How good is The Prospector in Destiny 2? We take a look at the perks and see what the exotic grenade launcher can do in PvE and PvP.
At the launch of Destiny 2, two exotic grenade launchers are available: The Lion’s Roar and The Prospector. However, The Lion’s Roar is considered an energy weapon and not a power weapon like the other grenade launchers, making The Prospector currently the only “real” exotic grenade launcher in the game.
This exotic has a remarkably elegant design that stands out immediately. It comes from the weapon manufacturer Tex Mechanica, known for weapons in Destiny 1 such as The Last Word or The Chaperone.
Can The Prospector do anything?
Getting The Prospector – How to acquire the exotic
There are several locations to find The Prospector:
- Random drop from all sources that can drop exotic engrams
- Xur: Sometimes the Agent of the Nine has the weapon, like this weekend
Xur sells the weapon up to a maximum power level of 270. It costs 29 legendary shards from him. If you have ever obtained The Prospector but have already dismantled it, you can get it back anytime for 10 legendary shards from the collection in the vault.
What makes The Prospector in Destiny 2 special? – Perks
The Prospector is an exotic grenade launcher that deals Arc damage. The rate of fire is 165, and the blast radius is small. The magazine holds 8 rounds, making it quite large, and speed, stability, and handling are top-notch.
These are the special perks:
- Excavation: Hold the trigger to fire grenades. Release to detonate all live grenades at once.
- Fully automatic firing system: If you hold down the trigger, the weapon will fire automatically.
The combination of these perks sounds interesting: You can fire the grenades quickly and fully automatically, and when you release the trigger, you unleash a true fireworks display of explosions. But is this really that practical?
How good is The Prospector in PvE and PvP?
The grenade launchers currently have a poor standing in Destiny 2. In the power slot, Guardians prefer rocket launchers, fusion rifles, or swords. The grenade launchers cannot compete with these weapon types.
In PvE, The Prospector performs quite well. The high rate of fire combined with the large magazine allows you to deal a lot of damage in a short time. However, only if you hit the target directly. If you miss the target and the grenade bounces off the ground (grenades also bounce off ships), you deal no or very little damage.
The Prospector is relatively easy to control despite being fully automatic, allowing you to hit the enemies accurately. It is best against thick bosses that move little and can be pumped with damage from close range.
The purpose of the Excavation perk with this weapon is unclear. It would be cool if the grenades stuck where you shot them, creating controlled explosions. However, the grenades bounce off, so they are already scattered in all directions by the time you can detonate them together. Essentially, The Prospector can only be played like a fully automatic shotgun – the weapon is only useful if you land direct body shots at close range and deal a lot of damage.
In PvP, The Prospector is not useful. Every other grenade launcher performs just as well – or poorly. It is not worth sacrificing the exotic slot for this.
Conclusion: If you do not have the weapon yet, you can buy it for your collection at Xur. It definitely looks stylish and makes an impression visually. In PvE, The Prospector is a solid damage dealer, but there are better alternatives for the power slot.
Have you read? Destiny 2: The Lion’s Roar – The worst exotic weapon?
