Ever since Destiny 2’s Forsaken expansion launched earlier this month, players have been enjoying its new PvE/PvP hybrid mode Gambit, saying that it’s a unique and fun new addition to the game’s activity roster. However, now that player have had some time to absorb the full Gambit experience, they’ve found that one weapon in particular performs so well in the mode that teams which don’t have it can feel like they’re at a distinct disadvantage. That weapon is the Sleeper Simulant Exotic linear fusion rifle.
Ever since it was introduced in Destiny 2’s Warmind expansion, the Sleeper Simulant has always been regarded as a powerful weapon, hence why it can only be obtained by completing a long, in-depth quest chain. In Gambit, players who are skilled with the Sleeper Simulant can absolutely destroy the opposing team when they invade, to the point where many players have requested that Bungie nerf the weapon’s performance.
More level-headed players have been quick to chastise those calling for Sleeper Simulant nerfs, citing the occasions when Bungie nerfed other elements of the game in the past and wound up over-correcting (a common meme on the official Destiny subreddit is that, if players feel one weapon group is underperforming, Bungie will just nerf all of the other weapon groups to compensate). Still, the debate apparently reached enough of a fever pitch to warrant a response from Bungie, who recently sent out the below tweet:
We’re aware of reports that Sleeper Simulant feels too strong in Gambit. The Sandbox team is looking at potential changes to address this.
Our goal is to retain the strength of the weapon, but tune it so it doesn’t feel to be the only viable power weapon in Gambit. Stay tuned.
— Bungie (@Bungie) September 17, 2018
Destiny 2 gameplay design lead Josh Hamrick also followed up with his own tweet, reiterating that Bungie will do everything it can to avoid simply nerfing Sleeper Simulant while also reminding the community that there will inevitably be times when a nerf is the best option:
Sandbox has been operating with the goal of not employing nerfs when there are other methods of tweaking the game so that there isn’t just 1 correct choice. That said, nerfs will still be needed from time to time.
We promise to be judicious when & where we choose to employ them. https://t.co/nyELOBACes
— Josh Hamrick (@Josh_Hamrick) September 17, 2018
Meanwhile, the Sleeper Simulant isn’t the only problem that players have with the new Gambit mode. However, it was to be expected that the Forsaken expansion would have some growing pains, and at the very least it’s good to see that Bungie is actively monitoring such issues.