As part of the work around the update 1.1.4, scheduled for March, Bungie is currently focusing on the Exotics in Destiny 2. We will introduce you to 3 exotic weapons that are in urgent need of a redesign. They are probably already on Bungie’s workbench.
In the current “This Week at Bungie,” the creators of Destiny 2 provided a first glimpse into the planned sandbox adjustments. Through this change, exotic weapons and armor will be partially revised. Some will be finely adjusted, while others will require more significant interventions, to finally live up to their name as Exotics.
Bungie specifically addressed upcoming changes to the Graviton Lance – a pulse rifle that is currently hardly used. But other exotic weapons also urgently need a comprehensive redesign.
The 3 biggest disappointments with exotic weapons
In the form of a tweet, Bungie gave a hint about which Exotics urgently need to be redesigned:
The image shows 3 Guardians with these weapons:
- the exotic sniper rifle D.A.R.C.I.,
- the exotic grenade launcher Fighting Lion
- and the exotic hand cannon Sturm.
These three weapons are likely not shown by coincidence. All three Exotics are weapons that no Guardian seriously uses. At best, they are used for infusing or as dust magnets in the vault. In short, they are a disappointment – even considering the mostly weak exotic competition. Only a few Exotics in Destiny 2 truly live up to their designation at the moment.
But what is the problem with these 3 weapons? What makes them so unpopular? How can they be improved?
The “D.A.R.C.I.”
What is the D.A.R.C.I.? This is an exotic sniper rifle with an extravagant look and name. Thanks to its perk “personal assistant,” an enemy targeted through the scope will be outlined in red after about half a second. Additionally, the following information will be displayed:
- the level of the opponent
- the distance to the enemy in meters
- health bar and shield bar of the opponent in %
The other perk “Target Acquired” means you deal about 6% more damage when shooting at red outlined enemies. The aim assist will also be improved.
What is problematic about the D.A.R.C.I.? The information received from the perk “Personal Assistant” is of no significant use in combat. The damage buff from “Target Acquired” is also quite low at 6%. Since the weapon’s impact is already low, this “advantage” is hardly noticeable – just like the improved aim assist.
The D.A.R.C.I. has interesting sounding perks, but their practical utility for players is almost non-existent. Damage buffs for specific weapon types or archetypes alone will not help this Exotic stand out. Without a fundamental redesign of the intrinsic perk, this weapon will continue to be not worth an exotic slot.
How can Bungie improve the exotic sniper rifle? Well-thought-out improvement suggestions from the community exist for the D.A.R.C.I. More than enough are available. One could design the intrinsic perk so that it outlines the critical hit zone of an enemy in red after a small delay, with critical hits dealing a certain percentage more damage, and the damage buff can be generous.
Another suggestion is to have an enemy previously marked by the rifle remain marked for a certain distance and defined period, even when it disappears behind cover or into a building. Both suggestions represent a meaningful reorientation of the Exotic and would be useful in both PvP and PvE.
The “Fighting Lion”
What is the Fighting Lion? It is an exotic grenade launcher that resembles the Gjallarhorn from Destiny 1. Before the release of Destiny 2, Fighting Lion was even partly celebrated as a secret successor to the Gjallarhorn.
The Fighting Lion is equipped in the energy slot. All other grenade launchers are equipped in the power slot. This is actually a major advantage, as ammunition for energy weapons drops much more frequently than power ammo.
The intrinsic perk “Delayed Gratification” means that grenade projectiles bounce off surfaces and do not explode immediately. You can determine the timing of the explosion yourself. The perk “Herden-Ausdünnung” deals more damage with direct hits to enemy fighters with shields. Quick kills of enemies who have been damaged by a grenade refill the magazine.
What makes the Fighting Lion so bad? The idea behind this weapon actually sounds interesting: Since Fighting Lion is an energy weapon, it is often available to Guardians. You then shoot out the shields of enemies, switch to the kinetic weapon, finish off the enemy, causing the Fighting Lion to automatically reload, switch back to the Fighting Lion, and take another shot.
But it quickly becomes clear with this Exotic that the intrinsic perk disappoints across the board and is essentially unnecessary.
A complete overhaul of the intrinsic perk mechanics is inevitable for Bungie here as well. A simple buff, which would suffice for some Exotics, will not contribute to making Fighting Lion feel truly exotic and engaging.
