dark below weapon compare

Weapon Comparisons

Published on: Dec 21, 2014 @ 6:09

Have you been wondering how the new Dark Below gear stacks up to the pre-expansion gear?

Using our database, with the help of Reddit user Chippy569, you can see how each weapon stacks up.

You can also look at these weapon tables in our database; sort them however you'd like.
You can also look at these weapon tables in our database; sort them however you’d like.

The weapons are sorted by Impact in ascending order.

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Hand Cannons

Video: Top 5 pre-expansion PvP Hand Cannons

Name Acquisition Impact RoF Mag Stability Range Reload
Word of Crota Crota’s End Hard 68 32 12 45 25 45
Jewel of Osiris Trials of Osiris 68 32 5 41 17 53
The Devil You Don’t Vanguard 68 32 5 41 17 53
The Last Word RNG/Xûr 68 32 8 31 14 56
Thorn Exotic Bounty 68 32 9 22 38 43
Red Hand IX New Monarchy 81 22 10 50 21 33
Venation III Dead Orbit 81 22 8 44 24 37
The Chance FWC 81 22 6 43 25 38
The Devil You Know Vanguard 81 22 12 42 25 33
Fatebringer VoG 81 22 12 32 40 33
Lord High Fixer Crucible 81 22 11 36 38 37
Merciful Queen’s Wrath 81 22 12 37 28 30
TFWPKY 1969 Crucible 81 22 10 37 28 30
Hawkmoon RNG (PS) 81 22 13 51 38 39
Timur’s Lash Iron Banner 94 15 7 15 48 29

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Scout Rifles

Video: Top 5 pre-expansion PvP Scout Rifles

Name Acquisition Impact RoF Mag Stability Range Reload
B-Line Trauma Crucible 35 52 19 46 51 51
Crypt Dweller SR1 Dead Orbit 38 42 13 44 59 80
MIDA Multi-Tool RNG/Xûr 38 42 21 49 58 100
Crusader I New Monarchy 48 37 14 46 75 72
Cryptic Dragon Crucible 48 37 19 49 64 65
The Calling FWC 48 37 16 44 77 54
The Saterienne Rapier Crucible 48 37 13 52 74 74
Pallas Regime Queen’s Wrath 48 37 15 52 71 69
Another NitC Vanguard 48 37 20 50 63 62
Fang of Ir Yût Crota’s End Hard 48 37 15 49 75 67
Vision of Confluence VoG 48 37 19 57 59 65
A.1F19X-Ryl Vanguard 61 27 16 40 77 52
The Scholar Trials of Osiris 61 27 15 29 61 53
The Aries Nemesis X4 Crucible 61 27 12 31 61 63
Proxima Centauri II Vanguard 61 27 14 24 61 59
Gheleon’s Demise Iron Banner 61 27 16 29 84 52
Badger CCL Vanguard 61 27 14 40 77 57
Fate of All Fools Exotic Bounty 61 27 13 24 94 65

Gheleon’s Demise: Guardians who wish to have the hardest hitting rifles possible need to look no further than Gheleon’s Demise. While its availability is limited to being a drop in this season’s Iron Banner, this scout rifle hits like a truck but has the lowest maximum rate of fire.

In the Crucible, it can be used as a substitute for a sniper rifle on maps like the Shores of Time, and in PvE, it can stop most smaller enemies with a single shot once upgraded. Highly recommended as an alternative to the Badger CCL currently offered by the Vanguard Quartermaster as it also has more bullets in a magazine compared to the Badger.

B-Line Trauma: Sold by the Crucible Quartermaster, this scout rifle exchanges high impact per shot for one of the fastest rates of fire possible in a scout rifle. For Guardians looking for a fairly similar alternative to the MIDA Multi-Tool, the Trauma is very close with the added benefit of being able to switch optics on the fly if needed.

While you may not be winning fights at extremely close ranges in the Crucible with this weapon, it is still an effective weapon that allows one to potentially contest the kill times of the more popular auto rifles, especially on maps like Blind Watch and Shores of Time.

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Auto Rifles

Name Acquisition Impact RoF Mag Stability Range Reload
Unwilling Soul-09 Dead Orbit 2 100 72 22 23 69
Doctor Nope Vanguard 2 100 72 32 17 69
Atheon’s Epilogue VoG 2 100 70 34 15 71
Silimar’s Wrath Iron Banner 2 100 66 36 14 76
Hex Caster ARC Crucible 2 100 66 21 24 76
Payback SOS Vanguard 2 100 64 31 17 78
Eidolon Ally Husk of the Pit 2 100 42 42 19 65
Necrochasm Eidolon Ally 2 100 42 46 19 76
Up For Anything Vanguard 8 88 38 70 27 59
For The People Crucible 8 88 34 66 30 65
Do Gooder V Crucible 8 88 29 42 22 77
Abyss Defiant Crota’s End Hard 8 88 23 60 25 85
Hard Light RNG/Xûr 8 88 40 69 28 86
Monte Carlo RNG (PS) 8 88 36 55 46 79
Her Vengeance Queen’s Wrath 28 77 27 50 26 71
Grim Citizen III Crucible 28 77 26 39 42 65
Shadow Price Vanguard 28 77 25 56 37 67
Vanquisher VIII New Monarchy 28 77 22 54 32 72
SUROS Regime RNG/Xûr 28 77 33 82 40 65

Silimar’s Wrath: For those who have the determination and persistence to get through the Iron Banner, the stock version of Silimar’s Wrath comes with virtually no recoil once upgraded and appropriately modified.

