Stop Saying Everything is OP.

I had a conversation the other day, with a friend who firmly believed, and very angrily attempted to affirm that Hunters are OP. On the other hand, I went through a phase of believing that Titans were OP, and my best mate has always felt that Warlocks (me) are OP. So which of us are right?

I'd say that we're all right...but for argument's sake, let's look at this. Hunters, to begin with. Both subclasses have a throwing knife, which, as a mid-range accessory that can remove almost all of an opponents health, alongside a melee and grenade component, is most definitely an advantage over the other classes - to which you can point to the Sunsinger and the Armamentarium's extra grenade as balance, but the fact remains with Gunslinger you can have two throwing knives. Begin able to either begin with or follow up with a throwing knife during an engagement effectively means you have to deal very little damage in order to win, comfortably. Also, another advantage is that you just need to pop round the corner, throw it, and walk away - and let's not forget that the extremely generous hit radius on the throwing knife doesn't hurt either. Next, blink strike. Several times, I have been killed by blink strike when I have hit my opponent several seconds previously with a melee attack, several times I have been killed at a ridiculous range with blink strike, and several times, the enemy has not even appeared to move (built-in latency aside) while we kill each other. Both the range and speed of blink strike, as well as the one-hit kill ability, again, the radius of what is considered someone's 'back' being pretty generous.

Now, grenades. I have a problem with both tripmine and arcbolt grenades. My friend says 'but it's a tripmine, it's supposed to kill in one hit.' I'm not saying that the tripmine shouldn't kill in one hit, I'm saying there shouldn't be a grenade with one-hit kill capability that doesn't even need to stick to someone (easy though that may be). On Firebase Delphi, during the opening engagement focused around (B) in control or clash or pretty much any mode, a tripmine grenade on the wall guarantees you a kill. The power, dexterity and overall utility of the grenade names it as easily one of the best. Alongside the arcbolt grenade. I am so sick of this grenade. The number of times the ridiculous range and damage of this insanely frustrating grenade has resulted in my death is countless. Combine this grenade with lucky raspberry and you have, despite the chest's disgusting looks, an almost unbeatable combination. Your grenade does not need to land anywhere near you opponent to hit them, and the damage almost completely kills you. The tripmine grenade is acceptable as it is, due to its often vertical placement thanks to its mechanics, but the arcbolt grenade's range, radius, chaining abilities, and damage mean that this is probably one of the very few things that needs a nerf. And, unlike the rest of the Destiny community, I use the term 'nerf'' sparingly.

Supers? I will refuse to hear that the Golden Gun is OP, but there's an argument to be made for Arc Blade + hungering blade being OP. The Golden Gun's main advantage is that it allows players to space out their super kills, eliminating the need for enemies to be grouped together for an effective use, and has a well-judged hit radius for each shot. However, it has to be activated prematurely, and there is no damage resistance at all. Take on an active GG from opposite directions, and you are almost guaranteed a kill with one of the more effective weapons in the game - any of the 3 Legendary Auto Rifles will do the job. The Golden Gun is extremely powerful in the hands of a skilled player but they must be careful and precise while using it - not to mention that without Combustion, you cannot take on a large group of enemies as their combined fire will kill you before you do all of them. Also...you only have 3/4 shots.

Now I hear a lot about how Arc Blade is OP, and about how their health is ridiculous. Honestly though? If someone is idiotic to activate their Arc Blade at a good/medium range to me, if I am equipped well, magazine full and a clear line of sight, I will kill them first. Movement horizontally is just not that fast - but. If the blade dancer gets one kill...one kill on anyone else close to you, on the other side of the room to you, you are dead. With the hungering blade perk, the health and extended duration you get from each kill effectively empowers you to a degree which I would consider OP. But, using a Bladedancer is a very different experience. A large number of times, I've been shut down after one, two kills - without the hungering blade perk, it is extremely difficult to combat at range or combat a large number of enemies a reasonable distance apart. Even with it, marksmen on the other team who keep backing away are often able to get the kill and close you down.

I think individual elements of each class need addressing - the tripmine grenade, perhaps...but the arcbolt grenade and hungering blade definitely. I would not, however, consider Hunters OP.

