everyday math
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Destiny |OT7| "In the Garden of Suros" by I. Ron Banner
- Thread starter The Librarian
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Rogue_Ledr
Banned
DAMN! Nice protip dude.
Much appreciated.
I gotta try out this Nightfall later on if I can.
BMO = GOAT
Member
Request sent
Anton Sugar
Member
Oh. I'm pretty sure it's their equivalent of an AMA. Mail bag, you know, Q&A time.
You got me excited there, haha.
Garrett Hawke
Member
Ohhh lmao. I have no idea why, I thought it would have something to do with the postmaster so I booted up the game.
Embarrassing
mythoclast kills bladedancers in 1 second.
one second
Please accept my friend request, my dear friend.
Dude...
No way - they're great for getting out of a tight spot or polishing off a tough enemy. You just need to invade their personal space ...
Rogue_Ledr
Banned
You can send me a request too, but I won't be available till later. Like around 9PM EST or so.
If that is a problem, I understand.
Twilight Gap
Member
Anton Sugar
Member
Don't worry, I'm staying late at work (by choice) but almost got in my car to drive home to check my Destiny mail.
This game is an abusive relationship.
The Mango Sentinel
Member
Personally, I never use any materials for the actual upgrading. I just level a weapon up all the way, just in case I get a duplicate with better perks. I value my materials too much to waste them.
Garrett Hawke
Member
Well at least you didn't
BMO = GOAT
Member
Request sent
Rogue_Ledr
Banned
OH sorry, I mentioned it my last post.
Its: RogueLedrX
Like I said I have both a 28 Titan and a 27 Hunter. So I can go with either one.
We did the same, except we just abused returning to orbit. Fireteam leader sits further back than 1, never even gets in line of sight of any mobs. Other player(s) rush in, blow sniper ammo on boss and get ripped apart by adds. Die, return to orbit, rejoin, repeat. You spawn with 6 sniper ammo which is enough to take off ~15-20% of the bosses health. Completely impossible to fail it without the fireteam leader disconnecting while the other players are in orbit.
BMO = GOAT
Member
Haha yea i saw it, i edited my post. My fault.
I don't like complaining about games but as someone who bought the collectors edition I feel like I have a right to do that.
I have almost 200 vanguard marks and 100+ crucible marks. All the gear I can buy is worse than the gear I already have.
Iron Banner rewards are dissapointing and the Iron Banner matches seem to be less fun than normal Crucible matches. It's like, have some special rewards for enduring the shittier version of the Crucible. I am actually waiting for Iron Banner to end so that I can enjoy Crucible again (the only part of the game that does not get old so quickly).
I have done the Nexus strike 4 - 5 times in a row, as if that is the only strike on the playlist.
I would like to do the exotic bounty strike but for some reason the matchmaking that works with normal strikes missions is not available for that mission. Seems pointless to ask two people help me with that mission when I'm the only one who will get something out of that strike mission.
I have almost 200 vanguard marks and 100+ crucible marks. All the gear I can buy is worse than the gear I already have.
Iron Banner rewards are dissapointing and the Iron Banner matches seem to be less fun than normal Crucible matches. It's like, have some special rewards for enduring the shittier version of the Crucible. I am actually waiting for Iron Banner to end so that I can enjoy Crucible again (the only part of the game that does not get old so quickly).
I have done the Nexus strike 4 - 5 times in a row, as if that is the only strike on the playlist.
I would like to do the exotic bounty strike but for some reason the matchmaking that works with normal strikes missions is not available for that mission. Seems pointless to ask two people help me with that mission when I'm the only one who will get something out of that strike mission.
now that's premium quality cheese.
That seems difficult to believe but okay, is your gear completely upgraded? Buy things to dismantle for shards or energy.
Wait, are the standard Crucible playlists not available this week?
Yeah I wish they'd employ a sequence algorithm for this. Especially if you're staying with the same fireteam, it's nonsensical.
I assume you mean Xyor. Some people really don't mind helping out with no reward if you just ask...
The Mango Sentinel
Member
To add to this, if you're a Bladedancer you can go invisible and pretty easily solo this with the same strategy. Just go invisible so you don't get attacked by the mobs and you can get a shot or two off on the boss and retreat.
Just NEVER double jump. I just found out during the last nightfall that enemies can hear your double jump and will immediately refocus their attention.
PS4? PSN: LordNimon
College_Boy
mythoclast kills bladedancers in 1 second.
one second
I can confirm, if happened to me.
My group is kinda getting overwhelmed at gatekeeper hard mode.
We've tried all sorts of strategies. We tried sending 2 people to each of the portals at once, which failed because one team was always faster than the other and the other kept getting blinded. We've also tried 3 in 3 out doing each portal one by one, 2 in 4 out, 4 in 2 out etc but keep failing. The minotaurs outside aren't really a problem, but by the time the 2nd relic is about to be picked up too many people die outside by hobgoblins/middle gets overwhelmed because stuff is taking too long or deaths happen inside the 2nd portal because of minotaurs or w/e. We're doing left portal first then moving to the right/middle.
Any surefire strategies to make it work or do we just have to keep at it and get better? We're doing left portal first then moving to the right.
We've tried all sorts of strategies. We tried sending 2 people to each of the portals at once, which failed because one team was always faster than the other and the other kept getting blinded. We've also tried 3 in 3 out doing each portal one by one, 2 in 4 out, 4 in 2 out etc but keep failing. The minotaurs outside aren't really a problem, but by the time the 2nd relic is about to be picked up too many people die outside by hobgoblins/middle gets overwhelmed because stuff is taking too long or deaths happen inside the 2nd portal because of minotaurs or w/e. We're doing left portal first then moving to the right/middle.
