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It's been a year since lmg's were introduced to the game, and while their strength in gambit and crucible has been controversial to say the least, overall I think they're a fantastic addition to the game, filling a much needed niche in the heavy slot. They started off OP, got nerfed a bit so they're no longer top tier boss dps, got their range tuned, and now I'd say they're in a perfect spot. Overall, an awesome addition to the game.
Thunderlord was a fantastic choice to flagship their return as well. An iconic and beloved exotic returning with an equally nostalgic quest, free and accessible to all. Having the first and (for a time) only member of a new entire weapon type be an exotic was and is unheard of, and the excitement was palpable as people went straight away to using their thunderlord. And did they use it, the thing was top tier in virtually every activity. More or less singlehandedly responsible for the lmg nerf, Thunderlord is now in a good niche of being the best option if you want your exotic to clear ads, but not for sustained dps. As it should be
When I heard about Xenophage, how it was the 2nd exotic lmg in D2, how it was a 12 mag 120 (!) rpm MACHINE GUN I was beyond excited. Even more so when I saw how rudimentary its perks were- "it doesn't do anything beyond shoot massive chunk bullets", I thought. "It's an lmg thats ONLY good for dps, a reverse thunderlord!" An exotic like that would be a fantastic addition, a gun whose exotic perk is to do something its not supposed to be able to do, something that all others like it was nerfed away from doing.
Instead, what we got was pitiful. It has a tiny mag and slow fire rate- and god awful damage. Less than a legendary sniper shot, from a HEAVY weapon. The ONLY thing its good for is the explosion radius of its bullets is big enough to be functional at add clear. Yay, more add clear. Instead of a wild subversion of what we understood lmg's too be, we got a worse thunderlord.
In pvp each heavy brick gives you one kills worth, which is the lowest of literally any power weapon in the game. In gambit its alright admittedly, but is that all this exotic is going to be? We found the broken, twisted remains of the legendary hunter Omar Agah, after slaying a mighty hive wizard and solving complex puzzles- for a gun thats "ok in gambit"- at BEST?
This may be an overreaction but I can honestly say that xenophage being such a dud has killed any excitement I had over the massive content drop last reset. A new dungeon, EP event, new weapons and a new seasonal event are fantastic additions but Bungie, the exotics are such a core part of destiny that having the final (confirmed) one of the season be a total snorefest is some of the worst I've felt about this game.
Buff Xenophage. Let it crit or something. Make it useful for anything. Make it worthy of Omar Agah's legacy.
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