And so we come to the Titan. I think that complaints against Titans would mostly be against Strikers. I think that the biggest problems with regards to the striker are the lightning grenade, and the damage resistance granted by the unstoppable perk, which is insane.  The lightning grenade, like the tripmine grenade, activates in a long line along one axis - but the line drawn is so long, and actually wide, that it gets you kills very easily. The damage of the lightning grenade is extremely high - combine this grenade with the extended duration for Pulse, Lightning and Aftershock, and you're guaranteed some kills. I once finished off the entire team in a skirmish game with a lightning grenade facing upwards. Yes, they were initially grouped together - but even once they spread, the radius ensured a swift doom for the noobs. Next, the Unstoppable perk. I feel that this resides in the same category as Hungering Blade - it evolves the Super into something significantly more powerful. With unstoppable, you can actually survive a golden gun shot. You can survive direct contact with the light of the sun, you can survive direct contact with a Super. The super was applied correctly, yet with unstoppable, was rendered useless, which goes against everything we know about supers. They're meant to get you kills - supers are also able to cancel out other supers.  Also...Fist of Havoc is a little too strong. I find that the blast radius of it has killed me at a range which I would consider totally safe - ten metres, outside the range that shotguns can do any appreciable damage. I've used the Fist of Havoc to kill enemies in mid-air, jumping away from me,with full health. On the other hand, out of range, it's completely useless, and leaves you open to a casual dismissal - without death from above, you require to get within a certain distance to use it, which actually proved surprisingly irritating and difficult at times.

Ward of Dawn, though...totally balanced. A lot of the time, I see Titans deploy the Ward of Dawn and than start dancing, convinced that they are totally safe. Then someone runs in behind them and shotguns them. It doesn't make you invincible, it doesn't make you indestructible, it just makes you extremely powerful, with correct usage based on selected perks. Even with the Helm of Saint-14 and it's main ability, the automatic lock-on for melee means you won't have a problem doing some damage to whoever's inside. It's used very frequently in control to lock down or complete the capture of an objective point, which is...I mean, it's cool. It's how this kind of stuff is supposed to be used - it's tactical, like sunsinger has potential to be in Crucible. It's not brute force, like Nova Bomb or Fist of Havoc.

Titan, then, not OP.

Lastly (almost there), Warlocks. In the beginning, it was all about the Warlock master race (which i'm still a part of). It was all about 'Warlocks are OP!' On my first visit to the bungie.net forums, the first article I read was detailing the many perks warlocks have over the other classes. I can't remember what the article said, but the main things that come to mind are the increased range that melee provides, the extra grenade for the Sunsinger, and the flame shield. The fusion grenade + extra grenade is an extremely irritating combination - I played a clash game where 4 enemies where using this combo. I died more than I had done the last 3 games, entirely to their grenades. The flame shield is fair - it's a 1UP, like the throwing knife or AOE striker punch. It guarantees survival from a 1-1 melee based fight, if barely. If anyone else comes along, they're dead. If anything, force barrier is much more of a problem, as flame shield provides about a 50% health buff, whereas force barrier is 100%.

Nova Bomb. Large blast radius, can cover a ridiculous area with Shatter, can leave a damage-dealing field in its wake, damage resistance while using. On the other hand, less damage resistance than Titans and Bladedancers (however, rectified if using Skull of Dire Ahamkara) - not to mention that this is the only super you can kill yourself with. I did it...once...it was humiliating. I've seen people do it, a fair few times, and it's not cool when your enemy gets the kill thanks to his few shots, but mostly your Nova Bomb. You're not invincible, even with the Delusions of Grandeur perk from SDA, and you get shut down every now and then. The cast time contributes to this. The super also has a short range, unless using Lance, which change the way you use the Super. It's a very powerful perk that is somewhere between GG and Fist of Havoc. Mid-range, but with a steep drop, and also high power. However, to be truly effective, like FOH, you need your enemies to be grouped up. It does have the greatest potential, as you don't need to be right next to your opponents like the striker. I've never seen anything more than 4 kills with the Fist of Havoc, but have seen, and got 5 kills with one Nova Bomb. You also need to select a perk to increase the size of explosions - otherwise the effect is truly localised, and will get far fewer kills.

Each class is mostly balanced. Despite a few things that it might be ideal to change, I truly believe that the class system is really working - not to say it couldn't be improved, but none of the classes deserve the flak they get.

Who Does This Game Belong To?

