Destiny: Analysis of Xur’s Exotic Wares For 3/6 (Week 26)

Our favorite intergalactic peddler is back again to clean out our Strange Coin coffers with a batch of new shiny exotics and curios to power our exploits throughout the cosmos.

This week, Week 26, has proven to be pretty special because the Nine have finally decreed that the trade embargo on Heavy Ammo Synetheses has been lifted. That’s right, Xur finally has those long-awaited ammo boosters up for sale, at the same 1 Strange Coin per 5x stack exchange rate we know and love.

Be sure to fill up while you can. For those of you that are satisfied with your gear already, you might just want to shell out your entire SC wallet on synetheses. We never know when Xur’s going to have them again.

This time around Xur can be found in the hanger, in his usual haunt downstairs underneath the Future War Cult representative and right next to the Shipwright.

As far as items go, he’s got a rather badass Helm of Saint-14 up for grabs, which is incredible for Defender Titans, and the game’s most badass all-in-one rifle, the legendary Ice Breaker, returns to the scene for 17 Strange Coins. I’m sure most of you already have it but if not now’s a good chance to join the club.

When it comes to armor upgrades, Xur has a nice helping of goodies on-hand, including a superb roll on the Bladedancer’s Mask of the Third Man helmet as well as a great Light Beyond Nemesis Warlock hat to boot.

Weapons see upgradable versions of the ultra-handy MIDA  Multi-Tool, Suros Regime, Bad Juju and even the super powerful Gjallarhorn solar rocket launcher. If you own a vanilla version of any of these now’s a good time to boost their damage.

In any case, here’s the full analysis and breakdown of our analysis of Xur’s exotic wares for 3/6 (Week 26):

Helm of Saint-14 (Helmet) – 13 Strange Coins

• Class: Titan (Defender)
• Upgrade Mats: Relic Iron, Exotic shard (last tier)
• Min Level: 20
• Type: Helmet
• Defense: 407/447
• Intellect: 106/114
• Rain Blows: Increases melee attack speed.
• Inverse Shadow: Increased Super energy gained from killing minions of the Darkness.
• Starless Night: Your Ward of Dawn blinds enemies who enter it.

Should You Buy It?

Maybe. If you’re a Defender Titan and you haven’t got one of these helms already, then you really want to pick it up.

This is a great roll with a base of 106 Intellect, and the helmet itself is pretty much a Defender Titan’s best friend, as it literally blinds enemies who step into your bubble shield. This is tremendously useful regardless if you use Weapons of Light to do enhanced damage or Blessing of Light to boost your shields, and literally makes the bubble shield an offensive weapon.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve saved myself and the lives of my teammates by blinding nearby enemies–basically it’s like a huge flashbang went off right in front of their face, and it works every time they enter, regardless if they just ran out and ran back in again.

This helm adds in a huge layer of tactical advantage that can seriously turn the tide of any tough battle. Highly recommend this for any Titan, because you might want to try the Defender class out later on.

Plus if you picked up the No Backup Plans gauntlets that were sold last week, you can switch between these two items for maximum proficiency as a Defender.

Young Ahamkara’s Spine (Gauntlets) – 13 Strange Coins

• Class: Hunter (Gunslinger)
• Upgrade Mats: Spinmetal, Exotic shard (last tier)
• Min Level: 20
• Type: Helmet
• Defense: 333/366
• Discipline: 91/98
• Special Weapon Loader: Increases reload speed of all Special Weapons.
• Ashes to Asset: Increases the amount of Super energy when you kill an enemy with a grenade.
• Improved Tripmine Grenade: Tripmine grenades last longer when placed.

Should You Buy It?

Maybe.

This one is very conditional. The stat roll isn’t too good, but these gauntlets have a neat purpose and make your laid trip mines last for quite some time. They are most useful in PvP where tripmines can afford serious tactical advantage by sort of corralling enemies, or just laying defensive explosives around zone points.

So if you have max Discipline for grenades you’ll be spawning tripmines more often, and with this pair of gloves your mines will last longer and longer.

Plus every grenade kill you score feeds your super energy, and when used in tandem with the Unyielding Casque Hunter raid helm, you’ll get even more super power during grenade kills and even boost your melee cooldowns when doing damage with a tripmine.

There’s also word that it combos well with Thorn, but I can’t see any real relation other than the possible lingering damage mod. Maybe you shoot with thorn, poison the enemy, and corral then into a tripmine to finish them off?

Also the gauntlets look pretty badass when equipped.

Skull of Dire Ahamkara (Helmet) – 13 Strange Coins

• Class: Hunter (Gunslinger)
• Upgrade Mats: Helium Filaments Exotic shard (last tier)
• Min Level: 20
• Type: Helmet
• Defense: 407/447
• Intellect: 94/101
• Energy Projection: Increases grenade throw distance.
• Quintessence Transfer: Replenish Super energy when you kill an enemy with a grenade.
• Delusions of Grandeur: You take reduced damage while using your Nova Bomb. Your siphon abilities are also improved.

