Ahead of the release of Destiny 2’s Edge of Fate expansion, it seemed like the new generation of Armor 3.0 loot was going to heavily shift the meta. Unfortunately, after the winning team of Destiny 2’s Desert Perpetual Raid Race took the title of ‘world’s first’ with little to no new weapons in their loadouts, it’s clear that these weapons aren’t quite as powerful as players expected. However, there is one outlier among the new loot in The Edge of Fate expansion that has quickly risen to the top of Destiny 2’s meta: the Third Iteration Exotic scout rifle.
The Third Iteration Exotic wasn’t allowed in the Desert Perpetual Raid’s Contest Mode during the Raid Race, but it’s become one of the most popular Exotics in PvP and other PvE activities. This new Exotic weapon in Destiny 2 is so powerful right now that it's seemingly power-crept nearly every other weapon in the game, especially legendary weapons. Though players can take full advantage of the Third Iteration’s absurd power right now, its current place as the undisputed meta likely won’t last long, because a weapon so outlandishly strong as this could do more harm to the game’s balancing than good if left unchecked.
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Destiny 2’s New Third Iteration Exotic is a Meta Red Flag
How Destiny 2’s Third Iteration Exotic Compares to Other Weapons
A glance at this weapon in Destiny 2’s new shooting range reveals that a critical hit with the Third Iteration’s Amalgamation Round and Marked debuff active can almost outperform the damage of a critical hit from a legendary, precision frame, heavy linear fusion rifle. Although its damage-per-shot falls a bit short of heavy linear fusion rifles, the Third Iteration’s damage-per-second is where its true superiority lies. More specifically, the Third Iteration’s unlimited ammo as a primary weapon allows it to follow up on this heavy nuke from its first shot with a barrage of endless additional attacks, while also mixing in Amalgamation Rounds occasionally to keep the Marked debuff persistently active.
One of the Third Iteration’s main weaknesses is its slow reload speed, though players can address this with the Rapid Precision Rifling perk in Destiny 2’s new Seasonal Artifact.
This comparison to a heavy slot weapon speaks volumes to just how absurdly powerful the Third Iteration’s Amalgamation Round and Marked debuff are. Not to mention, the Third Iteration’s Marked debuff can be combined with other damage multipliers, like Weakened, resulting in an even higher damage output. Ultimately, this new Exotic weapon arguably power-creeps many of the best legendary weapons in Destiny 2, regardless of being a heavy, energy, or primary weapon. Needless to say, while quite fun to use, the Third Iteration is highly problematic for the game’s balancing in both PvE and PvP.
Destiny 2 Players Should Enjoy the Third Iteration Meta While it Lasts
In hindsight, it’s no wonder that the Third Iteration Exotic scout rifle was on the list of disabled gear for the Contest Mode of Destiny 2’s new Raid. If not, this weapon alone could have changed the outcome of which team won the ‘world’s first’ in the Desert Perpetual Raid Race, though this isn’t to say that Team Nuts didn’t earn their victory.
Given how popular and powerful this weapon is, it’s clear that something is going to change in the near future. Whether this means nerfing the Third Iteration at the risk of causing another controversy in Destiny 2, or if future Exotic weapons will raise the power ceiling and attempt to outperform the Third Iteration, ultimately remains to be seen. Either way, both of these options arguably seem like slippery slopes that could disrupt the game’s meta before ever striking a fair balance, unless they’re handled with utmost care. Until then, though, it’s highly recommended for players to take full advantage of this ridiculously strong weapon before its glory days inevitably get cut short.
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