I just read Bungie's most recently weekly update notes. For anyone who hasn't read this week's, or hasn't been keeping up, I'd advise getting up to speed, as they're very useful for getting important information.

http://www.bungie.net/7_Bungie-Weekly-Update---10242014/en/News/News?aid=12318

This is actually completely fantastic stuff. A particular point, which I'm very, very interested in, is the ability to hit Level 30 with Iron Banner gear. It actually means something! This gear is actually worth buying! Incredible! Useful!

Unfortunately. This still leaves the PvE department rather...lacking. This is the second week, now, where that half of the game has gone pretty much completely unaddressed. And yes, this game is purely 50 50 in terms of PvE and PvP. I do make a lot of fuss about the lack of interest in the PvE elements, and it's not because I enjoy it more. I hit the weekly cap on both sections, every week, without fail. I also enjoy crucible, sometimes, although it also makes me want to break my disc occasionally, as it rewards the unskilled, and punishes the great, with no rewards, and the worst teammates humanly possible to imagine. However, it provides a thrill and challenge. I love them both. Unfortunately, if I had to pick, it'd be the PvE section, due to the frustration the crucible provides. This update, while full of genuinely fantastic content, that I, as a player who shares interest in both halves of the game, am really excited about, again, leaves those who have dedicated themselves to PvE, disappointed. What happened to making things interesting, mixing it up, providing new content, making important changes. One should always fix something that's wrong before moving onto something new. Bungie say they're paying attention, and they have said, at the end of these notes, that our patience may be rewarded. These notes actually give me hope-despite the vagueness, and lack of clarity, that their promises have come with, not to mention certain disappointment-they have given me hope. They have restored my faith. I can actually now, think of playing the game with a smile on my face - this is a step in the right direction, and it may actually be possible for me to believe that they can fix the game. I think they can do it.

I don't think it's fair for more attention to be paid, as it is being done now, to the Crucible players. There can be no question about it, that Bungie is bending over backwards to satisfy them, while to a certain extent, save for promising to fix their mistakes on the Mythoclast in PvE, they have ignored the Vanguard players. An equal amount of care and devotion should be given to both sides, and I don't feel as if it's being done now. However. However. This is progress. This is right. This is good. It can be done. They've asked for faith, and it seems like it might-just might-be rewarded. Slowly but surely.

Bungie, I believe.

A Gamer's Patches

Fixes #1

As a player from day one, I feel thoroughly satisfied with Destiny in many areas. However, I feel as if there are certain areas that could be improved upon, certain additions that could be made, and several things that should be removed altogether. 

1. Remove many elements of RNG factors from the game. 
2. Introduce a heavily limited and sanctioned trading system. 
3. Introduce seperate patches to address gameplay in the PvP and PvE sections. 
4. Have faction vendors selling unique armors, rather than ones with different shaders. 
5. Address functionality and effectiveness of Exotics. 
6. Make Exotics harder to get. 
7. Remove weekly caps on some activities. 
8. Introduce more unique gameplay elements. 

Now, to explain these points. 

1. Remove many elements of RNG factors from the game. 

RNG (Random number generator, or Random, Not Guaranteed, as I like to refer to it), means that rewards are random, and not based on rewards, or accomplishments. The reason I feel that this is a necessary move, is that, once you reach level 28, a level at which nothing that is important cannot be completed with some ease, further progression is no evidence of skill. A far more important indicator, I have sometimes found, is the Grimoire score, but its weight is lessened in my eyes when you can simply increase it but looking up ghost locations. For instance, I was in a lobby with a level 30, who had a grimoire score of 1885. Level 30 means absolutely nothing, as you could potentially receive the required raid peices in one run. It's based on luck, not skill. The Vault of Glass is easy now, let's face that. Provided you have any amount of skill, you can breeze through it with barely a hiccup in about two hours after the weekly reset. Even if you are awful, your teammates can drag you through very easily. There is absolutely no element of skill involved. It's just based on who was lucky enough to get the right pieces from the Raid. I have been waiting for Boots of the Hezen Lords for three weeks now, stuck at 29. It's incredibly boring, and I haven't received that raid piece once. I saw a post on the Bungie Forums, where a player suggested a currency-based system. This would be far more preferable, rather than simply playing the Raid again, and again, and again, and again, hoping, and failing to get my boots. And I am not the only one. Throughout my list of friends, there are people who have been stuck at 29 for weeks and weeks. Hoping and waiting for one piece of Raid Gear. What is the point? Why would you celebrate when you simply did the exact same thing, that has no sense of accomplishment involved, and you simply got lucky? Far from being the hardest thing ever, the Vault of Glass is simply a breeding ground for frustration. Level 30s have no respect for me any more. None at all. It's quite boring, actually, seeing one, because all I think is that 'the numbers favoured you.' Instead, a system, where you earn a mark-style currency per stage of completion, that allows you to purchase a particular piece of gear, would actually reward the skilled, rather than the fortunate. Level 30 means nothing, and when I get to 30, the only satisfaction I will get is seeing the rounded number. 

2. Introduce a heavily limited and sanctioned trade system. 

Wouldn't it be nice if you could actually do something with those materials? That glimmer you have? Wouldn't it be nice, if, instead of wondering around and returning to the same spots that spawn resources over and over and over again for hours on end, you could put your glimmer, ascendant materials, resources, to good use. I would suggest trade system that allows the trade of anything except for Raid Gear and Exotics. Exotics, I say, because I feel that their status should mean that I don't have almost every single one in the game. You could trade anything for anything. 100 Spirit Bloom for a Legendary you particularly want, so that someone can finally upgrade that armor they need to. You could buy 50 Relic Iron for 2000 Glimmer, so that someone can finally afford that Legendary shotgun for 10000 Glimmer. You could trade 50 heavy ammo synths for 5 Ascendant Shards, you could trade 100 ether seeds for 100 spinmental, you could trade 20 Silken Codexes for Ascendant Energy. All of these things would, could, and should be possible. It introduces an element of further interaction, and actually means that these things are useful, as I think they're fairly non-functional at the moment. Relic Iron. You essentially destroy 16 at a time, to upgrade a weapon's damage, that seems to make no actual difference to damage at all, that took you half an hour to collect. Upgrades seem to make very little difference, which is why it's so meaningless. Glimmer is used for virtually nothing at all, save for buying ammo synths. I have been capped at 25000 for about 2 weeks, until I got bored and bought my way to Cryptarch rank 68. You could even trade engrams, for that matter. 

3. Introduce separate patches to address gameplay in the PvP and PvE sections. 

A recent hotfix, entitled 'The one about the Mythoclast' heavily nerfed, you guessed it, the Vex Mythoclast. As someone who has completed the Raid on Hard - and although I have completed it once, all the way through, the way it was intended, since I realised that any other rewards in comparison to the Mythoclast were meaningless, I have never bothered to do it properly since, and have instead relied on the warlock 'method' to complete it. However, given that the original run took me about 4, 5 hours to complete, with a group of level 29s and 30s, I do not feel that the nerf, across all sections of the game, is justified. The Vault of Glass is defined by bungie as the hardest experience they've ever created. On Hard, it remains the hardest thing they have ever made. So the reward for completing the most difficult thing in the game is an exotic that is significantly less effective than other weapons, both in PvP and PvE. Suros Regime, for example, is far superior. The Last Word is also far superior. The list continues into the legendaries, for crying out loud. Shadow Price, Grim Citizen, Lord High Fixer, Vanquisher VIII, Fatebringer. Why would you bother? There is no possible reason for anyone, anyone at all to even attempt the Raid on Hard. Why? For an Achievement? The effort and pain you will put yourself through isn't worth it, at all. What Bungie have done is listened to a whining, bitching little section of the community. And I use little sarcastically. It's a large part. But unfortunately, it's also the part that will leave the game to begin playing Call of Duty, when Advanced Warfare releases. Satisfying these PvP focused twelve year olds, who will remove themselves from the game, who will not invest a significant amount of time into the game, is a massive mistake on Bungie's part. Of course, we must not forget who the blame really lies with. Activision, as publisher. I will be posting about that oversight, that most people have made. What I ask is that PvE remains unchanged. Dregs have balls that have dropped, and they also won't be complaining about how effective our weapons are. If you don't make a weapon effective, there is no reason to use it. Please, make our PvE experience an enjoyable one, instead of killing it without consideration, for the sake of PvP focused players. The patch was based entirely around PvP, and now Bungie have realised their mistake, they are backtracking like hell. It's quite simple, Bungie. Leave the PvE alone. Combat is extremely satisfying, and although a number of exotics need beefing up, nothing at all needs to be bloody nerfed. High Level combat is hard enough considering level advantages mean nothing at all for us, and huge damage bonuses and resistances for them. We need OP weapons. We need a serious arsenal, so don't butcher the PvE game for the sake of over-prioritisation of PvP. 

