Destiny‘s infamous starbound broker is back again at the Tower for another week of exotic goods, and this time around he’s toting one of the most powerful pulse rifles in the entire universe: the popular (and quite bloody) Red Death.

Other goodies include a decent roll on the efficient Striker-specific Insurmountable Skullfort plus some nifty Claws of Ahamkara for Sunsingers who enjoy spamming Flame Shield as much as possible. As far as upgrades, our shadowy distributor has laid out super impressive stat rolls on both Mask of the Third Man (a Blandedancer’s best friend) and Helm of Saint-14 (a Defender’s best friend) as well as a 160 Intellect max roll on the Lucky Raspberry.

The snazzy Hard Light auto-rifle joins the arsenal of weapon upgrades, accompanied by the Universal Remote, the ultra-stealthy active-camo-inducing Patience and Time sniper , and others.

Plus Xur has ammo syntheses again! Hope this becomes a regular thing–and I can’t be alone on this.

For Week 27 the fleeting vendor can be found downstairs in the Tower, past the Crucible headmasters and right next to the Vanguard handlers. He’s been known to show up here from time to time, and you shouldn’t have any problem finding the purveyor of fine goods.

Without further adieu let’s jump into our analysis of Xur’s exotic wares for 3/13 (Week 27):

“BRAINVAULT Sigma-ACTIUM-IX Cranial Dreadnought (Invincible Type)”

An Insurmountable Skullfort (Helmet) – 13 Strange Coins

• Class: Titan (Striker)
• Upgrade Mats: Relic Iron, Exotic shard (last tier)
• Min Level: 20
• Type: Helmet
• Defense: 407/447
• Discipline: 101/108
• Infusion: Replenishes health each time you pick up an Orb of Light.
• Impact Induction: Causing damage with a melee reduces your grenade cooldown.
• Improved Transfusion: Kills with Storm Fist immediately trigger health regeneration. You also respawn with full Melee energy.

Should You Buy It?

Yes, if you’re a Titan Striker.

First this Insurmountable Skullfort sports a good stat roll at 101 Discipline–it’s not great, but it’s still good. Secondly the helm has uses in both PVP and PVE, which makes a good utility item.

In the Crucible the full Discipline stat helps boost your effectiveness with grenades, and as any Striker worth their salt knows, the Titan’s Lightning Grenade tends to wreck–especially when it’s specced with Aftershocks and used in conjunction with Fists of Havoc’s Aftermath talent.

Spawning with Storm Fist at the ready is already awesome, but you’ll also trigger cooldown reduction of your ultra-powerful Lightning Grenade–and get some health back when you defeat an enemy with your melee attack. Double synergy.

In PVE you’ll get bits of health by picking up orbs which adds a nice insurance policy in the Crota’s End raid. The Improved Transfusion stat is immensely helpful because you’ll also get some HP back when you do Shoulder Charge, too.

“You can see the point, right? Who wants to team up with one?”

Knucklehead Radar (Helmet) – 13 Strange Coins

• Class: Hunter (Any)
• Upgrade Mats: Helium Filaments, Exotic shard (last tier)
• Min Level: 20
• Type: Helmet
• Defense: 407/447
• Strength: 98/105
• Light the Blade: Causing damage with a grenade reduces your melee cooldown.
• Inverse Shadow: Increased Super energy gained from killing minions of the Darkness.
• Sensor Pack: Radar remains visible while aiming primary weapons.

Should You Buy It?

Maybe.

Decent-ish stat roll here, and although the Knucklehead Radar lets you see your radar when scoped into your primary weapon, it’s still a conditional kind of item that doesn’t deliver results like the Gunslinger-specific Achlyophage Symbiote or the Bladedancer’s friend Mask of the Third Man.

It does generate super energy pretty fast when killing Hive, and you can switch your subclasses without losing any specific buffs, so there’s that. Plus the radar effect is super helpful when you’re in PvP and doubly better when you use shotguns and camp around corners, but all in all it seems a kind of so-so item.

“Look at all this life, oh bearer mine. There is so much left to burn…”

Claws of Ahamkara (Gauntlets) – 13 Strange Coins

• Class: Warlock (Any)
• Upgrade Mats: Helium Filaments, Exotic shard (last tier)
• Min Level: 20
• Type: Gauntlets
• Defense: 333/366
• Discipline: 52/55
• Strength: 56/60
• Special Weapon Loader: Increases the reload speed of all Special Weapons.
• Snap Discharge: Increases melee attack speed.
• The Whispers: Gain an additional charge for Scorch and Energy Drain.

Should You Buy It?

Yes, if you’re a Sunsinger.

Although these gauntlets technically work for both classes, they work best for Sunsingers simply because you can, as users put it “abuse the hell out of the Flame Shield” ability. Basically you get an extra Scorch charge, meaning you get two chances to activate your Flame Shield to protect you in PVP.

