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!
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Inventory
| Item | Class | Subclass | Type | Strange Coin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hard Light | Any | Any | Auto Rifle | 23 |
| Mk. 44 Stand Asides | Boots | Striker | Boots | 13 |
| Mask of the Third Man | Hunter | Bladedancer | Helm | 13 |
| Apotheosis Veil | Warlock | Any | Helm | 13 |
[divider]Hard Light
The first time this has been sold, Hard Light has been changed in many ways from its original version. The Exotic patch upped the stability by a substantial amount allowing you to completely maximize it if you choose the correct perks. It was brilliant in that form, but the recent auto rifle causes it to do almost no damage in PvE.
Check out how we place it in our PvP and PvE Exotic tier list.
Should I buy it?
Its rate of fire and impact is right in the middle archetype; faster than Vanquisher VIII but slower than Payback SOS.
The base range and stability are above average, especially the stability, just slightly worse than For The People.
When it comes down to it, the weapon is reliable and stable, but it’s arguably most useful in PvP since the damage wasn’t affected as much there.
Unfortunately the auto rifle nerf negates pretty much all of the good things about it, and makes it a poor choice for your loadout.
If you are skilled enough to be successful with it, any scout or pulse rifle will do a better job for you. You simply are not rewarded enough, and without Arc damage to give it more umph in PvE, there’s not many reasons to have it take up your Exotic slot.
Alternatives
- Vanguard Marks: Up For Anything, Payback SOS
- Crucible Marks: Do Gooder V, For The People
Stats Compared to Other Auto Rifles
- Above Average: Stability, Reload Speed
- Average: Range
Notable Perks
- Glass Half Full: The bottom half of each magazine causes additional damage.
- Volatile Light: Rounds fired from this weapon overpenetrate targets and ricochet on hard surfaces.
[divider]Mk. 44 Stand Asides
The Mk. 44 Stand Asides, cosmetically similar to Ruin Wings, are an OK choice for any PvP-focused Striker who enjoys getting up close and personal with the enemy.
These boots have a horrible roll of 107/115 Strength, while the max is about 160.
Talents
- Heavy Weapon Ammo – Increases the amount of Heavy Weapon ammunition you can carry.
- Be Somewhere Else – Increases the duration Shoulder Charge remains active.
Should I buy it?
Often you’ll find that the window for shoulder charge is too short, having to plan your movement around getting that shoulder charge kill. These boots will extend the time it’s available by about 3 seconds, increasing it to 8 seconds from 5.
These will enable you to run a bit longer, and the high Strength will ensure a quick followup Storm Fist.
Use the Transfusion talent to further aid you on the field with health regeneration after a kill with Shoulder Charge.
If you need a PvP-specific Exotic for your Striker, give these a shot. Keep in mind that if you’ve already got an armor piece that increases heavy weapon ammo, it’s not going to stack with these boots.
We don’t recommend using these in PvE, and we can’t recommend buying these now because of their poor roll.
[divider]Mask of the Third Man
This is a helm that every Bladedancer should own. Mask of the Third Man‘s unique ability is reduces the amount of Super energy used when attacking with Arc Blade. Couple this helm with the Encore talent for even more time with the Arc Blade.
This helm has an average roll of 93/100 Intellect.
Talents
- Infusion – Replenishes health each time you pick up an Orb of Light.
- Switchblade – Increases melee attack speed.
- Unstable Current – Arc Blade attacks use less super energy.
Should I buy it?
If there are encounters that have swarms of enemies, like the first phase of Templar or thelamps in Crota’s End, you can easily double or triple the amount of time you’re able to use Arc Blade.
In PvP, Mask of the Third Man will allow for a bit more of an extension as well, since every kill won’t be using up as much energy.
Mask of the Third Man, being the only Exotic helm that’s specific to the Bladedancer, is a great choice if you enjoy that subclass. You’re going to always make use out of the Switchblade perk since you’ll undoubtedly be using your melee a lot.
While having the increased melee attack speed from Switchblade is great (Fast Twitch for even more speed), Infusion’s health regeneration from Orb’s of Light will only be used in certain situations.
Infusion does come in handy in in Crota’s End from Crota’s Presence, and from other close-range PvE encounters, but it’s a niche ability.
[divider]Apotheosis Veil
Similar to Light Beyond Nemesis, the Apotheosis Veil is equipped with Infusion which regenerates your heath when picking up orbs.
This helm has an OK roll of 106/114 Discipline, while the max is 130+
Talents
- Serpent’s Tail – Causing damage with a melee reduces your grenade cooldown.
- Infusion – Replenishes health each time you pick up an Orb of Light.
- Private Reserves – Immediately regenerate health on activating your Super.
Should I buy it?
Uniquely, this helmet is equipped with the Private Reserves perk that triggers health regeneration when Super abilities are activated.
Private Reserves is one of those perks that can potentially save your life and turn around and engagement, equally useful in PvP and PvE, but is a perk that will only benefit you in a few situations.
This is another piece of gear that strongly encourages a grenade lobbing playstyle. Any melee damage causes a boost in the recharge of your grenades; you don’t even have to land a kill to get more energy.
While Fireborn Sunsingers won’t find much use in the Apotheosis Veil, a Voidwalker or Radiant Skin Sunsinger’s can make interesting changes to their playstyle with it.
If you’re low on health, you can pop your Nova Bomb to obliterate anything nearby and let your health regenerate. As a Sunsinger, you can activate your Radiant Skin and regain your health before you even enter a fight.
Private Reserves is a niche perk, but it can be worked into pretty much any playstyle with ease. In Crota’s End hard mode, this perk plus Infusion will allow you to easily regenerate health and is perfect for the Crota encounter.
This is an OK helm to have as any Warlock, as it’s subclass-neutral, but we can’t recommend it because Infusion and Private Reserves are too niche.