Yeah, exotic weapon balance is PvP's real problem. (Destiny)

by iconicbanana, C2-H5-OH + NAD, Portland, OR, Tuesday, April 07, 2015, 18:28 (3309 days ago) @ Cody Miller

1. There is still going to be some scenario where it will kill where a DYK wouldn't.

There is no situation I can think of other than what we have now, where that could be the case. Let's say you make it so the DoT kills if you get three BODY shots. Well, Timur's lash can do that by default. Fail. A legendary is going to match or beat it in every situation except the current one.

Provided the encounter lasts 2 seconds, and no one hunts cover, and it isn't a long range battle, sure. In your ideal situation, Timur's Lash wins.

2. If it's the same as any other legendary that's a good thing.

when you could use your exotic slot for something else.

I feel like you're really not grasping the idea here. If no exotic offers a particularly strong advantage over a legendary, that's a good thing. You can't waste your exotic slot. There is no better exotic to use instead. So you can use a gun you want to use, not one you feel you're at a disadvantage by not using.

I agree, but the exotics are not EXOTIC enough, so that not only would a Thorn nerfed to your specs be the same damage wise as a legendary, it would be FUNCTIONALLY the same. I am all for exotics that are wildly different types of guns that are on par with legendary guns and significantly change your playstyle. Of the Hand Cannons, Last Word is in my opinion the best as an exotic in concept.

I do wish the exotics were just different and not just better (in some cases, the amount of different is actually what makes them better, like the pocket infinity). That said, a Thorn doesn't function like most Handcannons. It has far more range, on par with scouts and snipers. It fires very fast with very predictable recoil; it overpenetrates with DOT on all hit targets; and that DOT is pretty damn good. You might not even need to nerf the DOT if it had less bullets, but I still think it's overpowered with less bullets and the same DOT. Even with a 6 bullet mag, it's still functionally very different than any other hand cannon in the game, especially when you consider that an engagement very frequently doesn't just involve the guns in play. It's certainly one of the very best crucible weapons available, too much better than alternatives, and along with TLW (and Hawkmoon) it's a balance issue that's far more pressing than any other class of weapon, much less an individual case.

I'd love to see numbers on exotic primaries, but here's a thought experiment for you. Specifically, for individuals not using an exotic special or heavy: what percentage of players do you think are using Suros, Red Death, Bad Juju, Hawkmoon, Thorn, or TLW? I'm thinking a pretty large majority. That's a little boring.

Wouldn't it be nice if we had players not using any exotics, because other possibilities were more interesting? Or at the very least, if we weren't all dying to those 6 primaries? I'm with yakaman; I'd like to not get outshot all the time when I'm not using one of them.