The Heart of the Praxic Fire should be your first choice, but these gloves amplify a nice defense measure for Sunsingers, plus you get to reload your shotguns, sniper rifles and fusion rifles faster.

If you’re a Voidwalker, you need to use different exotic gear like the Skull of Dire Ahamkara or the Obsidian Mind instead.

“Vanguard policy urges Guardians to destroy this weapon on sight.”

Red Death (Pulse Rifle) – 25 Strange Coins

• Class: Any
• Upgrade Mats: Helium Filaments, Exotic shard (last tier)
• Min Level: 20
• Attack: 302 / 331 (Kinetic damage)
• Magazine: 27
• Type: Pulse Rifle
• Accurized Ballistics: More range and impact. Increased recoil.
  • Aggressive Ballistics: More predictable recoil. Enhanced impact. Shorter range and more recoil.
  • Field Choke: More range and impact. Increased recoil.
• Unflinching: It’s easier to aim under fire using this weapon.
• Snapshot: Aiming this weapon is incredibly fast.
  • High Caliber Rounds: Oversize rounds built to stagger targets and leave them reeling.
  • Single Point Sling: Switch weapons faster. Move quicker while aiming.
• Red Death: Each kill heals you and speeds up reloads.

Should You Buy It?

Yes, yes you should.

Bungie just boosted Pulse Rifle damage and performance with a new update, making the Red Death even more lethal. But what makes it so good?

Basically the gun makes you into a vampire of sorts.

With every successive kill, you get some health and also get a reloading boost, making a kind of destructive synergy that fuels the flow of battle quite well. The Unflinching mod helps with this flow by reducing the annoying flinch that’s incurred when you’re shot, letting you aim much more effectively while under fire.

Because of this the Red Death has been rightfully called the best Pulse Rifle in the entire game.

So aiming is faster, you don’t flinch as much while you’re getting shot while aiming, and you heal and reload faster when you kill someone. Now that everyone is going to have a Red Death in their arsenal, the Crucible is going to be positively ridiculous.

Outside of PVP, the Red Death is a godsend for players trying to tackle the Crota’s End raid on Hard. Since there’s no Chalice, you can now regen life thanks to this helpful pulse rifle, improving the odds quite a bit.

Exotic Shard – 7 Strange Coins

Exotic Helmet Engram – 23 Motes of Light

Armor Upgrades

Mask of the Third Man (Helmet)

Fantastic stat roll here, so if you need to upgrade your vanilla version now’s the best time to do it. This one is a great choice for Bladedancers who love to cut swathes through enemies with their super attack in PVP, and you’ll even net some extra health from orbs along the way, making it a good PVE helm during raids.

• Cost: 7207 G, 1 Exotic Shard
• Class: Hunter (Bladedancer)
• Light: 30/36
• Intellect: 113/122
• Defense: 407/447

Lucky Raspberry (Chestpiece)

Astounding Intellect stat roll here, so upgrade it if you can. The Lucky Raspberry is a very useful tool that arms you with more rocket and fusion rifle ammo (works with Vex Mythoclast) for PVE raids. Plus you instantly spawn with full grenade energy in PVP. Plus your Arc-infused grenade’s chain lightning effect stretches further outward, making it a good PVP finisher.

• Cost: 7393 G, 1 Exotic Shard
• Class: Hunter (Bladedancer)
• Light: 30/36
• Intellect: 149/160
• Defense: 444/488

Helm of Saint-14 (Helmet)

If you happen to be a Defender Titan and don’t have this one upgraded, you need to do so asap. The max 124 Intellect is very high, plus you get that snazzy defense boost to boot. This particular helmet is a must-have for all Defenders, which pretty much makes their bubble shields into offensive weapons that are useful in all modes of play.

• Cost: 7841 G, 1 Exotic Shard
• Class: Titan (Defender)
• Light: 30/36
• Intellect: 116/124
• Defense: 407/444

Helm of Inmost Light (Helmet)

Low Strength roll here, and you always want to wait until you see a great stat roll before you upgrade, considering it’s going to cost you 7.4K Glimmer as well as an Exotic Shard. Either way this particular helm is a superb choice for Strikers who want to unleash as much havoc as they can with their super attack, making it an advantageous bit of armor for PvP.

I’d still hold off for a better stat roll though.

• Cost: 7451 G, 1 Exotic Shard
• Class: Titan (Striker)
• Light: 30/36
• Strength: 89/96
• Defense: 407/447

Light Beyond Nemesis (Helmet)

Stellar max Strength roll here, and Light Beyond Nemesis is a good helm to use when you’re on a raid. It’s a very conditional sort of item so I don’t think you need to upgrade unless your current version has low stats or if you really want the extra defense.

• Cost: 7159 G, 1 Exotic Shard
• Class: Warlock (Voidwalker)
• Light: 30/36
• Strength: 117/126
• Defense: 407/447

Sunbreakers (Gauntlets)

Low Intellect stat roll, and the odds are your pair have better numbers, pass it up for now. The Sunbreakers are great for the Sunsinger class, making your solar grenades last longer, and can be paired up with the Pocket Infinity to do some serious damage in PvP.

