Bungie has dropped their second big Dev Insights preview for Destiny 2: Renegades, this time focusing on Exotic armor tuning—and it’s a massive shake-up. This update revisits dozens of fan-favorite pieces across all three classes, reworking forgotten Exotics and modernizing them for the new sandbox. Hunters are getting fresh synergy with invisibility and Arc grenades, Titans are being rewarded for aggressive space control, and Warlocks… well, they might have just won the patch outright. In this video, we’re breaking down every major change, explaining what’s new, why it matters, and which builds you’ll want to dust off heading into Renegades.
Hunters: The Return of the Shadows
Hunters are seeing a massive identity revival in Renegades, with Bungie focusing heavily on invisibility loops, team support, and improved grenade synergy. It’s a clear effort to make the class more flexible and rewarding, no matter what subclass you prefer. Whether you love slipping through firefights unseen, helping your fireteam survive clutch moments, or chaining lightning across the battlefield, there’s something here for you.
Graviton Forfeit – The Invisibility Engine
Once a legendary Exotic in Destiny 1, Graviton Forfeit had lost its shine in the Void 3.0 era. Now, it’s back as a full-on invisibility-streak engine. Every time you turn invisible, you’ll gain faster grenade, melee, and class ability regeneration for a short time, and this buff stacks up to three times. The timer even pauses while you’re invisible, meaning skilled Hunters can keep their abilities rolling almost indefinitely. At three stacks, you’ll also start gaining portions of Void Overshield, rewarding players who master the rhythm of fading in and out of sight. It’s no longer just a stealth tool—it’s a self-feeding loop of survivability and power.
Omnioculus – Team Support Perfected
Next up is Omnioculus, which Bungie has tuned to emphasize a more selfless fireteam role. Now, when you make your allies invisible, they also start regenerating their health and shields. That means the Hunter’s invisibility isn’t just an escape mechanic anymore—it’s an instant group heal and a way to stabilize your entire team during chaotic fights. You won’t get this benefit yourself, but that’s part of the fantasy: the unseen protector who helps others survive while staying in the shadows.
Lucky Raspberry – Arcbolt Renaissance
Lucky Raspberry has always been one of those “almost great” Exotics that never quite clicked, but that changes here. Bungie has not only updated the armor piece, but also reworked the Arcbolt Grenade itself. The grenade’s chain range has been extended, the activation time sped up, and the tracking improved, making it far more reliable. On top of that, Lucky Raspberry now guarantees that Arcbolt hits will apply Jolt, and every instance of Jolt damage restores grenade energy. The result? You can now create looping Arcbolt chains that constantly feed your grenade energy back—basically, a lightning storm on demand.
Orpheus Rig and Gemini Jesters – Classic Favorites Reborn
Rounding things out, two iconic Exotics have been updated to fit modern gameplay. Orpheus Rig’s Shadowshot duration is being increased from 16 to 20 seconds, giving Nightstalker Hunters more uptime for crowd control and orb generation. Meanwhile, Gemini Jesters have been adjusted to use the new universal disorient verb. They now disorient players for longer and even remove enemy HUDs in PvP, while lasting longer against PvE enemies too. It’s a sneaky but powerful buff that solidifies their identity as the ultimate disruptor Exotic.
Overall, Hunters are walking away from this patch with an incredible amount of sandbox freedom. Invisibility loops, Arc energy builds, and support synergies all combine to make the class more flexible and rewarding than it’s been in years. In Renegades, the Hunters aren’t just ghosts—they’re the storm, the shield, and the strike that ends the fight before it even begins.
Titans: Masters of the Battlefield
Titans are getting some of the most exciting identity updates we’ve seen in a long time. In Renegades, Bungie is reinforcing the Titan fantasy of “control the field, protect your allies, and hit like a thunderclap.” Nearly every change gives Titans new ways to dominate space, loop abilities, and even mix offense and defense in smarter, flashier ways. These are buffs that make Titans feel more like battlefield commanders than blunt instruments.
Arbor Warden – The Barricade Tactician
Let’s start with Arbor Warden, one of the most underused Exotics in Destiny 2. It’s finally getting a major identity overhaul. Now, picking up three Orbs of Power enhances your next Barri-nade — and when that grenade detonates, it spawns a Y-shaped barricade pattern based on your equipped barricade type. This works with other barricade mods like Drengr’s Lash or Storm’s Keep, letting you create instant cover or area denial wherever you throw. It’s a creative twist that rewards planning and positioning, giving Titans a fresh tool to claim space and turn defense into offense.
