Weapon concept: Tri-Rocket Launcher (Legendary) (Destiny)
I've been thinking for a while about what I'd like to see in a new Rocket launcher. Something that is both unique and powerful (without being too powerful).
One of the reasons I love Black Hammer so much is that it is a great situational alternative to Ice Breaker. Perhaps not quite as amazing all-around, but a great fallback for those times when you want to equip an exotic in a different slot, and in some specific situations, its even more devastatingly powerful.
I'd like to see a Legendary rocket launcher that functions as an alternative to Gjallarhorn in a similar fashion. I think this is what Bungie was aiming for with Hunger of Crota, but they fell short. Don't get me wrong, HoC is one of the best Legendary Rocket Launchers in the game, but it still falls drastically short of Gjallarhorn's power and usefulness.
In coming up with a new Rocket Launcher (specifically as an alternative to Gjallarhorn), the first thing I did was put some thought into why exactly Gjallarhorn is so useful. The obvious answer is raw power; it does insane amounts of damage against a single target. But it's also great when fired into a crowd of low-level enemies, thanks to the tracking ability of the wolfpack rounds.
So I started thinking about what could be done to make a new rocket launcher useful against single targets as well as small crowds, without being the same as Gjallarhorn. What I came up with is this:
The Tri-Rocket launcher.
This rocket launcher will simultaneously fire 3 small mini-rockets. Individually, each projectile does significantly less damage than a standard rocket (in PvP terms, imagine a rocket that can't quite kill a guardian with full health). But together they do more cumulative damage than any single rocket launcher (I'm thinking roughly 1.5 times the damage of the average legendary missile). The rockets will swirl around each other in an awesome looking spiral of destruction as they eject the launcher (think Titanfall ;p).
The first unique perk is a multi-homing ability. When zoomed in, you can paint up to 3 targets simultaneously. Once fired, the 3 rockets will then disperse and track their own individual targets. This gives you flexibility in terms of how the tri-rocket launcher can be used. Fire slightly weaker rounds at multiple grunt-level targets, or lock on to a single high-level target to deliver extra damage.
The 2nd unique perk is where I might have gone a little crazy: Adaptive elemental damage. Each rocket will automatically detect the elemental shield of its target (if any) and will automatically switch to the corresponding elemental damage. So if 2 rockets are tracking Fallen knights, they will switch to Arch damage, while the 3rd rocket delivers solar damage to the Hive Wizard it has locked on to.
I know this sounds overpowered at first, but keep in mind the weaker-than-normal damage level of each individual missile. I feel this combination of perks plays into the idea of a rocket launcher than can be very useful at damaging multiple targets, or doing stronger-than-average damage against a single larger target, without being insanely overpowered.
What do you all think? Sound cool? or have I gone completely off the deep end? ;)
I want to see this just for the sweet animation
I do like the sounds of this. I would hate it for PvP though unless you could still one shot kill a single target with a minimum of 2/3 rockets hitting them. if all 3 hit two people in range then they both die.
Titanfall? I was swirling rockets with UT back in 1999! :p
Presumably I can't lock on and shoot rockets out of... the back of my head?
This sounds a cool concept...
...For an Exotic.
Speaking of rocket launchers of this sort...
Am I crazy, or does this thing have four barrels?
Love It!
But it does sound more like an exotic than a legendary. I think you solve the issue of it being OP by doing less damage per rocket. But still making it strong by optioning to focus all three rockets on the same target. And I really like the variable shield damage too. Doesn't make a difference if PvP but great and not too strong for PvE.
Titanfall? I was swirling rockets with UT back in 1999! :p
Ha, I was right there with you. Just wasn't sure how many people would remember that :)
This sounds a cool concept...
...For an Exotic.
Part of me feels that way too. But then I say to myself "If Fatebringer and Black Hammer can be legendaries, so can this" :)
O_o
It sure looks that way!
This sounds a cool concept...
It does seem like those weapons should be exotics too considering how unique they are. Perhaps they should start a new category of weapons? Mythics?
Weapon concept: Tri-Rocket Launcher (Legendary)
I think you're on to something. Having it "pick" elemental damage on the fly is indeed too powerful. It needs to probably be only one element primarily, and have a setting where each mini-rocket is a different element.
Also, Destiny needs a MIRV.
Weapon concept: Tri-Rocket Launcher (Legendary)
I know this sounds overpowered at first, but keep in mind the weaker-than-normal damage level of each individual missile.
I think this could be reasonably well-balanced if the damage level was such that it would, on average, do just enough to take down the shield of a wizard or captain-level enemy. Similar to hitting them each with a reasonably powerful fusion rifle of the right damage type. If you've got 3 of those enemies to deal with, having all their shields go down immediately is powerful. But you've still got work to do, and you need to do it fast, because those shields aren't staying down for long.
I wonder if something this unique would be better suited as an exotic, though. Not because I don't WANT to be able to use it all the time, mind you - I do. It's just that most legendaries aren't this far out, except for raid weapons.