Another slow week for in-game for Destiny 2 players, though that could change in a few days when the anticipated seasonal epilogue event could arrive at reset. However, Bungie has continued to reveal new information regarding season 15, something it has continued to do in its weekly updates for the past month or so. While the studio previously revealed new features like Crossplay as well as sandbox changes, this week's post was all about changes coming to subclass abilities.
The lengthy blog post revealed that nearly every subclass in Destiny 2 is getting updated in some way, with some getting substantial changes. Top tree Dawnblade, Spectral Blade Hunters, and the Shadebinder Warlock are getting nerfed, with the former getting major reworks. However, most of the game's melee or close range supers are getting buffed in order to contend with dominant ranged supers, with many less popular skill trees getting buffed to make them more appealing.
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While Season 15 is shaping up to be a big one for players, for now, the weekend has arrived highlighted by the exotic merchant Xur making his return to Destiny 2 over the next few days. Follow this guide for his most current weekend location, news on his exotic cypher quest, as well as a review of all the exotic gear he's brought for the weekend of August 6, 2021.
This weekend, players can find Xur on Nessus, hanging out on his usual massive tree branch.
From the Director, head to Nessus and load into Watcher's Grave. Run towards the back of the zone where a massive tree is found. Jump up until players find the huge branch where the merchant is hanging out.
While Xur's role is essentially the same as it was prior to the Beyond Light expansion, the exotic merchant also has weekly quests that players can acquire to unlock an exotic cypher. Not only are these required to purchase a second fated engram, but they're necessary to acquire legacy exotic gear from the Tower kiosk. Players can earn a new cypher by completing strikes and winning crucible or gambit matches. Gain bonus points for playing with clanmates or finishing more challenging activities.
Other than that, here are Xur's three gear pieces this weekend:
Eye of Another World – Warlock helm
Recently on sale back in June, Warlocks get another crack at Eye of Another World. The Cerebral Uplink perk which highlights priority targets while also improving the regeneration speed of the grenade, melee, and Rift abilities.
Overall, it's a decent option for PvE or PvP. When using mods that target regeneration rates, this exotic can help players get their abilities much faster than normal. It's not a must have item, but it can be a decent choice. It's worth noting that this item doesn't actually provide wall hacks like the Nightstalker Hunter gets, only visible enemy targets are highlighted in red. Unfortunately, the recovery is pretty low, but overall, it's still better than the basic collections roll.
Void Enhanced. Stat Values:
- Mobility +18
- Resilience +12
- Recovery +4
- Discipline +9
- Intellect +12
- Strength +7
Ophidia Spathe – Hunter chest armor
Not much has changed in the month when this armor was last on sale. Ophidia Spathe comes with Scissor Fingers, which grants Hunters two throwing knives instead of the typical one.
For those who enjoy rolling the Gunslinger subclass, the Ophidia Spathe synergizes particularly well with the Way of a Thousand Cuts and Gambler's Dodge. It essentially allows the player to nearly continuously throw knives. This week's edition is also high in strength for those looking to create a build with that value. Either way, this is a solid, if unspectacular exotic for Hunters this week. The roll isn't much better, coming in as the lowest of the three armor pieces on offer this week.
Solar Enhanced. Stat Values:
- Mobility +9
- Resilience +2
- Recovery +21
- Discipline +12
- Intellect +2
- Strength +14
Severance Enclosure – Titan chest armor
The final piece of armor this week is the Severance Enclosure for Titans. It comes with an exotic perk called Spheromatik Trigger which unleashes a damaging explosion after an Arc, Solar, or Void melee final blow. Finishers and final blows against more powerful enemies increase the radius and damage of the explosion.
While it may not be the best Titan exotic, it's no doubt a fun one to play around with. Similar to the Warlock's Felwinter's Helm exotic, many of the seasonal mods and Warmind Cells can result in room clearing damage when paired with this gear. Ultimately, it's not a required purchase by any means, though it's worth a look for those who want to mess around and have a bit of fun.
Arc Enhanced. Stat Values:
- Mobility +9
- Resilience +7
- Recovery +16
- Discipline +14
- Intellect +14
- Strength +2
Nearly half a year later, the Cabal-centric scout rifle is back in stock. The classic Destiny 2 exotic comes with its perk Slug Rifle which alters the firing rate of the weapon. Skyburner's Oath lobs explosive rounds that get stronger and faster when aiming down the sights. So instead of lobbing shots that track when hip firing, aiming down the sights actually turns the fired rounds into a faster, straighter, and more damaging explosive bullet. It also does more damage to Cabal enemies and rips through Phalanx Shields.
Ultimately, it can be a fun weapon to mess around with when fighting Cabal enemies, but it's not a weapon that is anywhere near the top of the meta and can be safely avoided. In addition, this weapon is also easily outclassed by other Scout Rifles in the game. For those players who don't yet have it, it is worth picking up to check the item off of the collections, so using the Exotic Engram won't pull it in favor of something that the player doesn't yet have.
Additional perks:
- Extended Barrel
- Extended Mag
- Short Action Stock
Here's the complete rundown of Xur's entire stock in Destiny 2 for August 6, 2021:
- Eye of Another World (Warlock helm) – 23 Legendary Shards
- Ophidia Spathe (Hunter chest armor) – 23 Legendary Shards
- Severance Enclosure (Titan chest armor) – 23 Legendary Shards
- Skyburner's Oath (Scout Rifle) – 29 Legendary Shards
- Exotic Engram – 97 Legendary Shards/1 Exotic Cypher
- A Question – Exotic Cypher Quest
Destiny 2: Beyond Light is now available PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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