4. Have faction vendors selling unique armors, rather than ones with different shaders.

I'm not sure if I'm the only one (sarcasm) who's noticed that the vendor armor for different factions are simply reskins of one another. Each faction offers the same warlock armor, with a selection of different colors, that mean absolutely nothing as...I'm using a shader. What is the point? Every single one looks identical? How are people meant to know which faction you have chosen? I used to feel that my FWC allegiance was special, and my Rank 3 Emblem in the first week made me feel very good. But the Astrolord set was not unique, despite the awesome name. Everywhere I looked, people were wearing the same armor, simply because it didn't matter which faction you ranked up, you looked the same. Why offer a choice of factions if they're virtually identical? It'd be a much more enjoyable and satisfactory experience if these armors actually offered some variety. Also, shaders would be nice for faction vendors, as detailed in the BETA. 

5. Address functionality and effectiveness of Exotics. (And Make them harder to obtain)

I'll start off by saying that Bad Juju is the most appalling weapon in the game. This, I said to myself, as the useless weapon's bullets pinged off a Legionary, is an Exotic? Why the **** is this an exotic? What in heaven's name is the point of sealing off other Exotics for this? And this is the point. You see it with a number of exotics - Thorn and Bad Juju are particulary cases, for pretty much everyone, however, I feel that Invective, and Super Good Advice are severely underpowered as well. Why do these weapons offer this exclusive status if they are not worthy? Yes, I've unlocked their abilities. No, they're not worth the hassle. Now I have all the bounty exotics, I just delete any exotic bounty I get. They're not even worth giving to a second character any more. Please, if we can only have one of these beautiful things, make them worthwhile. Not to mention that they're incredibly easy to get, for something supposedly so valuable. What's the point, as well, of me having 20 exotics sitting on one character if I can only use two at a time? Why should I do it? I like the idea of owning every exotic in the game, but why would I bother? it's like a last resort, when I get bored. Which is fairly quickly now. These super-rare items, as well, are in a few cases barely a notch above some legendaries. If we can only use one of these, make them worth our while. Make them hard to get. Make people go 'wow' when they see exotics. And for christ's sake, up the bloody prices on Xur. I bought quite literally everything that I didn't have this week: Voidfang Vestments, Exotic Engram, The Armamentarium, Stealth Drive, Emerald Coil, and all the telemetries (all to add to the collection). And I still have 19 strange coins left. This is getting ridiculous. Why offer us such a choice of exotics, also being so easy to get, if we can only use one? I literally had about 5 by level 25. Why give us so many, so easily, if we cannot use them? Change the game, Bungie. 7

(6 in last point)7. Remove weekly cap on some activities. 

Why do I play destiny more than once a week? Ill admit that the gameplay is still captivating enough to keep me going, but I cannot make any real progress or gain anything significant until that weekly reset. Come three, four hours, I will have completed the Raid, glitched the Hard Raid, finished the nightfall, and finished the heroic. There is no logical reason for me to play more than four hours, tops, per week. Why else bother, while I'm stuck in this limbo at level 29, 3 Light away from 30?

Not to mention that even though our Marks are capped at 100 a week, we can only hold 200 at an absolute max in our inventory. What possible fucking point does this serve. Not only can we only earn a limited amount per week, but we can't even let this stack. We are instead, if we wish to earn anything this week, forced to purchase, to spend, to invest completely bloody unnecessarily in something we do not want or need. Take away the cap. Or at the very least, double it. Make it interesting. Make it hard to hit the cap. 

8. Introduce more unique activities. 

Where is this grandeur, this sense of scale that we were promised, Bungie? I played Darksiders II yesterday, and that, a game for free, on XBL Gold, has more grandeur, a greater sense of scale, of epicness, of legendary quests and tales. We want opportunities to explore jungles, the sea, vast cities, make our way through a true labyrinth of tunnels under the earth, see the earth's core, EXPLORE. We want to get materials by raiding a mine run by gigantic Vex digging machines, we want to earn marks by engaging a Cabal general onboard a gigantic Land Tank that's MOVING, chasing him through mars on pikes and interceptors. We want to uncover a room full of chests filled with glimmer and rewards by charging with a fireteam of six through trenches of Fallen, ducking under mounted turrets and sniper fire from a defensive wall - we want to experience Destiny's D-Day. Such promise has been squandered with these admittedly pretty and well-thought out areas, but which ultimately bore us. There is no sense of scale. We want to go beyond the wall. Hunters want to pack rations, have water, food supplies, a tent, walk out into the desert and pitch for the night, but be attacked while sleep by Vandals and Dregs. Warlocks want to journey to a snowy temple guarded by frozen Vex to uncover an ancient text that gives us unique powers, to spend days poring over its fascinating language and lore, to gain knowledge and power from its pages. Titans want to fly to other planets, to visit monasteries, and learn techniques and tactics from the greatest fighters and warriors of the age. They want to join an expedition as security and retrieve a mystical rocket launcher from a chest buried beneath the earth. 

