For more exceptional, but rare weapons, click here.
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Maverick Mk. 32
First on our list, the Maverick MK. 32 is a weapon you probably saw a few times while you were leveling up, but it’s doubtful you’ve seen much of it since. And with Private Matches launching, that’s the very definition of a shame, because this gun just screams “1v1 me, bro!”
It’s not much to look at – a mid-Impact Hand Cannon with just 21 Range and 32 Stability. Sure, it’s got decent Aim Assist at 62, and a great vertical Recoil Direction of 91, but what makes it worth remembering at all is the Magazine size of 4. See, the Maverick has Luck in the Chamber on its perk table, which means you can guarantee it will proc with a little pre-firing.
Is it a gimmick? Absolutely. Will it piss people off to get two-tapped every single time they see you? Absolutely.
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Nox Cantor III
There are four Fusion Rifles in the game that can roll with Take a Knee right now (hopefully more when Rise of Iron drops), which now enhances Accuracy and Stability while reducing ADS time and Flinch (by 25%). It takes half a second after crouching to trigger, so you can’t proc it mid-slide, but with a little anticipation, it’s practically designed for Fusion Rifles now!
Of those four, the Nox Cantor III is the best pick. The best Stability of the bunch, a 5-bolt kill, and decent Aim Assist combine to make not terrible. Add in Take a Knee, and it starts to look competitive with some of the legendaries out there. Plus, you get the added bonus of people saying, “Nox What?” after you kill them.
Seriously though, if enough people start using the Cantor with Take a Knee, maybe Bungie will take notice and bring the perk to Legendary Fusion Rifles. We can hope!
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Gozen-C
The dirtiest of the dirty, Gozen-C is the Year 1 Sniper to chase if you’re looking for a good way to get accused of cheating! Certain circles have probably been aware of this powerhouse weapon for a while, but in light of the nerf to Mid-High Impact Snipers (1kYS and Longbow), now seemed like a good time to bring it back into the conversation. It does have some major drawbacks, but with a skilled trigger finger it can be lethal.
First off, the gun itself: Gozen-C is a max Impact sniper with the same Rate of Fire and Impact as Black Spindle (12/37) meaning that it can one-shot Supers in regular Crucible. It is a Year 1 weapon, so you won’t see it in Trials, most likely, but it could make its way into competitive play if the practice compares to the paper.
The gun’s main drawbacks are its stats: Stability at only 17 and Aim Assist at a truly awful base of -6. I didn’t even know stats could go negative before I saw this gun, but there you have it. The Equip Speed is also really bad at 13. However, the nearly vertical recoil direction of 80 gives it at least one good mark.
So what makes Gozen-C so nasty? Here’s what: This is the only high Impact Sniper Rifle in the game that can roll with Crowd Control. That’s right, Crowd Control. That means if you land a precision kill with your first round, you have 3 seconds to bodyshot anyone on the map for 208 damage. Which then gives you 3 seconds to bodyshot the next guy. If you have sniper reload gloves, you might just keep the chain going, too. It’s a vicious little gimmick, and one worth pursuing.