In the MMO shooter Destiny, Hard Light is one of the exotic auto rifles. What makes this weapon special?
The auto rifle Hard Light is the only weapon in Destiny that comes with an epilepsy warning, and this is no joke, as some have reportedly collapsed from it. The background is a strobe effect that occurs when firing the weapon. The light beams can then bounce off of “hard surfaces” again.
In Year 1, the weapon was considered a fun gun, but it was long overshadowed by the Suros Regime. With the last patch, it has now arrived as a Year 2 Exotic in Destiny. We ask ourselves: What can Hard Light do in Year 2 of Destiny?
Where can you find Hard Light?
Hard Light can sometimes be obtained from Xur, from exotic primary weapon engrams (for example, through Three of Coins), or from random Year 2 activities like the raid, the crucible, or the Nightfall strike. Those who had the Year 1 version can pull the weapon from their collection.
What makes Hard Light special?
In terms of values, Hard Light belongs to the fast, but not ultra-fast auto rifles. The impact is relatively low at 8, the range is also low; however, the range hardly plays a role. Stability and reload speed, however, are high.
The interesting perk of the weapon is called “Volatile Light” – projectiles from this weapon do not suffer damage drop-off, penetrate targets, and bounce off hard surfaces.
Additional selectable perks include Half Glass Full, Custom Stock, or Melee Ballistics.
Moreover, the weapon is said to have “secret perks.” It is said that projectiles from Hard Light can penetrate Titan bubbles and boost the health regeneration of the wielder after a kill. However, at least the part about the Titan bubble seems to be a typical “Destiny myth.”
The idea behind the weapon is a bit hard to describe: essentially, it can be used at any range as long as you stay on target. It is primarily a visually interesting weapon that also has some fans. Overall, the weapon is praised as a fun gun, but especially skilled players can also achieve excellent results in the crucible with it.
How good is Hard Light in PvE and PvP?
It probably doesn’t belong to the top tier. It will also be tough with the second tier. Opinions are sharply divided: while most consider it a rather fun weapon, some say: It would be the absolute killer in PvP.
In PvE, the Zhalo Super Cell is probably the better choice for any type of content. It meets the 90s action hero requirement of “shooting uncontrollably in the general direction of enemies and they fall over” much more reliably than Hard Light – plus, you can make wonderful cheesy word plays like “I’ll call Zhalo to Valus Ta’aurc!” By the way, that’s also a typical trait of 90s action heroes.
Back to Hard Light: In PvP, however, the full damage at any distance can be quite interesting, but it is also difficult to hit at range and requires a lot of practice. The recoil of the weapon is hard to compensate for at rapid fire. And such a real killer is an auto rifle with 8 impact, not if you can’t secure headshots. The damage bonus for auto rifles of this fire rate was only about 0.8% with the last patch – not exactly turning auto rifles into super killers.
Insane stunts are possible with the weapon, especially through the bounce effect. However, it requires a lot of practice for the weapon to “maybe work in PvP” at longer distances. It should work for everyone at close and mid-range.
You can see: It is not an absolute recommendation for purchase. On the other hand… the weapon is a lot of fun for many people, you fire laser beams and that is already pretty cool. What do you think of Hard Light? Is Hard Light the best light in Destiny?