Any surefire strategies to make it work or do we just have to keep at it and get better? We're doing left portal first then moving to the right.
BMO = GOAT
Member
Request sent. So we need about 2 more
My team somehow pulled it off by sending one person into each portal at the same time. I can solo left portal like a boss and the second portal guy needs to be a hunter with cloaking.
This will be my final Post-20 guide, and I put a lot of thought into it so I hope it helps some of you out there! It's not as long as some of the others, but it took more research and TLC- so thank you in advance if you do stick with me and read through!
A couple quick notes: I know a lot of you don't need this. Many of you have already blazed right into running the Hard mode raid every week, which is really impressive to me personally, and on the other end some just aren't really concerning themselves with this kind of thing at all. As long as you're having fun when you boot up Destiny, that's all that matters. If you are, I hope my guides can answer some questions or spark some ideas, but please believe me when I say that I have no desire to tell anyone how to play. Play exactly how you want, however is the most fun, and refer to my guides if they help- that's it.
With Part 3, I really focused on how to get past 28 to 29 and eventually 30, but I did all of you a disservice because I didn't spend any time on why you would want to do either one. This may seem obvious (of course everyone, including me, wants to get to get to max level, right?!) but as with many aspects, things in Destiny are just a little different than what you might expect from similar games.
This guide will be more like a "Life at 28" or "Endgame Life" post than anything truly having to do with leveling, and it includes suggestions as far as how to spend your time depending on what you want to accomplish first. I've seen a lot of people saying "I just need to make it to 30 asap and then I'm done til the DLC"- that's absolutely a valid approach, but not how I intend to play over the next few weeks.
Up until level 28, the game intends for all players to take a relatively similar path of progression, with variations depending on whether they prefer PvE, PvP, or partake in both equally. But at 28, things change a bit.
If you're anything like me, you're somewhere around 27-29, with a decent assortment of different gear, and not particularly thrilled about the prospect of relying on RNG from the raid to make it to 30. If you're not at least 27, then it's time to go back to my earlier guides (Part 1, Part 2) as far as necessary, and get at it.
No mini-goals this time. Once you've hit 28, you need to make your own decisions about how to progress in Destiny. Not just how to go about getting to 29 and/or 30, but even whether you desire to or not at all. How much thought you want to put into your progression at this point is up to you.
Section I. Level 28: The Gelcap
Section II. Alt of Glass
Listed below is every weapon permanently available in the tower. This information was a little tough to find, and there's nowhere that quite has it all in one place in my opinion, despite it being extremely important to endgame. www.destinygamewiki.com had by far the best lists, but I immediately recognized some of the Elements to be wrong, and some just said "Void, Arc, Solar." I went to each vendor and verified each one and have updated them on the wiki, and so these links are accurate as of 10/7/2014. The wiki pages also show what upgrades the vendor versions have in their supply. I have also reproduced the inventories as images here, and listed what I take to be the standout purchases from each based on the discussion in this thread. Please leave reviews of any weapons you know well to be added for info.
Vanguard and Crucible both have at least one weapon each of Void, Arc, and Solar flavors to choose from. Remember that items found as drops are "rolled" and can have a different element and different mods.
Vanguard Quartermaster
So far as I know, the standouts on this list are The Devil You Know, The Swarm, The Comedian, Light/Beware, and Shadow Price. I also have the Scout Rifle with the crazy name and once upgraded it's quite good too.
Crucible Quartermaster
So far as I know, the standouts on this list are Grim Citizen III, Lord High Fixer, Zombie Apocalypse, Strange Suspect, and 77 Wizard.
Dead Orbit Vendor
Standouts: No idea.
New Monarchy Vendor
Standouts: No idea.
Future War Cult Vendor
Standouts: No idea.
For perfecting your build, you also might want certain armor mods that compliment your build as well. I won't go into as much detail for that, but here again are links to the other armor vendors: Hunter Vanguard, Warlock Vanguard, Titan Vanguard, Crucible Handler.
You NEED good legendary items. Yep- even if you have a great exotic in that slot. This is because any time you swap Exotics- and you should- you'll need something of comparable utility to put in the slot you're switching from.
Continued in Part 4b
A couple quick notes: I know a lot of you don't need this. Many of you have already blazed right into running the Hard mode raid every week, which is really impressive to me personally, and on the other end some just aren't really concerning themselves with this kind of thing at all. As long as you're having fun when you boot up Destiny, that's all that matters. If you are, I hope my guides can answer some questions or spark some ideas, but please believe me when I say that I have no desire to tell anyone how to play. Play exactly how you want, however is the most fun, and refer to my guides if they help- that's it.
With Part 3, I really focused on how to get past 28 to 29 and eventually 30, but I did all of you a disservice because I didn't spend any time on why you would want to do either one. This may seem obvious (of course everyone, including me, wants to get to get to max level, right?!) but as with many aspects, things in Destiny are just a little different than what you might expect from similar games.
This guide will be more like a "Life at 28" or "Endgame Life" post than anything truly having to do with leveling, and it includes suggestions as far as how to spend your time depending on what you want to accomplish first. I've seen a lot of people saying "I just need to make it to 30 asap and then I'm done til the DLC"- that's absolutely a valid approach, but not how I intend to play over the next few weeks.
