Why Bait and Switch Still Reigns Supreme Over Destiny 2’s New Elemental Honing Perk!

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Summary

  • Buildcrafting has become a crucial part of Destiny 2’s identity, affecting gameplay and rewards.
  • New perks like Elemental Honing can generate hype but may not be worth the trade-off in the current meta.
  • Bait and Switch remains a preferred choice over Elemental Honing due to its reliability and ease of triggering.

Originally not playing a significant role when Destiny 2 debuted in 2017, buildcrafting has since grown to be a fundamental aspect of the game, shaping its identity and even altering its core gameplay mechanics and reward system. For instance, Destiny 2’s Heresy buffs to Arc have added complexity to what once felt like 2.5D subclasses, due to the absence of either substantial damage-related effects or new defensive layers. The current iteration of Arc is at its best, offering players damage reduction from Amplified and the potential for enormous damage bursts with Bolt Charge. Moreover, Heresy introduced a new damage perk that might appear more potent than it actually is.

In Destiny 2, new weapon traits are frequently used to build excitement for seasonal or reissued weapons, as they’re exclusively available on a restricted number of firearms upon release. For example, the recently introduced Elemental Honing damage trait in the Heresy update. Similar to Bait and Switch, Elemental Honing is a damage rotation perk; however, it may be overreaching its capabilities within Destiny 2’s current gameplay dynamics.

Destiny 2’s Elemental Honing is Not Worth The Trade-off

As a devoted player, I’ve come to appreciate the tactical edge that Bait and Switch offers in Destiny 2. Essentially, it amplifies my weapon’s damage by 30% when this perk is active, but here’s the catch: all other weapons in my loadout must have been fired at an enemy at least once. At first glance, it might appear intricate, yet in endgame activities, its dependability and impact on total damage and DPS have solidified its position.

Heresy’s latest Elemental Honing shares a similar concept. To maximize the damage output, players are encouraged to switch between weapons, thereby escalating the damage multiplier.

Instead of the Bait and Switch method, where activation occurs singularly, Elemental Honing builds up in layers, allowing players to acquire one layer whenever they attack enemies with a distinct element. For instance, Elemental Honing is featured in Destiny 2’s latest weapon meta, Adamantite – a supportive Strand auto rifle that can both heal allies and dismantle enemies. By firing Adamantite while Elemental Honing is active, players will accumulate one stack of this damage enhancement, which pertains to Strand as an element. Elemental Honing can reach a maximum of five layers, providing a 35% damage increase that is more potent on Kinetic weapons.

Why Bait and Switch is Superior to Elemental Honing

In Destiny 2, inflicting damage using various elements can be achieved quite easily, especially since Prismatic subclasses were introduced in The Final Shape, offering all five elements. However, activating Elemental Honing takes more effort than Bait and Switch, providing a relatively minor enhancement. When fully stacked, the disparity between Elemental Honing and Bait and Switch is only 5%. Although Elemental Honing could potentially inflict more total damage, it may result in lower DPS or a less optimal build due to the need for crafting a specific setup that allows for damage with all five elements. This necessitates optimizing the damage on weapons and abilities to ensure a variety of elements across the gameplay.

In simpler terms, using certain abilities earlier than desired to accumulate five stacks of Elemental Honing might strain rotations due to forced usage. However, even though Bait and Switch only lasts 10 seconds compared to a 20-second duration that refreshes each time a new unique element is used for the first time after being granted, Bait and Switch remains a superior choice. This is because the damage difference per shot is minimal at just 5%, but since it’s easier and more reliable to activate, it’s preferred. In competitive scenarios like Destiny 2’s Dungeons and Raids, Elemental Honing might make a difference, but overall, Bait and Switch remains the superior choice, particularly for heavy-ammo weapons that have fewer shots available.

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2025-02-07 03:54