Xûr is in the Tower offering new gear. What's worth your Strange Coins?

WEAPON

SUROS Regime – Auto Rifle

SUROS Regime has an interesting story. One of Destiny's original "overpowered" weapons, its sale from Xûr in Week 3 gave it two-week reign of terror in PVP before Auto Rifles were nerfed. Since then, Auto Rifles as a whole (and SUROS specifically) have never fully recovered. Even though SUROS isn't what it once was, let's talk about where it is right now.

Among all Exotic & Legendary Auto Rifles, SUROS Regime still has the second highest Stability in-class (68). It retains a very solid Range (40), only passed by Grim Citizen III (42). Based on these two stat strengths, the SUROS Regime is strong at medium range even post-nerfs. (All other stats are fairly average.) SUROS is already a high-Impact Auto Rifle, so Focused Fire for slower, stronger shooting makes it a hard-hitting AR. Its namesake talent SUROS Regime grants two effects: bonus damage for last half of the clip, and occasional HP regen.

SHOULD I BUY IT?

Absolutely, this is one of the items you save your coins for.

Is it an absolute powerhouse? Not like it once was, but it's still a worthy Auto Rifle to own, upgrade and use. To push its Stability advantage, you can equip Smart Drift Control and compensate the lowered Range with Hammer Forged. SUROS Regime's greatest strength is that doesn't have any true weakness. And if you're a fan of weapon aesthetics, the bright white shell and distinctive plink-plink-plink fire is icing on the cake.

Besides, it hasn't been sold in 6 months! You never know exactly when it may return.

ALTERNATIVES

Nothing quite matches the balanced strength of SUROS Regime. Its closest matches aren't sold by Vendors anymore: Shadow Price and Grim Citizen. Best you can get is the Vanquisher VIII sold by New Monarchy, which even has Glass Half Full and Fitted Stock to help match it.

Crucible: N/A
Vanguard: N/A
New Monarchy: Vanquisher VIII

Very High Stability ARs: Up For Anything (70), For The People (66)
(While a much different ROF/Impact, their Stability is similar to SUROS.)

Talents

• Smart Drift Control: Let's be honest, its Stability is what you love! Amp it up even further.
• Focused Fire: Slower ROF / more damage when aimed. Nice versatility, helps at med. range.
• Hammer Forged: Increased Range is a great boon, plain and simple; esp. with Smart Drift Control.
• SUROS Regime: Bottom-half of clip bonus damage, plus occasional health regen.
  • Not always noticeable, but appreciated...and either effect could save your life.

On to the armor & upgrades!

Active Time

The Agent of the Nine arrived on Friday April 10th at 9:00am UTC, and will be gone (along with his gear) on Sunday April 12th at 9:00am UTC. This is Xûr's 31st week in the Tower. Lots of long-overdue gear this week!

This week's Heroic and Nightfall is...Valus Ta'aurc!

Nightfall: No Burn, Angry, Epic, Lightswitch, Juggler
Heroic: No Burn, Lightswitch

Enemies can't be stunned (Angry) & are heavily-shielded (Epic).
Enemy melees are 1-hit kills* (Lightswitch), no ammo drops for active weapon. (Juggler)

*Note: Melees aren't specifically a 1-hit kill, but deal an exceptional amount of damage that will likely kill you.

Nightfall Overview

Since there's no Burn, your biggest threat is an unexpected melee attack. You'll generally deal with Solar shields, and several very strong Void shields (Psions). Ultimately, this Nightfall is about patience. Simply play well and stay focused.

Note: As mentioned in the news section below, this may be the last time Valus has so much HP!

Phase 1: Activate & Skip – Activate the terminal, follow the checkpoints, and skip everything until you hit a Darkness Zone. (Not the most heroic technique, but efficient.)

Phase 2A: Lieutenant 1 – A small force of Void-shield Psions and a Major Centurion block your way. Beyond them lies the first Lieutenant, a Major Phalanx. Reminder: Angry is on, so you can't knock back Phalanxes for easy precision shots.

Phase 2B: Lieutenants 2 + 3 – When Lieutenant 1 dies, a ship with reinforcements will arrive. Assorted Cabal will appear with the next 2 Lieutenants. Nothing tricky, just a test of patience. Remember that Lightswitch is on!