• Cost: 7549 G, 1 Exotic Shard
• Class: Warlock (Sunsinger)
• Light: 30/36
• Intellect: 87/93
• Defense: 333/366

Weapon Upgrades

Hard Light (Auto Rifle)

Good chance to upgrade here, as we hardly ever see this gun in Xur’s inventory. The Hard Light rifle is noted for its high-capacity magazine with 40 rounds at a high rate of fire, making it a great solution for crowd control. Sadly it was hit hard by Bungie’s recent auto rifle nerfs in the 1.1.1 update.

• Cost: 7669 G, 1 Exotic Shard
• Attack: 302/331 (Kinetic damage)
• Magazine: 40

Red Death (Pulse Rifle)

Really no need to buy this one considering Xur is selling an upgraded version for coin. If you don’t happen to have the 25 Strange Coins to pick it up the other way, you can go this route–either way you’ll be getting an upgraded and clean gun that’s noted as the best pulse rifle in the entire game–and for good reason.

• Cost: 7669 G, 1 Exotic Shard
• Attack: 302/331 (Kinetic damage)
• Magazine: 27

Universal Remote (Shotgun)

Even if you absolutely love shotguns, this really isn’t worth upgrading. Sure you’ll get the extra damage boost, but chances are if you love shotguns, you’ve already heavily invested in upgrading and filling out the gun’s mods. Stick with your old outdated shotty and focus on maxing out some primaries or picking up powerful gear.

• Cost: 7027 G, 1 Exotic Shard
• Attack: 302/331 (Kinetic damage)
• Magazine: 5

Plan C (Fusion Rifle)

Another great upgrade for an already impressive gun. The Plan C is one of my favorite weapons simply because it’s so dependable in just about any situation, and it completely wrecks when Arc Burn is active. It fires very fast and has a superlative charge rate, which is pretty much the bane of fusion rifles everywhere. That damage boost is worth the upgrade, even if you’ve maxed your version out.

• Cost: 7187 G, 1 Exotic Shard
• Attack: 302/331 (Arc damage)
• Magazine: 5

Patience and Time (Sniper Rifle)

Upgrading this one depends on how much you like it. That extra damage boost will come in handy to be sure, and thanks to the active camoflage, the gun is pretty flexible in a variety of situations. Basically it’s the ultimate sniper rifle for stealthy assassins.

• Cost: 7561 G, 1 Exotic Shard
• Attack: 302/331 (Arc damage)
• Magazine: 4

Truth (Rocket Launcher)

Pass this by. Truth has some interesting mods, and it can help in Nightfall when Void Burn is active, but you really don’t need the extra damage so much. Focus instead on your primary weapons and gear, as mentioned above.

• Cost: 7039 G, 1 Exotic Shard
• Attack: 302/331 (Void damage)
• Magazine: 2

Curios

• Scout Rifle Telemetry - Stack of 5 per 1 Strange Coin
• Machine Gun Telemetry - Stack of 5 per 1 Strange Coin

• Rocket Launcher Telemetry - Stack of 5 per 1 Strange Coin

• Emerald Coil Vehicle Upgrade - 23 Strange Coins

• Void Drive Vehicle Upgrade - 23 Strange Coins

• Heavy Ammo Synthesis - Stack of 5 per 1 Strange Coin

The post Destiny: Analysis of Xur’s Exotic Wares For 3/13 (Week 27) appeared first on VR World.

Xur, Agent of the Nine is back again for another week of Exotic item sales, and we’ve dug deep into his inventory to show you if his wares are worth your hard-earned coin.

For Week 25 from Feb. 27 – March 1, Xur has some interesting toys up for grabs, namely the interesting Universal Remote primary shotgun, a new Hunter skullcap that not only looks awesome but sports some nice tactical Golden Gun buffs, and a familiar Warlock armor set that taps into the innate powers of the Sun to decrease cooldowns.

Plus Xur also has an Exotic Helmet Engram for sale. About time, right? Sadly he’s not selling Heavy Weapon Syntheses. Big surprise right?

This week Xur can be found in the Tower North, right outside the Speaker’s quarters. This is one of his usual haunts and it’s nice to see him outside of the Hangar and nearby a scenic view.

As far as upgrades go, our shady merchant has some decent gear with some decent stat rolls, like An Insurmountable Skullfort for Titan Strikers, Mask of the Third Man for Bladedancers, and Skull of Dire Ahamkara for Warlock grenade-tossers.

Interestingly enough Xur also has upgraded versions of the full-auto exotic bounty shotgun Invective, Bad Juju (goes perfect with the new pulse rifle buff with Update 1.1.1), the amazing Thunderlord machine gun, and a seventh upgrade: the Monte Carlo.

Yeah. He’s upgrading the Monte Carlo.

Anyway, let’s jump right into the analysis, shall we? Below you can find our full run-down for Xur’s exotic wares for 2/27 thru 3/1:

“No ammo? No problem.”

No Backup Plans (Gauntlets) – 13 Strange Coins

• Class: Titan (Defender)
• Upgrade Mats: Relic Iron, Exotic Shard (last tier)
• Min Level: 20
• Light: 30/36
• Strength: 89/96
• Item Type: Gauntlets
• Defense: 333/366
• Mod 1: Special Weapon Loader: Increases the reload speed of all Special Weapons.
• Mod 2: Rain Blows: Increases melee attack speed.
• Mod 3: Improved Disintegrate: Increases the duration of Force Barrier by 5 seconds. This can stack with the Relentless skill.

Should You Buy It?

If you’re a Defender Titan, then definitely. Even though the Strength roll is…meh.

Force Barrier is a life saver for every Defender–I can’t tell you how many times I’ve avoided death by strategically planning out my last-hit melee saves with this ability. It effectively gives you an overshield that pretty much saves you while you’re in a pinch, and has a multitude of uses.

You’ll have to give up your exotic armor slot, which means no blinding enemies in your bubble shield with the Helm of Saint-14, so you’ll want to plan accordingly.

Oh,and No Backup Plans’ Improved Disintegrate mod stacks with the Defender’s Relentless talent, meaning your Force Barriers are going to be extra strong and last quite long.

“Advanced tactical sensorium. Induced hallucinations integrate broad-spectrum targeting data.”

ATS/8 Arachnid (Helmet) – 13 Strange Coins

• Class: Hunter (Gunslinger)
• Upgrade Mats: Spirit Bloom, Exotic Shard (last tier)
• Min Level: 20
• Light: 30/36
• Discipline: 44/47
• Strength: 44/47
• Item Type: Helmet
• Defense: 407/447
• Mod 1: Light the Blade: Causing damage with a grenade reduces your melee cooldown.
• Mod 2: Ashes to Asset: Replenish Super energy when you kill an enemy with a grenade.
• Mod 3: Arachnid Sensorium: Your Golden Gun zooms in for accuracy when aimed.

Should You Buy It?

Maybe. This helm looks pretty snazzy, and basically turns the Gunslinger’s Golden Gun ability into a sniper rifle. You get an effective zoom capability to aim at long-range targets while using the ability, adding an interesting new mechanic for PvE and PvP (mostly the latter).

But there’s conditions: you have to have the Over the Horizon or Deadeye perks activated to really get the most out of the helm. While the Achlyophage Symbiote is pretty much your go-to helmet for a Gunslinger, this one does add new interesting possibilities to the mix, so I’d pick it up if you like to experiment and try new things.

“In that last moment she seemed as wholly luminescent as the Sun, and I wished to be so brave.”

Heart of the Praxic Fire (Chestpiece) – 13 Strange Coins

• Class: Warlock (Sunsinger)
• Upgrade Mats: Spinmetal, Exotic Shard (last tier)
• Min Level: 20
• Light: 30/36
• Discipline: 129/139
• Item Type: Chestpiece
• Defense: 444/488
• Mod 1: Fusion Rifle Ammo: Increases the amount of Fusion Rifle ammunition you can carry.
• Mod 2: Heavy Weapon Ammo: Increases the amount of Heavy Weapon ammunition you can carry.
• Mod 3: Praise the Sun: Decreases the cooldown of all abilities when Radiance is active.

Should You Buy It?

Yes, if you’re a Sunsinger Warlock.

First of all we have a decent Discipline stat roll. Secondly the Heart of the Praxic Fire basically turns your Warlock into a grenade-throwing machine, provided you have Gift of the Sun activated (and you probably do).

Essentially you get an extra cooldown reduction modifier ontop of Radiance, and if you time your grenade throws just right, you can get off quite a few explosive lobs.

“To the untrained eye, this beast is a junker. To the trained eye however, this junker… is a beast.”

Universal Remote (Shotgun) – 17 Strange Coins

• Class: Any
• Upgrade Mats: Relic Iron, Exotic Shard (last tier)
• Min Level: 20
• Item Type: Shotgun
• Damage: 302/331 (Kinetic)
• Magazine: 5
• Mod 1: Can be used in the primary weapon slot.
• Mod 2: Crowd Control: Kills with this weapon grant bonus damage for a short time.
• Mod 3: Universal Remote: Range and Precision damage increases greatly while aiming down the sights.

Should You Buy It?

Maybe. Do you love shotguns? Do you love the idea of using two shotguns on the same character? Then pick this one up.

As most of us know, the Universal Remote can be used in your primary weapon slot, meaning you can equip another shotgun in your special weapon slot for double shotgunning carnage.

Plus it has a nice Crowd Control modifier that boosts damage after kills, has upgraded damage right off the bat thanks to Xur, and using the Snapshot perk’s super-quick aiming, you can sprint-slide and cap off an enemy’s skullcap before he even knows you’re there.