Up until level 28, the game intends for all players to take a relatively similar path of progression, with variations depending on whether they prefer PvE, PvP, or partake in both equally. But at 28, things change a bit.
If you're anything like me, you're somewhere around 27-29, with a decent assortment of different gear, and not particularly thrilled about the prospect of relying on RNG from the raid to make it to 30. If you're not at least 27, then it's time to go back to my earlier guides (Part 1, Part 2) as far as necessary, and get at it.
No mini-goals this time. Once you've hit 28, you need to make your own decisions about how to progress in Destiny. Not just how to go about getting to 29 and/or 30, but even whether you desire to or not at all. How much thought you want to put into your progression at this point is up to you.
Section I. Level 28: The Gelcap
We know that level 20 is the soft cap, and level 30 is the hard cap. These are easy concepts to understand, because when you hit 20 you can't keep gaining XP to raise your level, and when you hit 30, you can't raise your level at all.
However, I've come to view level 28, which is relatively easy to reach following my guides (in the long run, very few Ascendant shards are required if you balance your upgrades across all slots), as another sort of cap- one at which the content offerings start looking a little different. Since it's between soft and hard, I'm calling it the gelcap. It takes a lot of conscious effort and a LOT of Ascendant Shards to break through to 29.
At level 28, you can partake optimally in all content with one solitary exception: the Hard mode Raid. I was holding off on reaching this conclusion until hearing back from the Iron Banner, but preliminary research indicates that being in the higher Light levels- or even simply past 20- is all that is truly necessary to compete, upgraded weapons notwithstanding.
The enemies in the normal raid max out at level 28. The Weekly Heroic and Weekly Nightfall Strikes are intended for level 28. Special event content like the Queen's kill order missions will, presumably, continue to be targeted at <28 characters for accessibility. Nothing else in the game even requires combat against enemies over level 26. Again, reaching level 28 puts you in a position of being able to tackle every single piece of content excepting the Hard mode Vault of Glass, at no handicap.
With this in mind, so far as I can tell there are three potential ways to handle your progression from here:
However, I've come to view level 28, which is relatively easy to reach following my guides (in the long run, very few Ascendant shards are required if you balance your upgrades across all slots), as another sort of cap- one at which the content offerings start looking a little different. Since it's between soft and hard, I'm calling it the gelcap. It takes a lot of conscious effort and a LOT of Ascendant Shards to break through to 29.
At level 28, you can partake optimally in all content with one solitary exception: the Hard mode Raid. I was holding off on reaching this conclusion until hearing back from the Iron Banner, but preliminary research indicates that being in the higher Light levels- or even simply past 20- is all that is truly necessary to compete, upgraded weapons notwithstanding.
The enemies in the normal raid max out at level 28. The Weekly Heroic and Weekly Nightfall Strikes are intended for level 28. Special event content like the Queen's kill order missions will, presumably, continue to be targeted at <28 characters for accessibility. Nothing else in the game even requires combat against enemies over level 26. Again, reaching level 28 puts you in a position of being able to tackle every single piece of content excepting the Hard mode Vault of Glass, at no handicap.
With this in mind, so far as I can tell there are three potential ways to handle your progression from here:
- Method #1: Embrace the gelcap. This isn't to say that you're "done" and never wish to progress to higher levels, but it isn't a priority for you. Continue playing Destiny at your leisure without any regard for your level. Level 28, at least in the short term, is perfectly fine for your needs. You'll raid each week (or not) and maybe get a piece of raid armor, and maybe not. If you do, you'll equip it and begin spending shards on it. If you don't, you will NOT be spending any shards on your currently equipped gear to inch toward 29. They'll be saved for the rainy day when you are blessed by RNGesus.
One route to 29 is this:
-1 Maxed Exotic
-1 Maxed raid piece
-1 Maxed regular Legendary
-1 regular legendary with its "regular" upgrades only (no ascendant shards)
This is the approach I am currently taking myself. In the short term, I have no desire to grind intensively to reach level 29, and thus participate in the Hard mode raid as quickly as possible, let alone pursuing level 30. At this point I am much more concerned with mastering the Normal mode raid and being able to help new players and others having trouble to complete it, than tackling the tougher version. The limited time I might spend on activities that could yield extra shards will be spent primarily on that (mastering the Normal raid), working on Alts, playing PvP for fun, and assisting others in completing their other weekly content- you guys are great to play with, and the latter is some of the most fun I've had in Destiny so far. Marks I might spend on gear to dismantle for shards, I'll spend on Legendary weaponry instead.
- Method #2: Level 30 or bust. If you want to hit level 30 as quickly as possible, that means hitting level 29 as quickly as possible. This is because level 29 enables you to participate in the Hard mode VoG, for an extra shot at raid gear ever week (you can enter at 28 or even 27, but I do NOT recommend it). First, secure an Exotic helm. The raid Helm only drops from Hard mode VoG, so it is easier to hit 30 with that slot filled by an exotic. If you can reliably run the Hard mode, you only need to run that each week, and you'll get both sets of loot. This approach means you WILL spend every shard you get your hands on to grind your existing gear up to 29. Of course, if you're risking the Heroic raid at 28, you might just get enough shards to hit 29 within a week or two that way as well.
