Go ahead and dismantle your Eternal Warrior. As of Update 7.0.0.1 to Destiny 2, swap Exotics are effectively dead. In Trials of Osiris and Competitive Division Crucible, a new Exotic Armor Swap penalty is now in play. This penalty drains all ability energy when swapping Exotic armor in these modes.
Still, this change probably only affects a very small number of players. First of all, it only applies in Competitive Crucible and Trials. Second, Exotic swapping was only ever really used by a small number of high-level PC players. The idea behind a swap Exotic is to switch from a strong neutral game Exotic armor piece, like St0mp-ee5, to a super-specific one that otherwise offers no benefits, like Raiju’s Harness. This requires going into the equipment menu and manually switching them out, since Destiny 2 has no “quick swap” command.
Swap Exotics are still viable in Quickplay Crucible and Destiny 2 PVE, though they’re less often used in those modes. Bungie’s rationale for implementing the Exotic Armor Swap penalty was to reduce the effectiveness of going into the menu and switching gear during a match. Exotic swapping also favored those with higher-end machines who could get in and out of the menu screen as quickly as possible.
What do you think of the change? Did you ever use swap Exotics in Trials or Competitive? Let us know in the comments below. Again, if you use swap Exotics in PVE, you’re still good to go — so don’t throw out your Cuirass of the Falling Star just yet.
