Destiny 2's Echoes Act 2 is Shooting Itself in The Foot by Buffing The Strongest Build in The Game (2024)

Destiny 2's Echoes Episode launched shortly after the release of The Final Shape, but not to the same level of general praise due to some recurring issues from the seasonal model Bungie used in the past and new problems that came with the way content is being spread over four months rather than three. One interesting aspect of time-gated content in Destiny 2's Episodes is that each Act is supposed to add a row to the Seasonal Artifact for players to pick and choose from to enhance their builds, and Echoes Act 2 does the same. However, Bungie may have gone overboard with this specific row, as it greatly enhances one of the strongest builds in the entire game.

With The Final Shape, Destiny 2 builds were taken to the next level thanks to Prismatic subclasses, new Exotics and guns, and multiple sandbox changes. Prismatic subclasses are meant to take a few of the best elements of each Light or Darkness subclass to craft something truly special, which in the case of Hunters meant a kit that includes some of the best melee combos in the game as well as ranged DPS potential. Celestial Nighthawk Prismatic builds came out on top of the meta thanks to incredible DPS when using the new Exotic sniper rifle Still Hunt, and now that specific build is getting even better with Act 2.

Destiny 2 is Buffing Celestial Nighthawk Still Hunt Builds With Echoes Act 2

Destiny 2's Hunters Will Have The Best Build in The Game Bar None in Echoes Act 2

Celestial Nighthawk is a Destiny 2 Hunter Exotic armor piece that allows players to shoot a single, powerful Golden Gun shot for immense damage, and not only do Hunters have Golden Gun as a Super on Prismatic, but Still Hunt was released. Still Hunt is one of The Final Shape's Exotics gained after completing a post-campaign quest involving Cayde-6, and it has its own Super meter that, once filled, players can consume to shoot a few Golden Gun shots. This combines with Celestial Nighthawk for a single shot, making for the best DPS build in the game.

Destiny 2's Echoes Act 2 makes Celestial Nighthawk Prismatic builds even stronger, though, and that's with an array of new Seasonal Artifact perks unlocked with the additional row. These perks are as follows:

• Anti-Barrier Sniper Rifle, which makes sniper rifles an anti-Champion weapon
• Authorized Mods: Scavenger, which reduces the cost of Scavenger Mods across the board
• Incendiary Rifle Rounds, which makes Solar sniper rifles scorch targets on hit
• Solar Fulmination, which makes ignitions do increased damage in an increased area of effect
• Sniper's Meditation, which makes sniper rifle hits grant stacking bonus sniper rifle damage, stability, and reload, and Heavy ammo sniper rifle hits count more than one time

Why Celestial Nighthawk Hunter Builds With Still Hunt Will Dominate Destiny 2's Meta

While Anti-Barrier doesn't outright make a build better in terms of DPS, it's added value for general gameplay. More importantly, reduced costs for Scavenger Mods help sustain ammo for DPS encounters, and guns like Still Hunt can benefit a lot from it. The true powerhouse mods in this selection are the latter three, which can make Destiny 2's Still Hunt Exotic scorch and then ignite targets for free bonus damage, and then also grant it extra damage on hits on top of that.

Assuming this stacks with the Celestial Nighthawk use of Still Hunt, Hunters will have the best build in the game for DPS bar none, with current Warlock builds using Solipsism with Spirit of Apotheosis and Spirit of Star-Eater being blown out of the water. This buff does affect the newly craftable Whisper of The Worm Exotic sniper rifle in Destiny 2 as well, with it getting even more stacks of Sniper's Meditation due to being a Heavy weapon, but Still Hunt will by comparison be the single best choice moving forward since its ammo economy is better and its damage will be incredible.

Destiny 2

Bungie's Destiny 2 is an online FPS that blends single-player and multiplayer content. Constantly evolving, the shooter has established a strong following since its 2017 debut.

System

Google , PC , PlayStation , Xbox

Platform(s)

PS5 , PS4 , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S , Xbox One , PC , Stadia

Released

August 28, 2017

Developer(s)

Bungie

Publisher(s)

Bungie

Genre(s)

FPS

Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer , Online Co-Op

Engine

Tiger Engine

ESRB

T For TEEN for Blood, Language, and Violence

Expansions

Destiny 2: Forsaken , Destiny 2: Shadowkeep , Destiny 2: Beyond Light , Destiny 2: The Witch Queen , Destiny 2: Lightfall

How Long To Beat

100+

Metascore

85

Platforms That Support Crossplay

PC, PS4,PS5, Xbox One &Xbox Series X|S

Number of Players

1-6 (Co-Op)

PS Plus Availability

Essential, Extra, & Premium (The Witch Queen)

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