So I've seen a couple of these kind of threads around and I thought I'd help the cause. Just a warning, all these 'fixes' are my personal opinions on how to make certain weapons better; they may not be the same as your opinions but please respect them nonetheless, just as I would respect yours.
Now then, to start. Currently (as of 2/1/15) there are 24 Exotic Weapons (20 Vanilla, 4 TDB) available in game. Listed below are three tiers, to divide these weapons by how I think they are currently performing.
[b][u]High Performance[/u][/b] (9/24 Weapons in this tier)
[b]Hawkmoon
Suros Regime
Thorn
Vex Mythoclast
Icebreaker
Patience and Time
Plan C
Gjallarhorn
Thunderlord[/b]
[b][u]Adequate Performance[/u][/b] (9/24 Weapons in this tier)
[b]Bad Juju
Hard Light
MIDA Multi-Tool
Monte Carlo
Red Death
The Last Word
Invective
Super Good Advice
Truth[/b]
[b][u]Poor Performance[/u][/b] (6/24 Weapons in this tier)
[b]Necrochasm
No Land Beyond
Universal Remote
Pocket Infinity
The 4th Horseman
Dragon's Breath[/b]
The weapons in the High Performance tier will not be addressed further as I believe that they are balanced enough whilst still being worthy of 'Exotic' status. The weapons I will be concentrating on will be the ones in the Adequate and Poor tiers. You may also notice that all 4 of the Dark Below DLC exotics are listed in the Poor tier, for reasons I will now make clear in the fixes. I shall start from the Poor tier, address what I feel are major problems and potential solutions, and work my way upwards to the lesser, more minor problems of some of the Adequate tier. (Not all of the adequate tier will be addressed if I feel it is not necessary)
[b][u]Necrochasm[/u][/b]
I begin the fixes with a BIG one. The BIG one. Necrochasm. The new raid weapon, which should have been 'the new Vex Mythoclast' is far from that; due to many of its stats it is lack-lustre in both PvE and PvP situations. Its problems are:
- Very low impact
- Very high rate of fire, combined with low magazine size
- Low effective range
Another thing you could consider a problem with this weapon is the time taken and difficulty of acquiring this weapon. Since you must first obtain a Husk of the Pit, grind the 'Cannibalism' skill, achieve Eris Morn rank 2, purchase an Embalming Orb, grind the Eidolon Ally skill tree and defeat Crota on Hard Mode to even have a minute chance of acquiring the Crux of Crota needed to get this weapon, this weapon should be at least decent, but it does not deliver. Some ways in which this weapon could be improved are:
+ Increase base magazine size by 20%
+ Increase reserve ammunition by 20%
+ Increase impact from 2 to 10
+ Reduce rate of fire from 100 to 80
+ Replace 'Cascade' from the skill tree with 'Spray and Play'
[b][u]No Land Beyond[/u][/b]
No Land Beyond is a primary sniper rifle, also dropped with the Dark Below DLC. Having a sniper rifle in the primary slot sounds good on paper but in reality (or in game) it doesn't live up to it. Its problems are:
- Extremely low rate of fire (being the only bolt-action sniper in game)
- Extremely low clip size
- Extremely low reserve ammunition
- Very obstructive iron sight
- Lens flare (although not having a lens?)
