Destiny 2 Outlines Melee Damage Adjustments and Glaive Weapon Updates in Edge of Fate

With the arrival of the Edge of Fate expansion in Destiny 2, melee combat is set to undergo some significant changes. Or as Bungie puts it, it’s altering the edge of melee combat. Get it? Because edged weapons are a thing in the game. But then again, there’s punching and shield bashing too… Okay, maybe the pun doesn’t quite land. I admit defeat.

Currently, melee damage buffs are multiplicative, which has led to issues like trivializing bosses or forcing players to stack buffs for maximum effectiveness. With the expansion, however, melee damage will shift to an additive system: two hypothetical 50% damage increases will combine for a total 100% boost, rather than multiplying to create a 125% (or 2.25x) increase.

Bungie acknowledges that this change will lower the ceiling for melee damage, making one-shotting bosses impossible. However, it will also allow the studio to buff nearly all melee damage effects, ensuring these buffs stack at full value in PvE.

This overhaul will also impact melee abilities, as detailed in the dev blog. Additionally, Edge of Fate will introduce changes to glaives, such as classifying their damage as unpowered (making them benefit from buffs or stats that enhance that damage type) and allowing them to trigger melee-related effects. To balance this, the raw DPS of glaives will be reduced.

Finally, the expansion will adjust several exotic armor pieces. Bungie delves into the specifics in the blog, so theorycrafters eager for details ahead of the July 15th launch should dive in.

In the meantime, there’s plenty of activity in the looter shooter leading up to the expansion. Highlights include increased dungeon currency drops until June 24th, staggered dungeon openings starting the week of June 24th, nonary engrams unlockable from July 1st through the 15th, and a “lootapalooza” event from July 8th to the 15th, ramping up currency rewards, weapon drops, and boss loot. Bungie will also host a livestream on June 24th, covering Edge of Fate’s stat system, new weapons, and “armor 3.0.”