Destiny 2’s upcoming Lightfall expansion is making a lot of major changes to abilities, weapons and the way players buildcraft when it releases on Feb. 28. Yet Bungie saved the most exciting news for last.
In a blog released today that breaks down adjustments and improvements coming to many abilities and mods in Lightfall, Bungie also revealed that physics collision damage will no longer be lethal to Guardians. That means no more “killed by the architects” messages after accidentally using a Phalanx shield as a springboard into a wall.
Physics collision damage has been a notorious problem within Destiny 2’s sandbox since day one, most notably seen when the player is ejected at high speed from too tight of a space. Cabal Phalanx shields and warped momentum from sword swings have been too of the most notably consistent examples of physics collision that lead to unexpected deaths. Soon enough, these sources of pain will be a little less of a problem.
“Guardians are getting a little sturdier,” Bungie explained in the blog. “Starting in Lightfall, physics collision damage will no longer be lethal to Guardians. You’ll still take damage from physics collisions, but it will generally leave you at 1HP instead of outright splattering you.”
Bungie isn’t planning to stop there either, with further updates to how Guardians are affected by environmental damage set for later down the pipeline. In a mid-season update, they are also slated to introduce a nerf to fall damage as well that will make it non-lethal in the same way. This doesn’t come as a surprise when Lightfall has a new subclass entirely centered around aerial mobility and grappling hooks.
“We hope you’ll take this newfound freedom and run with it,” the Bungie blog summarized. “We’ve found it’s more fun to hurl ourselves headlong into danger without worrying about what’s in our way. We’re Guardians, after all.”
Veterans and speedrunners will no doubt be stress-testing the updated systems the moment that they go live on Feb. 28. Physical obstacles in the environment no longer providing a guaranteed death opens up a lot of new avenues for rapidly blasting your way through old content, especially in tandem with Strand’s new mobility tools.
