Destiny 2 Weapon sunsetting

After months of speculation and opposition from the community at large, Bungie implemented weapon retirement, aka weapon retirement, in Destiny 2. In a nutshell, this is how it actually works:

In other words: Legendary gear will have a one-year lifetime during which it can be used for difficult and Power-enabled activities.

This definition comes from Bungie’s May 14, 2020, TWAB, a post that also gave us more information about their plans for the game. Yet my biggest question remained:

When is this going to impact our favorite weapons?

Today we answer that question as we dive deep into weapon sunsetting in Destiny 2. We will also cover armor retirement and explain how sunsetting, in general, works now.

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Destiny 2 sunsetting list: Weapons impacted [per Season]

The following chart should help you better visualize what weapons have already been affected by sunsetting. For Season 9 weapons, the list is exhaustive and includes every Season of Dawn weapon lost to sunsetting. For Seasons 1 through 8, the list focuses on all the Pinnacle weapons, Rituals, and the most popular weapons overall.

PS: If you’re interested in the Legendary weapons that are not sunset and therefore still viable this Season, this guide is for you.

Destiny 2 sunsetting chart

If a weapon is listed within a particular season, it means it will be retired at the beginning of that season. Example: Recluse was sunsetted in Season 12. This means Recluse can only go as high as Season 11’s Max Power Level.

It is worth noting that weapon retirement only affects endgame content where Power Level matters. That said, the community believed this would only affect a few activities such as Nightfall: The Ordeals, Trials of Osiris, and the like. But since Beyond Light increased the Max Power Level by 200, sunsetted weapons are essentially useless for most things except “normal” PVP and Playlist: Strikes.

Unsurprisingly, weapon sunsetting is significantly shifting the game’s meta and the current top PVE and PVP weapons are very different from what they were just 3 months ago. If you’re serious about endgame content, replacing your retired gear should become your top priority.

About re-issued weapons…

Re-issued Weapons: Some weapons in the list above were re-issued. Re-issued weapons remain exactly the same as before but have a higher Power level cap. However, whatever god roll you already had will keep the same old Power Level Cap, not the new re-issued one.

I’m not one to rant, but the way Bungie keeps re-issuing weapons is worrisome. Many warned this could happen:

“Bungie is retiring our weapons to force us to grind for the same thing all over again”.

Bungie keeps saying weapon sunsetting will give them more freedom to create amazing weapons without having to worry about keeping them balanced forever (and then be forced to nerf them, as was the case for several Pinnacle weapons).

I want to believe Bungie, but re-issuing weapons as they did with Gnawing Hunger is not a good sign: Absolutely nothing was changed.

No new perks, fine-tuned stats, or anything. They simply slapped a different logo to the thumbnail and increased the Power Cap. This is not what weapon sunsetting should be. I do hope this was an exception and that Bungie will indeed surprise us with amazing new weapons this Fall…

Destiny 2 Sunsetting: Exotics remain untouched

Some of our favorite Legendary weapons will be retired soon, but fortunately, Exotic weapons will not be subject to sunsetting. Not yet at least…

This means you will be able to continue using your favorite Exotic weapons in end-game content and challenging activities for the foreseeable future. This makes the Top Tier Exotics even more relevant, and a priority, if you don’t have them yet.

The state of Combat bows is a great example. Most of the best bows in Destiny 2 were retired with the release of Beyond Light, and that makes the Exotics, such as Trinity Ghoul, even more appealing.

The same goes for hand cannons. The most popular hand cannon for PVP, Spare Rations, was sunset with Beyond Light. Granted, other legendary hand cannons have appeared, but the best alternatives are, for the most part, exotic hand cannons.

And this is an excellent move from Bungie. Losing all those difficult to obtain Pinnacle weapons was hard to swallow. By excluding Exotics, Bungie is telling players that they somewhat respect their time and dedication. After all, some of the best Exotic weapons and Catalysts are locked behind difficult quests that can take several hours to complete.

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Armor sunsetting in Destiny 2: The exceptions

Unfortunately, Sunsetting will also impact armor. This means all the armor pieces you spent massive resources to Masterwork will also only have a one-year lifespan.

The decision to sunset weapons has been criticized. But the decision to sunset armor, however, has been widely rejected by the community. It simply makes less sense. In fact, it seems like the only real reason to sunset armor is to push players to have to re-acquire and re-masterwork new armor.

There is one exception to this rule:

• Weapons from the Last Wish and Garden of Salvation raid will have a longer lifetime and won’t be sunsetted until Season 14.
• Armor from all raids, including legacy raids going away this Fall, will have a longer lifetime and won’t be sunsetted until Season 14.

Also, from a pure cosmetics perspective, the effects of armor sunsetting should be somewhat limited by the upcoming ability to transmog the looks of your favorite armor pieces into newer gear.

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Destiny 2 Sunsetting rules: How will it work, exactly?

Bungie’s May 14, 2020, TWAB is a must-read if you want to know everything there is to know about weapon retirement, but these are the key “rules” you need to know:

• Each Legendary weapon and piece of armor now has a Max Power Level it can reach through infusion.
• Exotics do not have a Max Power Level.
• The Max Power Level for these items is set at the player Power Cap attainable 3 Seasons after its release Season (4 Seasons total).
  • This means all Legendary gear has a one-year span of time during which it can be used in activities where being at or near the player Power Cap is important (difficult and Power-enabled activities).
• The Max Power Level for these items is now visible in-game.

• At the start of Season 12, weapons and armor released in Seasons 1-8 will have a Max Power Level at the Season 11 player Power Cap
• Gear from Seasons 9, 10, 11, and 12 will all be infusible to new player Power Caps for 1 year after their release.
• Weapons and armor from the Last Wish and Garden of Salvation raids, will be granted exceptions and will have a higher Max Power Level”.

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Frequently Asked Questions

At this point we’ve covered everything there is to know about sunset in Destiny 2. That said, I’ve been asked the following questions so many times, they deserve a dedicated section:

Can I still use gear that has reached its Max Power Level?

Yes. You will always be able to equip and use any piece of gear. Reaching the player Power Cap is beneficial, but not strictly required, for most activities in Destiny. You can continue to equip and use all gear in these activities.

Does this apply to armor as well as weapons?

Yes – all Legendary gear that provides Power will have a Max Power Level.
When gear drops after its debut Season, what will its Max Power Level be? It will have the same Max Power Level as it did in its initial release Season.

Will gear ever have its Max Power Level updated?

Not directly, but gear can be re-issued in future Seasons. These re-issued versions will have a new Max Power Level based on the Season in which it is re-issued.

Is Drang getting Sunset?

We thought it would, but Bungie just revealed that Gunsmith will begin selling a version of Drang on November 10 with no infusion cap. Same for MIDA Mini-Tool.

Is there a Destiny 2 Beyond Light sunsetting list?

Yes, that the first section of the chart above, named “Retiring Season 12”.

Is Revoker getting Sunset?

Yes, it will be sunset on November 10, 2020, with the release of Beyond Light.

Is Redrix’s Broadsword getting Sunset?

Yes, it will be sunset on November 10, 2020, with the release of Beyond Light.

Is Spare Rations getting Sunset?

Yes, it will be sunset on November 10, 2020, with the release of Beyond Light.

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Your turn

You now know everything there is to know about weapons and armor sunsetting in D2.

The weapon list above is my take on how sunsetting will impact the most popular (and some of my favorites) weapons in Destiny 2.

But perhaps I missed some. If I did miss your favorites or weapons you consider S Tier, let me know in the comments section below.