To absolutely maximize your chances here, you would want to level 2 more Alts of the same class, all the way to endgame, for 3 (or 6 including the Hard mode loot rolls) chances at raid gear, and thus Light progression, each week. This is the true min-maxer's approach to Destiny's endgame; my play experience will never come close to touching it. However, the option is absolutely there for those who must hit 30 on their main character as rapidly as is possible. Also, acquire at least one (1): Exotic Helm, Exotic Gauntlets, and Exotic Chestpiece. This is because whichever Raid gear you get first from the Vault will be Random, and you'll have the complimentary Exotic to get you closer to 30 ready to go.
- Method #3: Specialize, and settle into a level 29 build. Just as level 28 represents a plateau at which all content is available to be completed optimally except Hard mode VoG, level 29 represents a plateau at which all content is available, full-stop- just with the caveat of "suboptimally" applied to the Hard raid. Sadly, the raid gear doesn't exactly offer you a selection of stat arrays- you have to take what you get. But non-raid gear that can get you to 29 does. If you are more interested in min-maxing your build, rather than your vertical progression outright, this is the method for you. You can focus short-term on collecting the "perfect" set of gear to spend your shards on and hit 29- not as soon as possible, but only with the exact gear that fits your build.
What you'll do is spend your shards on any gear you have that already matches the stat distribution you want, and spend your marks and/or Strange Coins and/or Motes of Light on replacing the gear that doesn't.
The stats on armor affect your cooldowns, as follows: Strength (STR) reduces Melee, Discipline (DIS) reduces Grenades, Intellect (INT) reduces Super.
Here are the stat distributions available from each Tower vendor (click to see their inventories on the wiki):- Vanguard (Hunter, Warlock, Titan): INT/DIS, DIS/STR
- Crucible: INT/STR, DIS/STR
- New Monarchy: INT/STR
- Future War Cult: INT/DIS
- Dead Orbit: DIS/STR
Section II. Alt of Glass
This is just a minor note, but Destiny really, really wants you to make alts.
There are a few reasons, most of which are probably more compelling than this one, but I want to start with an anecdote. My raid group (the one I first completed it with) consists of 4 Hunters and 2 Warlocks. Tonight, we'll meet again, again as 4 Hunters and 2 Warlocks. As attached as I am to my Hunter (and it will ALWAYS be my favorite class), I would love to swap out for my level 28 Titan, and pump out Weapons of Light from the corner while we unload the full arsenal on the boss. This is the most compelling reason I want to have alts of each class, personally.
But okay. Outside of that, each "gelcapped" character slot grants you, each week:
Whether all 3 of the same class, 1 of each, or some kind of crazy twosie hybrid, Destiny absolutely adores the idea of you deciding to make alts. The end.
Section III. Perfecting Your ArsenalThere are a few reasons, most of which are probably more compelling than this one, but I want to start with an anecdote. My raid group (the one I first completed it with) consists of 4 Hunters and 2 Warlocks. Tonight, we'll meet again, again as 4 Hunters and 2 Warlocks. As attached as I am to my Hunter (and it will ALWAYS be my favorite class
), I would love to swap out for my level 28 Titan, and pump out Weapons of Light from the corner while we unload the full arsenal on the boss. This is the most compelling reason I want to have alts of each class, personally.But okay. Outside of that, each "gelcapped" character slot grants you, each week:
- 9 Strange Coins, guaranteed; total of 27 for three slots. This is enough to purchase any individual item Xur stocks, every week, with at worst 4 Coins left over (after buying a primary weapon).
- A roll on the Nightfall loot table (Strange Coins, Ascendant Shards/Energy, Legendaries, Exotics)
- A roll on the raid loot tables (legendaries, exotics, ascendant mats, raid legendaries)
- 21 Ascendant mats (if Daily Story/Daily Public Event completed each day), total of 63 for three slots.
Whether all 3 of the same class, 1 of each, or some kind of crazy twosie hybrid, Destiny absolutely adores the idea of you deciding to make alts. The end.
If there's one thing my survey of the DGAF arsenal shows, it's that people get attached to their specific setup in Destiny. There aren't merely optimal choices that everyone wants to use (yes, SUROS Regime, that means you too- the Nerf Bat comes), but instead a variety of directions to go when choosing what guns and armor you want to take into battle. In fact, the top most popular items, in multiple categories, were tied with another for the crown.
If you're level 28, you probably have a great idea about what kind of weapon types you prefer. I can tell you I like Hand Cannons, Fusion Rifles, and I'm a little promiscuous with heavy weapons... like both Rockets and HMGs.
As soon as I did my first Nightfall, I decided immediately afterward that I wanted a badass legendary or exotic Fusion Rifle of each element. I made this a conscious goal, and though I did get a little lucky (chose Pock Inf for my first exotic bounty, and Plan C from last week's Nightfall), I was also able to take concrete action toward it.
You might find that you know you need Sniper Rifles of each element instead (I hate sniping -_-). Or maybe you love the burst damage of rockets so much that you need an arc, void, and solar launcher all your own (Gjallarhorn Best Solar Launcher 2014).
The point is, this is useful, practical, and you can pursue it on your own without RNG.
If you're level 28, you probably have a great idea about what kind of weapon types you prefer. I can tell you I like Hand Cannons, Fusion Rifles, and I'm a little promiscuous with heavy weapons... like both Rockets and HMGs.
As soon as I did my first Nightfall, I decided immediately afterward that I wanted a badass legendary or exotic Fusion Rifle of each element. I made this a conscious goal, and though I did get a little lucky (chose Pock Inf for my first exotic bounty, and Plan C from last week's Nightfall), I was also able to take concrete action toward it.
