Bugged Destiny 2 Interaction Causing Issues with DPS Rotations

A persistent issue in Destiny 2 may be causing significant damage loss in your DPS rotations, particularly for Solar Hunters utilizing Celestial Nighthawk.

The Season of the Wish saw Celestial Nighthawk receive a significant buff, propelling it into the meta. These enhancements allow the Hunter Exotic to generate more Super energy with precision final blows and also increase its Impact Damage by 25%.

After receiving a buff, the Hunter Exotic now allows for easier farming of Golden Gun and quicker recharge times. Additionally, the damage output of Celestial Nighthawk has increased significantly, making it a more viable choice compared to its competitors. Previously, it was overshadowed by Star-Eater Scales, but now Celestial Nighthawk stands as one of the most powerful Exotics in the game.

Nevertheless, there exists a glitch in the system where utilizing Golden Gun while standing inside a Well of Radiance cancels out the 25% increase in damage given by the Radiant buff during activation of the Solar Super.

Destiny 2 Hunter using Golden Gun against Warlord's Ruins final boss. — Bungie

Golden Gun deals more damage outside of Well of Radiance than in it.

This indicates that firing Golden Gun while standing in a teammate’s Well of Radiance will result in a significant 25% decrease in damage dealt. This reduction can amount to approximately 250,000 damage if the damage cap of 999,999 is reached.

When paired with a Solar Warlock, Solar Hunters who are using Golden Gun should exit the Well of Radiance before activating their Super. Afterwards, they should re-enter the Well of Radiance to continue their DPS rotation.

The cause of this bug is thought to be related to the mechanics of Well of Radiance. When a Warlock activates this Super, any existing Radiant buff is replaced with one that is specific to Well of Radiance. While this does not cause issues in most cases, it poses a significant problem for Golden Gun as the unique Radiant buff from Well of Radiance does not increase the damage of Golden Gun.