FOUNDRY VERD ICT

The Taken King introduces weapon foundries – three manufacturers with different philosophies on the art of war. They’re designed to introduce more personality to the game’s expanded arsenal, their work based on discoveries Guardians made throughout year one. Hakke prizes function over form and damage over gimmickry. Omolon makes sleek, lightweight energy weapons that offer synergy with a Guardian’s class abilities. Suros believes weapons should be flexible, with perk upgrades taking guns in wildly different directions.

Weapon perks have been rethought too, with the final slot on a weapon’s upgrade path offering a significant power boost to one stat but a penalty to another. You can max out the stability on your new auto rifle, but it might mean reducing its range or magazine size.

“This is the kind of thing you only realise after the game has been out and you’ve been playing it with the community for a year,” Weisnewski says. “It was very easy to find a gun that had a solid base and then another slot on the [upgrade] grid that made it easy to spike a stat. You do that long enough and, over time, all the guns play the same. You have this whole wealth of weapons that are all basically the same gun, with different art. Forcing you to make an interesting choice gives the weapon more personality.”