I call them the Three Tenors. And armed with these weapons and a stockpile of Special Ammo Synthesis, I welcome all Nightfall and Weekly Heroics that might challenge me. Show me your Burn and I will exploit it- or just grab Pocket Infinity to clean shop during this "Everything Burns" week. I love these guns, and each new week is an opportunity for me to use one of them to kick fucking ass in a Strike, which I have so much fun doing for the moment that I've done every single one, every week, multiple times.
You might find that you know you need Sniper Rifles of each element instead (I hate sniping -_-). Or maybe you love the burst damage of rockets so much that you need an arc, void, and solar launcher all your own (Gjallarhorn Best Solar Launcher 2014).
The point is, this is useful, practical, and you can pursue it on your own without RNG.
Listed below is every weapon permanently available in the tower. This information was a little tough to find, and there's nowhere that quite has it all in one place in my opinion, despite it being extremely important to endgame. www.destinygamewiki.com had by far the best lists, but I immediately recognized some of the Elements to be wrong, and some just said "Void, Arc, Solar." I went to each vendor and verified each one and have updated them on the wiki, and so these links are accurate as of 10/7/2014. The wiki pages also show what upgrades the vendor versions have in their supply. I have also reproduced the inventories as images here, and listed what I take to be the standout purchases from each based on the discussion in this thread. Please leave reviews of any weapons you know well to be added for info.
Vanguard and Crucible both have at least one weapon each of Void, Arc, and Solar flavors to choose from. Remember that items found as drops are "rolled" and can have a different element and different mods.
Vanguard Quartermaster
So far as I know, the standouts on this list are The Devil You Know, The Swarm, The Comedian, Light/Beware, and Shadow Price. I also have the Scout Rifle with the crazy name and once upgraded it's quite good too.
Crucible Quartermaster
So far as I know, the standouts on this list are Grim Citizen III, Lord High Fixer, Zombie Apocalypse, Strange Suspect, and 77 Wizard.
Dead Orbit Vendor
Standouts: No idea.
New Monarchy Vendor
Standouts: No idea.
Future War Cult Vendor
Standouts: No idea.
Please don't think of these permanently available weapons as subpar or "not best-in-slot" because they're not Exotics or raid gear. Yes, the raid primary weapons with elemental damage are amazing, but they're not on a completely different level of power, and you can't pursue them specifically.
For perfecting your build, you also might want certain armor mods that compliment your build as well. I won't go into as much detail for that, but here again are links to the other armor vendors: Hunter Vanguard, Warlock Vanguard, Titan Vanguard, Crucible Handler.
You NEED good legendary items. Yep- even if you have a great exotic in that slot. This is because any time you swap Exotics- and you should- you'll need something of comparable utility to put in the slot you're switching from.
Continued in Part 4b
What's your name on PSN?
UpDownLeftRight
Banned
Quick question DGAF to save me any heartbreak in the future. If I purchase Iron Banner armor does it break down into ass energy?
BMO = GOAT
Member
Router_Go_Vroom
ComputerMKII
Banned
Raid done on hard mode!
But all I got was a Legendary ship and Atheon's Epilogue, which I already had...
But all I got was a Legendary ship and Atheon's Epilogue, which I already had...
Continued from Part 4a
Section IV. Building with Exotics
Thornveil Sunsinger
Exotic Weapon: Thorn
Subclass: Sunsinger
Necessary Subclass Skills: Fusion Grenades, Radiant Skin, Viking Funeral, Touch of Flame
Legendary Complements: 77 Wizard, The Swarm/Unfriendly Giant, Eclipse Maw IV (gauntlets)
Legendary Replacements: The Devil You Know
Notes: This is a pure gimmick build and isn't likely to have much use outside the Crucible, but holy hell do I bet it is fun inside. This is the max-DoT-infuriation build. While unfortunately the effects do not stack (credit to Diablohead testing... I wonder if they tried this out and realized it was too OP after 5 minutes and changed them not to stack), you will still have three ways to cause a DoT effect: hitting with your primary weapon, Scorch melee, and any grenade contact. The latter two will cause a longer and stronger DoT while the former can be applied at will at long range. So in addition to your standard shots with Thorn, every time you hit with Scorch (causing a DoT) you'll get a flame shield and decrease your grenade cooldown so that you can throw more (causing DoTs). Anyone you don't kill the way you intend to is extremely likely to die to the DoT effect shortly after.. this will be a postmortem powerhouse. Speaking of which, you'll want to (hard as it may be) stay away from Fireborn on this one in favor of Radiant Skin- popping your Super heals you from the helm's effect, so use it when low on health rather than after death.
Note that while all of the skills and Legendary chest mentioned are for Sunsingers, the helm is actually subclass agnostic, and the basic concept with Thorn's DoT in PvP could be used with a STR-heavy Surge melee build to keep Thorn's reload times down instead of using the Sunsinger for other ways to cause DoTs. There's probably a more effective gimmick Thorn build with a Voidwalker-specific Exotic though.
