In the MMO shooter Destiny, we take a closer look at the exotic machine gun Nemesis Star.
Since the “Rise of Iron” expansion, the exotic machine gun Nemesis Star has been in the game. It comes with interesting Exotic perks that are useful in many situations. The exciting part: The Nemesis Star allows for two playstyles.
How to Obtain the Nemesis Star
First, let’s cover the locations of this machine gun. If you own “Rise of Iron”, you have the following options:
- Wrath of the Machine
- King’s Fall Raid
- Nightfall Strike
- Trials of Osiris
- Xur
- The Cryptarch can decrypt the Nemesis Star from exotic engrams.
What Makes the Nemesis Star Stand Out in Destiny?
The Nemesis Star is, on paper, an archetype of the Thunderlord: its impact is increased, but the rate of fire is low. Compared to the Thunderlord, range and reload speed are extremely low, but stability is high. “Nemesis Star” deals Solar damage. Here are the stats:
However, the exotic perks make these base values … just base values. Here are the fixed perks:
- Strange Gravity: If you hold the trigger, range and precision increase, but the fire rate decreases. Additionally, kills grant bonus grenade energy.
- Cycle of Extinction: Upon pulling the trigger, the first salvo of this weapon has a high rate of fire.
- Spray and Play: Increases reload speed when the magazine is empty.
Additionally, you have the choice between:
- Long-barrel Magazine: Increased reload speed.
- Perfect Balance: Recoil is extremely low.
- Field Scout: Increased ammo capacity.
With Linear Compensator, Improved Ballistics, and Field Choke, you can adjust a bit on range, impact, and recoil.
The Nemesis Star has two significant disadvantages in base range and reload speed, which can be mitigated with Spray and Play and Strange Gravity. Among the selectable perks, Perfect Balance stands out. Field Scout is also worth considering.
How Good is the Nemesis Star in PvE and PvP?
Many Guardians are currently avoiding machine guns, especially the exotic ones. They prefer to opt for Truth, Gjallarhorn, or swords if they want to sacrifice the Exotic slot for a heavy weapon at all. However, until “Rise of Iron”, there were only two exotic MGs: the Thunderlord and the Extremely Good Advice. Now, with Nemesis Star, Abbadon, and Nova Mortis, three more have been added. And the Nemesis Star presents a strong alternative to the Thunderlord variants.
In both PvE and PvP, the exotic perks provide advantages:
- If you are in close combat against adds or a Guardian rushes around the corner in the Crucible, Cycle of Extinction is handy: Don’t hold the trigger down, but tap the fire button repeatedly to use the Nemesis Star as a rapid-firing MG that pumps enemies full of bullets. If a Guardian rushes towards you in PvP, you will take them down before they can react.
- At greater distances or if you need to deal damage to a boss over time in PvE, Strange Gravity is useful: While you shoot slower, range and precision increase.
With each kill, you also gain bonus grenade energy, which benefits you in both PvE and PvP.
Conclusion: The Nemesis Star is a solid exotic weapon that you should definitely try out. You can use it as a rapid-firing or a slow-firing weapon. The problem at the moment is: there are many strong alternatives – for the Exotic slot and the “Heavy Weapon” slot.
By the way: With Meteor and Silver Bullet, the Nemesis Star has two cool ornaments available.
What do you think of the Nemesis Star?
In this article, we introduce the two “brothers” of the Thunderlord: Abbadon and Nova Mortis.