Do these things, Bungie. Make our game worthwhile. Make our game special. Make our game interesting. 

Pocket Infinity

Exotic #6: Pocket Infinity

As I firmly believe that Fusion Rifles are the most OP weapons in the game, I refuse to use them in PvP. PvE, however, is a different matter. And so when I heard about this particular Fusion Rifle, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. 

How to Obtain:
   Complete A Light in the Dark Exotic Bounty

Upon first glance, I was not particularly fond of the Pocket Infinity. Given that fusion rifles eliminate most enemies with one burst, I have never felt that Impact was a key statistic for them. However, it's never amiss, even with the particularly low charge rate. Fire is a useful element as well, but not particularly suited to a fusion rifle, as wizards and shielded shanks are not ideal targets for this.

Its abilities pre-patch made it by far the most powerful fusion rifle in the game, and a viable weapon for a variety of situations other fusion rifles could not cater to. The combination of the titular upgrade, which allows it to fire full auto, and returns some missed shots, and the enhanced battery, which gives it an 8 magazine, allows you to utterly annihilate an opponent with lengthy bursts, despite its high recoil. It was, generally, a gun I looked forward to obtaining, and a gun that I dreaded in PvP. However, since I acquired it, I was able to take advantage of these abilities for about 4 hours, before I ended the game, and woke up to a lovely hotfix. This removed the enhanced battery ability. Now that the clip is at 3,  the fully automatic mode means that the ammunition drains incredibly quickly. While the reload time compensates for frequent reloads, I can't help but feel that the recoil and small clip means you hit remarkably little. Since the patch, I have realised the weapon has been completely nerfed. The oversized clip was what made it incredibly powerful - now, it's just a fusion rifle with a slightly extended burst. Fairly impressive, not not a particularly useful tool. It lacks general utility, and for use against single targets, for dealing massive damage, it lacks accuracy and a sustainable rate of fire, give the clip size.

Overall, I must acknowledge the patch's effectiveness. The Pocket Infinity is no longer worth the Exotic slot, not when you're passing up the chance for a multitude of far superior weapons to be used.

Practicality: 5/10
Abilities: 7/10
Stats: 8/10
Ossim Possim: 7/10

Patience and Time

Exotic #5: Patience and Time

As the 'other' sniper rifle in the exotic class of rarity, Patience and Time is often compared to the Ice Breaker, and could be considered its complete opposite. 

How to Obtain:

   Reward from Legendary Engram

   Reward from Nightfall Strike

   Reward from Raid Chests

Patience and Time is an Arc-based sniper rifle boasting high stats in the Stability and Rate of Fire departments. In this instance, it's quite the different weapon compared to the Ice Breaker, as while the Fire Rate is high, and the recoil is low, the Impact suffers compared to its counterpart. However, Arc elemental damage is a highly useful type that allows you to take on two extremely frustrating enemies, especially at higher levels: shielded variants of Axis Harpies, and Captains. The recoil is, while still fairly noticeable during testing, extremely low and very manageable, allowing controlled and precise fire on a single target. The reload speed is also above average, and while the 4 shot magazine is disappointing, you may receive an upgrade that allows for an extended magazine. 

Obviously, the weapon's titular upgrade, 'Patience and Time,' is the main selling point of the weapon. Once you realise what that upgrade does, which is providing a cloak for you while scoped in, you feel a desperate urge to unlock it. In my head, I imagined an unstoppable machine that enabled a constant cloak that only ever dissipated while reloading. However, the Cloak function operates identically to the Hunter's Bladedancer crouching mechanic. After crouching for three seconds, you cloak activate for ten seconds, unless you either shoot or break ADS. This does feel a little stunted, as it essentially means that you only have the freedom to line up one perfect shot, and not unlimited time in which to do it in. However, after spending more time with the gun, and becoming used to its function, you realise what a valuable tactical tool it is. Provided you take your time with it (clue's in the name), the cloak actually allows you to set up a barrage of shots due to the stagger, scout an area, and prevent flinch effects when first firing. While not actually turning you into an army-slaying, invisible beast, it is a very effective tool.

However, the power, combined with the lack of magazine size, unless you're lucky enough to receive the extended mag upgrade, means that it doesn't deal enough damage with the limited ammunition available at its disposal. Where I to make a recommendation, I would, despite the Ice Breaker's many advantages, still take Patience and Time over it - mostly due to the awesome factor that comes with the cloak. 

Practicality: 7/10

Abilities: 10/10

Stats: 8/10

Ossim Possim: 10/10

Suros Regime

Exotic #4: Suros Regime

As my very first exotic that I received as a random drop, from a Legendary Engram, before Xur sold it and everyone bought it, I hold a special place in my heart for this truly remarkable auto rifle.

When I first began using the weapon, I found it to be a highly effective assault rifle that shone at hosing down a small group of enemies with its good rate of fire but average damage. During this time, I found it to nonetheless be far superior to any legendary auto rifle (Grim Citizen, Shadow Price) I had used. 

However, the weapon truly comes into its own when unlocking its Exotic Ability: 'Suros Regime.' What this ability does is decrease the rate of fire, but increases the damage. The weapon becomes less of a bullet hose than a full automatic DMR. I thought that the upgrade had the potential to ruin the weapon, but, less than 20 minutes later, when I tested my Exotic against the Guardians of the Crucible, taking on and slaughtering two, even three guardians with a single magazine, that the true potential of the gun had been unlocked. The sheer power of the gun, with the upgrade, means that it rapidly disintegrates Guardians' health bar, and the additional damage the further down the mag you go, combined with the possibility to kickstart health regeneration, means that it enables you to enter into firefights with multiple guardians and win. I then returned to PvE, and then next time I truly tested it was in the Vault of Glass. I managed to knock out all the oracles, entirely thanks to this gun. The recoil is utterly predictable, the damage very good, and the magazine size above average. 

Unfortunately, the one weakness that could be found with the gun was when, during firing, perhaps the kickback from one out of thirty-three bullets goes in an unexpected direction. Usually, the recoil is side-to-side, side-to-side, but will occasionally slip out of the rhythm. 

Realistically speaking, this is potentially the only gun you ever need to use in Destiny. 

Practicality: 10/10

Abilities: 9/10

Stats: 8/10

Ossim Possim: 7/10

Hawkmoon

Exotic #3: Hawkmoon

This exotic handcannon is an ideal primary that you can take into most combat situations with confidence. 

How to Obtain:

   Reward from Crucible

   Reward from Nightfall Strike

The Hawkmoon is one of the three exotic handcannons.While all three have their advantages, the Hawkmoon and The Last Word are easily the standout weapons. What's immediately obvious is the Hawkmoon's very high stats across the board, with above average Impact, Range, Stability, and Reload time. While it's rate of fire is average, its other abilities, combined with its thirteen-shot magazine, make this an excellent primary that is well worth fully upgrading. 

This handcannon's abilities are also particularly good. The first is Luck in the Chamber, which enables a single random bullet to deal extra damage in your clip. The second ability is Hammer Forged, an ideal ability for most guns, as both Range and Accuracy are increased to a point where it can reliably pick off targets from a significant distance. Its Exotic ability is 'Holding Aces,' where two more bullets deal extra damage. The surprise damage boost when firing is an excellent touch, as it allows you to take out similar-level heavies with one shot as opposed to almost finishing with one shot, but still needing a second. Also, the thirteen-shot clip means you can focus sustained fire on one target, or pick off several targets without the need to reload, which is also quick considering the magazine size. The combination of mag size and quick reload speed make it a highly versatile weapon. 

If there was to be a disadvantage, it would have to be that the three bullets packing an extra punch aren't particularly noteworthy. It's a nice surprise to see a higher number than you expect coming up, but the gun's overall performance is so good that it's barely worth noting. Still, take note that the gun's general statistics more than qualify it for an exotic. 

Practicality: 9/10

Abilities: 7/10

Stats: 10/10

Ossim Possim: 8/10

Thorn

Exotic #2: Thorn

This is a weapon that has been subject to a lot of abuse by many Guardians. However, it's not quite as bad as your initial disappointment may tell you it is, although still not worth the completion of that bounty. 

