Numerous Guardians are currently hunting for the new exotic weapon “Perfected Outbreak” in Destiny 2 – the successor to Outbreak Prime from the first game. But how does the weapon perform in practice? Is the effort worth it?
Since the Weekly Reset on May 7, a new weapon has been on everyone’s lips – the exotic Pulse Rifle Perfected Outbreak. Whether you’re in the Crucible, Gambit, or Strikes, it feels like more and more players are apparently unable to put this weapon down.
However, this is not only due to the fact that the Guardians have the associated quest and further secrets to keep them busy. The weapon itself can also convince and is now considered by many fans to be one of the currently best primary weapons in Destiny 2.
Perfected Outbreak – How the new exotic weapon performs in practice
What makes this weapon special? Perfected Outbreak is an exotic pulse rifle for the kinetic slot. The rate of fire is 450.
The intrinsic perk “Corruption Spreads” generates swarms of SIVA nanites on kills from critical hits and rapidly consecutive hits. Kills with critical hits apparently create the largest SIVA swarms.
The precision perk “Parasitic” causes this weapon to deal more damage to enemies based on the number of SIVA nanites stuck to those enemies.
How the Prime successor performs in PvE
How does the weapon fare against AI? In combat against AI opponents, the weapon performs exceptionally well. It is excellent for pulverizing groups of smaller enemies with its SIVA swarms. But even Majors can be dealt with quickly and effectively. And even raid bosses melt away when the Perfected Outbreak is used against them in conjunction.
This is why the weapon is so strong in PvE: The reason for the strong PvE performance is the combination of both perks “Corruption Spreads” and “Parasitic”.
If you land precision kills or rapid hits, the homing SIVA nanite swarms first deal damage to the opponents themselves and simultaneously make them more vulnerable to further fire. This way, large clusters of enemies and single adds can be taken down in just moments.
Against Majors and bosses, the rapid successive hits are primarily utilized. You can simply keep your aim on a powerful enemy. The SIVA nanites will thus continually spawn and stick to the opponent. This will additionally harm and weaken the enemy.
If you play in a team and multiple members have the new weapon, all users of the Perfected Outbreak can benefit from the other SIVA nanites.
Watch the weapon in action here: What it means for combat against raid bosses can be seen in the following video by Sweatcicle. There, Emperor Calus melts away within seconds in the first damage phase – and this is noteworthy for a primary weapon. Although the Guardians also utilize the Well of Radiance, it doesn’t make the performance any less impressive:
Here you can see the weapon in action during a complete raid run and against the raid boss from Wrath of the Machine (from 23:15):
Numerous players believe after their first experiences that Perfected Outbreak is set to become a top favorite for numerous boss encounters – whether in raids, Gambit, or Strikes.
This is how the weapon will get even better in the future: A Masterwork catalyst for Perfected Outbreak is already in the game. However, it cannot be fully earned yet. It will probably take several weeks until then.
But with the exotic catalyst, the weapon is expected to become significantly more powerful. With the catalyst, the SIVA nanite swarms deal more damage. Additionally, enemies that have nanites stuck to them at the time of a kill will spawn further nanites that will then seek targets. The full potential of the weapon in terms of damage and effectiveness has not yet been fully tapped.
How the Prime successor performs in PvP
What the weapon can do in the Crucible: As first Guardians report, this weapon is not only strong in PvE – it can also hold its own in Guardian duels.
While exact numbers or possible hidden perks are not yet available, as the weapon is still classified as secret in the database: the weapon handling is described by many as excellent, phenomenal, or like a laser – whether on PC or console. Especially with a controller, it is said to be one of the most stable pulse rifles in Destiny 2.
Additionally, the hitbox is said to be very generous. Critical hits are possible with ease as long as you keep the reticle on the chest. The weapon also has good range and the perk Outlaw, which reduces reload time for precise kills.
Without the nanites, a critical hit deals 25 damage and a body shot deals 16 damage. With eight crits, the time to kill is 0.87 seconds, and with 12 body shots, it’s 1.33 seconds.
This is how the weapon becomes really strong: Once the nanites come into play, the weapon can truly shine. A nanite sticking to an enemy increases damage to 29 per crit and 18 per body shot. This alone lowers the TTK through pure crits to 0.7 – 0.75 seconds.
Damage is also increased when additional nanites are added. However, it caps out at 44 damage per critical hit.
A kill generates nine nanites, each dealing 10 – 11 damage and additionally increasing damage against afflicted enemies. These SIVA swarms last about four seconds and pursue targets within a radius of about 8 meters.
If another opponent stands next to your victim at the time of the kill and receives all the nanites, you can easily take them out afterwards. If multiple enemies are nearby, you can take down a whole group with just a few salvos. Thus, the weapon is particularly effective against clusters of enemies.
More on the damage numbers can be found in this video from Drewsky’s channel:
Even in PvP, the weapon gets better: With the Masterwork catalyst, Perfected Outbreak is expected to become even deadlier in PvP. The additional nanites and their added damage should further reduce the TTK in some situations. The new Prime should also become more effective against multiple opponents.
You can watch a detailed review of the weapon in this video from Aztecross Gaming:
In short: The weapon can impress in pretty much all modes based on initial impressions and is therefore well worth the effort. It is no coincidence that it is currently shaking up large parts of Destiny 2. Additionally, the weapon is expected to become even more powerful as a Masterwork in the future. If you have the chance or opportunity, you should definitely get the weapon.
Have you already earned the Perfected Outbreak? What are your experiences with this weapon?