Also shotguns received a nice boost thanks to Destiny‘s 1.1.1 update so you’ll be doing even more damage with your double shotty combo.

Exotic Shard – 7 Strange Coins

Exotic Helmet Engram – 23 Motes of Light

Armor Upgrades

Achlyophage Symbiote (Helmet)

Pretty good stat roll here on a helmet that’s pretty much a must-have for any Gunslinger. Chances are you already have an upgraded version, but if not, considering picking it up. But if you’re a Gunslinger you might want to buy the ATS/8 Arachnid from Xur and do some experimenting.

• Cost: 7177 G, 1 Exotic Shard
• Class: Hunter (Gunslinger)
• Light: 30/36
• Discipline: 110/118
• Defense: 407/447

Mask of the Third Man (Helmet)

This is a pretty decent Intellect roll so you might want to consider upgrading. This particular helmet is fantastic for Bladedancers who love wrecking shop in PvP, letting you use your super more often while preserving energy in the process. Stack it up with the Encore talent for some serious carnage.

• Cost: 7207 G, 1 Exotic Shard
• Class: Hunter (Bladedancer)
• Light: 30/36
• Intellect: 118/127
• Defense: 407/447

An Insurmountable Skullfort (Helmet)

Low Discipline roll, but this is a fantastic helmet that has a variety of uses. It’s replenish health when picking up orbs is fantastically helpful during a raid, and spawning with full super energy is incredible for the Striker’s super attack that totally destroys in PvP. Also the straight Discipline buff synergizes very well with Lightning Grenades stacked with Aftermath and Aftershock talents.

Since Xur is selling an Exotic Helmet Engram chances are you might be able to roll your own upgraded version, so pick up an engram before you upgrade.

• Cost: 7283 G, 1 Exotic Shard
• Class: Titan (Striker)
• Light: 30/36
• Discipline: 88/95
• Defense: 407/447

Crest of Alpha Lupi (Chestpiece)

Decent Intellect roll on this piece, so it could make a good upgrade if you have a spare Exotic Shard laying around. The item’s worth is conditional, but spawning extra orbs can help out in boss fights as well as taking down Crota on Hard difficulty.

• Cost: 7547 G, 1 Exotic Shard
• Class: Titan
• Light: 30/36
• Intellect: 129/138
• Defense: 444/488

Skull of Dire Ahamkara (Helmet)

Middle grade stat roll. This particular helm is pretty great to begin with, and upgrading right now depends on how badly you want that extra defense boost. Of course be sure to check and see if your vanilla version compares stat-wise, and if it’s lower than 114 base INT, then by all means get it upgraded.

The Skull of Dire Ahamkara has a slew of advantages for Voidwalkers. When used in tandem with specific perks like Siphon, Embrace the Void and Soul Rip the helm can seriously boost Nova Bomb frequency for some pretty entertaining havoc.

Plus it has improved Energy Drain which in turn reduces the cooldown of Nova Bombs and grenades, making the helm a formidable strategic asset.

• Cost: 7907 G, 1 Exotic Shard
• Class: Warlock (Voidwalker)
• Light: 30/36
• Intellect: 114/123
• Defense: 407/447

Voidfang Vestments (Chestpiece)

Decent Strength roll here, so if you’ve got a set with lower mods and really want that extra defense, think about picking it up.

It pretty much depends on how much you like using grenades as a Warlock, and if you use a Handcannon and are tired of running out of special ammo to boot. The “spawn with grenade energy” perk applies to all Warlock grenade types so you can effectively use it to toss Sunsinger grenades with Gift of the Sun right as you respawn.

Plus you get an extra voidseeker bolt when you use Axion Bolt.

• Cost: 7457G, 1 Exotic Shard
• Class: Warlock (Any)
• Light: 30/36
• Strength: 125/135
• Defense: 444/488

Weapon Upgrades

Bad Juju (Pulse Rifle)

Bungie has just buffed up Pulse Rifles quite a bit in 1.1.1 so now’s a good time as any to upgrade. Bad Juju on its own is pretty damn effective and is a great go-to weapon for Voidwalker Warlocks when used in tandem with the Obsidian Mind helmet; basically you’ll get instant reloads and build up your super after kills, and gain more energy from killing Hive enemies thanks to the Obsidian Mind.

You can also use Bad Juju effectively with the Skull of Dire Ahamkara to build some serious super energy.

• Cost: 7019 G, 1 Exotic Shard
• Attack: 302/331 (Kinetic damage)
• Magazine: 24

Thorn (Handcanon)

Pick this one up. Even when it’s not upgraded Thorn is a very powerful weapon. Sure it’s not as good as the all-star Hawkmoon, but it does the job quite well thanks to its lingering damage and Send It perks. The extra damage is well worth restarting all over again.

