In Destiny 2 major nerfs are coming soon. The ritual weapon Exit Strategy could become the new SMG king. We take a look at what the weapon can do and how it compares to the Recluse.
This is the weapon in question: The Exit Strategy is a kinetic submachine gun that uses primary ammo. The SMG is among the fastest-firing representatives of its kind and generally possesses solid stats.
Especially its recoil direction impresses with 97/100. The weapon comes standard with a Stability Masterwork. In addition to the excellent perk ‘Ricochet Rounds’, you have the choice between:
- In Slot 1, you can choose: ‘Underdog’ (reload faster when on low health) or ‘Danger Close’ (when surrounded, handling, reload speed and stability improve).
- In Slot 2, you can choose: ‘Vagabond’ (increased damage after melee and weapon kills) or ‘Surrounded’ (when surrounded, your damage increases).
Where do you get the ritual weapon? The SMG Exit Strategy belongs to the so-called ritual weapons in Destiny 2. These will replace the popular pinnacle weapons starting from Season 8.
The SMG is tied to a quest called ‘Ghost Images‘. The Drifter sends you into the Gambit mode for this. During the quest chain, you will need to complete various tasks for the shady Gambit overseer:
- Earn points by defeating opponents and sending blockers (5400)
- Acquire 125 Gambit Medals
- Achieve 150 multikills with SMGs
Tips for the quest: The tasks set to complete the quest for Exit Strategy are not nearly as extensive as those for previous pinnacle weapons. Although you can earn the weapon alongside, these tips will help you be more targeted:
- Use The Huckleberry or the Recluse for SMG multikills. With these two submachine guns, getting quick kills should be no problem.
- Play specifically for medals. Some of these awards can be obtained faster than others. For example, you can quickly earn a medal for the first blocker in the game or five swift kills. If a high-value target is on the battlefield, it suffices to be involved in the kill. More medal tips can be found here.
- Some guardians recommend playing the regular Gambit mode. There you should make progress faster than in Gambit Prime.
Exit Strategy in practical testing
This is how you use the weapon in PvE: With Exit Strategy, you want to dive right into the fray. Especially against hordes of enemies, the SMG shines. Because the weapon deals kinetic damage, this is about 5% higher compared to energy damage. With mods like ‘Minor Spec‘ you can sweep through adds even faster.
The perks are also clearly geared towards close combat. We recommend ‘Danger Close’ in Slot 1. Passively, you gain many useful improvements.
In the second slot, the choice is harder. You have to decide whether you want higher potential damage (Vagabond) or prefer a passive medium damage buff (Surrounded). However, we recommend Vagabond. Just one melee kill is enough to activate the maximum 5x stack of Vagabond.
This is how you use the weapon in PvP: Exit Strategy is more geared towards PvE in terms of perks. But it does not perform poorly in the Crucible. Its damage values in PvP at optimal range are:
- 17 damage on a headshot.
- 13 damage on a body shot.
This gives you an optimal TTK (time to kill) of 0.73 seconds. With 0.93 seconds, you achieve an excellent bodyshot kill time. This means you do not have to play the weapon very precisely and can still achieve good results.
The recoil is also manageable on consoles. For support, you can equip mods like ‘Counterbalance’ or ‘Targeting Adjuster’ on Exit Strategy in PvP.
Will the Recluse remain on the SMG throne?
Comparison of Exit Strategy and Recluse: The new Season of Dawn in Destiny 2 is starting soon. In this season, one of the strongest weapons will face significant changes: the Recluse.
The SMG is considered to be the best submachine gun by many and is even regarded as the best primary weapon in the game. While there are strong exotic alternatives, no legendary weapon can compare to the Recluse. Will that still be the case after the upcoming changes?
Currently, Exit Strategy deals more damage in PvE. However, this is only for critical headshots. And landing those with a bullet-spraying SMG is not that easy. However, in the future, especially the incredibly high body shot damage of the Recluse will be nerfed.
In terms of other stats and behaviors, Exit Strategy and the Recluse are strongly similar:
- Both have similar stats and magazine sizes.
- The SMGs share both reload and damage buffs.
- Both work best in close combat and free up space for powerful distance weapons or exotics.
The only difference: Exit Strategy occupies the kinetic slot while the Recluse resides in the energy slot. This will grant players more loadout variance in the future.
We believe that Exit Strategy will be a great alternative to the Recluse. Even after the nerf, the Recluse will surely still be strong, just no longer the undisputed king. It will be exciting to see what awaits us in the next season.
How do the two weapons presented perform in a duel? Ehroar has investigated this in a YouTube video:
What do you think of the ritual weapon Exit Strategy – A must-have or is it not worth going into Gambit for?