Phase 3: Tanks for Nothing – After the fight, a Tank will appear in the center of the canyon beyond. We recommend sniping from a distance while avoiding its massive blasts at all costs. Black Hammer is a perfect choice for shootings its thrusters. Ice Breaker is a close second. (Don't have either? Bring lots of ammo synthesis!)

Phase 4: Skip 2 - The Skippening – Hop on your Sparrow and skip past a whole bunch of Cabal. Once inside, you'll have a room you can skip...but it's not worth it. Everything you skip would just be teleported to the next room. Expect assorted Cabal, more Void-shield Psions (ugh), and a Solar-shield Major Centurion.

Phase 5: "Valus McBulletSponge" – After clearing out the 2 mobs (and anything left from the last room), Valus will spawn. He's immune to damage until the door behind him closes. A few times during the fight, more Cabal will spawn. You only need to deal with them if you feel like they're a direct threat – but beware the Psions that spawn. Focus on whittling down Valus' health. Again, there's no burn, so just don't get too close to anything. The Cabal aren't very mobile, so you should be fairly safe!

Looking for "cheese" spots? The far-right corner of the room is great; just drop down into a hole, jumping to shoot. There's another spot you can drop into, at the far-left corner of the room; it'll put you behind crates. (You can also jump onto the room's chandeliers, but it can be a tough jump for some classes.) There's also this spot [1:30] if you want to try your luck!

Xûr is in the Tower offering new gear. What's worth your Strange Coins?

WEAPON

Dragon's Breath – Rocket Launcher

Dragon's Breath is one of 3 Exotic Rocket Launchers, unique for being an "Area Denial" weapon. In the wake of its blast, DB leaves a Solar Flare – just like the Sunsinger's Solar Grenade. Dragon's Breath is in the highest Blast Radius tier with average stats compared to its peers. The talent Javelin improves its Velocity and makes it a well-rounded Rocket Launcher.

As you might've guessed, it deals Solar damage.

SHOULD I BUY IT?

Just for fun? Sure! For a specific use you have in mind? Why not!

In general, probably not. Dragon's Breath is useful if your specific goal is to deny/force movement. The problem? That's a defensive maneuver for a very offensive type of weapon. If you're laying down a rocket, you might prefer its just destroys everything. If your targets weren't in the blast radius, they're not usually going to waltz into the Solar Flare. Again, if control is the goal: great! Otherwise, you might look to another Exotic to get the job done.

PVE: Some Guardians say the Solar Flare is useful against low-mobility bosses, as they won't avoid the flare.
PVP: Dragon's Breath might get occasional use in Control where denied/forced movement is extra helpful.

ALTERNATIVES

They won't have the Exotic Pyromancer talent, but they may feel similar if they have Tripod and Javelin.

Crucible: Valedictorian 9-44, Steel Oracle Z-11
Vanguard: N/A
New Monarchy: Admonisher III

Another good Exotic Heavy for area denial? Super Good Advice

Talents

• Linear Compensator: Forget Stability! We'll take the slight boosts to Velocity/Blast Radius.
• Tripod: Three rockets in a clip is often overkill, but we appreciate being prepared.
• Javelin: Makes it very balanced by dramatically improving its weak point, Velocity.
  • Not concerned about Velocity? Quickdraw is good; just avoid Heavy Payload.
• Pyromancer: Scorching the earth with Solar Flares is definitely a good time.

On to the armor & upgrades!

Active Time

The Agent of the Nine arrived on Friday April 3rd at 9:00am UTC, and will be gone (along with his gear) on Sunday April 5th at 9:00am UTC. This is Xûr's 30th week in the Tower. At least he has Heavy Ammo!

Despite Bungie's best efforts to create the worst game of 2014, Destiny has become a phenomenon – selling 10+ million copies across four platforms. To find out what went wrong, DestinyDB reached out to Bungie who expressed their deep regret and confusion.

"When we cut most of the game's story, we thought players would get bored on Day 1" said Ichio Tung, the game's Creative Director. "I mean really, we removed basically everything."

According to Tung, any in-game story that evoked the slightest emotion in playtesters was removed. "All the deep, intricate lore we created, we split into hundreds of individual 'cards' only accessible outside the game. We thought that'd be enough."