These problems make this gun one of the least user friendly weapons in the game. There is not a single situation in game that I would even think about using a No Land Beyond for. Some ways in which this weapon could be improved are:
+ Increase the rate of fire from 19 to 30 (still keeping the unique bolt-action animation, just speed it up)
+ Replace the iron sights with a minimal sniper scope (a standard scope, with a clear reticle and nothing else)
+ Increase magazine size by 50%
+ Increase reserve ammunition by 50%
+ Slightly increase impact
+ Replace 'Mulligan' with 'Final Round'
[b][u]Universal Remote[/u][/b]
Universal Remote is No Land Beyond's older brother. Available since the release of the game, Universal Remote is a shotgun that is also equipped in the primary slot. While Universal Remote has certain situations where it can be viable (some Crucible maps and game modes), it is still lacking the reliability an exotic weapon should have. Its problems are:
- Until the 'Universal Remote' perk is unlocked, the range of this weapon is low
- Not well-rounded enough to be a 'primary' weapon
- Low reserve ammunition
Some ways in which this weapon could be improved are:
+ Increase base range by 100% but reduce range increase with the 'Universal Remote' perk by 50%
+ Increase reserve ammunition by 50%
+ Allow this weapon to be equipped in the special weapon slot
[b][u]Pocket Infinity[/u][/b]
Pocket Infinity is a bounty specific weapon, involving tasks like getting 200 Nightfall kills with fusion rifles and dismantling 10 rare or legendary fusion rifles. However, it has definitely seen better days. Back in the early days of Destiny this weapon could have EIGHT shots per magazine! This coupled with full-auto made this weapon a monster for quick damage output. Sadly, Pocket Infinity has been nerfed to near destruction. Its problems are:
- Slow initial charge rate
- Low magazine
- High recoil
Some ways in which this weapon could be improved are:
+ Increase charge rate from 10 to 15
+ Increase base magazine size by 66%
+ Replace 'Enhanced Battery' with 'Perfect Balance'
[b][u]The 4th Horseman[/u][/b]
The 4th Horseman is a shotgun that was released with the Dark Below DLC. Firstly, its aesthetics are amazing; almost on par with the likes of Gjallarhorn. However, it isn't the beast it looks to be. Its problems are:
- Extremely low range
- Low impact
- Slow reload speed
Some ways in which this weapon could be improved are:
+ Increase range by 150%
+ Replace 'Thunderer' with the previous version of 'Thunderer' (This weapon fires 4 shots at once)
+ Increase reload speed by 20%
[b][u]Dragon's Breath[/u][/b]
Dragon's Breath is the final weapon of the Poor Performance tier and also the final weapon of the Dark Below DLC to be covered. Dragon's Breath is another amazing looking weapon; it makes you [i]want[/i] to use it. Except you won't. Because why would you? Its problems are:
- Extremely low velocity
- Slow reload speed
- Lack of tracking (only exotic rocket launcher to not have tracking)
Some ways in which this weapon could be improved are:
+ Increase velocity by 100%
+ Replace 'Tripod' with 'Tracking'
[b][u]Bad Juju[/u][/b]
Moving on to the more adequate of the exotic weapons, we have Bad Juju. Bad Juju recently received a buff with the 1.1 patch, but there is still one (main) thing that is preventing this weapon from being useful, especially in end game PvE. Its problems are:
- Low impact
- Low range
Some ways in which this weapon could be improved are:
+ Increase impact by 30%
+ Increase range by 20%
[b][u]Hard Light[/u][/b]
Hard Light is a good overall weapon. Boasting a nice magazine size and a good customisable skill tree, this weapon is far from terrible. However, like the Bad Juju, there are still improvements that could be made. Its problems are:
- Low impact
- Low range
Some ways in which this weapon could be improved are:
+ Increase impact by 20%
+ Increase range by 30%
[b][u]Monte Carlo[/u][/b]
Monte Carlo is currently a Playstation exclusive weapon. Another good looking weapon, Monte Carlo is good at what it does and that is supporting specialist melee-centric builds in having a very quick melee cooldown. However, it is not without problems. Its problems are:
- Low impact
- Strange skill tree
Some ways in which this weapon could be improved are:
+ Increase impact by 20%
+ Replace 'Hip Fire' with 'Cascade'
[b][u]Super Good Advice[/u][/b]
Super Good Advice is going to be the final weapon I cover. Like the Pocket Infinity, Super Good Advice is also a bounty weapon, however the bounty for it is much quicker and easier. Super Good Advice also got a buff in the 1.1 patch, mostly increasing what was its God awful stability. Although its stability has now been increased, it is still a few steps away from becoming a worthy 'exotic' weapon. Its problems are:
- Slow reload speed
- Low range
Some ways in which this weapon could be improved are:
+ Increase range by 20%
+ Increase reload speed by 50%
[b][u]The Voice of the Community[/u][/b]
I have voiced my opinion. Now it's time for you to have a say. Bungie has said many times that they like to hear on how they can improve our game for us, and even though it sometimes feels like they don't I know that they are working very hard to keep up to the communities wishes. To make it easier for them, comment here on what you would like to be done concerning exotic weapons. If I see something with enough upvotes concerning this particular subject, I will include it here in this section for all to see.
If you disagree with my opinions, please let me know! I am keen to see what the rest of you guys think on this. However, if you agree, please upvote this thread and comment below with your opinion.
Finally, to enable as many people as possible to see this thread, please BUMP if you can. Thank you all. Have a great day. :D
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But pocket infinity already has perfect balance. So you need to edit that. I also think that a +66% magazine size (from 3 to 5 rounds) is a good idea BUT would make the pocket infinity even more OP if you had the perfect balance perk (as the perk allows you to cross map with it) The pocket infinity is fine as it is and i dont think its a rubbish tier exotic. Yes it may have a slow charge rate but thats what balances the weapon out due to the high risk/reward system. Its extremely OP and underrated