Destiny's April 12 update has big changes in store for Warlocks and sniper rifles

The day of reckoning is nearly at hand for divebombing Stormcallers and close-quarters snipers. In its final informative livestream for Destiny Update 2.2.0, Bungie shared several changes coming to the Warlock class, weapon types, and even the basics of reviving your teammates.

First off, Landfall won't allow Stormcallers to break through Wards of Dawn while killing and blinding everyone any more. Bungie is toning down that particular talent for the Stormtrance super ability, while reining in some other perks that allowed players to keep Palpatine-ing for extended periods in Crucible matches.

Sunsinger Warlocks will no longer be quite the same melee bruisers, with the Flame Shield talent triggering less frequently and furnishing less powerful protection. And Voidwalkers will be brought up with several tweaks to encourage their energy-draining, ability-recharging cycle, hopefully firming up their status as Destiny's designated space magic slingers.

The war against sniper rifle dominance will begin anew on April 12 as well: Crucible players will once again start with special weapon ammo, but extra ammo will now only drop three minutes into the match and again two minutes later. You'll still see plenty of snipers and other special weapons out in PvP, but players will need to be more judicious about how they use them.

In other "sniper no sniping" news, medium-range sniper rifle scopes will get a slightly longer zoom across the board. They'll also take a bit more time to aim, and will be marginally less stable. All of these changes should have minimal impact on the classic sniper who carefully lines up shots from afar, but should make the weapons significantly less useful in medium/close range engagements.

Whether you're doing a co-op mission or taking on other players in Skirmish, you'll notice that reviving fallen teammates is more of a commitment in Update 2.2. Players will be required to both stand closer to their teammates and hold the button down longer to revive them. Sprinting will interrupt revive attempts and the overshield bestowed to both the helper and resurrected will be reduced, making it a more dangerous proposition (and, by extension, death a bit more punishing).

Seen something newsworthy? Tell us!