Should You Buy It?

Yes, if you’re a Voidwalker Warlock.

In conjunction with the right talents and perks, this helmet will speed up and actively fuel Nova Bomb generation to the point where you’re spamming explosive balls of fury much more often than normal.

You’ll want to have Soul Rip and Embrace the Void activated so that your Energy Drain is specced to reduce the Nova Bomb’s cooldown, then you’ll get the synergized bonus from the helm. You can also use the Bad Juju pulse rifle to help charge your super attack after each kill, although it’s not as effective as when combo’ed with the Obisidian Mind helmet.

Plus like the other Ahamkara item, it looks pretty snazzy when equipped. It’s sheer utility value outweighs the mid-range stat roll, too.

Ice Breaker (Sniper Rifle) – 17 Strange Coins

• Class: Any
• Upgrade Mats: Spirit Bloom, Exotic shard (last tier)
• Min Level: 20
• Attack: 302 / 331 (Solar elemental damage)
• Magazine: 6
• Type: Sniper Rifle
• No Backpack: Cannot be reloaded. Regenerates ammo over time.
• Mulligan: Missing a shot has a chance to return ammo directly to the magazine.
• Quickdraw: This weapon can be drawn unbelievably fast.
• Ice Breaker: Ice Breaker’s victims spontaneously combust, dealing damage to others nearby.

Should you buy it?

YES. 

Ice Breaker is a must-have, I repeat, must-have item for any Guardian. It is one of the most useful items in the entire game, and delivers on all fronts: damage, accuracy, dependability, and just about any other quantifiable measure you can think of.

The beauty of this gun is that it has infinite ammo, but it only has a six-shot magazine. The ammo slowly replenishes over time, about one bullet per 4-5 seconds, and you can’t pick up special weapon ammo packs to refill it.

Essentially it refills its rounds, not its magazine.

It’s a bit strange using the gun at first, but it truly is one of the most powerful items in the game. While it’s mostly effective against Solar shields (you really won’t do much against an Arc shield), headshots against broken-shielded enemies are incredibly devastating–in the 6k+ damage range.

If you only have 17 Strange Coins, pick this up. You don’t want to pass on this one.

Exotic Shard – 7 Strange Coins

Exotic Chestpiece Engram* – 23 Motes of Light

*Since there are a tons of exotic chestpieces like the Heart of Praxic Fire, Voidfang Vestments, The Armamentarium or even the Lucky Raspberry, you should buy as many as these as you can.

Armor Upgrades

Achlyophage Symbiote (Helmet)

Bad roll on an expensive upgrade, so I’d say pass it up, especially if you upgraded it last week. The extra defense isn’t worth wiping out your current version–unless, maybe, you just got it and it’s clean. It’s true the Achlyophage Symbiote is amazing for all Gunslingers, as that extra Golden Gun shot helps in every single game mode, but hold off for now.

Chances are Xur will have a better roll next week, considering this helmet has been up for two weeks in a row now.

• Cost: 7177 G, 1 Exotic Shard
• Class: Hunter (Gunslinger)
• Light: 30/36
• Discipline: 97/104
• Defense: 407/447

Mask of the Third Man (Helmet)

This is a pretty decent Intellect roll (just 2 points shy of last week’s) so you should consider going with the upgrade.

Mask of the Third man goes great for PvP Bladedancers who love to wreak havoc in the ring. You’ll generate more super charge more quickly, and be sure to use the Encore talent with the helmet equipped for even more tactical advantage.

• Cost: 7207 G, 1 Exotic Shard
• Class: Hunter (Bladedancer)
• Light: 30/36
• Intellect: 116/125
• Defense: 407/447

Helm of Inmost Light (Helmet)

Semi-decent Strength roll here, but you always want to wait until you see a great stat roll before you upgrade, considering it’s going to cost you 7.4K Glimmer as well as an Exotic Shard. Either way this particular helm is a superb choice for Strikers who want to unleash as much havoc as they can with their super attack, making it an advantageous bit of armor for PvP.

I’d still hold off for a better stat roll though.

• Cost: 7451 G, 1 Exotic Shard
• Class: Titan (Striker)
• Light: 30/36
• Strength: 100/107
• Defense: 407/447

An Insurmountable Skullfort (Helmet)

A better Discipline stat roll than last week’s abysmal rate, so there’s that.

The Insurmountable Skullfort is pretty useful in a variety of situations across both PvE and PvP, seeing as you can grab extra bits of health recovery from teammates’ spawned orbs (great in a raid situation). Plus you spawn with full melee energy giving you quick explosion of Arc damage via Storm Fist (extremely helpful when Arc Burn is up) and you’ll also regen health when you kill with that particular lightning punch.

