In the MMO shooter Destiny , the best and also the most popular exotic weapons have now been selected on reddit. In PvE, the Icebreaker has proven itself, while in PvP, Guardians prefer the Gjallarhorn rocket launcher. What are the other preferred weapons of the community and how widespread are the items? It turns out that the vendor Xur has a huge influence on the availability of weapons. And that PlayStation players are at an advantage compared to Xbox players.
Exotic Weapons in Destiny: Collectibles and Special Tools with Cult Factor
The 20 exotic weapons in Destiny are supposed to look as if they could destroy the balance of the game, but they don’t really do that. That is at least Bungie’s intention. There shouldn’t be one “ultimate” item that is the best choice in every situation, but Hunters, Warlocks, and Titans should have a proper arsenal of exotic weapons to choose from depending on what they plan, what modifiers are currently available in the Nightfall strike, and what challenges the raid presents. In this process, Guardians face the dilemma of choice: carrying multiple at once is not possible. Only one exotic weapon can be equipped at a time.
With the various damage types and weapon types, upgrade possibilities and “unique” perks, special bonus abilities, there should be the right tool for every situation. Additionally, the exotic weapons are incredibly cool designed, have extraordinary names, and always feature a saying. But which one is the best?
Over 7000 Guardians voted for who should sit on the throne of the Vex Mythoclast
The Vex Mythoclast was the measure of all things in its pre-nerf state. The fusion rifle, which is still considered a primary weapon, can only be obtained from the final boss in PvE content, but it rocked the PvP mode in Destiny. The Vex Mythoclast has since been nerfed to mediocrity, but is supposed to become stronger in PvE soon. Who can take their throne in the meantime?
A voting about the exotic weapons took place in the Destiny subreddit. 7445 Guardians cast their electronic votes, most of them owning one or more exotic weapons – these are not “typical Destiny” players, but gamers who inform themselves in a forum, discuss about it and rather belong to the power gamer category.
Xur has a strong influence on how many of which weapons players have
The first question was about who owns which weapon. Which exotic weapon is therefore the most common and perhaps also the most popular? Here, the sniper rifle Icebreaker prevailed over the auto rifle Suros Regime and the shotgun Incentive. More than 70% of the Guardians have these weapons in their arsenal. For Icebreaker and Suros Regime, this is certainly because they are among the absolute trend weapons, also score top ratings, and were available from the vendor Xur.
Advantage for PlayStation players: The Hawkmoon performs excellently
At the other end of the scale are the two PlayStation exclusive weapons Hawkmoon (21.2%) and Monte Carlo (16.8%). Hardly anyone has them in their repertoire – they are the rarest exotic weapons in Destiny.
The Vex Mythoclast, which only drops from the raid boss Atheon in hard mode, is owned by 34% of the survey participants, or one in three. Below them are the five rarest non-exclusive weapons in Destiny: Plan C, Universal Remote, MIDA Multi-Tool, Thunderlord, and Hard Light. These are the exotic weapons that have not yet been available from Xur and that cannot be obtained through a bounty either.
The survey results show how much influence Xur has on the arsenal that players carry around. If Xur had Thunderlord available next week, the statistics would surely look different.
The best PvE weapons: Icebreaker and Hawkmoon shine
The community then voted on which weapon they consider the strongest in PvE – in the fight against monsters. To do this, the weapons were divided into different quality classes. Here, the sniper rifle Icebreaker prevailed. With solar damage, high range, and penetration power, the rifle convinces especially in the Nightfall strike and in the raid. In addition to Icebreaker, the rocket launcher Gjallarhorn, which can cause devastating damage especially to Atheon, and the PS exclusive Exotic Hawkmoon, a hand cannon, also made it to the highest tier.
Considered the weakest weapons according to the voting are Bad Juju and Thorn. Bungie already promised a buff for the two bounty weapons more than a month ago. They are still waiting for it.
The best PvP weapons: Gjallarhorn rocket launcher and Truth are in high demand
In the Crucible, different laws apply and therefore different tools are required. Among the PvP weapons in Destiny, Guardians prefer the Gjallarhorn rocket launcher. The other rocket launcher “Truth” also makes it to the top tier. The auto rifle, represented by the Suros Regime, which dominated in the first months, performs excellently despite the nerfs. Other top PvP weapons according to the survey: The Last Word, again Hawkmoon, and Plan C.
Also at the bottom edge of the negotiating basis in PvP: Bad Juju.
Bounty weapons score below average, random exotics rank the best
Conclusion: It is astonishing how much influence Xur has on the survey results. Also noteworthy is how strongly the Hawkmoon, as a PlayStation exclusive weapon, ranks. One might have expected Bungie to place it in mediocrity. The hand cannon, together with Gjallarhorn and Icebreaker, is the winner of the survey for the best exotic weapons in Destiny.
Weapons that Guardians can acquire through bounties, except for the shotgun Incentive, are probably not really popular or in demand. The exotic weapons that drop randomly and are also in Xur’s arsenal seem to be winning the race.
Oh by the way: According to current surveys, the rarest exotic weapon in Destiny is the Monte Carlo, a second weapon that only players on PlayStation 3 or PlayStation 4 can enjoy. But technically, that is not entirely correct. There is now an even rarer weapon.
How do you get hold of these exotic weapons? Maybe these articles can help you:
Destiny: What can Xur sell? – Decoding the entire arsenal
Destiny: Where can you find which item in the raid ‘The Glass Chamber’?
If you want to know what the future brings:
Destiny: Upgrade exotic items from 30 to 32? Bungie makes hints
Who is frustrated with their luck with Xur:
