I’ve seen a lot of players getting excited over the upcoming weapon changes. It’s great to see so many large % buff increases to the damage of weapons, but many players have yet to realize they are drastically overlooking a change and how it effects the game as a whole. Specifically, [u][b]all primary weapons are receiving a blanket nerf to minor enemy minimum TTK[/b][/u] that could fundamentally alter how the game is played. Scroll to the bottom for the [u][b]TLDR.[/b][/u] [b]Straight from the TWAB:[/b] Minor enemies (Rank-and-File) no longer take more precision damage than other enemies. I’m sure you’re probably scratching your head right now, so let’s do some math. But before we get to that, allow me to present a term you might not have heard before, but you're undoubtedly aware of. [b]Time Zero-Point Damage: [/b]The damage a weapon deals per hit/burst. Everyone knows that handcannons and to a lesser extent pulse rifles are the undisputed kings of PvE. This is largely due to the functionality of the weapons themselves. High damage output at the time of the initial shot/burst yields a more likely instant/immediate kill on minor enemies than other weapon archetypes. This allows the player to quickly and systematically tap their way through a crowd of enemies, effectively triggering and maintaining stacking damage buffs with the lowest downtime between selecting and executing targets. Now, keep this mind as we discuss how weapon damage to minors is being changed in the upcoming update. OK, time for math class. I’m going to keep my numbers incredibly simple here, as the point of this calculation is to demonstrate how TTKs against Minor Enemies will change based on the upcoming change to precision damage, not which weapon archetype is superior to others. Let’s say that under current precision mechanics you have a choice between a Handcannon that fires 2 rounds per second at 50 base damage per round, or an autorifle that fires 10 rounds per second at 10 base damage per round. Both weapons have an identical 1.5x precision multiplier. Assume no range fall off or other variables. Therefore both weapons have identical 100 base dps on paper. Now we’re going to look at the number of shots to kill a 300 HP minor enemy under current precision multiplier rules for both these weapons. Handcannon: 300/((2x1.5)x50))=2 rounds to kill Autorifle: 300/((2x1.5)x10))=10 rounds to kill Refer back to what I mentioned about time zero-point damage. The handcannon fires at a rate of 2 rounds per second, but the way that behaves in practice is that round 1 is being fired at time point 0(initial trigger pull), and round 2 is being fired at .5 seconds. The net result is a functional TTK of .5 seconds on the target in question. The auto rifle with the same on paper dps fires its first bullet at time point zero, and its second bullet .1 seconds later. This means the 10th bullet (lethal) is actually fired .9 seconds after the initial trigger pull. A difference of .4 seconds on the TTK on this target! (+80%) This bias towards weapons with high time point zero damage to artificially shorten functional TTKs on weak enemies is not something most players are consciously aware of, but quickly figure out by the feel of how a weapon plays in hand. The tactics of utilizing the longer downtime between higher damage shots/bursts to sight a new target and continue dispatching foes on a regular cadence. The same concept applies to weapons in PvP, however, with precision multipliers already functioning at their base level this is more about showcasing why 150 handcannons remain dominant over other weapon archetypes in practice. Now lets look at the upcoming changes, and see how with these change the TTK on the same 300 HP minor target is about to change. Both autorifles and handcannons are receiving a 30% damage bonus to minor enemies, so that is the updated value I’ll incorporate into this example. All decimals mean an entire additional bullet must be fired. (you can't fire .07 of a bullet can you?) 300/(1.5x(50x1.3)) = 300/97.5 = 3.07 (3 precision shots + 1 body shot to kill) -4th round is fired at 1.5 second mark. 300/(1.5x(10x1.3)) = 300/19.5 = 15.38(15 precision rounds + 1 body shot to kill) -16th round is fired at the 1.5 second mark. In this example it just so happened to work out that both weapons now have the same functional TTK against this enemy under the rules of the upcoming changes. A few HP less could have swung the TTK more in favor of the handcannon, but the main take away point is that the minimum TTK of all weapons, not just primaries, against minor enemies is increasing by at least 50%! The compensation for this is that body shot damage of most weapons is increasing on these same enemies. Lets compare the Before and After of these changes: Handcannon Before: 50 Body shot/150 Precision damage Handcannon After: 65 Body Shot(+30%)/97.5 Precision Damage (-35%) Autorifle Before: 10 Body Shot/30 Precision Damage Autorifle After: 13 Body Shot(+30%)/19.5 Precision Damage(-35%) Here is what these changes mean for players: 1. Longer minimum TTKs and shorter maximum TTKs means smaller deltas (difference between max and min) between precision and non-precision kills on minor targets. Minor enemies will become overall more difficult to deal with by utilizing primaries alone. 2. The differences in TTK between primaries archetypes is being reduced with weapons becoming more or less effective on a per case basis. Will be more dependent on an individual targets HP or range from target than current calculations require. 3. Higher minimum shots to kill means a tighter ammo economy for primaries. 4. The compounding effect of these changes means that stacking damage boost effects will become more difficult to maintain via longer kills and more reloads per kill. (rampage, kill clip, master at arms.) 5. Less precision damage means precision kill triggered effects will be more difficult to activate on minor enemies. (dragonfly, firefly, outlaw.) Based on these changes, unless the upcoming number crunch Bungie has planned to clean up damage numbers also includes a reduction to minor enemy health pools, then primaries will feel significantly weaker in a competent players hands against these enemies. Given that snipers and LMGs also received similar base bonuses, presumably to keep these weapons highly effective against these enemies, I doubt that is going to be the case. [u][b]TLDR;[/b][/u] If you currently run around bodying red bar (minor) enemies, you’re terrible, but you’re about to get slightly better. If you are a total Gamer who never misses a precision hit, add control is about to become a top priority to build into your load-out.