Universal Saint Defender
Exotic Weapon: Universal Remote
Subclass: Defender
Necessary Subclass Skills: Blessing of Light (PvP), Weapons of Light (PvE), Gift of Light, Illuminated
Legendary Complements: 77 Wizard, Final Boss (depending on range needed)
Legendary Replacements: Black Chasma (gets tricky because it's a primary)
Notes: This one I am working on myself... bought the helm and now I just need the shotty. Can't wait. Forget about using the Ward to protect myself- run in to a heavily contested flashpoint, pop the shield, blind everyone via the Helm, and start beating them all to death with my hands (with increased melee attack speed). After the first kill, any additional with melee will generate Orbs to be able to do it again. Anyone who stumbles out of the Ward and tries to run, they get chased by me with a boosted overshield and turned off by the Remote. Swap to either longrange fusion or sniper for ranged engagements, but avoid them at all costs. Every match is a constant race to the next Ward for more beatdowns. Glorious violence.
That's it! Whether or not you decide to get into build theory, and however you choose to play Destiny, I hope that you'll at least consider mixing things up if you're getting frustrated. There really is a lot to like here, and it's a lot of fun to get into if you're interested. I'll be sticking with it for quite some time. If you read this far, thanks for taking the time and I hope this information was useful and possibly gave you some ideas of where to go from where you're at.
Section IV. Building with Exotics
I frequently hear the complaint that we should be able to equip multiple Exotic items. Why won't they let us be awesome?
The funny thing is, from my perspective this restriction is one of the best things the game has going for it. I really wouldn't be as interested in continuing to play if you could equip exotics in every slot. I've heard multiple times that this was a baffling decision from Bungie that wasn't well thought-out, or that it has something to do with balance toward lower-level players, but I'd bet anything that Bungie had decided on this gear restriction before Gjallarhorn even had all its wolves.
Restricting you to one exotic weapon and one exotic armor piece has two effects:
Here are some example builds, some I'm running and/or working on, some I just invented for fun:
(Complementary Legendary choices are based on my own collection and can easily be swapped for equivalents)
Knucklemoon Hunter
Exotic Weapon: Hawkmoon
Subclass: Bladedancer/Gunslinger
Necessary Subclass Skills: N/A
Legendary Complements: 77 Wizard/Final Boss, The Swarm/Unfriendly Giant
Legendary Replacement: The Devil You Know
Notes: This is my current main build in the Crucible and for general (non-Burn, non-boss) PvE. The two Exotics complement each other perfectly. Knucklehead's radar-while-ADS allows me to safely stalk prey and take riskier ventures for killshots with Hawkmoon in PvP than I'd ever be willing to try without my radar. I'll only swap to my fusion rifle when the engagement distance is close enough that I either I won't need the radar, or won't need to ADS. Since this is a subclass agnostic build, it does just fine with Gunslinger equipped too. In the raid, Knucklehead's Inverse Shadow mod recharges Golden Gun fast for taking out Oracles, though of course an Achylophage build excels even more at this job.
Spinal Infinity Gunslinger
Exotic Weapon: Pocket Infinity
Subclass: Gunslinger
Necessary Subclass Skills: Tripmine Grenades, any preferred others that do not pertain to precision kills with guns
Legendary Complements: The Devil You Know, The Swarm/Unfriendly Giant
Legendary Replacement: 77 Wizard or Light/Beware
Notes: This is the build I'm hoping to finish next- Pocket Infinity is just an all-around incredible weapon both in PvE and the Crucible, and with the Perfect Balance mod I'm able to save ammo, make my shots count, and generally treat it like a Fusion Pulse Rifle. The downside to this is that I'm essentially reloading after every "shot." This is what I consider to be my only vulnerability when using the weapon. Fusion Rifles can't headshot/precision kill, so Chain of Woe is worthless. This sent me looking for armor pieces I could get for Hunter to reduce reload speed on Fusion Rifles. Only one exists in the game: the Young Ahamkara's Spine gauntlets. Currently this is my most desired item, and something I'll game on Exotic engrams for if Xur comes with gauntlets. The Armor piece also encourages Tripmine Grenades- in PvP, my playstyle would become all about creating killboxes with tripmine grenades and blasting those that didn't die to them in close quarters. Kills from the grenades will also replenish my super for more Golden Gun shots giving me a sudden twist of ranged oneshot firepower every so often. I will be reviled and I will love it. Perfecting this build would probably involve the AOS Cryptid Crucible chest (bonus fusion rifle ammo) but a Discipline-focus on the rest of the gear for more tripmines.
Lucky C Bladedancer
Exotic Weapon: Plan C
Subclass: Bladedancer
Necessary Subclass Skills: Arcbolt Grenades, Stalker, Shadowjack, Backstab
Legendary Complements: The Devil You Know, The Swarm/Unfriendly Giant
Legendary Replacement: 77 Wizard or Light/Beware
Notes: This is a build I don't plan to work on myself but I imagine it would be a BLAST to play. First off, the Combo of Lucky Raspberry with Arcbolts and Plan C turns you into an Arc powerhouse. Any Arc burn that comes through town and you can run the show. Beyond that, it's perfectly viable for everyday play. I imagine this sort of offensive stealth playstyle to be very effective: cloak from Stalker (extended by Shadowjack) and maneuver around to a clear shot at your target with primary weapon equipped- such as around a Phalanx's shield, behind a Minotaur, above the horizontal plane of a Hydra shield, etc- then swap weapons to take advantage of Lucky C's unique effect (fast charge after weapon swap) and unload. When you get heat, dive out back into stealth and repeat with either the same target or your next one if it's dead. If you can get in close enough during the stealth, Backstab instead. Throw grenades whenever you have them. Throw grenades when you die and get revived. Throw grenades everywhere at everything. With a great legendary primary this is totally viable in PvP as well. Could optionally either spec Discipline to take full advantage of the better grenades, or rely more on the Grenade from spawn effect and go full STR for more Blink Strikes/Backstabs to finish targets off. INT not recommended.
