Destiny 2 SMGs Aren’t Getting Nerfed, But Other Weapons Are Getting Buffed Soon

A mid-season patch is coming soon to Destiny 2, and while it has been rumored that submachine guns will have less of an impact in PvE after the update goes live, Bungie says that the weapon archetype isn’t being nerfed. Instead, the developer is looking to buff other weapon classes in the patch and will adjust some SMGs with “PvP-focused” changes.

“We’ve got a balance pass coming for primary weapons in PvE in the mid-season patch,” Bungie tweeted. “That doesn’t include nerfing SMGs, which is something we’re seeing a lot of talk about. Just to clarify some of the comments: We are not nerfing SMGs in PvE to bring them into parity with other weapons, we are buffing other weapons. We will be addressing Ikelos and Tarrabah separately with PvP-focused changes.”

Once the Lightfall expansion went live, a number of tweaks were made to the Destiny 2 weapons pool. Machine guns and heavy grenade launchers were buffed, linear fusion rifles were nerfed, and several Exotics received new perks to help tie their identities further into the reworked 3.0 Solar, Void, and Arc subclasses. Back in October during Season of Plunder, SMGs were tweaked with a number of subtle changes to damage fall-off range, increased base damage for precision frame SMGs, and reduced base damage for lightweight-frame SMGs.

While it’s an exciting time in Destiny 2 thanks to the arrival of the Strand subclass in Lightfall and weekly missions during Season of Defiance, now is also a somber time for the sci-fi sandbox. Actor Lance Reddick, the beloved voice of Commander Zavala since the start of Destiny, suddenly passed away last week. Destiny 2 players are mourning his loss by paying tribute to the Vanguard leader in the Tower.