7 Tower Thoughts: Sam doesn't like bow metas

Welcome to 7 Tower Thoughts, Guardians. This is where we get together to chat about a few Destiny 2 topics that have caught our attention in the community or thoughts we’ve had during our numerous play sessions. Come and join in the conversation as we discuss the upcoming patch, the approaching season, and more!

Mid-season patch is next week

Sam: Like the big patches that come with a new season and expansion, a mid-season patch is worth getting excited about. They might not have the same grand sweeping changes delivered by the larger, seasonal patches, but they do improve the game in many ways, and this latest is bound to be no exception.

Bungie has already revealed that there will be a fix to Guardian Rank 11 whereby raid and dungeon completions will be retroactively awarded. This should be good news for those players looking to reach the pinnacle achievement that is currently in the game.

Additionally, we’re getting a primary weapon pass for PVE. Hopefully we see some weapon archetypes perform better. I haven’t used a Hand Cannon since Season of the Haunted. The problem is the ammo economy (always has been). How will Bungie entice players to abandon a double Special meta, especially when Trace Rifles are so economical?

As it stands, running a Trace Rifle, plus another Special weapon, means you can basically guarantee you’ll never run out of Heavy. Sure, you could use an Exotic Primary, but often you’re probably using an Exotic in another slot. It seems like a tough problem to fix.

One month away from a new season

Sam: Destiny 2: Season of Defiance is rapidly approaching its conclusion. While the main campaign might have been short, this whole season landed with a bang alongside Lightfall. One of the best new additions is Defiant Battlegrounds. Bungie has really nailed the add density with this new activity, allowing players to lean heavily into the new Strand subclass.

But this season is about to conclude next month, as Season of the Deep launches on May 22, 2023. There’s really no knowing what this season will involve, but the name alone is getting me excited. It harkens back to The Whisper, where we got to hear a voice in the Darkness talking about drowning in the deep.

I spoke a couple of weeks ago about how there will be no Power grind in Season 21, but that’s just one element of good. I’m really holding out hope that Season of the Deep will improve the storytelling that’s been on display since the release of Lightfall.

Thankfully, there’s not much rush to finish things off this season, as it should be sticking around until at least the end of Year 6. But, it’s always best to get things squared away so you can focus on the new hotness.

Heavy Bow meta

Sam: Who would have thought Leviathan’s Breath would be meta? Not me! I’m certainly not happy about it either. This thing hits like a truck, and with its Exotic Catalyst, offers more ammo and a faster rate of fire. It even has intrinsic Volatile Rounds.

I’ve given it a red hot whirl, and I can confirm that it works in both the Root of Nightmares raid and the Spire of the Watcher dungeon. It was a joke weapon for so long that it’s incredibly surprising to see it outputting damage numbers that rival the classics like Gjallarhorn or even Starfire Protocol builds.

The question now is whether or not Leviathan’s Breath will remain dominant. All it would take is a small tweak and Rocket Launchers would rise again or an adjustment to the ammo economy and Linear Fusion Rifles are back and gunnin’ for top billing.

As an aside: I don’t like bow metas. I don’t find the weapons enjoyable to use when I’ve got a plethora of other options. Machine Guns make me feel like Arnie, Rocket Launchers offer the big boom, and my Cataclysmic rewards juggling damage outputs and maintaining crits.

Grandmasters are back on the menu

Sam: Grandmasters Nightfalls are back after their long hiatus. This is the first time they’ve been available since Lightfall, which dramatically shook up the mod system and introduced a new subclass in the form of Strand. I wasn’t so sure how GMs were going to feel, especially with how difficult they can be, but so far so good!

The Warlock Strand build using Necrotic Grips and Osteo Striga remains a disgusting option for endgame activities. In fact, Strand as a whole manages to trivialize Champions. Shackle Grenades hoist them off the ground, rendering them completely useless and unable to stomp around. I’d go so far as to say Champions are now too easy. But I’m one of the few people who enjoyed the challenge of crafting a build within set restrictions.

It remains to be seen how the rest of the Grandmaster Nightfalls feel, but Proving Grounds wasn’t as bad as I remembered. I’ve yet to dive into my Conqueror node, so Heist: Battlegrounds Mars and Lake of Shadows might be a couple of outrageous challenges waiting to stomp me.

As for the new Nightfall Ciphers, I don’t have an opinion on them - yet. There are four in my inventory, but I’ve already got two Hung Jury’s from this week’s single run, so I have no need to use them. What do you think of the system so far?

Bergusian Nights

Bill: This is more of a story than anything, but I have a fireteam member who has wanted the Bergusian Night shader for a couple of years now. He had a curated Threat Level, which is obviously dated, but he refused to shard it for the shader. I’ve rolled out dozens of new looks, all with Bergusian Night, just to tease this guy. Well, this week Ada-1 is selling the Bergusian Night shader. If you don’t have it, it’s simply one of the best in the game (as are all of the Black Armory shaders). You have until reset on Tuesday to buy this if you’re new and didn’t get a chance to snag it during S5, Season of the Forge.

Bring back Black Armory gear, you cowards

Bill: Okay, so I’m being a bit dramatic, but it’s only because Black Armory was my favorite gear ever in Destiny 2. The armor, the weapons, all of it. We’ve seen a lot of weapons get re-worked over the years, and I’m sitting here patiently waiting for some incredible guns to make their return with new perks and Origin Traits. I need that Hammerhead Machine Gun, that Blast Furnace Pulse Rifle, or even The Ringing Nail Auto Rifle. Those were some great weapons, and let’s not forget that our time with the Black Armory also brought us Exotics like Le Monarque, Jotunn, and Izanagi’s Burden. Obviously the Exotics are still very relevant, but I hope every day that we get some updated Black Armory Legendary weapons.

Bungie really did fix Crucible

Bill: Look, I’m not trying to start fights here. I’m sure there are lots of folks that disagree, so maybe it’s fair to say that Bungie fixed Crucible related to how I engage with it. All I know is that the updates around matchmaking have led me to a place where I can’t recall the last time I was in a Crucible match where mercy was involved. I won the final eight Iron Banner matches I played, maintained a 2.0 KDA. I had entire days where I didn’t lose an Iron Banner match. I’m definitely not that good, so obviously I’m playing against similar competition, and it’s glorious. I know that I spoke about how good Crucible has been in a recent 7TT, but it’s worth mentioning again.

That’s a wrap for another entry of 7 Tower Thoughts. While I might not be fond of Bows, I’m glad all those Bow lovers out there are getting to enjoy this new meta. Did you clear the Grandmaster Nightfall or perhaps you’ve already secured your Gilded Conqueror? Join us in the Chatty thread below!

Bill Lavoy and Sam Chandler

The Destiny 2 Guys

Bill and Sam are the two Shacknews writers who handle the bulk of the Destiny 2 content. As a Hunter and Warlock main respectively, they can cover a great deal of ground with whatever is happening in Destiny 2 today. What they don't know they can find out thanks to their all-star lineup of Destiny 2 friends.