Destiny 2’s The Palindrome is coming back with one major, divisive change

Destiny 2 fans have been calling for the Palindrome to come back, and Bungie is finally delivering it—with one caveat. The weapon will come with the Arc element instead of Void, the developer said today.

While the Palindrome’s return was anticipated in a not-so-cryptic teaser, the studio officially confirmed it in today’s This Week in Destiny blog post. Bungie also shared the new element and a list of perks the weapon can roll with when it comes back as a Nightfall weapon alongside the next Episode, Heresy, in February.

The third column can bring PvE staples Outlaw and Explosive Payload alongside the more PvP-centric Closing Time, Elemental Capacitor, and To the Pain. One perk is still unannounced, which will be a new addition in the next Episode.

For the fourth column, expect to see some classics that (re)surfaced in Into the Light. Magnificent Howl, Master of Arms, and Desperate Measures are on tap, with Crucible players maybe opting for either Snapshot Sights or Opening Shot. Another perk in this column hasn’t been revealed, leaving some room for imagination.

Based on this list, the Palindrome doesn’t seem to have either Jolting Feedback or Voltshot, the best Arc-aligned perks in the current sandbox, but it has access to two damage-based perks at the same time if using Explosive Payload. It’s unclear what the two redacted perks will do, but since Heresy has a renewed focus on Arc, players might see something related to the lightning-based element in those two slots.

Players may already have two well-rounded Adaptive Frame hand cannons in Arc flavor: Nation of Beasts was made craftable with the Last Wish reissue in 2023’s Season of the Deep, while Waking Vigil got a new perk pool with Season of the Wish later that year. Still, The Palindrome can make these two weapons obsolete thanks to the stellar options it brings.

Moving the Palindrome to Arc is a big departure from its old Void element, but it’s hardly the first time Bungie has changed a weapon’s energy type. With the Garden of Salvation reissue this episode, Bungie also switched the element of the raid’s Adaptive Frame hand cannon, Ancient Gospel—which used to be Solar, but returned as Void.

In Heresy, the developer is also reissuing the Trials of Osiris-exclusive Exalted Truth, potentially providing another option for the slot. Trials is hardly accessible, though: As a pinnacle PvP mode, it’s renowned for a cutthroat, unbalanced, and sometimes painful experience. The mode has been subject to a myriad of balancing changes—with another set coming in Heresy—but it’s still a largely unwelcoming environment.

The Palindrome is bound to maintain its good stat package, and its overhauled perk pool is nothing to scoff at. Still, the change from Arc to Void is potentially divisive enough. Keeping it Void would let players get a top-class hand cannon without going into Trials and hearken back to the original, while the developer could always make another Arc hand cannon.

Though the element shift is bound to be a friction point within the Destiny 2 community, the verdict won’t come out before the Palindrome releases in full in Heresy. The new episode kicks off on Feb. 4, but it’ll take some time before the Palindrome is available in the rotating Nightfall weapon pool.