Bungie posted a 9,000-word blog in This Week at Bungie.

If you’re interested in every specific change, you’re welcome to spend the next 30-minutes reading it.

This week’s newsletter is going to break down the most important changes that you shouldn’t overlook.

In this issue:

• Flinch

• Airborne Effectiveness

• PvP Balancing

• Massive Miscellaneous Changes

• Xur

• Trials

• Next Week

Flinch

The Stability weapon stat has been completely rebuilt to also affect incoming flinch.

Each weapon archetype will have a base Flinch Resistance between 10% and 25%.

• 25%: Autorifle, Submachine Gun, Bow 

• 20%: Pulse Rifle, Scout Rifle, Sidearm, Machine Gun 

• 15%: Hand Cannon, Trace Rifle 

• 10%: Fusion Rifle, Shotgun, Sniper Rifle, all Grenade Launcher, all Linear Fusion Rifle, Rocket Launcher

You can also add increased Flinch Resistance (multiplicatively) with:

• Resilience armor stat now adds Flinch Resistance

  • 0% at 0 Resilience

  • 10% at 100 Resilience

• Unflinching armor mod

• Rally Barricade

• No Distractions weapon perk

Airborne Effectiveness

A new weapon stat was created so you can build into being more accurate and lethal while in-air.

The Airborne Effectiveness stat will be invisible in the API next season but will be visible in Season 18 (along with all other invisible stats like Recoil).

Here’s what Airborne Effectiveness will feel like in all ranges. The higher the stat, the better your Airborne accuracy and Airborne aim assist.

• 0 - 30 will feel like no Icarus Grip

• 31 - 50 will feel like the current Icarus Grip (but a lot less in-air aim assist)

• 51 - 70 will feel better than the current Icarus Grip (but a smidge less in-air aim assist)

• 71 - 99 will have no in-air accuracy penalty, but a little less in-air aim assist

• 100 will have perfect in-air accuracy and good in-air aim assist

Icarus Grip will add 15 points to Airborne Effectiveness.

Main Takeaway from Flinch & Airborne Effectiveness

1. Primary weapons will have more Flinch Resistance and feel more accurate while airborne than Specials or Heavies.

2. A lot of Exotic Armor pieces will improve Airborne Effectiveness while ST0MP-EE5 significantly reduces it.

3. You need to significantly invest in Airborne Effectiveness to get the best results.

PvP Balancing

Bungie really wanted to remove One-hit Kills from the Crucible. They also took a final stance on balancing Special Ammo.

If you’ve played PvP the last month or two, you’ve seen Eriana’s Vow one-shots.

• Empowering Rift, High Energy Fire, and Inertia Override have been nerfed from +20% weapon damage to +15% against players (no change in PvE).

• Sunspots will be touched with Solar 3.0 (most likely launching next season).

• Special Ammo scavenger armor mods will no longer work in The Crucible

Special Weapons were also targeted specifically to tone down their PvP lethality. While also helping Fusion Rifles more balanced among themselves.

• Snapshot and Opening Shot on Snipers and Shotguns are also being nerfed. They’re too much better than every other perk.

• Shotguns’ one-hit kill distance was reduced by 0.5m

  • Field Choke nerfed

  • Smoothbore buffed

• Fusion Rifles will be less effective at longer ranges

• High Impact Fusion Rifles will be slightly faster

• Rapid Fire and Precision Fusion Rifles will do slightly lower damage per bolt

Massive Miscellaneous Changes

There are a LOT of random, miscellaneous changes. Most of them you probably won’t be able to feel. Here’s a summary of what’s happening:

• Auto Rifles and Pulse Rifles will be better at mid-long range

• Lightweight Pulse Rifles will do a little more damage per bullet and with precision damage

• SMGs will be less effective at longer ranges (thank goodness)

• Precision Frame Hand Cannons will be more effective in-air at base

• Machine Guns are getting a 40% damage buff in PvE (only 20% against bosses)

  • Xenophage will be back to its former glory!

• Precision Rockets will do 10% less damage, High Impact Rockets have no change, Adaptive & Aggressive Rockets will do 10% more damage

Exotic Weapons that will be a lot better:

1. Eyes of Tomorrow (+30% damage to bosses/Champions)

2. Leviathan’s Breath (roughly +50% damage and twice as powerful against Champions)

3. Xenophage (reverted back to before it was nerfed)

Exotic Weapons that will be a lot worse:

1. Le Monarque (worse against players, better against PvE enemies)

2. Lorentz Driver (-20% body shot damage against players)

Xur

Xur can be found in the Winding Cove on the EDZ

Trials

Trials is on Exodus Blue, dropping the (Adept) Eye of Sol.

Next Week

• Bonus Gambit Ranks

• Gambit Labs

• The Lightblade Nightfall

• Clash

We’ve got a pretty quiet few weeks until next season. Nothing out of the ordinary for the season with a new expansion.

Take things easy until May 24th!

If you want to say thank you, you can Buy Me a Coffee.

Have a great weekend!

~☕Legionless