Destiny 2’s last big patch before the Edge of Fate expansion lands May 6, introducing Rite of the Nine, PvP changes, weapon and armor reworks, and new Ritual weapons.

The final major Destiny 2 patch before the Edge of Fate expansion drops this summer is almost here. Update 8.2.6 goes live on May 6, and it’s packed with big sandbox updates, a new PvP mode, and a limited-time event called Rite of the Nine — a Dungeon-themed offering featuring reprised weapons. Whether those weapons will shine in PvE or PvP is still up in the air, but one thing’s for sure: the meta’s getting a serious shake-up.

One of the biggest headlines? Yet another round of nerfs for Legacy Frame Pulse Rifles, with Redrix’s Estoc being hit once again. This Stasis Pulse Rifle has been a dominant force in PvP throughout Heresy, and this tweak is aimed at finally reining it in for mid-tier competitive play.

Hunters also aren’t walking away unscathed. The Void Aspect On the Prowl and the fan-favorite Radiant Dance Machines Exotic are both getting nerfed, especially in Crucible, where they’ve been a deadly combo with The Last Word Exotic Hand Cannon.

Here’s a look at the confirmed patch details so far:

Abilities (Crucible-Only Changes)

• Prismatic Supers
  
  • Cooldown penalty reduced from 10% to 5%.
    
• Scatter Grenades
  
  • Player damage reduced by 15%.
    
• Hunter: On the Prowl
  
  • Prey-finding range cut from 45m to 25m in PvP.
    
  • Hunt time is now capped at 15 seconds (no longer infinite).
    
• Warlock: Lightning Surge
  
  • Damage variability clamped for more consistency.
    
  • Slight buff to minimum damage and nerf to max damage.
    

Global Class Changes

Hunter

• Withering Blade: 20% stronger tracking and +10% damage.
  
• Throwing Knives: All variants should now track targets more reliably.
  
• Lightweight Knife: Bigger and stronger tracking area.
  
• Fan of Knives: Tracking shape size increased by 15%.
  
• On the Prowl (Void Aspect):
  
  • Cooldown cut to 0.1s.
    
  • Now grants energy instantly.
    

Warlock

• Lightning Surge:
  
  • Increased suppression time after the melee strike to match Titan’s Shoulder Charge.
    

Weapon Updates

Pulse Rifles

• Legacy Frame
  
  • Reduced ADS damage falloff to match High-Impact Pulses.
    
  • BxR Battler’s Airborne Effectiveness boosted from 10 to 21.
    
• Rapid-Fire
  
  • Small buff to both base and precision damage.
    

Hand Cannons

• Heavy Burst: Slightly better range in ADS.
  
• Adaptive (Judgment): Bigger mag, better handling, and slightly slower reload.
  

Auto Rifles

• High Impact: 4% damage buff.
  
• Precision: 3% buff to base damage, minor precision damage nerf to balance it.
  

Submachine Guns

• Adaptive: ADS damage falloff improved.
  

Shotguns

• Heavy Burst Slugs: +8% damage.
  

Weapon Perks

• One Quiet Moment: Now has two timed tiers for activation.
  
• Alacrity: Activates at lower levels when one teammate dies, maxes out with two or more dead.
  

Exotic Weapon Changes

• Lord of Wolves: PvE hip fire damage nerfed by 30%.
  
• Riskrunner: Zoom increased slightly.
  
• Truth / Two-Tailed Fox: Pick up more ammo in Crucible.
  
• Alethonym: Ammo brick creation is cheaper, tooltip clarified.
  
• Finality’s Auger:
  
  • More efficient target marking.
    
  • Now auto-reloads after turret deploy.
    
  • Turret self-damage reduced, damage buffed by 10%.
    

Armor Tuning

Hunter – Radiant Dance Machines

• Big nerf to hip fire bonuses, especially with Exotics like The Last Word.
  
• Refund energy nerfed when class ability isn’t full.
  

Titan – Lion Rampant

• Gets some of the old RDM benefits—now always active with Primary weapons.
  

Warlock – Lunafaction Boots

• Also inherit RDM’s old bonuses for Primary hip fire.
  
• Empowering Rift’s range buff halved in PvP to tone down fusion and slug one-shots.
  

New Ritual Weapons

Iron Banner – Nature Reclaimed (Solar Lightweight Scout)

• Perks include Killing Wind, Rapid Hit, Incandescent, and Box Breathing.
  

Trials of Osiris – The Inquisitor (Arc Precision Slug Shotgun)

• Options like Offhand Strike, Opening Shot, Cascade Point, and Bait and Switch.
  

Nightfall – Cruel Mercy (Arc Heavy Burst Pulse Rifle)

• Perks include Dragonfly, Headseeker, Kill Clip, Desperado, and more.
  

The full patch notes will be officially released by Bungie closer to launch day, but from the early details, it’s clear Update 8.2.6 is setting the stage for a mid-range sandbox meta and some long-needed balance changes.

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