The funny thing is, from my perspective this restriction is one of the best things the game has going for it. I really wouldn't be as interested in continuing to play if you could equip exotics in every slot. I've heard multiple times that this was a baffling decision from Bungie that wasn't well thought-out, or that it has something to do with balance toward lower-level players, but I'd bet anything that Bungie had decided on this gear restriction before Gjallarhorn even had all its wolves.
Restricting you to one exotic weapon and one exotic armor piece has two effects:
- Ensures that Legendaries remain a necessary component of endgame. If Exotics were just another tier on the treadmill they'd bore me. I would want them out of necessity, but I wouldn't have the same attachment to them that I do now nor care at all about the Legendaries they replaced. But in this system, it's important to have solid legendaries in the other two slots as well as a suitable replacement for when swapping out to another exotic.
- Encourages tactical decision-making and theorycrafting. This is what I spend a lot of time thinking about these days. Because you can't just equip every exotic you own, deciding how to "spend" your Exotic slot can completely change the feel of any given piece of content. I believe that "builds" in Destiny will largely be concerned with a player's choice of Exotic Weapon, Exotic Armor and (in most cases) Subclass. Additional aspects will be Legendary Complements, Legendary Replacement, Subclass skills, and finally Armor stats.
Here are some example builds, some I'm running and/or working on, some I just invented for fun:
(Complementary Legendary choices are based on my own collection and can easily be swapped for equivalents)
Knucklemoon Hunter
Exotic Armor: Knucklehead Radar
Exotic Weapon: Hawkmoon
Subclass: Bladedancer/Gunslinger
Necessary Subclass Skills: N/A
Legendary Complements: 77 Wizard/Final Boss, The Swarm/Unfriendly Giant
Legendary Replacement: The Devil You Know
Notes: This is my current main build in the Crucible and for general (non-Burn, non-boss) PvE. The two Exotics complement each other perfectly. Knucklehead's radar-while-ADS allows me to safely stalk prey and take riskier ventures for killshots with Hawkmoon in PvP than I'd ever be willing to try without my radar. I'll only swap to my fusion rifle when the engagement distance is close enough that I either I won't need the radar, or won't need to ADS. Since this is a subclass agnostic build, it does just fine with Gunslinger equipped too. In the raid, Knucklehead's Inverse Shadow mod recharges Golden Gun fast for taking out Oracles, though of course an Achylophage build excels even more at this job.
Spinal Infinity Gunslinger
Exotic Armor: Young Ahamkara's Spine
Exotic Weapon: Pocket Infinity
Subclass: Gunslinger
Necessary Subclass Skills: Tripmine Grenades, any preferred others that do not pertain to precision kills with guns
Legendary Complements: The Devil You Know, The Swarm/Unfriendly Giant
Legendary Replacement: 77 Wizard or Light/Beware
Notes: This is the build I'm hoping to finish next- Pocket Infinity is just an all-around incredible weapon both in PvE and the Crucible, and with the Perfect Balance mod I'm able to save ammo, make my shots count, and generally treat it like a Fusion Pulse Rifle. The downside to this is that I'm essentially reloading after every "shot." This is what I consider to be my only vulnerability when using the weapon. Fusion Rifles can't headshot/precision kill, so Chain of Woe is worthless. This sent me looking for armor pieces I could get for Hunter to reduce reload speed on Fusion Rifles. Only one exists in the game: the Young Ahamkara's Spine gauntlets. Currently this is my most desired item, and something I'll game on Exotic engrams for if Xur comes with gauntlets. The Armor piece also encourages Tripmine Grenades- in PvP, my playstyle would become all about creating killboxes with tripmine grenades and blasting those that didn't die to them in close quarters. Kills from the grenades will also replenish my super for more Golden Gun shots giving me a sudden twist of ranged oneshot firepower every so often. I will be reviled and I will love it. Perfecting this build would probably involve the AOS Cryptid Crucible chest (bonus fusion rifle ammo) but a Discipline-focus on the rest of the gear for more tripmines.
Lucky C Bladedancer
Exotic Armor: Lucky Raspberry
Exotic Weapon: Plan C
Subclass: Bladedancer
Necessary Subclass Skills: Arcbolt Grenades, Stalker, Shadowjack, Backstab
Legendary Complements: The Devil You Know, The Swarm/Unfriendly Giant
Legendary Replacement: 77 Wizard or Light/Beware
Notes: This is a build I don't plan to work on myself but I imagine it would be a BLAST to play. First off, the Combo of Lucky Raspberry with Arcbolts and Plan C turns you into an Arc powerhouse. Any Arc burn that comes through town and you can run the show. Beyond that, it's perfectly viable for everyday play. I imagine this sort of offensive stealth playstyle to be very effective: cloak from Stalker (extended by Shadowjack) and maneuver around to a clear shot at your target with primary weapon equipped- such as around a Phalanx's shield, behind a Minotaur, above the horizontal plane of a Hydra shield, etc- then swap weapons to take advantage of Lucky C's unique effect (fast charge after weapon swap) and unload. When you get heat, dive out back into stealth and repeat with either the same target or your next one if it's dead. If you can get in close enough during the stealth, Backstab instead. Throw grenades whenever you have them. Throw grenades when you die and get revived. Throw grenades everywhere at everything. With a great legendary primary this is totally viable in PvP as well. Could optionally either spec Discipline to take full advantage of the better grenades, or rely more on the Grenade from spawn effect and go full STR for more Blink Strikes/Backstabs to finish targets off. INT not recommended.