Also the straight Discipline buff synergizes very well with Lightning Grenades stacked with Aftermath and Aftershock talents. a variety of uses.

• Cost: 7283 G, 1 Exotic Shard
• Class: Titan (Striker)
• Light: 30/36
• Discipline: 95/102
• Defense: 407/447

Light Beyond Nemesis (Helmet)

Stellar Strength stat roll here, and Light Beyond Nemesis is a good helm to use when you’re on a raid. It’s a very conditional sort of item so I don’t think you need to upgrade unless your current version has low stats or if you really want the extra defense. If you’ve maxed out the one you have, just pass on, seeing as it’s such a conditional helm.

• Cost: 7159 G, 1 Exotic Shard
• Class: Warlock (Voidwalker)
• Light: 30/36
• Strength: 111/119
• Defense: 407/447

Sunbreakers (Gauntlets)

Low Intellect stat roll, and the odds are your pair have better numbers, pass it up for now. The Sunbreakers are great for the Sunsinger class, making your solar grenades last longer, and can be paired up with the Pocket Infinity to do some serious damage in PvP.

• Cost: 7549 G, 1 Exotic Shard
• Class: Warlock (Sunsinger)
• Light: 30/36
• Intellect: 86/92
• Defense: 333/366

Weapon Upgrades

SUROS Regime (Auto Rifle)

Since the only thing you’re upgraded on a weapon is it’s damage, you’re going to want to pick and choose which items you plan on using the most and upgrade accordingly.

The Suros Regime is a great go-to weapon with tons of potential in all gametypes, providing accuracy as well as consistent damage along the way, but it really doesn’t combo too well with skills and classes the way items like Bad Juju and Thorn do. That being said there’s nothing wrong with Suros, and it’s a solid choice for any Guardian.

• Cost: 7789 G, 1 Exotic Shard
• Attack: 302/331 (Kinetic damage)
• Magazine: 33

Bad Juju (Pulse Rifle)

Bungie has just buffed up Pulse Rifles quite a bit in 1.1.1 so now’s a good time as any to upgrade. Bad Juju on its own is pretty damn effective and is a great go-to weapon for Voidwalker Warlocks when used in tandem with the Obsidian Mind helmet; basically you’ll get instant reloads and build up your super after kills, and gain more energy from killing Hive enemies thanks to the Obsidian Mind.

You can also use Bad Juju effectively with the Skull of Dire Ahamkara to build some serious super energy.

• Cost: 7019 G, 1 Exotic Shard
• Attack: 302/331 (Kinetic damage)
• Magazine: 24

MIDA Multi-Tool (Scout Rifle)

Upgrade this one. The MIDA Multi-Tool is already amazing, and with extra damage it becomes even more amazing. Essentially it’s a fast-shooting, fast-reloading mid to long-range rifle that empowers you with extra speed when equipped. And the best part is that it gives you a Third Eye that lets you see your radar when you’re scoping down the sights.

• Cost: 7459 G, 1 Exotic Shard
• Attack: 302/331 (Kinetic damage)
• Magazine: 21

Plan C (Fusion Rifle)

Another great upgrade for an already impressive gun. The Plan C is one of my favorite weapons simply because it’s so dependable in just about any situation, and it completely wrecks when Arc Burn is active. It fires very fast and has a superlative charge rate, which is pretty much the bane of fusion rifles everywhere. That damage boost is worth the upgrade, even if you’ve maxed your version out.

• Cost: 7187 G, 1 Exotic Shard
• Attack: 302/331 (Arc damage)
• Magazine: 5

Thunderlord (Machine Gun)

Great opportunity to get that extra damage buff on an already amazing machine gun. The Thunderlord is a great go-to weapon in PvP or during Weeklies when Arc Burn is up, and is one of the best heavy machine guns in the game because it packs a powerful punch as well as retains accuracy.

Essentially it combines everything you’d want to see in this type of weapon: power, speedy reloads, and amazing stability. Plus the Lightning Rounds perk makes the gun become more accurate the longer you fire it. Win-win.

• Cost: 7681G, 1 Exotic Shard
• Attack: 302/331 (Arc damage)
• Magazine: 38

Gjallarhorn (Rocket Launcher)

Chances are if you don’t have an upgraded Gjallarhorn you haven’t been playing very much (either that or you’re a non-DLC player). Either way do yourself a favor and upgrade this beastly rocket launcher. It’s pretty much a must.

Curios

• Auto Rifle Telemetry – 1 Strange Coin per stack of 5

• Shotgun Telemtry – 1 Strange Coin per stack of 5

• Rocket Launcher Telemetry – 1 Strange Coin per stack of 5

• Plasma Drive Vehicle Upgrade – 23 Strange Coins

• Stealth Drive Vehicle Upgrade – 23 Strange Coins

• Heavy Ammo Synthesis (FINALLY!) – 1 Strange Coin per stack of 5