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