Xûr is in town offering new gear. What’s worth your hard-earned Strange Coins?
Remember to finish the Urn of Sacrifice quest before he leaves!
[divider]
Inventory
| Item | Class | Subclass | Type | Strange Coin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Death | Any | Any | Pulse Rifle | 23 |
| An Insurmountable Skullfort | Titan | Striker | Helm | 13 |
| Knucklehead Radar | Hunter | Any | Helm | 13 |
| Claws of Ahamkara | Warlock | Any | Gauntlets | 13 |
He’s also selling Exotic Helm Engrams; we have reviews for each of the Exotic helmets.
If you plan on buying An Insurmountable Skullfort or Knucklehead Radar, be sure to buy an Engram first!
[divider]Red Death
It’s much more viable in PvE now that pulse rifles have gotten a buff, and it really can make for some easy Crucible games if you can land critical hits.
We have a full review for this weapon but the footage was taken before the most recent buff.
Should I buy it?
Absolutely. It’s been quite awhile since this weapon has been on sale, and now is the perfect time to add it to your arsenal.
The Red Death perk is what really makes this weapon a threat. After every kill you will immediately begin regenerating health, and you will also reload quicker (about 1.15 seconds which is 1 second quicker than normal).
The heal from this perk will also negate the Presence of Crota effect in the raid, so it’s perfect to use for Crota’s End. If for whatever reason you can’t kill an enemy, just shoot your Tripmine grenade and that will count as a kill.
The Unflinching perk meshes well with this since you are more than likely going to be taking fire from other enemies in pretty much any engagement. This makes landing those crucial precision shots that much easier since your sights won’t be bouncing around everywhere.
Besides the quick reload speed (2.15 seconds), all of the stats are average.
If you’re a Gunslinger, Gunslinger’s Trance & Chains of Woe can really bring out the best in this weapon.
Alternatives
- Vanguard Marks: Coiled Hiss 1919, Time On Target
- Crucible Marks: Three Little Words, 123 Syzygy
Stats Compared to Other Pulse Rifles
- Above Average: Impact, Reload Speed
- Below Average: Range, Stability
Notable Perks
- Unflinching: It’s easier to aim under fire using this weapon.
- Red Death: Each kill heals you and speeds up reloads.
[divider]An Insurmountable Skullfort
An Insurmountable Skullfort’s unique ability is awesome for Striker Titans that love to punch things (and who doesn’t love to punch?). Coupling this helm with Storm Fist’s Overload or Amplify can help out even more for a reliable and consistent stream of health regeneration.
This helm has an OK roll of 101/108 Discipline, while the max is about 130.
Talents
- Infusion – Replenishes health each time you pick up an Orb of Light.
- Impact Induction – Causing damage with a melee reduces your grenade cooldown.
- Improved Transfusion – Kills with Storm Fist immediately trigger health regeneration. You also respawn with full Melee energy.
Should I buy it?
An Insurmountable Skullfort has Discipline and Impact Induction, which will replenish grenade energy just when you damage an enemy with a melee, so that obviously works well together; you’ll be able to use your grenades and melee a lot.
Infusion of course is just very situational, and is nice when it happens, but not something you can rely on. Fortunately the other two perks really mesh well together, and Infusion is just an added bonus.
Ultimately this helmet will serve you well in both PvE and PvP, but probably more so in difficult PvE counters such as Crota’s End hard mode.
[divider]Knucklehead Radar
Each of the Knucklehead Radar‘s perks are great in their own way, though it may serve you best in PvE. This is the only subclass subclass-neutral Hunter Exotic helm other than ExoTac Angel Hunter, coming with HoW.
This helm only has 98/105 Strength, while its max could reach up to ~130.
Talents
- Light the Blade – Causing damage with a grenade reduces your melee cooldown.
- Inverse Shadow – Increased Super energy gained from killing minions of the Darkness.
- Sensor Pack – Radar remains visible while aiming Primary Weapons.
Should I buy it?
Being able to see your radar while ADS lends itself well to all playstyles, and all formats of the Crucible; it’s worth picking up for this ability alone!
The downside to Knucklehead Radar is that Inverse Shadow does not work outside of PvE, which means it’s a useless perk in PvP. Furthermore, Sensor Pack will rarely be necessary in PvE, making that perk less useful in PvE.
In PvP you’re left with the increased awareness from your radar and a melee cooldown from grenade damage. For newer players this is a wonderful helm to use until you have better map knowledge and awareness.
In PvE Knucklehead Radar is stronger, because you’ll always be able to damage enemies with your grenades easily, and you’ll also be able to increase your Super energy really easily just by killing enemies.
[divider]Claws of Ahamkara
The Claws of Ahamkara perks will help out in PvE and PvP, and the they also look great. The Warlock melee is arguably the most versatile in Destiny, and having two charges that can be doled out faster than normal makes it even better.
These gauntlets have a little above average roll of 52/55 Discipline and 56/60 Strength, higher than the last time it was sold.
Talents
- Special Weapon Loader – Increases the reload speed of all Special Weapons.
- Snap Discharge – Increases melee attack speed.
- The Whispers – Gain an additional charge for Scorch and Energy Drain.
Should I buy it?
If your melee ability isn’t up, these will help you squeeze out in a close quarters fight.
The increased reload to special weapons is also handy for just about every situation, and like all of the Exotic gauntlets, it’ll reduce the reload speed by about .7 seconds.
What makes these especially awesome, is that they’re equally useful for both subclasses. I’d prefer to use these on a Sunsginer for the extra Flame Shield.
Having a perk benefit both subclasses is very rare with Exotic pieces of gear, and it’s nice because you can choose which you prefer.
For people who prefer sniping or hanging back, the Claws of Ahamkara won’t be as favorable. These will shine on small maps, and for any player who enjoys using special weapons, and likes a in-your-face playstyle.