Destiny 2’s Season of the Drifter officially launches tomorrow, kicking off a new content season for the sci-fi looter-shooter. We’ve already looked at the imminent season’s new Joker’s Wild features and pinnacle weapons, but that’s just the start. It turns out Season of the Drifter will also bring good tidings to players who enjoy min/maxing their armor loadouts.
Destiny 2 Random Armor Stat Rolls
Bungie community manager DMG recently confirmed via Twitter that random armor stat rolls are coming in the new season. Once Season of the Drifter’s accompanying 2.2.0 patch goes live, all Year 2 armor will drop with randomized stat packages.
This means that armor which was once restricted to certain stats (mobility, resilience, or recovery) will have such restrictions lifted. It also means that specific armor types (heavy, mobile, etc.) will no longer be auto-locked into specific stat packages. In short, players won’t have to choose between armor that’s visually appealing and armor that supports a specific stat build.
Granted, mobility, resilience, and recovery don’t make a huge difference, but they are highly valued for certain activities. Recovery, for example, is a popular PvP stat since it noticeably boosts a player’s short-term survivability. Hunters also benefit from randomized armor stats since they’re no longer forced to go with high mobility builds.
Year 2 Armor Reworks
Another thing worth noting is that the change will apply to all Year 2 armor, not just Season of the Drifter gear. Sadly, there’s no way to predetermine or reroll stat packages once you’ve acquired an armor piece. A few responders noted in DMG’s Twitter post that randomized stats are a good start, but not a full solution. Also, the change still leaves Year 1 armor out in the cold since it’s still obsolete in many ways.
At the very least, randomized stat packages for Year 2 armor will help to mix up the game’s meta a bit. Bungie should still be taking feedback, however, since Destiny 2’s gear system still isn’t in an entirely perfect place. Ideally players would be able to wear whatever armor they want and configure the stats as they see fit. Relying on randomized drops may work for some, but it shouldn’t be the only option players can turn to.