Sweeping changes to Destiny 2’s PvP cause one weapon type to soar in popularity

With last week’s Update 7.3.5, Destiny 2 underwent some of the largest reworks to the Crucible experience since Forsaken. It may not have drastically shaken up the meta as many imagined, but one type of weapon is seeing a renaissance: the auto rifle.

It isn’t the first time, either. Whether it was the era of 600 RPM dominance during Season of Arrivals or the rise of the Ammit AR2 after Season of the Witch launched, auto rifles have periodically ruled over PvP. Now, based on statistics from DestinyTracker and Trials Report, they’re once again on the rise. This is especially noticeable in Trials of Osiris, where auto rifles have accounted for 20 percent of the total kills this weekend compared to just 9.6 percent the week prior.

Unsurprisingly, the Ammit AR2 is leading the charge. It’s the most used primary weapon in Destiny 2‘s quickplay PvP and currently accounts for nearly four percent of all kills. The numbers swing even further in its favor if we look at competitive, where it’s responsible for 4.3 percent of the kills. Igneous Hammer, a hand cannon, is tailing close behind on the leaderboards, but the Ammit AR2 isn’t the only auto rifle putting up big numbers at the moment.

Prosecutor and The Summoner, both of which just got reissued on March 5, have also quickly climbed in the meta. It isn’t hard to imagine why considering the near perfect perk pools both weapons have been given, but the instantaneous rise to the throne speaks to the fact auto rifles in general are being favored heavily by players in the new update.

By comparison, bows and submachine guns have almost dropped away entirely, save for the presence of the newly released Adjudicator SMG from the Prophecy dungeon.

This can most likely be attributed to the simultaneous nerfs to Target Lock and the universal increases to player health in the Crucible. Submachine guns now have a much more narrow operational window, compared to before where they could function in much the same way as an auto rifle. Similarly, bows received a hit to their accuracy, which made a niche but impactful playstyle even harder to pull off consistently.

Still, this is only one week in to the changes. As time goes on, players are bound to discover what works and what doesn’t, and we could see new guns become the cream of the crop. For now though, if you want to ascend the ranks or pull off a successful Flawless run to the Lighthouse, it looks like your best bet is an auto rifle.