How to Obtain:

   Complete A Light in the Dark.

At first glance, Thorn is an impact-focused hand cannon offset with a slow rate of fire, slow reload and high recoil. However, when first using the weapon, you may feel that it lacks sufficient power to actually make up for these drawbacks. Thorn's aesthetic, its feel and sound, make you feel as if its a brute force weapon designed for nailing enemies to walls with single, powerful shots. However, its 6-shot magazine, combined with a not overly impressive damage output, and slow reload, means that you will struggle in firefights where, as to often in Destiny, you are outnumber. Now, in Patrol, and in most Strikes, you will be fine, as you'll either have no penalty to respawn and usually have plenty of space to manoeuvre in. However, in darkness zones, and on Raids, this handcannon is not a viable option. 

Rather than a selection or slight modifier or existing abilities, Thorn's Exotic ability is unique to weapons. Mark of the Devourer, aptly named, cause enemies to suffer a damage tick after taking damage from one or more shots. Simply, if you shoot an enemy with Thorn, it causes more damage over time. Now, this is actually a hugely useful ability. It means that when facing enemies with shields, which is far too often on higher difficulties, no matter if they're behind a obstacle, the tick means that their shields cannot recharge. Often high level missions require a concentrated team effort so that they are killed before their shields go back up and you have to begin again. However, this tick allows teams to back off and reload, before engaging the enemy again. It also means that enemies you so nearly kill with one shot will succumb to the Mark if you leave them for half a second.  

The main drawback is that the Mark of the Devourer doesn't do enough damage to make it a primary focus for the gun - you simply cannot shape your playstyle around this ability, as you can do with some Exotics. Without this ability, Thorn is a fairly average handcannon that is easily comparable with Lord High Fixer, or the Chance. It simply doesn't stand up to its rivals; Hawkmoon and The Last Word. 

Practicality: 6/10

Abilities: 7/10

Stats: 6/10

Ossim Possim: 8/10

The Ice Breaker

Exotic #1: Ice Breaker

As a weapon that was recently for sale, I feel as if the Ice Breaker, as a highly valuable exotic special weapon, is well worth a post. 

How to Obtain:
   Purchase from Xur, 17 Strange Coins.
   Reward from Legendary Engram
   Reward from Nightfall Strike
   Reward from Raid Chests

Even without its abilities, the gun's stats by themselves render it a valuable addition to your armory. Impact-heavy snipers are fairly rare to come by. Not to mention that fire is a versatile element that allows you to effectively combat Wizards, the bane of Guardians at higher levels, Centurions, and Shanks. While the weapon's recoil is fairly significant, its sheer power more than makes up for it. 

Its abilities are also unique and quite possibly among the best. The Ice Breaker does not suffer from spare ammunition and the curse of having magazines/reloading, something I thought they would have solved a few hundred years in the future. However, the Ice Breaker stands apart from the crowd in that its ammo regenerates. Neither Ammo Synths nor Special Ammo pickups make any difference, and while this may be an inconvenience in times of emergency, at most times, the constantly regenerating ammo, that stacks up to 6 shots, that can be fired as fast as the fire rate allows, is a blessing. It allows you to take on any bosses in a strike without concern of ammo; your primary, heavy, grenades and super can all be used to take on minor enemies while you use your ice breaker to hammer away at bosses' health. The ammo regen rate could be considered slow, but if you have patience, or even occasionally switch to a primary or heavy while the ammo regenerates, then it's barely noticeable. Provided you aren't just pulling the trigger all the time, with properly aimed shots, you can fire roughly nine times, not 6, before having to wait some time. 

What is unfortunate is that the Ice Breaker's main ability, that makes its 'victims spontaneously combust,' is a huge disappointment. Not only does the explosion have no noticeable or worthwhile visual effect, but it has a very small blast radius. Also, it plays against the weapon's strengths. This is a weapon best for focusing on individual, high value targets, that usually require a fireteam's concentrated fire to take down. 

Despite its main ability, both Mulligan (missed shots have a chance to be returned to the magazine) and its ammunition regen, combined with the gun's element and very high Impact stat, make the Ice Breaker an essential addition to your Guardian's armoury. 

Practicality: 9/10

Abilities: 8/10

Stats: 9/10

Ossim Possim: 9/10