Instead of exploding on impact, the grenade bounces around a bit. Although you can trigger the explosion yourself, the correct timing is difficult in heated battles, such as in PvP. Because when you fire a grenade from a distance, you don’t have time to wait for the explosion. Instead, you should already be aiming at the next enemy or taking cover behind a wall.
Additionally, the weapon generally deals far too little damage. In PvE, it sometimes does not even completely destroy the shield. This means either you reload and shoot again with the Fighting Lion (which makes the special perk unnecessary), or you switch to the kinetic weapon and hope to quickly bring down the enemy shield along with their health to benefit from the perk.
In PvP, the weapon only deals just over 100 damage even at very close range. It is not capable of getting a kill outright. In the time it takes to reload or switch weapons, you become an easy target.
How can this grenade launcher be improved? There are also many exciting improvement suggestions for Fighting Lion from the community. Since the weapon has some similarities with the Gjallarhorn, you often hear the idea that the grenade launcher should move to the power slot and, in exchange, fire sticky grenades with Wolfpack rounds – that is, with homing projectiles.
The idea that the Fighting Lion should fire bundled Arc, Void, or Solar grenades that, in their type and function, resemble the grenades of the individual Guardian classes, but have more range when fired from the Fighting Lion, is also frequently mentioned in forums and on Reddit.
The “Sturm”
What is the Sturm? Sturm is an exotic hand cannon for the kinetic slot. Its intrinsic perk “Assistant” ensures that kills with this weapon recharge the magazine of the equipped energy weapon. Additionally, the perk “Storm and Stress” grants increased precision damage after energy weapon kills.
However, the Sturm truly unfolds its full potential in conjunction with its smaller brother Drang. When you use Sturm in the kinetic slot and Drang in the energy slot, exciting synergies arise. Because Drang has the perk that kills with this weapon refill the magazine of Sturm. So when you get kills and continually switch between the two weapons, you can keep enemies under fire without reloading. Kills with one weapon reload the magazine (from the ammunition reserves) of the other weapon.
What is problematic about this hand cannon? A common criticism of the Sturm is that it can only reach its full potential in combination with Drang. This alone makes the weapon unattractive to many Guardians, as it prescribes a certain weapon combination and playstyle for it to be used to its full extent.
There are far stronger alternatives and more effective combinations than these two weapons. Another problem is that the weapon’s intrinsic perk feels just not exotic enough. It could well belong to a better legendary weapon. Under the term “exotic,” most Guardians envision something different.
How can the weapon be improved? Those looking for ideas and concepts for improving the Sturm will also find plenty of input from the community. The idea often presented is that using the “Sturm and Drang” duo would provide a significantly noticeable agility boost – similar to the MIDA combo. Additionally, the Sturm could have a bleeding or damage-over-time effect added to its high impact – just like the Thorn from Destiny 1.
To further promote the “Sturm and Drang” combination, damage dealt with Drang beyond a certain value could then remove the status effects that you might be suffering from yourself. This way, both weapons could be improved without losing their identity.
How will these Exotics change in Destiny 2?
This question is difficult to answer.
If you’re looking for well-thought-out concepts for new or existing exotic weapons, you will quickly find plenty in the community, fan forums, and on Reddit. The quality and attention to detail of some proposals can be truly astonishing. There are indeed enough ideas – that much is clear.
Whether and to what extent Bungie will take advantage of these ideas remains difficult to gauge. It would certainly be desirable, as many exotic items in Bungie’s latest title do not even deserve the designation “exotic” in the slightest. Many intrinsic perks are at best suboptimally implemented – if not outright obsolete.
However, considering how Exotics like the Jade Rabbit or the Graviton Lance currently play and what planned changes Bungie recently announced for the latter, one can look forward to the upcoming sandbox update with a bit more confidence.
If such profound changes also apply to other Exotics like the D.A.R.C.I., the Fighting Lion, and the Sturm, it could bring Bungie a significant step closer to finally delivering exciting Exotics and a satisfying gameplay experience to the Guardian community.
What do you think about these 3 Exotics? Do they deserve an exotic slot with some minor optimizations, or do they need a comprehensive redesign to finally live up to their status as Exotics? Feel free to share your opinion in the comments.
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