Dunemarchers – Chain Lightning Unleashed
Dunemarchers have always been PvP staples, but they’ve struggled to find a home in PvE. Renegades fixes that in a big way. The maximum chain count is increasing from four to seven, and every chain hit now grants two Bolt Charge stacks—or three if you’re running the right fragment. Even better, Glaive melees can now trigger the chain effect, turning melee-focused or hybrid builds into true lightning conductors. This opens up some insane synergy with Arc Titans and Storm’s Keep builds, letting you turn entire rooms into live circuits of chain damage.
Ursa Furiosa – A Smoother Defender
The changes to Ursa Furiosa are less flashy but deeply impactful. Bungie has fixed long-standing inconsistencies with its Super refund behavior, ensuring you now properly gain Super energy when blocking with an overshield. Refund rates are no longer tied to enemy difficulty, and the overall fill rate is faster in both equal-power and lower-power activities. Translation: your Shield of Justice feels smoother and more reliable everywhere. Titans who love supporting their team with Sentinel Shield are going to notice the difference immediately.
Second Chance – The Void Defender’s Comeback
If you’ve ever tried Second Chance, you know it’s been an Exotic with potential but no payoff—until now. Bungie’s given it a full thematic redesign around Shield Throws. Every Shield Throw final blow now spawns a Void Breach, and picking one up restores melee energy. Plus, Shield Throws now apply Weaken when using the Exotic, and even your Sentinel Super’s ranged throws gain this debuff. This means you can chain Shield Throws, create Void Breaches, and keep the loop going indefinitely in the right build. It’s the ultimate righteous-defender fantasy — throwing shields, reclaiming energy, and standing as an unbreakable wall between your fireteam and danger.
Armamentarium – True Ordnance Fantasy
Armamentarium gets a long-overdue quality-of-life update too. The classic “double grenade” Exotic now grants 10% grenade energy on weapon kills and even reloads your weapon when you throw a grenade. It’s a simple but elegant addition that reinforces the idea of the Titan as a heavy ordnance specialist — constantly juggling explosions, ammo, and sheer brute force. It’s not the flashiest buff, but it might quietly become one of the most practical options for grenade-focused builds.
Lion Rampants and Peacekeepers – Movement and Style
Finally, two mobility Exotics are getting some long-requested love. Lion Rampants now allow players to aim down sights while in lift, removing a frustrating restriction that’s been there for years. Titans can finally fly and fight with proper accuracy — a small change that feels incredible in practice. Peacekeepers also get a modest buff: their Mobility bonus jumps from +25 to +30, and Bungie has restored the fan-favorite SMG swap-load interaction that was accidentally removed. Combined, these tweaks let mobility Titans feel smoother, faster, and more expressive in their playstyles.
Together, these updates bring Titans closer to their core identity — unshakable, unstoppable, and undeniably cool. Whether you’re chaining lightning with Dunemarchers, throwing up barricades like a fortress with Arbor Warden, or unleashing grenades in rapid succession with Armamentarium, Titans in Renegades finally feel like the battlefield generals they were always meant to be.
Warlocks: Power Perfected
If Hunters are sharpening their precision and Titans are fortifying their dominance, then Warlocks in Renegades are ascending—literally. Bungie’s tuning pass for Exotics this season turns the class into a powerhouse of elemental control and scaling damage. Many of these changes don’t just buff numbers—they unlock entirely new build loops, chaining abilities and stacking bonuses in ways that feel both arcane and devastating. From Void souls to Warlord’s Rage, this is the most ambitious Warlock update we’ve seen in years.
Nothing Manacles – The Scatter Storm Returns
First up, Nothing Manacles. Scatter Grenades have always been flashy but inconsistent, and Manacles never quite delivered on their chaotic promise. That’s changing in Renegades. Alongside the recent patch that increased seeker count and boosted tracking, the new version now spawns additional Scatter seekers whenever you land grenade kills—and those can chain into more seekers. That means one well-placed Scatter can ripple across a crowd, feeding into itself with destructive rhythm. It’s the fantasy of chaotic Void energy finally realized: unpredictable, uncontrollable, and absolutely lethal.
Briarbinds – Void Souls Empowered
Briarbinds have always had style, but their power curve was too slow to shine in endgame content. Bungie is tightening that loop by reducing the number of kills needed to max out the Void Soul’s damage bonus from six to four. On top of that, your Void Soul now ramps up damage the longer it stays on target—up to 30% more after ten seconds. This makes the Exotic much more responsive and rewarding for sustained fights, letting you build toward powerful Void Soul loops in both solo and team play. Expect to see Briarbinds become a cornerstone for any build centered on battlefield control.
