Destiny 2 is finally nerfing its most broken ult, but as a Warlock main I fear my teammates will still want to crutch on it

GamesFPSDestiny 2Destiny 2 is finally nerfing its most broken ult, but as a Warlock main I fear my teammates will still want to crutch on itWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

Despite currently having two supers, Solar Warlocks have been locked to Well of Radiance for almost six years.(Image credit: Bungie)

Destiny 2 Warlock solar 3.0 artwork

Have you ever had your teammates bully you into running a particular loadout for their benefit? Everyone who plays Warlock in Destiny 2 knows the feeling. Back in 2018, theForsaken expansionadded a new Solar super called Well of Radiance, and in team-based activities we’ve been forced to run it ever since. When you pop this ult, the Warlock slams a flaming sword into the ground which forms a glowing pool around it for 20 seconds.

Currently, standing in that well grants all players a 25% damage buff and, more significantly, a whopping 50% reduction to incoming damage. As you can imagine, that’s incredibly useful in enemy-dense activities, particularly at higher-end difficulty where damage is substantially amped up.

As a result, in any endgame content you will usually find multiple Warlocks running Well. Such is its ubiquity that entire encounters have to be designed around the knowledge that teams will be using Wells to do their DPS from extreme safety. The power of Well has also meant other Warlock subclasses have struggled to shine, despite being fun to play. If you turn up to a Master raid and you’re running Void rather than Solar, you can bet it won’t be more than one wipe before the squad asks you to swap.

In an almost 7,000-word post detailing changes coming to Destiny 2 ability tuning, Bungie outlined how Well will change when The Final Shape releases on June 4:

So the short version is the enemies will be able to kill you much more easily while in a well, but the damage utility is slightly improved. So far, the response from the community is pretty mixed. There are always those who don’t want to see a crutch removed, whilst many elite players—such as back-to-back world’s first raiderSaltagreppo—have long called for a major nerf, and are reacting with delight. (Much to the fury of the players who wanted it left untouched.)

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals

AFTER 5 YEARS IT FINALLY HAPPENED. LET’S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! This sandbox has potential to be the best in years, very hyped. pic.twitter.com/yOrNPS4YClMay 22, 2024

My response, as a Warlock with many 1000s of hours in the game, is that removing much of the damage reduction will hurt, but I’m not sure it goes far enough if Bungie really wants the playerbase to run Well less. Prior to the changes being announced, there was a thread onr/DestinyTheGametitled: ‘As a Warlock main, I’m hoping Bungie can unshackle us from Well of Radiance with a decent nerf." I fear those shackles will remain in place. For most encounters, having an area of even slightly less potent healing to dip into and grab a damage buff from is still going to be incredibly useful. I suspect part of the reason why Bungie didn’t go harder with the nerfs is that so much of the game has been designed around Well existing that certain activities would become very annoying without it.

There’s also the not insignificant matter of Bungie currently being on a wave of goodwill thanks to the well-received (and free)Into the Light update, plus the excitement around the newPrismatic subclass reveal. So, with the climactic expansion of the game’s decade-long saga due in less than three weeks, now would probably not have been the time to force-feed the playerbase a big bad news sandwich. Hopefully the nerfwillfeel substantial enough to make my fellow Warlocks at least try the new fire-slinging Solar super coming with The Final Shape, which you can watch in action below.

The Well nerf should also give the new Prismatic subclass room to breathe on Warlock, particularly as it includes strong options like the above super, Needlestorm, Healing Grenade and the freezing Bleak Watcher turret. As for the rest of the blog, there’s way too much to precis, but Ward of Dawn is getting a less dramatic rework, Strand Titan sees an expected nerf to Banner of War, and Spark of Beacons (which blinds enemies) will now work on heavy weapons which I think could be low key cracked. I also particularly like the sound of the Stasis makeover, which includes a new keyword called Frost Armor and several new fragments for build crafting.

