'Destiny 2' Weapon Guide: How Does The Range Stat Work?

Veteran “Destiny 2” players will agree that range is one of the most important stats that a weapon can have in the game. It will not only increase a gun’s effective engagement distance, but it will also help keep players alive by allowing them to deal damage from safe positions.

Unfortunately, the game doesn’t fully explain how this stat works outside of damage falloff over long distances. There are a few important pieces of information that all players must know regarding range if they want to get the most out of their weapons.

Range should be one of the key factors to take into consideration when picking a weapon for PvE and PvP. Here’s why.

How does range work?

Range dictates the maximum distance at which a weapon can deal its full damage. Any shots that hit past a gun’s maximum range will suffer from damage falloff, making it extremely ineffective.

The weapon details screen only shows a bar with a rough estimate of a gun’s max range. This bar only shows one weapon’s range relative to others of its class.

Each weapon type in “Destiny 2” has its own effective range brackets. Hand cannons have an effective range of approximately 21 in-game meters at base, while a scout rifle can be effective up to 35 meters.

A hand cannon will never be able to match the range of a scout rifle even if it has a maxed-out range stat, simply because that’s how the game works.

How does zoom affect range?

Weapon zoom has an interesting interaction with range in “Destiny 2.” A gun’s range can be pushed farther if it has a scope with a high zoom level. Guns essentially get a range buff whenever players aim down sights.

This is why perks like high-zoom scopes and Rangefinder are often coveted by veteran players.

What else does range affect?

High range can also make players more accurate because of how it interacts with the target acquisition stat. Also known as Bullet Magnetism, target acquisition makes bullets curve or “magnetize” toward targets.

Reddit user Mercules904 made an in-depth explanation of how range affects aim assist in one of their posts. It’s important to note that aim assist/bullet magnetism also affects keyboard and mouse players, not just controller users.