Destiny TTK: Massive Breakdown of Exotic Primary Weapons, Including Times-to-Kill, Stats, and Pros and Cons

Earlier this week, redditor Mercules904 has made a list with breakdowns of all the Vendor and Gunsmith weapons, found here, and then he came back with all the ToO, IB, Raid, and drop weapons, here.

Now, his back again to bring a list of the Exotic Primary weapons, so here they are.

Several things to note:

• Classes are broken down into Impact sub-classes.
• All Times-to-Kill are assuming Guardian has max armor (not including the effects of The Ram).
• All Pros and Cons are determined by comparing weapons within the same class, not by all weapons in general.
• There will be two final recommendations for each weapon class. The first will be the gun with the best combination of stats and Time to Kill. The second will be a gun with a slightly slower Time to Kill, but that is easier to use and/or more forgiving.

This list will only be including Exotic primary weapons.

Scout Rifles

High-Impact

The Jade Rabbit - PS Exclusive until Fall 2016. Recommended Perks: Smart Drift Control, Extended Mag, Zen Moment.

Pros - Very high Range. Above average Reload Speed. High Aim Assist. Body shots increase Precision Damage.

Cons - Very low Mag Size and Stability.

• Time-to-Kill: 0.80s (3 crit shots), 1.60s (5 body shots)
• Rate of Fire: 27
• Impact: 61 (73 damage per crit shot, 49 per body shot)
• Range: 94
• Stability: 24
• Reload Speed: 65
• Mag Size: 7
• Aim Assist: 75

Mid-Impact

Boolean Gemini - Available from the Petra Taken King Quests, and achieving Rank 3 in Queen's Wrath. Recommended Perks: Aggressive Ballistics, Unflinching, Hammer Forged or Perfect Balance, One Way/Or Another.

Pros - High Stability, Reload Speed, Aim Assist, and Mag Size.

Cons - Below average Range.

• Time-to-Kill: 1.00s (2 crit shots and 2 body shots), 1.33s (5 body shots)
• Rate of Fire: 37
• Impact: 48 (61 damage per crit shot, 41 per body shot)
• Range: 61
• Stability: 53
• Reload Speed: 68
• Mag Size: 19
• Aim Assist: 75

Tlaloc - Available from the Gunsmith for completing the Back in the Saddle Quest, for Warlocks only. Recommended Perks: Accurized Ballistics, Eye of the Storm, Hand Loaded, Overflow.

Pros - High Mag Size. Overflow increases the Rate of Fire, and decreases the Time-to-Kill.

Cons - Low Range, Stability, Reload Speed. Average Aim Assist.

• Time-to-Kill: 1.00s (2 crit shots and 2 body shots), 1.33s (5 body shots)
• Rate of Fire: 37
• Impact: 48 (61 damage per crit shot, 41 per body shot)
• Range: 59
• Stability: 40
• Reload Speed: 52
• Mag Size: 20
• Aim Assist: 55

Low-Impact

MIDA Multi Tool - Available from Xur or random drops. Please note that although the Database shows it as having the same Impact and Rate of Fire of other Scouts like DIS-47 and Touch of Malice, it actually has a slightly higher Impact, and a slightly lower Rate of Fire. Recommended Perks: CQB Ballistics, Third Eye, Lightweight, MIDA Multi-Tool.

Pros - Very high Mag Size, Reload Speed, and Aim Assist. Above average Stability. Causes opponents to flinch severely.

Cons - Low Range.

• Time-to-Kill: 0.90s (3 crit shots and 1 body shot), 1.60s (6 body shots)
• Rate of Fire: 52
• Impact: 37 (57 damage per crit shot, 38 per body shot)
• Range: 58
• Stability: 49
• Reload Speed: 100
• Mag Size: 21
• Aim Assist: 90

Touch of Malice - Available from the Eris Morn Hunger Pangs Quest. Recommended Perks: Smart Drift Control, Eye of the Storm, Hammer Forged, Touch of Mercy.

Pros - Final Round does bonus damage, and decreases Time-to-Kill to 0.70s (3 crit shots and 1 body shot), however this is not particularly useful in PvP.

Cons - Average Range. Low Mag Size, Reload Speed, Stability, and Aim Assist.

• Time-to-Kill: 0.93s (4 crit shots and 1 body shot), 1.40s (7 body shots)
• Rate of Fire: 52
• Impact: 37 (45 damage per crit shot, 30 per body shot)
• Range: 64
• Stability: 40
• Reload Speed: 51
• Mag Size: 11
• Aim Assist: 40

Pulse Rifle

Mid-Impact

Red Death - Available from Xur or as a random drop. Recommended Perks: Aggressive Ballistics, Unflinching, High Caliber Rounds, Red Death.

Pros - High Mag Size and Reload Speed. Regenerates health on kills.

Cons - Low Range and Stability. Below average Aim Assist.

• Time-to-Kill: 1.00s (3 bursts. 3 crit shots and 6 body shots. If you hit 7 crits, you can miss 2 shots completely.) 1.56s (4 bursts. 11 body shots).
• Rate of Fire: 66
• Impact: 14 (29 damage per crit shot, 19 damage per body shot)
• Range: 33
• Stability: 51
• Reload Speed: 76
• Mag Size: 30
• Aim Assist: 50

No Time to Explain - Available from the Not Forged in Light Quest. Recommended Perks: Accurized Ballistics or Smart Drift Control, Full Auto, Hand Loaded or Fitted Stock, Rewind Again.

Pros - High Range and Mag Size. Precision hits are returned to the magazine, but this is more useful in PvE.

Cons - Average Stability and Reload Speed. Low Aim Assist.

• Time-to-Kill: 1.00s (3 bursts. 3 crit shots and 6 body shots. If you hit 7 crits, you can miss 2 shots completely.) 1.56s (4 bursts. 11 body shots).
• Rate of Fire: 66
• Impact: 14 (29 damage per crit shot, 19 damage per body shot)
• Range: 51
• Stability: 62
• Reload Speed: 65
• Mag Size: 24
• Aim Assist: 40

Low-Impact

Bad Juju - Available from the Year 1 Exotic Bounty, or from Legacy Engrams. Recommended Perks: Smooth Ballistics or Smart Drift Control, Hip Fire, Send It or Perfect Balance, String of Curses.

Pros - Above average Aim Assist. Kills refill the magazine, which can help out in the middle of gunfights. Perks offer great synergy.

Cons - Low Range and Mag Size. Average Stability and Reload Speed.

• Time-to-Kill: 0.92s (3 bursts. 7 crit shots and 2 body shots. If you hit 8 crits, you can miss 1 shot completely.) 1.19s (4 bursts. 12 body shots).
• Rate of Fire: 73
• Impact: 7 (25 damage per crit shot, 17 damage per body shot)
• Range: 33
• Stability: 62
• Reload Speed: 65
• Mag Size: 24
• Aim Assist: 60

Hand Cannons

High-Impact

The First Curse - Available from the completing the Imprecation Quest. Recommended Perks: CQB Ballistics, Triple Tap, Speed Reload, First Curse.

Pros - Very high Impact, possibility of killing very low armor players with 2 crit shots and a TtK of 0.50s. Very high Aim Assist. High Range. Exotic perk is situational (First precision kill of the mag refills the mag, and increases Stability, Range, and movement speed when ADS) and not the most useful in PvP.

Cons - Terrible Stability. Low Reload Speed.

• Time-to-Kill: 1.00s (1 crit shot and 2 body shots). 1.50s (4 body shots).
• Rate of Fire: 15
• Impact: 94 (95 damage per crit shot, 64 damage per body shot)
• Range: 47
• Stability: 12
• Reload Speed: 22
• Mag Size: 8
• Aim Assist: 90

Mid-Impact

Ace of Spades - Available from the Gunsmith for completing the Back in the Saddle Quest, Hunter only. Recommended Perks: TrueSight IS, Firefly, Perfect Balance, Maverick.

Pros - High Range and Mag Size. Precision kills return a shot to the magazine, which is more useful in PvE.