• Cost: 7673 G, 1 Exotic Shard
• Attack: 302/331 (Kinetic damage)
• Magazine: 9

Invective (Shotgun)

If you completed the “A Dubious Task” exotic bounty then chances are you’ve wanted to upgrade your Invective for quite some time.

The shotgun is already pretty beastly, being able to fire full-auto and dealing huge bonus damage with the last round in the mag, and on top of that it can regen its own ammo like the Ice Breaker. The extra boost in damage is amazingly welcome, and you can always use a Shotgun Telemetry to boost EXP progression if you have one.

• Cost: 7927 G, 1 Exotic Shard
• Attack: 302/331 (Solar damage)
• Magazine: 4

Universal Remote (Shotgun)

No real need to shell out an Exotic Shard to buy this when you can just pick it up from Xur’s main inventory for 13 Strange Coins. Either way you’ll be getting a freshly upgraded primary shotgun, but this way you’ll have to pay 7K Glimmer on TOP of the Exotic Shard.

• Cost: 7027 G, 1 Exotic Shard
• Attack: 302/331 (Kinetic damage)
• Magazine: 5

Thunderlord (Machine Gun)

Great opportunity to get that extra damage buff on an already amazing machine gun. The Thunderlord is a great go-to weapon in PvP or during Weeklies when Arc Burn is up, and is one of the best heavy machine guns in the game because it packs a powerful punch as well as retains accuracy.

Essentially it combines everything you’d want to see in this type of weapon: power, speedy reloads, and amazing stability. Plus the Lightning Rounds perk makes the gun become more accurate the longer you fire it. Win-win.

• Cost: 7681G, 1 Exotic Shard
• Attack: 302/331 (Arc damage)
• Magazine: 38

Super Good Advice (Machine Gun)

Apart from the Thunderlord, Super Good Advice is Destiny‘s other badass machine gun. It returns missed shots to its clip with the Super Good Advice perk, deals bonus damage every time you kill an enemy, packs a Solar-powered wallop, and can reload amazingly fast.

• Cost: 7817 G, 1 Exotic Shard
• Attack: 302/331 (Solar damage)
• Magazine: 58

Monte Carlo (Auto Rifle)

Buy it. The Monte Carlo is an amazingly tactical weapon that can reap pretty savage combos when used with certain gear. You can team it up with An Insurmountable Skullfort Titan helmet to pretty much trigger Storm Fist over and over, or even tag it up with the No Backup Plans gauntlets to make sure your Force Barrier triggers as often as possible, effectively giving you an overshield.

There are so many possibilities with Monte Carlo’s perks, plus it doubles as an all-in-one mid-range utility firearm great for both PvP and PvE.

• Cost: 7919G, 1 Exotic Shard
• Attack: 302/331 (Kinetic damage)
• Magazine: 36

Curios

• Fusion Rifle Telemetry – Stack of 5x for 1 Strange Coin
• Sniper Rifle Telemetry – Stack of 5x for 1 Strange Coin
• Machine Gun Telemtry – Stack of 5x for 1 Strange Coin
• Emerald Coil Vehicle Upgrade – 23 Strange Coins
• Void Drive Vehicle Upgrade – 23 Strange Coins

The post Destiny: Analysis of Xur’s Exotic Wares For 2/27 (Week 25) appeared first on VR World.

Xur, Agent of the Nine is back again to peddle his exotic wares for Week 21, from Feb. 13 – 15.

This week Xur is selling the Ice Breaker again, but it’s not exciting considering just about everyone already has one. But if you missed out a few weeks ago, now’s your chance to join the club and absolutely wreck shop when Solar Burn is active.

The remainder of Xur’s gear is drab and unexciting; we have the Crest of Alpha Lupi which is pretty much bleh, along with Light Beyond Nemesis (another bleh item), followed up with the exceptional Helm of Inmost Light.

But I think just about every Striker has the helm already, considering it’s been featured on Xur’s list many times over.

Things get pretty baffling once we take a look at the upgrades. Xur is selling no less than three redundant upgrades this time around; both the Helm of Inmost Light and the Hunter and Titan flavors of the Crest of Alpha Lupi are upgradeable.

And for some mind-boggling reason the Ice Breaker is upgradeable. Just in case you felt like spending Exotic Shards instead of Strange Coins. Now I do like the idea of Bungie making items available for players who might not have enough Strange Coins or Exotic Shards, respectively.

But this feels like lazy randomization to me, and signifies yet another clumsy handling of Destiny‘s in-game structure.

To make things worse, Xur isn’t selling Heavy Ammo Synthesis. Again. How many weeks in a row is that? I’ve lost count. Oh and Exotic Engrams aren’t available either.

For Week 21 our shadowy merchant can be found in his usual haunt far beneath the Tower, underneath the Future War Cult handler and past the Shipwright.

Interestingly enough, Bungie has seen to it that non-DLC owners will actually get to buy things this time. Xur’s full inventory is purchasable by gamers who didn’t buy The Dark Below, but as we all know, a lot of the items are unremarkable gear we’ve seen a million times over.