Final thought on Well: I was doing the Riven encounter as part of the Pantheon boss rush last night, and realised that if I swapped to Phoenix Protocol I could drop a Well on every floor and still have it back for the boss. Things went much smoother thereafter, and in balancing terms having an ult which effectively serves as swimming arm bands in hard content is probably not okay. I just want to run Briarbinds Warlock in a raid once, guys!

More about fpsTeam Fortress 2 just had the single biggest trade in its history, with ‘the absolute best hat you can get’ going for around $40KThe most important tool in Remedy’s new co-op FPS is the shower: ‘Saving water is essential’

More about fps

Team Fortress 2 just had the single biggest trade in its history, with ‘the absolute best hat you can get’ going for around $40KThe most important tool in Remedy’s new co-op FPS is the shower: ‘Saving water is essential’

A valuable TF2 hat shimmers in the moonlight.

Team Fortress 2 just had the single biggest trade in its history, with ‘the absolute best hat you can get’ going for around $40K

FBC: Firebreak

The most important tool in Remedy’s new co-op FPS is the shower: ‘Saving water is essential’

Latest

Double headed wizard man holding arms up looking sad

See more latest►

Most PopularFinal Fantasy 14 communities panic as it turns out change to blacklisting, meant to help reduce stalking, also lets players use mods to track their altsTikTok’s time in the US may be ticking to a close as it makes a last stand in the Supreme Court, though Trump now says he ‘opposes banning’ itMSI intros cheaper ‘back connect’ Project Zero Intel motherboards for super-clean PC builds you might actually be able to affordThermaltake’s new 2000 W PSU is too powerful to be sold in the USA and comes with four PCIe 5.0 GPU power connectorsAMD accuses Intel’s Arrow Lake of being a ‘horrible’ product and implies a lack of options for consumers has caused the Ryzen 7 9800X3D shortageThis Jinx-inspired gaming PC is my favorite of CES 2025 and I’m head over heels for the hardwareHarrowing report alleges years of horrific abuse at Brandoville Studios, an Indonesian support studio that worked on Assassin’s Creed Shadows and The Last of Us RemakeTencent says it’s not a Chinese military company and is willing to sue the US Department of Defense if it isn’t removed from a blacklistAll Zenless Zone Zero 1.5 livestream codesAsus reveals three new Slash Travel Bags for carting around your ROG Ally—however, none of them are particularly fashion forwardToday’s Wordle answer for Friday, January 10

Most Popular

Final Fantasy 14 communities panic as it turns out change to blacklisting, meant to help reduce stalking, also lets players use mods to track their alts

TikTok’s time in the US may be ticking to a close as it makes a last stand in the Supreme Court, though Trump now says he ‘opposes banning’ it

MSI intros cheaper ‘back connect’ Project Zero Intel motherboards for super-clean PC builds you might actually be able to afford

Thermaltake’s new 2000 W PSU is too powerful to be sold in the USA and comes with four PCIe 5.0 GPU power connectors

AMD accuses Intel’s Arrow Lake of being a ‘horrible’ product and implies a lack of options for consumers has caused the Ryzen 7 9800X3D shortage

This Jinx-inspired gaming PC is my favorite of CES 2025 and I’m head over heels for the hardware

Harrowing report alleges years of horrific abuse at Brandoville Studios, an Indonesian support studio that worked on Assassin’s Creed Shadows and The Last of Us Remake

Tencent says it’s not a Chinese military company and is willing to sue the US Department of Defense if it isn’t removed from a blacklist

All Zenless Zone Zero 1.5 livestream codes

Asus reveals three new Slash Travel Bags for carting around your ROG Ally—however, none of them are particularly fashion forward

Today’s Wordle answer for Friday, January 10

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review4Ikea Utespelare desk review5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

A bunch of the best Steam Deck accessories on a blue background.

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review

Thank Goodness You’re Here review

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review

Thank Goodness You’re Here! review

2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review

Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review

3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

4Ikea Utespelare desk review

Ikea Utespelare desk review

5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals#

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals