Destiny 2: The new exotic bow is really strong – you just have to play it right

The new exotic bow in Destiny 2, Ticuus’s Divination, was quickly set aside by many Guardians after a brief trial. However, this exotic weapon holds far more than one might suspect at first glance. It is quite a powerful killing instrument – you just have to know how to play it right.

Here’s what this weapon is about: The exotic bow Ticuus’s Divination was introduced with the new Season 13, the Season of the Chosen, and is available through the Season Pass.

• For those who purchase the pass, the weapon is available at Season Level 1.
• All other players can claim it completely freely and without any costs at Season Level 35.

This new Exo bow is used in the special slot and deals Solar damage. 

Its exotic perk “Holy Flame” causes the bow to fire 3 seeking projectiles when used from the hip, marking up to 3 enemies with red diamonds. Marked targets explode upon their death or when hit by another Holy Flame explosion.

The additional perk “Causality Arrows” also means that arrows fired through the sighting device cause Holy Flames to explode immediately. Precision hits with perfectly drawn arrows increase the strength of this explosion.

By the way, Ticuus’s Divination has the fastest draw time of all exotic bows in the game.

The new bow is powerful – it just isn’t obvious right away

This experience may be familiar to many: I, Sven from MeinMMO, am really into bows in Destiny 2. Especially with my Hunter. Even if they are not always the most effective weapons, they just belong to a true Hunter, but they also work well with other classes.

But bows not only have style, they can also be deadly and very effective toys – just like my previous favorite, the Trinity Ghoul. Accordingly, I was really looking forward to trying out a new exotic specimen.

But after I got my hands on Ticuus’s Divination and tried it briefly, I was quite underwhelmed. And the new Exo quickly landed in the vault. This was also the case for many of my gaming buddies. The thing hardly does any damage, what’s the point of that? This was the general consensus.

However, shortly after, I stumbled upon a video from Aztecross Gaming about the new bow and watched it completely. And I must say – I have rarely been so wrong in my first assessment of a weapon as I was here. And my appeal to you: don’t make the same mistake. Give the weapon a fair chance and at least really engage with it once.

Maybe you too will discover your new favorite toy. Or at least one that you like to take out every now and then. Personally, I have found a new top favorite that will now belong to my very small circle of favorite exotics. At least in PvE. In PvP I haven’t really utilized the bow seriously, just mindlessly played with the Cat.

We will embed the video from Aztecross here, but will also recap much of the content in German below:

That’s why you should take a closer look at Ticuus’s Divination: The true strength of the bow lies similarly to the exotic sword “The Lament” behind a seemingly complex mechanic and is not immediately recognizable to everyone. But in short: the bow can be very powerful and a lot of fun – provided you know how to play it and how to exploit its strengths.

It is excellently suited to

• clear adds,
• but can also deal significant damage against individual targets.
• Additionally, this weapon exotic benefits from the Warmind Cell mechanic, making it even more effective when paired with the right mods.

And as a masterpiece, Ticuus’s Divination becomes even more powerful.

Here’s how to play Ticuus’s Divination correctly

The basic mechanic without the catalyst explained: Basically, it’s simple:

• You first shoot from the hip, marking up to 3 targets. For the next arrow, you simply shoot through the sighting device at the marked enemies – and they explode. Weaker enemies usually die instantly. If there are additional weaker adds nearby, the explosion typically takes out entire groups.
• Try to land a critical hit with the arrow shot through the sight. Because this significantly increases the damage – both from the explosion and from the direct arrow hit itself.
• A crit (critical hit) deals about 81 % more damage compared to a body shot – and you’ll notice it immediately.

If you internalize this mechanism, the bow becomes a very powerful tool against weaker enemies and groups of adds even without the masterpiece catalyst and won’t have to shy away from competition. But the catalyst makes the bow even stronger and more useful.

Here’s how to obtain the catalyst: The corresponding quest is automatically given by Weaponsmith Banshee-44 at the Tower, shortly after you have received the weapon itself. Banshee will then be marked with a blue quest marker. Once you’ve completed the 3-part quest, you’ll receive the cat. You will then need to level it by defeating 700 enemies with Ticuus’s Divination.

Note for the catalyst quest: I would recommend starting the cat quest at Season Level 22, as you’ll unlock a bonus that quadruples your progress in the cat quest.

Also, in step 2 of the 3-part quest, make sure to fight enemy Guardians in PvP only through the sight, without marking them first with the seeking arrows from the hip. If they are killed while marked – whether by the explosion, the arrow, or by one of your allies – it does not count towards progression. All other tasks within the quest are self-explanatory.

This is what the catalyst does: As a masterpiece, the bow gains the additional perk “Causality Quiver” through the catalyst. Perfectly drawn arrows that cause Holy Flames to explode increase arrow damage (only arrow damage, even from the hip, but not from the explosion) – the bow’s damage itself. If you hit targets that are not affected by Holy Flame, it refreshes the duration of “Causality Arrows” instead.

The buff lasts about 4-5 seconds and can be refreshed during this time if you hit unmarked targets, or even be stacked up to 6 times. And it’s really worth it – especially against single, more powerful targets.

The buff itself, as well as the number of stacks, will be displayed on the left side of your screen. You don’t need to land critical hits to stack – it is still recommended for much higher damage – hits within the time frame with perfectly drawn arrows against targets affected by Holy Flame are sufficient.

Keep in mind:

• Crits are hugely rewarded, but should not be pursued at the expense of losing Causality Arrows stacks – especially against single targets.
• If you mark 3 targets, then trigger the explosion, and the 3 enemies are close enough together, you obtain 3 Causality Arrow stacks with just one shot.

This is how the bow plays as a masterpiece

Against groups, you can still use the basic principle – so mark and explode. Here you can do without stacking, as the basic mechanic works well enough – even without the catalyst.

However, against tougher foes like majors or ultras, you can stack the Causality Arrow buff by alternating your shots at the target, bringing it to its knees with ease. Thus, with the catalyst, the bow is not only good for clearing adds, but also becomes an effective weapon against single, tough targets like champions.

This is how damage stacks up:

Attention group players: If you are in a fireteam with other users of “Ticuus’s Divination”, you can really cause some serious explosions.

• One can only mark the enemies from the hip.
• Others can then take out the enemies through the sighting device.

This will trigger explosions AND continuously accumulate Causality Arrow stacks. The bow can be played even more effectively in conjunction.

Try this armor exotic out with it: If you are playing a Hunter, then a heavily neglected armor exotic can finally shine – namely the Young Ahamkara’s Spine. Bow charges can be held indefinitely. This means after fully drawing, you effectively always have the perfect draw.

This makes the bow even stronger: The Solar bow with its Solar explosions synergizes especially well with the Warmind Cell mods. Both components complement each other perfectly. Try out the following mods to extract even more power from Ticuus’s Divination:

• Rasputin’s Wrath: Kills with Solar splash damage have a chance to create Warmind Cells.
• Wrath of the Warmind: Grants additional Solar damage for explosions created by destroying Warmind Cells.
• Burning Cells: Destroying a Warmind Cell releases a Solar energy wave that burns enemies for a few seconds (for some extra damage).
• Fireteam Medic: Destroying a Warmind Cell grants healing to you and nearby allies.
• Global Reach: Warmind Cells you create affect and damage enemies at further distances (larger distance, larger explosion radius).
• The bow mods from Season 13’s artifact can also be very useful if you want to create a build around Ticuus’s Divination.
• And with the Warlock’s Well or the Titan’s Weapons of Light, you can boost the damage of the new exotic bow even more.

What do you think of this exotic? Did you also quickly stash this bow in the vault? Will you now give it a try or have you perhaps already done so intensively? What are your experiences and impressions? Let us and other readers of MeinMMO know in the comments.