In any case, below we have our in-depth analysis of Xur’s exotic wares for Week 21.

Helm of Inmost Light – 13 Strange Coins

• Class: Titan (Striker)
• Upgrade Mats: Spinmetal, Exotic Shard (last tier)
• Min Level: 20
• Light: 30/36
• Discipline: 97/104
• Type: Helmet
• Defense: 407/447
• Mod 1: Rain Blows: Increases melee attack speed
• Mod 2: Invigoration: Reduces melee cooldown each time you pick up an Orb of Light.
• Mod 3: Recklessness: Provides Death from Above and Headstrong for Fist of Havoc.

Should You Buy It?

Maybe. If you’re a Striker Titan and really really like wreaking havoc with Fists of Havoc, then this helm is tailor-made for you.

The only problem with this particular roll is that it’s low on Strength, so I’d only pick it up if you really want that Recklessness mod–remember since it’s tier 3 it’s at the end side of the upgrade tree–which really helps out.

The helm is great for PvP as the Striker’s super power is one of the most powerful (and quite annoying) abilities that can wipe out an entire team in one slam.

Crest of Alpha Lupi (Chestpiece) – 13 Strange Coins

• Class: Hunter
• Upgrade Mats: Spirit Bloom, Exotic Shard (last tier)
• Min Level: 20
• Defense: 444/488
• Light: 30/36
• Strength: 133/143
• Mod 1: Revive teammates faster. Spawn more orbs.
• Mod 2: Carry more ammo for Special Weapons
• Mod 3: Carry more ammo for Hand Cannon

Should You Buy It?

No. The Crest of Alpha Lupi might sound neat in theory; who doesn’t want to be able to respawn enemies quicker or spawn more orbs? And we both know you can never get enough Hand Cannon ammo.

But the reality is that the extra revive timer isn’t really negligible and you won’t really notice it. As for the more ammo for special and handcannons, this is just for the ammo pool itself, and it won’t raise your round ammo.

And although it’s a decent roll with 133 base Strength, the item’s use is very conditional and is only helpful in boss fights where you need all the health regen you can find.

Even still you don’t want to take up your only Exotic armor slot with this one; stick with the essential Achlyophage Symbiote helm that adds an extra Golden Gun shot, or even the Knucklehead Radar that lets you see your radar when aiming down the sights.

• Class: Warlock
• Upgrade Mats: Spirit Bloom, Exotic Shard (last tier)
• Min Level: 20
• Defense: 407/447
• Light: 30/36
• Strength : 107/114
• Mod 1: Snap Discharge: Increases melee attack speed.
• Mod 2: Infusion: Replenish health whenever you pick up an Orb of Light.
• Mod 3: Keeper of the Pack: You revive fallen teammates faster and they revive you faster. Your super also spawns additional Orbs for teammates.

Should You Buy It?

EDIT: Maybe. The Light Beyond Nemesis isn’t a good helm for a Warlock in terms of DPS or support, and there are so many better helms to choose from.

Items like Obsidian Mind, which combos exceptionally well with Bad Juju to allow Voidwalkers to shoot out a ton of Nova Bombs, or the notable Skull of Dire Ahamkara.

That being said, this helm does regen health quite efficiently, which is very helpful when you’re vulnerable during Crota’s End hard runs. Warlocks in general are vulnerable, and all in all there’s better helms out there, but this could could be useful.

It’s use is conditional so I advise you to stick with your Legendary helm for now and pass this one up unless you have the coins for it. And even if you do, don’t expect it to be an all-purpose utility item.

Ice Breaker (Sniper Rifle) – 17 Strange Coins

• Class: Any
• Upgrade Mats: Spirit Bloom, Exotic shard (last tier)
• Min Level: 20
• Attack: 302 / 331 (Solar elemental damage)
• Magazine: 6
• Type: Sniper Rifle
• No Backpack: Cannot be reloaded. Regenerates ammo over time.
• Mulligan: Missing a shot has a chance to return ammo directly to the magazine.
• Quickdraw: This weapon can be drawn unbelievably fast.
• Ice Breaker: Ice Breaker’s victims spontaneously combust, dealing damage to others nearby.

Should you buy it?

YES. 

Ice Breaker is a must-have, I repeat, must-have item for any Guardian. It is one of the most useful items in the entire game, and delivers on all fronts: damage, accuracy, dependability, and just about any other quantifiable measure you can think of.

The beauty of this gun is that it has infinite ammo, but it only has a six-shot magazine. The ammo slowly replenishes over time, about one bullet per 4-5 seconds, and you can’t pick up special weapon ammo packs to refill it.

Essentially it refills its rounds, not its magazine.

It’s a bit strange using the gun at first, but it truly is one of the most powerful items in the game. While it’s mostly effective against Solar shields (you really won’t do much against an Arc shield), headshots against broken-shielded enemies are incredibly devastating–in the 6k+ damage range.