Stormdancer’s Brace – Consistent Power, Amplified
The Stormdancer’s Brace update is a quieter one, but it makes a world of difference. Instead of building damage bonuses on kills during your Stormtrance Super, the buff now scales on hits—making it far easier to reach maximum potential in tougher content. It now takes 30 hits to cap out, which sounds like a lot, but in practice, you’ll hit that cap in seconds while clearing groups or melting bosses. Bungie has also added a neutral play bonus: when you’re Amplified, Arc ability hits generate Bolt Charge stacks. That means the Exotic finally has value outside of Super usage—something it’s needed for years.
Winter’s Guile – Warlord’s Rage Unleashed
Then there’s Winter’s Guile, which has been completely reimagined. Instead of just stacking melee damage, Bungie has built an entirely new system around Warlord’s Rage. Melee and Finisher kills grant stacks of bonus melee damage—up to ten stacks for a massive +400% buff. Once you hit the cap, your next melee activation triggers Warlord’s Rage: a 10-second window of faster melee regen, boosted melee speed, and a total +500% melee damage increase. The stacks decay over time, forcing you to balance aggression and timing, but if you pull it off, you’ll feel like a melee god. It’s the most Warlock-flavored brawler mechanic yet—arcane precision through controlled chaos.
Mataiodoxia – Needlestorm Ascends
Warlocks have long asked for a true Super damage Exotic—something to compete with Titan’s Cuirass or Hunter’s Celestial Nighthawk. Bungie’s answer isn’t a new item, but a major enhancement to Mataiodoxia. Now, landing five Needlestorm projectiles triggers a powerful Stylostixis suspending burst that deals huge damage to all targets caught in it. This means Needlestorm is finally a real DPS option, capable of hanging with the game’s top burst Supers. It’s elegant, thematic, and incredibly satisfying—pure Void mayhem unleashed in crystalline form.
Dawn Chorus – Daybreak Reignited
Finally, Dawn Chorus. Bungie is moving part of its identity into the base Daybreak Super—boosting its damage by 20% and giving it scorch by default. But don’t worry: the Exotic still gets love. When paired with this new version of Daybreak, Dawn Chorus sees an additional 5% damage increase and faster scorch stacking, meaning you can now trigger Ignitions with a single projectile. In short, Solar Warlocks are about to become walking Ignition engines. Add in the new Universal Exotic Ornament system Bungie teased, and you can finally look stylish while setting the battlefield ablaze.
Warlocks have always been about mastery—turning knowledge into destruction, and control into art. With Renegades, Bungie has made that philosophy mechanical again. Whether you’re chaining chaos with Scatter Grenades, commanding Void Souls, or igniting the skies with Daybreak, Warlocks are once again living up to their name: scholars of the Light who bend the rules of the sandbox itself.
Closing Thoughts: A New Era of Builds
With this armor tuning preview, it’s clear that Bungie isn’t just balancing Destiny 2 — they’re redefining what it means to buildcraft. Renegades isn’t shaping up to be just another expansion with new loot; it’s a fundamental shift toward synergy-driven gameplay. Every one of these Exotic reworks feeds into the new artifact systems and the evolving sandbox philosophy: play your way, and make it powerful.
Old Favorites, New Life
What’s exciting here is how much respect Bungie is showing for the past. So many of these Exotics—Graviton Forfeit, Second Chance, Winter’s Guile—were once great ideas that just didn’t fit the meta. Now, they’re back and fully realized. The design team isn’t afraid to modernize forgotten armor, turning niche pieces into meaningful tools again. It’s a reminder that Destiny’s history isn’t being abandoned—it’s being rebuilt.
Class Identity Reborn
Each class also feels more distinct than it has in years. Hunters are reclaiming their stealth and precision roots, dipping between invisibility and aggression like true assassins. Titans are doubling down on their identity as battlefield anchors—commanders who can lock down entire zones and lead the charge. And Warlocks? They’ve evolved into pure specialists: masters of elemental control, capable of bending ability timing and damage scaling in ways no other class can. The sandbox feels more alive, more expressive, and more personal than ever.
The Road to Renegades
Of course, this is just the middle chapter. Bungie’s next Dev Insights will cover abilities tuning, and if this armor update is any indication, we’re in for another round of game-changing adjustments. Synergies between Exotics, subclasses, and the new Artifact are clearly being designed to complement each other—almost like a new layer of depth is being added to Destiny’s buildcrafting puzzle. The Renegades sandbox feels like a reset button: a chance to reimagine what your Guardian can do.
So, as we get closer to launch, it’s time to start theorycrafting again. Which Exotic are you pulling out of the vault first? Are you leaning toward the invisibility loop of Graviton Forfeit, the lightning chains of Dunemarchers, or the melee madness of Winter’s Guile? Whatever your answer, one thing’s clear — Renegades is breathing new life into the old and setting the stage for the most dynamic sandbox Destiny 2 has ever seen.