Thoughts on weapons in PVP and PVE (Destiny)

by Durandal, Tuesday, July 29, 2014, 13:34 (3774 days ago)

So after reflecting on my beta experiences, I want to mention the following.

Basic Weapons:

1. Auto Rifles: The auto rifle is the go too weapon on PVP and very good in PVE. Perhaps too good. Excellent damage, high rates of fire, and very little kick. Short bursts are very accurate even at medium range. Long bursts at close range eat though guardians quickly. Unlike the Halo Assault rifle this weapon is good at many ranges and in many situations. It really seems to outshine the other options in the basic slot.

2. Pulse Rifles: The kick seems to be the same as auto rifles, and the spread and damage is comparable. There really doesn't seem to be much differentiation between the two other then full auto is better at close range. You would think this would be like the halo burst rifle and occupy a more mid to long range band, but that didn't appear to be the case.

3. Scout Rifles: Like the Halo DMR, this is the long range option. In PVE it worked well for precision shots on those enemies hiding back and shooting. In PVP the maps tended to be either too long (Last Light) and the enemy had time to hide, or too short (Shores of Time) and the auto rifle would overpower it. There were a few places in maps where you could use it, but a good hand with an auto rifle is just as effective in those zones.

4. Heavy Pistols: These seemed awesome at first. The aim seemed very forgiving and the head shots are very powerful. However the reload is long and the sights are limited to medium/short range. It is a precision weapon with a small clip and tough to use at long range, yet there didn't seem to be any reward to using it. The Scout Rifle is as precise and gets a better scopes and clips. Pulse and Auto Rifles rule the short range and are far more forgiving of misses. I ended up only using mine in PvE just for fun. When things got serious it was usually back to Scout or Auto Rifles.

Of all the basic weapons, the Auto Rifles and Pistols are the most in need of retuning. If anything, I would like to see a larger stun effect on the pistols and larger groupings at range on the auto rifles. The Shingen and the Cadence were very easy to get head shots with even when scoped and on full auto. I rarely saw anything else used during the Iron Banner to as great effect. Pistols were just the opposite, I didn't see anyone using them at all.

Special Weapons:

1. Sniper Rifles: These were great. I don't think any changes are needed. They dominate long range but are not so good close in. People rarely stand still so it does take some skill to use.

2. Fusion Rifles: I can't use these effectively, but I did see them effectively used against me. They seemed tied with shotguns as the most common Special, and are deadly when they hit.

3. Shotguns: Just like Halo. They worked great. Perhaps they could round out the ammo but it wasn't a huge issue.

Heavy Weapons:

1. Missile Launchers: Yes please. If we find one called the SPNKR I will be most happy.

2. Machine Guns: These seemed a little too accurate and the individual rounds don't seem to hurt as much as some auto rifles sometimes (I'm looking at you Sahara). I would prefer something that can flack an area with lots of shells and keep people from trying to move through it then a more powerful Auto Rifle.

So, anyone want to tell me how to use a Fusion Rifle correctly?