If you only have 17 Strange Coins, pick this up. You don’t want to pass on this one.

Armor Upgrades

Knucklehead Radar (Helmet)

The Knucklehead Radar is pretty useful, but don’t upgrade unless your current version has lower Strength. Remember your Exotic Shards are limited, and sure you can buy more from Xur, but you’re better off saving them to max out great items like the Ice Breaker, Achlyophage Symbiote, or the infamous Hawkmoon.

• Cost: 7331, 1 Exotic Shard
• Class: Hunter
• Light: 30/36
• Strength: 101/108

Crest of Alpha Lupi (Chestpiece)

Low Intellect stat roll, and ontop of that the item itself isn’t really that useful. Pass it up and save your Exotic Shard.

• Cost: 7547 G, 1 Exotic Shard
• Class: Titan
• Light: 30/36
• Intellect: 121/129
• Defense: 444/488

Helm of Inmost Light (Helmet)

Don’t upgrade. Just buy the same exact helm from Xur and dismantle your previous helmet and get the defense upgrade and an extra Exotic Shard to boot.

• Cost: 7451 G, 1 Exotic Shard
• Class: Titan
• Light: 30/36
• Intellect: 113/121
• Defense: 407/447

Crest of Alpha Lupi (Chestpiece)

As with the case of Hunter’s Crest of Alpha Lupi, just pass this up. I don’t see why Bungie has three different variations of the same piece of armor on Xur’s inventory, but that’s what happens when they just randomize everything, right?

• Cost: 7547 G, 1 Exotic Shard
• Class: Titan
• Light: 30/36
• Intellect: 121/129
• Defense: 444/488

Apotheosis Veil (Helmet)

Really this helm is only good for certain situations, perhaps boss fights or Nightfall runs where staying alive is key. But since it’s an item with such conditional use, I wouldn’t pick it up unless you really want it or see a specific use for it right away.

• Cost: 7013 G, 1 Exotic Shard
• Class: Warlock
• Light: 30/36
• Intellect: 100/108
• Defense: 407/447

Sunbreakers (Gauntlets)

Incredibly bad Intellect roll. The defense upgrade isn’t worth being stuck with these bad stats–and you also lose out on an Exotic Shard if you upgrade. Stick with the pair you have.

• Cost: 7549 G, 1 Exotic Shard
• Class: Warlock
• Light: 30/36
• Intellect: 77/83
• Defense: 407/447

Weapon Upgrades

The Last Word (Handcannon)

The Last Word is a fantastic handcannon for all uses, and is an excellent PVP weapon that has high-damage output along with ultra-fast firing. And it barely has to be aimed when it’s fully maxed. Pick this up.

• Cost: 7559 G, 1 Exotic Shard
• Attack: 302/331
• Magazine: 8

Ice Breaker (Sniper Rifle)

• Cost: 7477 G, 1 Exotic Shard
• Attack: 302/331 (Solar damage)
• Magazine: 6

There’s absolutely no reason to waste your Exotic Shard and the 7.4k Glimmer on upgrading your current Ice Breaker. Just buy a fresh one from Xur. Again, this is another redundant item (that makes three for this week).

Patience And Time (Sniper Rifle)

This sniper is pretty conditional too. You really want to save your Glimmer and Exotic Shards for surefire bets, items that you can use often and frequently rather than gear that will only help you out in certain situations.

I’d pass it up, and we’ll likely see this sniper up again sometime soon.

• Cost: 7561 G, 1 Exotic Shard
• Attack: 302/331 (Arc damage)
• Magazine: 4

Super Good Advice (Machine Gun)

This is one of the best Machine Guns out there, so do yourself a favor and buy an upgraded version. When the Weeklies have Solar burn you will be wrecking shop and destroying enemies in droves. Plus it makes for a good utility weapon for PVP.

• Cost: 7817 G, 1 Exotic Shard
• Attack: 302/331 (SolarArc damage)
• Magazine: 58

Gjallarhorn (Rocket Launcher)

Not much can be said about Gjallarhorn besides it’s awesome. The launcher’s rockets splits into clusters that literally track enemies, making it near-impossible to miss.

• Glimmer Cost: 7933 G, 1 Exotic Shard
• Attack: 302/331 (Solar elemental damage)
• Magazine: 2

Truth (Rocket Launcher)

Skip it. The novelty wears off fast, and you really don’t need that damage upgrade as the launcher does good enough damage on its own.

• Glimmer Cost: 7039 G, 1 Exotic Shard
• Attack: 302/331 (Void elemental damage)
• Magazine: 2

Curios

• Scout Rifle Telemetry - 1 Strange Coin /5 stack
• Handcannon Telemetry - 1 Strange Coin /5 stack
• Fusion Rifle Telemetry - 1 Strance Coin / 5 stack
• Plasma Drive Vehicle Upgrade - 23 Strange Coins
• Emerald Coil Vehicle Upgrade - 23 Strange Coins

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