While it lacks much of the impact per shot of weapons like the old Shadow Price, the Wrath is functionally similar to Atheon’s Epilogue, albeit with a higher attack rating, no elemental damage, and a more pleasing aesthetic.

If you enjoy low impact, high rate of fire auto rifles, consider going through the Iron Banner this season, or waiting until the next season for it to drop in the post game rewards screen, if the current Iron Banner weapon drop trend still holds true.

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Pulse Rifles

Name Acquisition Impact RoF Mag Stability Range Reload
Skorri’s Revenge Iron Banner 4 77 30 58 30 48
Praedyth’s Timepiece VoG 4 77 30 64 25 55
Oversoul Edict Crota’s End Hard 4 77 30 62 33 61
Coiled Hiss 1919 Vanguard 4 77 30 55 33 53
123 Syzygy Crucible 4 77 30 64 25 48
The Conduit FWC 7 73 18 59 35 78
Time On Target Vanguard 7 73 21 59 35 81
Bad Juju Exotic Bounty 7 73 24 55 33 65
Bad Seed Down Vanguard 14 66 30 59 44 67
Strange Suspect Crucible 14 66 30 71 34 65
The Ninth Edict Queen’s Wrath 14 66 27 64 40 71
Red Death RNG/Xûr 26 66 27 44 33 76
The Messenger Trials of Osiris 30 59 24 59 59 53
Super Pox VLO Vanguard 30 59 21 66 53 64
Fair and Square Crucible 30 59 24 57 61 52
Three Little Words Crucible 30 59 24 57 61 55

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Fusion Rifles

Click here to see our top 5 pre-expansion choices.

Name Acquisition Impact Charge Rate Mag Stability Range Reload
Vex Mythoclast VoG Hard 35 40 21 64 54 72
Light of the Abyss Crota’s End 68 40 6 41 32 61
The Calming FWC 71 37 6 33 35 51
Perun’s Fire Iron Banner 75 33 4 35 39 79
Pocket Infinity Exotic Bounty 78 10 3 15 25 86
LIGHT/Beware Vanguard 81 28 6 40 44 59
Murmur TDB 84 25 6 55 40 58
Final Rest II Dead Orbit 84 25 6 39 44 64
Techeun Force Queen’s Wrath 86 23 6 46 40 60
Plan C RNG/Xûr 87 22 5 46 50 100
Purifier VII New Monarchy 91 18 5 65 42 55
PLUG ONE.1 Vanguard 91 18 5 65 42 66
The Exile’s Curse Trials of Osiris 95 15 4 36 51 59
The Trolley Problem Crucible 95 15 4 33 53 61
Praetorian Foil VoG 97 12 5 33 52 55
77 Wizard Crucible 97 13 4 28 55 62

Perun’s Fire: While it may lack the versatility of Murmur, and the pure destructive potential of the new Vanguard and Crucible fusion rifles, those fortunate enough to find Perun’s Fire in the latest season of the Iron Banner may find this well balanced fusion rifle to their liking.

With a decently fast charge rate, Perun’s Fire is an excellent alternative to shotguns in the Crucible, being fast enough to stop a Titan before they shoulder charge you into oblivion if primed quick enough. Be warned though that most if not all of the bolts have to connect with the target to kill in the Crucible, otherwise you will have to switch weapons.

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Sniper Rifles

Name Acquisition Impact RoF Mag Stability Range Reload
Prudence II New Monarchy 6 40 4 48 63 78
SDN-5 Hoplite Heavy Crucible 9 37 4 44 81 73
FINAL BOSS Crucible 9 37 4 44 81 73
The Chosen FWC 9 37 4 43 81 69
Praedyth’s Revenge VoG 9 37 4 83 73 71
Broken Truth-LR1 Dead Orbit 16 26 3 46 72 71
Epitaph 2261 Vanguard 16 26 4 41 75 62
Patience and Time RNG/Xûr 16 26 4 92 75 58
The Supremacy Queen’s Wrath 25 19 4 52 69 64
LDR 5001 Vanguard 25 19 4 52 68 66
Y-09 Longbow Synthesis Crucible 25 19 5 56 66 71
Ice Breaker RNG/Xûr 25 19 6 24 100 62
No Land Beyond TDB 25 19 6 24 100 62
Eye of Sol Trials of Osiris 32 12 3 38 82 62
Efrideet’s Spear Iron Banner 32 12 3 28 88 64
Black Hammer Crota’s End 32 12 3 35 88 55

Efrideet’s Spear: If there was ever a reason to compete in the Iron Banner, Efrideet’s Spear makes a compelling case. With an impact rating that is only matched by the raid sniper rifle the Black Hammer, the Spear is for those situations where you need whatever you are aiming at to die.

