This week, Xur offers the exotic sniper rifle No Land Beyond in Destiny . Is the retro sniper worth it?
This week, Xur has the No Land Beyond on sale until tomorrow morning, a sniper rifle designed in the style of World War II. The quote and the weapon’s design are based on the Russian sniper Vassili Saizew , who is memorialized in the movie “Enemy at the Gates.” But what can this new weapon, which just came to Destiny with the “Darkness Rising” DLC, do? Is it worth buying?
Named after a Russian war hero from World War II
The weapon is presumably modeled after the anti-tank rifle PTRD-451, known in Germany as the Panzerbüchse Degtjarjow, which was used to “crack” tanks, as one can imagine.
It bears the name due to a quote from Saitsev, “There is no land for us behind the Volga.” A quote that is meant to illustrate his unconditional love for Mother Russia – for him, there was only this one land.
Regarded as the weakest exotic weapon in Destiny
The “No Land Beyond” is currently regarded as the weakest exotic weapon in Destiny. Some Guardians even see it as a challenge to play with it in PvP. The humiliation for the enemy is even greater when they realize with what junk they were taken down, they joke.
The fire rate is far too slow to be effective, it’s hard to hit with it, the sights cause frustration for many, and the damage is nothing special either. Some regenerate the damage from the first shot while the shooter is preparing for the second.
However, some argue that precisely because the weapon is currently so extremely weak, it might be worth getting it from Xur now. Because it is so weak that it is guaranteed to be buffed by Bungie. Perhaps something useful could still come from it. This was also the case in the past with Bad Karma and Thorn.
Our friends from ziro.tv take a closer look at the No Land Beyond here, even with a fully upgraded version.
http://youtu.be/ZdGLEJBzPEY
Currently not a worthwhile investment, but more of a risky speculation
Conclusion: It is definitely not worth it at the moment. It is not worth the 17 strange coins. No other weapon is currently mocked as much as the NLB (“The NLB is not as weak as everyone says … It is much weaker!”)
There is also no indication that Bungie really wants to buff the weapon. That could be good, but even if there were a buff, one wouldn’t know how strong it would be afterward. You’re buying a pig in a poke.
Moreover, there are strong alternatives among the exotic sniper rifles with patience and time, like the Icebreaker – and also the legendary snipers like LDR 5001, which Black Hammer or the Efrideet’s Spear are quite useful.
Therefore: At the moment, better to keep your distance unless you are swimming in coins and really want the weapon. Don’t be fooled by the “special weapon in the primary slot” thing. Bungie has heavily countered the balance of No Land Beyond to prevent a God Mode like at the beginning with the Vex.
But: If you need a reason to convince yourself to get the No Land Beyond … of course it can shine in the hands of an excellent player:
