids since it creates a crit spot and makes the target take an extra 30 percent damage. It also only takes one Divinity user per party, so though it may be less used than Arbalest in raw numbers, it’s certainly one of the most famous guns and an almost mandatory raid weapon. Though Bungie looked at several paths to nerfing Divinity, the team “ultimately felt that its identity is all about making damage phases more enjoyable.”

With the release of season 19, Divinity’s Weaken effect will drop to 15 percent. This means other debuff sources such as Deadfall and Tractor Cannon will override its weakening effect, applying the full 30 percent increase in damage taken. The Divinity nerf was particularly contentious when it was announced, mostly due to how easy the weapon was to use (though far less easy to acquire).

The nerfs to some of the Four Horsemen of Destiny 2 weapon usage will launch alongside season 19 on Dec. 6, which will also tweak a host of other Exotics—including some underperforming weapons.