Highlights
- The Ammit AR2 has become the dominant weapon in Destiny 2's PvP meta due to its accessibility, ease of crafting, and the recent buffs to auto rifles.
- The introduction of the ADS Damage Falloff Scalar stat has significantly increased the damage falloff distance for auto rifles, allowing them to reach their maximum potential.
- Players have flocked to the Ammit AR2, with its usage skyrocketing to almost 30% during a glitch weekend, and it now accounts for over 50% of all kills in Destiny 2's Crucible.
Only a few weeks into Destiny 2's latest seasonal update, one weapon has quickly climbed its way to the top of the game's PvP meta. Not only has this weapon's usage seen a massive uptick since the beginning of Destiny 2's Season of the Witch, but it also eclipses most other guns in the sandbox by a hefty margin. Aided by its accessibility and ease of crafting, this new front-runner of the meta continues to soar in popularity.
Upon the launch of Season of the Witch, the sandbox experienced a vast array of adjustments to all Guardian subclasses and to the functionality of certain weapons such as swords, hand cannons, and bows. Digging deep into this massive balance update for Destiny 2 as well as the more technical Dev Insights for Season 22's weapons, Bungie discussed its changes to the Zoom stat and the removal of its influence on scaling damage falloff distance. From Season of the Witch forward, damage falloff will be calculated with a new stat called Aim Down Sights (ADS) Damage Falloff Scalar. With this new change, damage falloff is much more dependent on a weapon's Range, and because this stat is more easily acquired than Zoom, more weapons are able to get close to their maximum potential.
Why Season of the Witch Saw the Rise of Destiny 2's Ammit AR2
While Bungie explains that these changes are far from final, its goal is to give mid-range weapon archetypes a more even ground in Destiny 2's sandbox and ultimately reduce the frequency of a single weapon becoming the "clear advantage" each time they adjust an archetype itself. That said, the new update has allowed auto rifles in particular to find their day in the sun. Previously, the damage falloff distance for auto rifles began at 17.20 and ranged up to 33.20, but with the introduction of the ADS Damage Falloff Scalar, they start at 18.28 and can work their way up to an impressive 39.53, an increase that outshines that of any other weapon affected by the change. Even with the addition of several new weapons in Destiny 2's Season of the Witch, this huge buff to auto rifles set the groundwork for the Ammit AR2 to find popularity among players and claim its place at the top of the current PvP meta.
Although all auto rifles experienced the boon of Bungie's update to effective damage falloff, players have flocked to the Ammit AR2 and elevated its status to an essential weapon in the PvP meta. Since the beginning of the season, its usage climbed from around 2% up to a staggering 6% and accounted for almost 10% of all kills in Destiny 2's Crucible.
It should also be noted that these percentages precede Destiny 2's weapon crafting bug weekend, during which players were able to exploit a glitch to mix and match perks and intrinsic traits across a myriad of craftable weapons. Usage of the Ammit AR2 skyrocketed to nearly 30% during the chaotic weekend and accounted for over 50% of all kills (albeit most were with a glitched shotgun frame firing twelve shots at once).
Ammit AR2 Dominates the PvP Meta in Destiny 2's Season of the Witch
Coupled with the buff to its effective range, the Ammit AR2 stands out among the competition with the wide selection of useful perks it can roll. Furthermore, players can easily acquire the necessary patterns and craft the Ammit AR2 in Destiny 2 through the Foundry Resonance Quest without purchasing any additional DLC, making it quickly accessible to all players in the game. By crafting the weapon, players are able to customize and enhance the perks of the Ammit AR2 as they see fit. Rangefinder was often a popular perk for auto rifles that would increase the Zoom stat and subsequently the damage falloff distance. However, with the correlation between the two severed and the new buff of the ADS Damage Falloff Scalar stat, auto rifles are able to reach a greater damage falloff distance than they ever did previously with Rangefinder equipped.
With Rangefinder no longer essential for the Ammit AR2 or any auto rifle to be viable in PvP, players in the Crucible are able to choose perks and mods that better fit their playstyle. Many players have been opting for increased stability and accuracy to take full advantage of the range buffs causing enhanced Dynamic Sway Reduction to see a boost in popularity. In the current PvP meta, a popular loadout for the Ammit AR2 also includes an enhanced Incandescent, Ricochet Rounds, and a Targeting Adjuster. And with changes to Destiny 2's weapon crafting system in the latest update, players are able to get their hands on the most popular PvP gun faster than ever.
It's also worth noting that the enhanced versions of Dynamic Sway Reduction and Incandescent can be unlocked on the Ammit AR2 at Lv.12 and Lv.13, respectively. Manually increasing the weapon level in Destiny 2 from Lv.1 would cost only 42,000 Glimmer and 27 Enhancement Cores.
With the massive boost to the range of auto rifles and the ease with which players can obtain them, it's clear to see how the Ammit AR2 has risen to the top of Destiny 2's PvP meta. Furthermore, its naturally strong range stat and access to powerful enhanced perks like Incandescent make it stand out against other legendary auto rifles in the game. As Destiny 2's Season of the Witch continues to unfold, players should take full advantage of the popular Ammit AR2 while they can.
Destiny 2 is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
