Hey guardians, let's take a trip down memory lane. Back in August 2022, Bungie dropped the Season 18 TWAB, and it was a doozy. Now, in 2026, with Lightfall and The Final Shape behind us, I want to revisit those changes and see how they've aged. Trust me, some of these buffs and nerfs were like a cartographer mapping a city that rearranges itself every Tuesday—chaotic, but somehow it all made sense in the end. 🎮
Weapon Archetype Shake-Up
Bungie came out swinging with archetype adjustments. Scout Rifles finally got some PvE love—a flat 10% damage increase against red bars, on top of the Solstice buff. That made them feel less like peashooters and more like actual precision tools. High-Impact (360 RPM) Auto Rifles also got attention because they hit hard but handled like a shopping cart with a wobbly wheel. Lightweight Bows became smoother: base draw time dropped 5% (612ms to 580ms), and the perfect draw window widened from 0.30–0.55s to 0.50–0.80s. Suddenly, hitting that sweet spot didn't feel like trying to catch a falling leaf with chopsticks. 🏹
Hand Cannons got a tiny fix (Dire Promise zoom back to 14), Glaives had their exotic armor interactions clarified, and Breech Grenade Launchers lost Concussion Grenades from the magazine pool. Heavy Grenade Launchers received a PvE buff to make them viable for DPS or yellow-bar clearing. I remember thinking, "Finally, my Wendigo can come out of retirement."
Exotic Buffs and Reworks
This was the meat of the TWAB. Bungie added anti-Champion functionality to several exotics and tweaked others. Let me break down the highlights:
| Exotic | Change |
|---|---|
| Le Monarque | Added intrinsic Overload (anti-Champion) |
| Thunderlord | Added intrinsic Overload |
| Malfeasance | Added intrinsic Unstoppable to explosions; +25 airborne effectiveness (28→53) |
| Wish-ender | Added intrinsic Anti-Barrier; increased hits vs most targets from 2 to 3; +10% damage vs Champions, majors, minibosses; draw time 828ms→820ms |
| Ticuu's Divination | Benefited from global Lightweight Bow changes |
| Legend of Acrius | Catalyst now grants Trench Barrel |
| Calus Mini-Tool, MIDA Mini-Tool, Drang (Baroque), Sweet Business | Stats brought to parity across paired versions |
| Fighting Lion | 5% damage buff rolled back then reintroduced at 8%; Thin the Herd grace time 5s→6s |
Then came the reworks. Lord of Wolves got a PvP-focused nerf (starting ammo 15→10, burst size 10→5 with Release the Wolves, burst delay reduced 60%, base damage down ~20% in PvP, up 20% in PvE). Dead Man's Tale's Cranial Spike was completely reworked: no more bonus damage vs players, but it now grants reload, aim assist, and range per stack; at max stacks, the catalyst boosts hip-fire RPM by 50 (to 180 RPM) with a 20% damage penalty per bullet. Collective Obligation became easier to activate in PvE: Void Leech timer up to 15s (PvP stays 10s), cooldown removed, +20% damage vs PvE combatants while active, and kills against debuffed targets instantly charge it.
I'll be honest—when I first read the Dead Man's Tale changes, I felt like a chef who just learned their signature soufflé recipe was being replaced by a microwave dinner. But after a few weeks, the hip-fire cowboy fantasy actually worked. 🤠
Perk Adjustments
Perks got a tune-up too. Invader Tracker (Gambit) became Gun and Run, giving sprint speed on multi-kills. Skulking Wolf (Iron Banner) now activates on kills at low health, making it useful in all PvP. Ambitious Assassin got a big boost: magazine overflow from 10% to 20% per kill on Primary weapons (cap from 50% to 150%). Wellspring lost its internal cooldown. Perpetual Motion's audio/visual feedback was disabled. Lead from Gold was fixed for double Special ammo. Veist Stinger no longer applies to Linear Fusion Rifles. Zen Moment and Particle Repeater got clearer descriptions. These changes felt like a librarian finally organizing a tornado—suddenly everything had a place.
The Lasting Impact
Season 18's balance patch went live on August 23, 2022. In the years since, many of these changes have been iterated on, but the core philosophy—giving players more viable options across PvE and PvP—still holds. Bungie also teased armor-focused changes for mid-Season 18 and Season 19, which set the stage for future updates. Looking back in 2026, I can say that Season 18 was a turning point. It wasn't perfect (remember when everyone panicked about Lord of Wolves?), but it made Destiny 2's sandbox feel fresher. And honestly, any patch that makes Scout Rifles feel good in PvE is a win in my book. 🎯
So there you have it—a blast from the past that still echoes in today's meta. If you're a new light, appreciate the groundwork. If you're a veteran, pour one out for the pre-nerf Fighting Lion. Either way, the crucible of balance never stops spinning. See you starside. ✨