Destiny 2’s Most Used Weapon Has Created a Huge Problem for Bungie

After the tepid response to Edge of Fate and the general dislike of Ash and Iron, Destiny 2 needed Renegades to be a hit. There have been plenty of moments where Destiny 2 felt like it was in a bit of a funk, and if the upcoming expansion didn’t land, things would feel dire, but this time was a little different. Player sentiment had been waning for a while, key changes made during Edge of Fate were disliked, and many of them were completely reverted, and the lack of communication had the community concerned.

With all that in mind, it makes sense that Bungie put a lot of extra love and attention into Destiny 2: Renegades. The Star Wars-inspired expansion pulled out all the stops when it came to production value and activities, but most of all, Bungie brought a lot of fun new toys to the table in the form of heat weapons. Even then, nothing could hold a candle to the Praxic Blade, Destiny 2’s version of a lightsaber.

The Praxic Blade Might Be Destiny 2’s Strongest Weapon Ever

When I first previewed Destiny 2’s Renegades expansion at Bungie’s HQ, I knew that the Praxic Blade was going to be special. But it wasn’t until the expansion was officially released and players began to buildcraft that the lightsaber’s power truly became apparent. This is easily one of Destiny 2’s most potent weapons and it’s downright fun to use.

Via Bungie

One has to assume that Bungie put a lot of attention into the Praxic Blade, making sure it was not just viable but strong. This season’s artifact, for example, has quite a few mods that make the Praxic Blade even stronger, from Argent Blade to Sword Storm Combo. Not to mention, the new Equilibrium Dungeon has two boss encounters that are set up perfectly for taking a beating from some laser swords.

Bungie knew what it was doing with the Praxic Blade. They needed the weapon to be strong in order to ensure Renegades wasn’t a disappointment. You can’t have a Star Wars expansion that gives players a lightsaber and it not take a stranglehold on your primary weapon slot.

The Praxic Blade is a success. It’s the most used weapon in Destiny 2 by a wide margin and you can’t go into any activity, from the new Lawless Frontier to the Arena Ops playlist, without seeing at least one fireteam member using it. As a Titan main, I have to force myself not to use the Praxic Blade because it’s so strong and most of the higher-tier content requires a high-powered build.

Destiny 2’s Lightsaber Creates a Problem that Bungie Might Need to Fix

But here’s where things get complicated. As I mentioned, the Praxic Blade is so good that you don’t want to use anything else. Bungie did its job but now it faces its biggest conundrum. How does Destiny 2 move forward knowing the Praxic Blade exists?

Image via Bungie

The obvious answer is that Bungie nerf the Praxic Blade going into Shadow and Order, the next major update for Destiny 2. But where a weapon nerf might have been expected (or even welcomed) in the past, this is a little different for a few reasons.

1. Plenty of players returned to Destiny 2 with Renegades, and they would be disappointed to see their favorite weapon – the coolest weapon – made irrelevant.
2. The community is on shakier ground than in previous years, so it’s not as easy for Bungie to make a nerf and not lose its audience.
3. You can’t make one of the most powerful weapons in sci-fi suddenly inert.

One of the challenges with a live service game is that you have to find a way to challenge players with the tools available to them. If the lightsaber stays as potent as it is now, then future content will be built around the expectation that the Praxic Blade can trivialize it. Bosses will be given even more stomp mechanics, or put at a distance, or given higher health pools. Other weapons will need to meet or exceed the power of the Praxic Blade and then power creep becomes an issue as older weapons fall by the wayside.

Bungie has solutions to these issues, but those can create new problems. As it stands right now, primary weapons are practically useless in high-level content and Bungie needs to fix that as well. They have a fine line to toe and not the same amount of wiggle room that they once had.

I think a change to the ammo economy of the Praxic Blade is a good solution, and will likely be how Bungie “nerfs” the weapon. It will still be plenty strong without the artifact mods, but not as strong, and lower ammo will mean you can’t just keep the lightsaber out for a whole activity. Still, a nerf is a nerf, and it’s a “bad” word for a reason.

In the past, I would have counted down the days to a nerf, but now I’m not so sure. Even with Renegades’ success, Destiny 2 is in a weird place right now and Bungie is under a microscope. Maybe the lightsaber is going to stick around longer than we expect. For right now, I’m going to keep enjoying the Praxic Blade and let Bungie figure out how to address it.

Released

August 28, 2017

ESRB

T For TEEN for Blood, Language, and Violence