While the Hammer may be able to do more damage without reloading on the account of it’s unique perk, Efrideet’s Spear is a very enticing alternative. When purchased in its default form from Lord Saladin, the Spear can allow you to pick up roughly 12-14 bullets per green ammo box, shoot through walls to kill pesky enemies who think that they are safe behind cover, and literally cause heads to explode.

LDR 5001: If you missed out on the chance to obtain Icebreaker, fear not, for the LDR is a very nice alternative. With an impact rating that matches the Ice Breaker and The Supremacy (from the Queens Wrath event), the LDR can easily do just as much damage to a single target.

While you may lament the fact that you cannot regenerate ammo, you can rejoice and make fun of those who rely on Icebreaker when your shots from the LDR go through walls. Not only that, but since it relies on traditional ammo, this rifle can potentially do more damage than the Ice Breaker in a shorter period of time.

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Shotguns

Name Acquisition Impact RoF Mag Stability Range Reload
Swordbreaker Crota’s End 36 35 5 34 9 53
Invisible Hand M7 Crucible 36 35 5 30 13 50
Secret Handshake Vanguard 36 35 6 37 11 48
Universal Remote RNG/Xûr 36 17 5 41 8 29
The 4th Horseman TDB (PlayStation) 38 34 5 66 5 16
Invective Exotic Bounty 42 31 4 51 23 36
The Crash FWC 48 23 6 34 16 31
Hide and Seek-42 Dead Orbit 48 23 4 32 17 42
The Comedian Vanguard 48 23 5 39 15 39
Judgment VI New Monarchy 58 14 4 33 21 46
Found Verdict VoG 58 14 6 32 21 40
Two To The Morgue Crucible 58 14 6 42 18 34
Her Unspoken Will Queen’s Wrath 58 14 6 47 17 33
Felwinter’s Lie Iron Banner 64 5 6 16 25 23
Astral Horizon Trials of Osiris 64 5 5 16 25 28

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Machine Guns

Name Acquisition Impact RoF Mag Stability Range Reload
The Culling FWC 25 100 74 17 17 32
Prestige IV New Monarchy 25 100 87 22 15 37
Song of Ir Yût Crota’s End 25 100 87 30 16 48
Corrective Measure VoG 29 88 58 50 18 39
MG18A Harm’s Way Vanguard 29 88 54 44 21 33
Super Good Advice Exotic Bounty 29 88 58 41 15 22
The Infinite Theorem Trials of Osiris 37 77 39 40 30 40
Zombie Apocalypse WF47 Crucible 37 77 43 46 27 34
Deviant Gravity-A Dead Orbit 53 66 30 56 17 33
THE SWARM Vanguard 53 66 35 60 15 26
Thunderlord RNG/Xûr 53 66 38 51 32 46
Jolder’s Hammer Iron Banner 61 59 26 29 33 30
Against All Odds Crucible 61 59 26 18 39 30
Wolves’ Curse Queen’s Wrath 61 59 24 25 36 35

Against All Odds: A weapon that may seem familiar to those who were fortunate to receive Jolder’s Hammer, Against All Odds has a similar impact rating, albeit with much less stability.

For those who aren’t familiar with Jolder’s Hammer, the impact rating allows for you to effectively kill in 3 or 4 bullets in the Crucible, and with the low rate of fire, the stability is slightly less problematic.

In PvE, expect to be able to stagger tough enemies with the massive impact per bullet, but keep in mind that distance is still your friend as machine guns of this impact rating are essentially automatic scout rifles on steroids.

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Rocket Launchers

Name Acquisition Blast Radius Velocity RoF Mag Stability Reload
The Cure FWC 68 77 11 1 58 75
Exodus Plan RS/1 Dead Orbit 68 83 11 2 51 62
One Way Ticket 000 Vanguard 68 80 11 1 55 73
Hunger of Crota Crota’s End 68 78 11 2 62 71
Gjallarhorn RNG/Xûr 76 90 11 2 58 69
Unfriendly Giant Vanguard 84 53 9 2 50 64
Tomorrow’s Answer Trials of Osiris 84 50 9 1 54 71
Steel Oracle Z-11 Crucible 96 41 18 2 58 49
Valedictorian 9-44 Crucible 96 34 18 2 69 48
Admonisher III New Monarchy 96 36 18 1 66 57
Dragon’s Breath TDB 96 39 18 2 66 52
Truth RNG/Xûr 96 48 11 3 83 79
Hezen Vengeance VoG 96 71 4 2 33 62
Radegast’s Fury Iron Banner 96 70 4 1 35 62
The Dreammaker Queen’s Wrath 96 62 4 1 46 64