Director of Online Systems Adam Fisch told us they've made continued efforts to reduce the player count. "We've tried several times," he began, "but nothing works. Useless materials, stale bounties. Commendations! We immediately sold +33 Light gear when The Dark Below released. Remember the Exotic Shard debacle? The list goes on."

Fisch continued. "When players complete Destiny's toughest content – our Weekly Nightfalls – sometimes we reward them with worthless garbage. The worst part? They load up another character and immediately do it again! Unbelievable."

Bungie COO Carter Yen has begun to plead with Guardians worldwide. "We know millions of you still play every day, but please use your disc as a Frisbee or drink coaster." When asked what's next for Destiny, Yen's expression was grim.

"If something doesn't change, we'll start charging real money for vault space. Hell, we'll charge double on Xbox."

This week's Heroic and Nightfall is...The Nexus! (Sekrion)

Nightfall: Void Burn, Angry, Epic, Juggler
Heroic: No Burn, Juggler

Enemies can't be stunned (Angry) & are heavily-shielded (Epic).
No ammo dropped for active weapon. (Juggler)

Nightfall Overview

Phase 1: Servitors – Dregs, Vandals, and Captains will escort 3 Major Servitors. The Servitors are the only major threat.

Phase 2 & 3: Up the Stairs, Down the Hall – As assortment of Fallen, a few Vex. No Void damage.

Phase 4: Vex Standoff – Harpies and Vex assault the doorways. Two Hobgoblins snipe from afar. A few Minotaurs (2-3) are blasting at you with Void damage (and have Void shields). Be very careful for the Minotaurs, they're the major threat here. Additional threat: a few Major Goblins who deal Void.

Phase 5: Goblin Fodder – Three-dozen Goblins stand between you and Sekrion. No worries here.

Phase 6: Threat Level Midnight – Here's where things get tough. Kill the half-dozen Minotaurs dealing Void damage to start the encounter. If you stay up-top and snipe, beware the Minotaur that frequently spawns behind you. Deal with it quickly. When the Nexus begins shooting, be exceptionally cautious for its Void blasts – even up-top, the splash damage is strong.

Featured Guides

• Frail Rain: Void Nexus - Video & Text Nightfall Guide
  • FrailRain gives a detailed video guide with a text alternative. Includes final phase solo!

Latest News from Bungie

Bungie Weekly Update - 03/26/2015
Inferno Clash Begins

Vault Space! It's being expanded in 1.1.2, mostly for weapons. Thumbs-up, Bungie!

• +4 Armor slots, 24 total
• +4 General slots, 24 total
• +16 Weapon slots, 36 total

Additionally, the Inferno Clash playlist has arrived for a week.

• No Tracker: No radar in the top left corner of the HUD
• Simple Scoring: As few scoring events as possible; solely about kills
• Less Heavy Ammo: Only one set of Heavy crates per match

Since you'll need to respond quickly to threats, Plan C has significantly-increased value here. The Last Word is also a solid, versatile pick due to Fan Fire and its hip fire bonuses. Shotguns (any) will be more popular than ever.

Prepare accordingly!

Xûr just arrived in the Tower with MIDA Multi-Tool's 2nd-ever sale!
What's worth your Strange Coins?

WEAPON

MIDA Multi-Tool – Scout Rifle

MIDA Multi-Tool: the all-seeing nailgun you can shoot for days. If you're considering this Exotic Scout Rifle, the MIDA has a few advantages. The most notable is a combination of insane Reload Speed (100) and Magazine Size (21). Both numbers are best-in-class. Its also boats a constantly-active radar, increased move speed, and a hair trigger. Hidden perks? Phenomenal aim speed and very strong knockback.

SHOULD I BUY IT?

Overall, yes! It's worth keeping nearby, but don't break the bank if it risks your ability to buy gear you need next week.

If you're already a fan of Scout Rifles, you'll find MIDA Multi-Tool to be an absolute treat. The MIDA Multi-Tool is reasonably balanced and features a good core of talents. To be critical, it doesn't always stand out as an Exotic. It has poor Range (58, worst-in-class), when usually Scout Rifles are almost 20 pts. higher (77). There's also only one specific PVE scenario for it: a max Agility character running through the Abyss / Thrall Maze in Crota's End. PVP Note: the MIDA deals roughly 35 dmg. on body shots, and 52 on precision shots.

If you do use Scout Rifles, here's the crux of the debate: is it worth it over a Crypt Dweller SR1? Stat-wise, not really. As its name suggests, the MIDA Multi-Tool all comes down to the "multi-tool" extras: constant radar, a movement boost, the hair trigger, and the great aim speed. How much you value those is key to its worth.

No matter the numbers or talents, it is the only Exotic Scout Rifle we can all obtain. Who can blame you for picking it up? It's fun to use! Nice blue scope, too. If you're a fan of high-Impact Scout Rifles instead, it's just a matter of time before we get our hands on Fate of All Fools.

ALTERNATIVES

• Crucible Marks: Crypt Dweller SR1 (great fit!), B-Line Trauma
• Vanguard Marks: -
• Drops: Painted Abaddon SR5, Primed Dìyù SR5, Pulwar V/Ace (Low Stability)

Talents

• Third Eye: Active radar while aiming. Better awareness is always very useful.
• Lightweight: Field Scout seems unnecessary. Reliable +2 Agility is great. Quickdraw turn MIDA into a good "follow-up / quick finish" weapon for weakened targets.
• MIDA Multi-Tool: Boosted movement speed; fires on a hair trigger. While it doesn't change how you play like some Exotics, they're good enhancements on what you already do.

On to today's armor!

This week's Heroic and Nightfall is...Phogoth! (The Summoning Pits)

Nightfall: Arc Burn, Angry, Epic, Lightswitch
Heroic: Arc Burn

Enemies can't be stunned (Angry) & are heavily-shielded (Epic).
Enemy melees are extremely strong; can often be 1-hit kills. (Lightswitch).

Nightfall Overview

Arc Burn Phogoth, another tough week for the Nightfall. Full fireteam recommended!

Note: Knights = Arc shields, Witches = Solar shields.

Phase 1: The Dark Below – In the first real fight at the bottom of the stairs, you're not yet in a Darkness Zone – you can die all you like. (I'd still shoot from the doorway.) The main threats are a Major Boomer Knight and a Major Witch. There's also a Melee Knight and a handful of Acolytes.

Phase 2A: Wave 1 – Once Ghost is unlocking the way forward, retreat to the doorway. A swarm of Thrall appear. 2x Major Boomer Knights and 2x Boomer Knights are backing them up. Stay in the doorway, and dodge behind the wall when necessary.

Phase 2B: Wave 2 – A ton of Acolytes spawn, a mix of regular and Majors. Most deal Void, but some deal Arc (careful!). A whole assortment will appear: 1x Major Witch, 1x Witch, 1x Major Melee Knight, 1x Melee Knight. Keep your distance and keep using the doorway (moving forward when it feels safer).

Phase 2C: Wave 3 – A few assorted Hive show up: a Major Boomer Knight (upstairs) a Boomer Acolyte, a Melee Knight, and plenty of Cursed Thrall (mostly upstairs). You might need to carefully bait out the Cursed Thrall. WARNING: If you spot the Witches, RUN! There will be 4x Major Witches, and you'll need to run all the way back up the stairs. You want to shoot from the previous room down the stairs. You'll need to keep baiting them into the hallway and eliminating them.

Phase 3: Interlude – In this chamber, you'll need to watch for the Major Boomer Knight. The Thrall and Cursed Thrall should be easily managed. The Ogre isn't a major concern, as it's weak and deals Void.

Phase 4: Antechamber – The last line of defense before Phogoth. A Boomer Knight and lots of Acolytes appear. As you move forward, a ship will appear on the right. Normally, it can be avoided, but the safe route is to just deal with it: 1x Witch and some Acolytes. Once dead, you need to contend with a tough final defense: 2x Major Boomer Knights in a tight corridor.

Phase 5: Phogoth, Party of 1 – For this fight, the absolute safest route is to (once again) stay in the initial doorway. Things to note: a Shrieker will appear if you're in the doorway longer than ~10 seconds. Back out to the previous room, wait 'til it leaves, then carefully move up again. You'll need to deal with things like Boomer Knights and Witches appearing in the doorway, but keep using those first rooms to your advantage. At this point, just patiently damage Phogoth and – soon enough – you'll be all done.

This week's news below!