Bungie are about to sharpen up Destiny 2's swordfighting
Oh, you lovebirds.
Slash. Slash. Slash. I adore my collection of Destiny 2 swords, but they're not exactly complex beasts. For Honor, it ain't. It seems Bungie have also noticed this blunt angle with blades. The boffins over at sword headquarters have shared some sharp changes to blades arriving with Destiny's next season, promising a more pointed experience when bringing a blade to a gunfight.
Bungie dove into their planned sword changes in a news post this week. There's a whole lotta love to get through first. It's valentine's day soon, which means it's Destiny's not-valentine's Crimson Days soon, starting Tuesday 11th and running 'til the 18th.
It's your typical Destiny event, with returning modes and exclusive gear and tokens to collect along the way. You know the drill by now. But I did have to shout out this incredible, beautiful Sparrow that bursts out a holographic heart when riding tandem with your loved one / platonic friend / romantically-involved mortal foe / other (delete as appropriate).
Alright then. Swords.
Destiny's sci-fi knights will soon start using up a new resource, Sword Energy. This meter will replace your melee ability while wielding a sword. Heavy attacks and guards will use up this meter, forcing you to take more care in using them. It sounds like Bungie were bored of blademasters mashing heavy attacks repeatedly, and are forcing fighters to mix things up. Your light attack, while still consuming ammo, won't consume this energy. It'll also loop more smoothly, making it a more efficient chipping tool.
That you still need to stuff your blade with ammo for light and heavy attacks is, frankly, wild. Not mechanically - I get it, you've gotta balance your game - but it's conceptually bizarre. At least guarding will soon no longer chew through ammunition.
Unfortunately, this also means it's time to say farewell to Worldline zipping. Until now, Warlocks using the Worldline Zero - an exotic sword - could combine the blade's teleport attack with their own slide to achieve ludicrous momentum - as demonstrated by speedrunners Shockwve and Traderkirk's record-setting Last Wish run at this year's Awesome Games Done Quick.
"As I understand it, the speedrun community will need to find new ways to break the sound barrier next season," a Bungie community manager tweeted. "I understand this will come as a disappointment to some. Hopefully, this will bring new techniques and serve as a challenge to refresh previously established records."
I'm all for anything that makes swordfights more spectacular. It's wild to go to all that trouble of dressing up a cloaked space wizard and then decking them out with a knock-off AK-47. No, that won't do - my hunter requires the finest of blades.
Unfortunately, it leaves speedrunners looking for new tricks to beat their blade-assisted records.