In Destiny 2, players are disappointed by the new Exo MG Xenophage. Is the weapon really that bad, or is there a bug? Bungie comments on it.
Since the last major content update, players can earn the new Shadowkeep exotic Xenophage. However, it is not really convincing at the moment.
The weapon is tied to a lengthy quest. During the quest, you have to visit the new dungeon “Grube der Ketzerei“. The dungeon was also newly added as content to Destiny 2. Additionally, the update introduced the Halloween event Festival of the Lost and the PvE activity Spukforst.
This is what the weapon is about: The exotic previously known as “Bug MG” now has an official name: Xenophage.
You can read here why the exotic caused a stir even before its arrival in Destiny.
What makes the insect MG special: The weapon belongs in the power slot and requires heavy ammunition to fire its devastating solar rounds. For an MG, the new rate of fire of 120 is very slow (almost 4 times faster shoots the popular MG Hammerhead). However, the impact is at the maximum limit of 100/100.
Xenophage has the following perks:
- Pyrotoxin Rounds – fires powerful explosive ammunition
- Targeting – increases the already high range when aiming (71/100)
- Large Caliber Rounds – shots push enemies back further
Bad or Bugged?
Here’s how the weapon performs: In no area of Destiny 2 can the exotic MG really convince. In PvE, the weapon only has a too small magazine and low ammunition reserves. The damage can’t really make up for that.
Moreover, Xenophage cannot deal crit damage. No matter where you hit the enemy (body or headshot), the damage is always the same. Typically, critical hits give a decent multiplier.
In PvP, one shot causes 150 damage to enemy guardians. Not so bad, but you only get very little ammunition. In the 6-vs-6 modes, there are only three shots per heavy box. That’s enough to eliminate 1.5 guardians in the virtual afterlife (a guardian has about 200 health points).
In the following video by Ehroar (Clan Redeem), the strengths and weaknesses of the MG are closely examined:
Should the weapon be that bad? Players are actively discussing whether the new exotic might be bugged or just simply bad. For many guardians, it is not worth completing the long and complicated quest series.
You have expressed your opinions on Mein-MMO:
I was looking forward to a cool MG and in the end something like this awaits me?
vvV AmNesiA Vvv on Mein-MMO
Hmm, so if I read the previous opinions, I’ll save my time for the quest. It’s not what I expected from an exotic MG.
Some guardians assume that the weapon does not function as intended and therefore performs so poorly. Some guardians speculate that a bug may have crept into the BUG-MG:
The insect MG is bugged. Fits, right? Oh yes, typical Bungie..
Bienenvogel on Mein-MMO
Bungie tries to shed light on the issue
What the developer says: Players are also discussing Xenophage’s poor performance on Reddit. In a post titled “Xenophage is the biggest disappointment of Shadowkeep“, community manager Cozmo commented on the subject:
I checked with the team on this. The fact that Xenophage does not do precision damage is not a bug and by design. However, the weapon is unintentionally underperforming and we are currently investigating.
Cozmo23 via Reddit
Thanks for the feedback and feel free to share any additional thoughts you have.
The employee noted that he and the [Bungie] team have reviewed the situation. The lack of precision damage [from Xenophage] is not a bug, but a design decision. Furthermore, Cozmo added that the weapon is underperforming as intended, and this is currently being investigated. He thanked everyone for the feedback and encouraged everyone to share their opinions.
Do you still have hope for the new MG Xenophage? Should it go into the exotic slot or rather in the vault? How another Shadowkeep exotic performs, you can read here:
