Published on: Feb 2, 2015 @ 14:44
Everybody wants to get their hands on the best Exotic and Legendary weapons, but when you’re first starting out, what should you use?
You may not realize it, but some of the best weapons in Destiny might be in your inventory right now!
When you’re ready to replace your Rare weapons, we’ve got a growing list of Legendary reviews.
For Exotic weapon tips, we’ve reviewed them all, and also have them placed in PvE and PvP tiers.
If you’re a beginner and need some tips, check out our PvP guide and farming guide.
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If you’re new to Destiny, or need some non-Legendary weapon ideas, try these:
- Bronzed Chasma Esc (Shotgun)
- Saigon-LR5 (Sniper Rifle)
- Helios FR5 (Fusion Rifle)
- Pickpocket Saint (Scout Rifle)
- Stalker BNGL (Scout Rifle)
- Black SUROS PPG-96 (Auto Rifle)
- New Heart LDD (Pulse Rifle)
- Polite Denial 0/1 (Hand Cannon)
- ALR96-40 Overkill (Auto Rifle)
- Arighan’s Blossom (Machine Gun)
These weapons will be most useful in normal Crucible matches, where Attack value doesn’t make a difference.
Do you agree with this list? What Rare weapons do you consider the best of the best?
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Bronzed Chasma Esc
This Shotgun has the Highest Impact and Range of any Shotgun in the game. When it comes to Crucible, this is a good as it gets. It has a punch so big you won’t drop foes faster with anything else. If you are really lucky you might even end up “Field Choke”, “Shot Package”, “Hand Loaded” or “Lightweight”.
With a kick this big, you’ll even feel motivated to use it in PvE. It is capable of knocking down huge enemies and will take a Minotaur down in 1-2 hits.
Obtained: Crucible
Saigon-LR5
This is a true Crucible sniper. It has a rate of fire faster than any Sniper in the game (tied with By Royal Permit). If you aren’t the best at landing headshots, this weapon can follow up rapid torso shots to drop your targets fast. You’ll be able to recover from you previous encounter promptly to engage your next.
This weapon will be much harder to obtain as it is one of the original vanilla weapons and drops much more infrequently.
Obtained: Random Strike
Helios FR5
A very commonly found weapon, usually found in Decoherent Engrams. It has the highest charge rate out of the Rare Fusion Rifles.
If you get close enough, this weapon is about as good as it gets. Since it drops from Engrams, you will be likely to get frequent duplicates of this weapon, so you can score all of the Stats you want in due time.
A very similar alternative would be the Bronzed Nox Volo V which can be found in the Crucible.
Obtained: Decoherent Engrams
Pickpocket Saint
There is a very good reason why this is a must-have weapon: It has the highest Impact of all Scout Rifles (tied with Overlord U31, Silvered Kín SR5, and a few others). If you are a Crucible player, this weapon can potentially 3-hit-kill!
This is a scout rifle that hits with the power of most hand cannons. As for PvE, you will get much more kick with each round and you will be much more likely to drop foes with just a single shot.
Obtained: Random Strike
Stalker BNGL
Yep, another Scout Rifle. This one is great for because of its high Impact and above average stats all around. It’s got average reload speed and rate of fire, but it excels at everything else. It has almost the exact same stats as The Saterienne Rapier.
If you get it more than once, you can get a chance to have better perks each time round.
Obtained: Random Strike
Black SUROS PPG-96
With excellent Impact and range, and above average stability, this beast of an auto rifle is perfect for fans of the high Impact/low RoF archetype. It’s almost identical to the popular Vanquisher VIII.
With the Glass Half Full perk you’ll be able to unleash a ton of damage.
Obtained: Crucible
New Heart LDD
If you are a fan of Pulse Rifles, this vicious weapon will serve you well. It has a non-obstructive design so it’s extremely easy to use. Just as well, it has the highest Impact and near highest range possible. It has average stability, but you can use the perks to try increase it.
It closely performs to Three Little Words (its Legendary equivalent). Save yourself the Marks and go for New Heart LDD instead.
Obtained: Random Strike
Polite Denial 0/1
This is a fantastic Hand Cannon. It has ideal stats which surpass even Timur’s Lash in some categories (stability, magazine). If you are looking for a Legendary substitution, this is the perfect weapon.
The visual style of this weapon is also very nice. So, if you are a big fan of powerful hand cannons, this weapon will serve you well. A critical shot will hit for an impressive 95 damage, and 64 to the body.
Obtained: Random Strike
ALR96-40 Overkill
The name says it all. This sleek Rare auto rifle has truly fantastic stat based qualities. This weapon is outstanding for the Crucible because of the unflinching recoil. It has the ability to pelt massive amounts of bullets down range without even shaking. It is very, very easy to track any enemies you may be fighting, and nearly has the highest base stability.
Due to these qualities, it makes a great substation for many of the prestigious Vanguard and Crucible Legendary Auto Rifles. Matching with similar stats, you can get this weapon without spending a single Mark. You also have the potential to land some great perks when you acquire this weapon.
The vendor weapons fire with unnerving and intimidating cracks that follow each round, which sometimes makes it hard to hear what else is happening around you. The ALR96-40 Overkill is much more silent, and grants you that peripheral hearing advantage.
It puts the Gunsmith‘s popular Shingen-E to shame, by surmounting every single one of its stats.
Obtained: Random Strike
Arighan’s Blossom
This weapon occupies a sweet spot range just falling under medium range, the optimum distance for Machine Guns. Take Arighan’s Blossom when you want to get personal with you targets with both intimation and sufficiency in firepower.
The rate of fire and Impact is matched by MG18A Harm’s Way.
Obtained: Random Strike
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Conclusion
Don’t overlook some of these amazingly designed beauties. You’ll be surprised how well some of them perform, and if you’re lucky enough to get the perks you want, you might even prefer using these Rare weapons over their Legendary alternatives!
Though the statistics of weapons can easily be compared in Destiny by simply holding down a button, such a mechanism only allows for a cursory look at the base damage per bullet of a weapon.
It cannot be stressed enough though that while such data can be used with a little math and a weapon comparison chart to determine what your favorite class of weapon can do, the weapon’s perks are just as important, and the rare weapons have the potential for some great perks.
Once you’ve exhausted your Rare weapon(s) and are ready to move on, check out this weapon spreadsheet by Reddit user exxtrooper. Use it to get a sense of how weapons in Destiny stack up against each other.