Does the Vex Mythoclast gun break Destiny PvP?
"Unfair" Fusion Rifle sparks heated debate. Watch it dominate.
It is the weapon players are calling "unfair", "broken" and "overpowered" - but is it?
The Vex Mythoclast is a powerful gun found in Bungie's first-person shooter Destiny - and there's a video doing the rounds that's causing some to say it should be blocked from use in the game's competitive multiplayer.
In The Crucible, Guardians fight against each other using the weapons and gear they have found while playing the game's various modes. This includes loot dropped by defeated computer controlled enemies and items sold by NPC vendors at The Tower social hub.
In most of the PvP modes available, the damage rating of all weapons is normalised in an attempt to level the playing field. But the Vex Mythoclast seems to be breaking the system.
The Vex Mythoclast is an exotic class Fusion Rifle. What makes it special is that it's classed as a primary weapon. Fusion Rifles, which are, typically, more powerful than primary weapons, are normally restricted to the special weapon slot and require the harder to come by special weapon ammo. Not so the Vex Mythoclast.
So, really, the gun is a Fusion Rifle crossed with a Scout Rifle, doing the high elemental damage of a Fusion Rifle but with the high rate of fire and common ammo type of a Scout Rifle. Here's its profile on Destinydb.
It's a potential prize for completing the Vault of Glass raid on hard difficulty - Destiny's toughest challenge. So while relatively few players will have the Vex Mythoclast, some will. And those who take it into PvP are causing a stink.
The video, below, shows us one Crucible match from the perspective of player Kirby mT, who was awarded the Vex Mythoclast for completing Vault of Glass on hard (warning: there are more than a few swears). Check out his character sheet out on Bungie.net.
We see him killing enemy Guardians in just a few shots - sometimes from the hip. Enemy shields don't seem to matter much. He dominates proceedings to such an extent that some of the players quit the game.
The video raises an interesting question about Bungie's design decisions. Character progression and gear is persistent across all modes, including PvP, so players do not start a competitive multiplayer match with the same loadout, as they did in Bungie's Halo games. And while there is a system in place to normalise the attack power of weapons, it's clear there is much to a Guardian's "legend", as Bungie puts it, that provides an advantage.
Destiny does have a mode that deliberately does not normalise the attack power of weapons. It's called The Iron Banner, which is set to kick off next month. In The Iron Banner there can be no complaints. Elsewhere, it's a different story.
So, what's to be done? Bungie has already demonstrated a willingness to respond to feedback quickly with hotfixes, and a patch is due out next week that does address the balance of the various weapon types. Will the Vex Mythoclast be nerfed?
