Destiny 2's Arcstriders are demolishing everything, and that's kind of a problem
A bug in the latest update has turned the Hunter's pole-dancing subclass into an unintentionally heavy hitter.
Destiny 2's Arc Week brought some pretty big improvements to the game's pre-Forsaken Arc subclasses, but it may be working a little too well. Bungie said in yesterday's TWAB update that a bug in how damage modifiers are applied means that Arcstriders are hitting (a lot) harder than they're supposed to.
"We are looking intro Arcstrider supers and their ability to achieve higher-than-intended damage against bosses when mixing certain perks. Until fixed, you may notice bosses in Gambit or other activities being pummeled into the ground by Hunters and their Arc Staffs," Bungie wrote. "We’ll keep you updated on the status of our investigation."
The 2.2.1 update enabled the Arcstrider's Combination Blow melee ability to be stacked three times, which is a pretty big buff all on its own. But things get really off the hook if you pop your super with the triple-stack in place, because the buff rolls into the super. And if you're wearing the Raiden Flux chest armor, which has the Synapse Junctions perk—quick successive attacks with Arc Staff increase its damage output and duration—you'll be dropping the hammer—well, the staff—even harder. This video from xHOUNDISHx has a good rundown of how it all works, starting at around 2:00.
Obviously it's a problem, but not so much of one that Bungie is pulling double shifts over the weekend to fix it, meaning that Arcstriders will probably continue to be Destiny 2's apex predators until sometime next week. The situation reminds me of the broken-as-hell Prometheus Lens bug from 2017: It's not right and it needs to be fixed, but for now, let people have some fun with it.
Bungie did fix up a few other issues with a 2.2.1.1 hotfix released today: The Wavesplitter can no longer be acquired or equipped by players on non-PS4 platforms, a bug that enabled pinnacle weapons to be picked up at no cost has been fixed, and Sentry Armor will now grant appropriate perks in Gambit Prime, which means that the "Umbral Strike" free ride is over. That said, if you're planning to play Prime over the weekend, you're going to want to be on top tree Arcstider.
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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.