Destiny 2 players are in for a significant change as Bungie has decided to undertake a mid-season overhaul, aiming to address two of the game’s most popular exotic armor items—the Titan’s Antaeus Wards boots and the Hunters’ Young Ahamkara’s Spine gauntlets. These changes, while impacting cherished gear, are intended to enhance the fairness and enjoyment of player vs. player (PvP) gameplay.
In its weekly update blog post, Bungie stated, “For the Season 22 mid-Season update, we wanted to adjust two Exotic armors that we felt were becoming hard to counter in PvP. Antaeus Wards was granting too large a benefit for too little a cost. It also suffered from a lack of meaningful counterplay options.”
With the release of update 7.2, Antaeus Wards will undergo significant alterations. Notably, deploying Antaeus Wards will require a full class ability charge, and it will now drain your class ability energy proportionate to the amount of damage reflected. Additionally, the boots will no longer improve your slide mechanics.
As for Ahamkara’s Spine, Hunters will experience a reduction in the bonus health, decreasing it from 100 to 70, and 50% less damage resistance. Grenade energy will now only be granted on ability kills rather than general damage against enemies.
Bungie clarified its intentions behind these adjustments, stating, “We wanted to make it easier to counter the enhanced Tripmine Grenades in PvP by reducing the amount of bonus durability that the Exotic provides. The hope is that a well-placed Tripmine will still offer the Hunter an advantage, but a careless one no longer shifts the flow of an engagement all on its own.”
While the changes may disappoint players who have come to rely on these exotic armor items, Bungie’s motive is to ensure a more balanced and enjoyable PvP experience. With Destiny 2’s next expansion, “The Final Shape,” set for release on February 27, 2024, it appears that Bungie is committed to refining the game and smoothing out any rough edges.