I originally had 3 more Hunter builds here because I spend most of my time thinking about them, but I'll throw the other classes a bone ;D
Thornveil Sunsinger
Exotic Armor: Apotheosis Veil
Exotic Weapon: Thorn
Subclass: Sunsinger
Necessary Subclass Skills: Fusion Grenades, Radiant Skin, Viking Funeral, Touch of Flame
Legendary Complements: 77 Wizard, The Swarm/Unfriendly Giant, Eclipse Maw IV (gauntlets)
Legendary Replacements: The Devil You Know
Notes: This is a pure gimmick build and isn't likely to have much use outside the Crucible, but holy hell do I bet it is fun inside. This is the max-DoT-infuriation build. While unfortunately the effects do not stack (credit to Diablohead testing... I wonder if they tried this out and realized it was too OP after 5 minutes and changed them not to stack), you will still have three ways to cause a DoT effect: hitting with your primary weapon, Scorch melee, and any grenade contact. The latter two will cause a longer and stronger DoT while the former can be applied at will at long range. So in addition to your standard shots with Thorn, every time you hit with Scorch (causing a DoT) you'll get a flame shield and decrease your grenade cooldown so that you can throw more (causing DoTs). Anyone you don't kill the way you intend to is extremely likely to die to the DoT effect shortly after.. this will be a postmortem powerhouse. Speaking of which, you'll want to (hard as it may be) stay away from Fireborn on this one in favor of Radiant Skin- popping your Super heals you from the helm's effect, so use it when low on health rather than after death.
Note that while all of the skills and Legendary chest mentioned are for Sunsingers, the helm is actually subclass agnostic, and the basic concept with Thorn's DoT in PvP could be used with a STR-heavy Surge melee build to keep Thorn's reload times down instead of using the Sunsinger for other ways to cause DoTs. There's probably a more effective gimmick Thorn build with a Voidwalker-specific Exotic though.
Universal Saint Defender
Exotic Armor: Helm of Saint-14
Exotic Weapon: Universal Remote
Subclass: Defender
Necessary Subclass Skills: Blessing of Light (PvP), Weapons of Light (PvE), Gift of Light, Illuminated
Legendary Complements: 77 Wizard, Final Boss (depending on range needed)
Legendary Replacements: Black Chasma (gets tricky because it's a primary)
Notes: This one I am working on myself... bought the helm and now I just need the shotty. Can't wait. Forget about using the Ward to protect myself- run in to a heavily contested flashpoint, pop the shield, blind everyone via the Helm, and start beating them all to death with my hands (with increased melee attack speed). After the first kill, any additional with melee will generate Orbs to be able to do it again. Anyone who stumbles out of the Ward and tries to run, they get chased by me with a boosted overshield and turned off by the Remote. Swap to either longrange fusion or sniper for ranged engagements, but avoid them at all costs. Every match is a constant race to the next Ward for more beatdowns. Glorious violence.
That's it! Whether or not you decide to get into build theory, and however you choose to play Destiny, I hope that you'll at least consider mixing things up if you're getting frustrated. There really is a lot to like here, and it's a lot of fun to get into if you're interested. I'll be sticking with it for quite some time. If you read this far, thanks for taking the time and I hope this information was useful and possibly gave you some ideas of where to go from where you're at.
SlenderBeans
Member
FINALLY GOT THE HELMET! Was hoping for a Mythoclast, but ill take the helmet.
Now all need is the leg armor, which is still doable. I still need to do everything before Atheon on Hard.
Now all need is the leg armor, which is still doable. I still need to do everything before Atheon on Hard.
Spaaaaaaaaace
Member
That's interesting. What class are you and what gun do you use to solo it? Also is hunter cloaking a bladedancer ability and does it drop aggro?
When you show up I'll add you
21st century cowboy
Member
Is there any point in getting one of the legendry warlock bonds from the speaker and therefore most of my motes of light?
Admiral Woofington
Member
Is the Proxima Centauri II legendary scout rifle any good? It has more impact and range than my Crypt Dweller but the latter is fully upgraded. I would assume once the patches giving them more oomph hits the impact will matter.
Also did the nightstrike and got an exotic. One I already had, The Last Word lol. Dismantled it.
Also did the nightstrike and got an exotic. One I already had, The Last Word lol. Dismantled it.
Warnen
Don't pass gaas, it is your Destiny!
i swear this game has it out for me, played a bunch of tigerstiker play list today, enough to go from 70ish marks to 120ish. Got 17 blues and 1 purple engram, all shit...
on the plus side almost enough marks to finally buy a fucking purple weapon and 3 coins short of getting a exotic weapon from Xur. Guess this game just isn't going to give me anything, ill have to buy it all...
on the plus side almost enough marks to finally buy a fucking purple weapon and 3 coins short of getting a exotic weapon from Xur. Guess this game just isn't going to give me anything, ill have to buy it all...
I play sunsinger warlock in the raid. I just hop on top of the portal and snipe the gatekeeper. Jump down if you start taking to much damage. Then run up the stairs and finish him off. Then grab relic and run. Try to kill both gatekeepers at the same time. You have to talk with the guy in the other portal. Also yeah I think its a blade dancer ability. I don't know to much about it.
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