Returning from the archives of Year 1, Necrochasm was one of the more difficult weapons to acquire back in the day. Not only did it require an extensive quest, but progressing also hinged upon random drops from Hive knights and Crota himself. Many rage-quits were harvested during those sorrowful times.
The new quest line is much easier, but is it worth your time in this new age of nostalgic delights?
- Pros: Very quick time-to-kill, Arc damage, cursed Thrall explosions on every kill.
- Cons: Uses a vital exotic slot, dependent on the Zen Moment perk for optimal stability.
Perks
The Intrinsic perk is Cascade, seen most often in close combat weapons like ARs and Shotguns. This perk reloads a portion of the magazine on a melee kill (about 11 rounds). You won’t be refilling the entire magazine this way, unless you’re a maniac, but it may be enough to top you off or give you what you need to gun down a follow-up enemy.
In the second column are your barrel perks. Accurized Ballistics stray horizontally too much to be useful here, which leaves a toss-up between CQB and Aggressive Ballistics. Testing shows a tighter shot group with CQB, but slightly more damage per shot with Aggressive. Most AR users lust heartily for any extra stability they can squeeze out, but it’s really up to you.
Speaking of stability, Zen Moment locks into the second column and gives you an increase in sweet, succulent stability when you cause damage. Lucky for you, this weapon spits out rounds like it’s allergic to them.
In the fourth column you’ve got faster equip speed, faster reload and… what’s this? A stability perk? Okay, we probably don’t need to go any further on this one.
In the final column is Cursebringer, which users in Year 3 refer to as “Funbringer.” Cause it brings the fun. Get it? Okay, no one really calls it that.
MOVING ON… Cursebringer got a much-needed revamp from Year 1. Now, any plain old kill will make every enemy’s corpse burst apart, violently flinging carrion and electric blue fluids in the surrounding area. On top of that brilliant spectacle, your ears will be treated to the fading sound of their soul screaming off into the unfathomable abyss.
Cursebringer is what makes Necrochasm such a delight to run around with. It doesn’t matter if it’s a Thrall, a fellow Guardian that Lord Shaxx is encouraging you to kill in order to quench his thirst for pointless agony, or even a Trip Mine; this weapon will turn anything into a ghoulish explosion, damaging anything nearby. It’s Firefly for someone who doesn’t care about headshots.
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PvE
Now that Heroic Story Missions are on a playlist and come with elemental burns, these new elemental primaries will see a lot of action. Also, maybe people will finally enjoy story missions. Necrochasm definitely contends with the old standby for Arc burn, Zhalo Supercell. And let’s be honest, we’re all tired of that gun being the only thing anyone runs on Arc Burns.
Like most Auto Rifles, range is its Achilles Heel, but from mid-range and closer, Necrochasm shreds adds. Open the gate on an enemy and before you’ve centered on their crit spot, you’ve already slammed a dozen rounds into them and triggered Zen Moment. Unload into a group of Acolytles or Dregs and watch your first kill take out the rest like you lobbed in a grenade. Hold the trigger and drill that charging Knight right in his glowing, green face until he crumbles to ash. He deserves it.
The only drawback, other than a fairly short range, is that this is an exotic weapon. While Strikes, Nightfall, and Patrols are fair game for all manner of loadouts, and as entertaining and practical as Necrochasm is, it’s not going to unseat Gjallarhorn, Sleeper Simulant or the Swords as the go-to raid Exotics.
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PvP
As a high RoF Auto Rifle, Necrochasm survived past its retirement in the Crucible, where modern weapons are handicapped so that older weapons can relive their glory days. However, Year 3’s version feels like a brand new beast. Unlike legendary ARs that can roll with all manner of looney, non-stability perks (looking at you, Icarus), Necrochasm comes standard with Fitted Stock and Zen Moment. And though you should seldom run into opposing Guardians packed close enough to utilize Cursebringer, it still brings a smirk to your lips when you explode your enemy with a soul-sucking scream. (Smirkbringer! Nope… that joke just isn’t going anywhere).
It won’t save you from a good Matador blast, but with the recent changes to Special Ammo, using your exotic slot for a dependable primary weapon is not a waste. It doesn’t even take remarkable skill to chew up other Guardians with this weapon. You will need to be a good headseeker to get two kills from a magazine, though, and this is where the Cascade perk could potentially pay off big.
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