Cons - Low Stability. Below average Reload Speed and Aim Assist.

• Time-to-Kill: 0.86s (1 crit shot and 2 body shots). 1.30s (4 body shots).
• Rate of Fire: 22
• Impact: 87 (86 damage per crit shot, 57 damage per body shot)
• Range: 40
• Stability: 32
• Reload Speed: 33
• Mag Size: 12
• Aim Assist: 61

Hawkmoon - Available from Xur or random drops.

Pros - High Mag Size and Stability. 3 bullets in each Mag do 1.2X bonus damage, enough to make 2 crit shots kill in a TtK of 0.40s.

Cons - Average Range and Reload Speed. Low Aim Assist.

• Time-to-Kill: 0.86s (1 crit shot and 2 body shots). 1.30s (4 body shots).
• Rate of Fire: 22
• Impact: 87 (86 damage per crit shot, 57 damage per body shot)
• Range: 26
• Stability: 51
• Reload Speed: 39
• Mag Size: 13
• Aim Assist: 50

Low-Impact

The Last Word - Available from the Xur or random drops. Actual Rate of Fire is faster than Database stat indicates. Recommended Perks: Aggressive Ballistics, Hip Fire, Perfect Balance, Last Word.

Pros - Very high Reload Speed. Hip Fire hits do significantly more damage, requiring only 2 crit shots to get a TtK of 0.26s, and with Aggressive Ballistics, 3 body shots will kill in 0.56s.

Cons - Very low Range, Stability, and Aim Assist. Average Mag Size.

• Time-to-Kill: 0.53s (2 crit shots and 1 body shot). 0.80s (4 body shots).
• Rate of Fire: 32
• Impact: 68 (75 damage per crit shot, 50 per body shot)
• Range: 8
• Stability: 22
• Reload Speed: 56
• Mag Size: 8
• Aim Assist: 30

Thorn - Available from the Thorn Exotic Bounty or Legacy Engrams. Recommended Perks: Aggressive Ballistics, Final Round, Send It or Perfect Balance, Mark of the Devourer.

Pros - Above average Range, Reload Speed, and Mag Size. Poison damage makes it so that 3 body shots will cause an opponent to burn out, though 2 crit shots and 1 body shot will kill them immediately in the same time.

Cons - Low Stability and Aim Assist.

• Time-to-Kill: 0.73s (3 body shots). 0.80s (4 body shots).
• Rate of Fire: 32
• Impact: 68 (79 damage per crit shot, 52 per body shot, 18 poison damage per shot landed)
• Range: 38
• Stability: 31
• Reload Speed: 43
• Mag Size: 9
• Aim Assist: 50

Auto Rifles

High-Impact

SUROS Regime - Available from Xur and random drops. Recommended Perks: Linear Compensator, Spinning Up, SUROS Legacy, Hammer Forged.

Pros - Above average Range. High Mag Size. Spinning up dncreases RoF, which decreases TtK with 8 crit shots to 0.70s.

Cons - Average Stability and Reload Speed. Low Aim Assist.

• Time-to-Kill: 0.93s (8 crit shots). 1.20s, (10 body shots).
• Rate of Fire: 77
• Impact: 28 (25 damage per crit shot, 20 damage per body shot)
• Range: 28
• Stability: 46
• Reload Speed: 65
• Mag Size: 33
• Aim Assist: 40

Mid-Impact

Monte Carlo - Available from the Xur and random drops. Recommended Perks: Aggressive Ballistics, Hip Fire, High Caliber Rounds or Send It, Monte Carlo Method.

Pros - High Range, Stability, Reload Speed, and Mag Size. Dealing damage reduces melee cooldown, kills have a chance to fully charge your melee.

Cons - Low Aim Assist.

• Time-to-Kill: 0.90s (10 crit shots). 1.20s (13 body shots).
• Rate of Fire: 88
• Impact: 8 (20 damage per crit shot, 16 per body shot)
• Range: 46
• Stability: 64
• Reload Speed: 79
• Mag Size: 36
• Aim Assist: 50

Fabian Strategy - Available from the Gunsmith for completing the Back in the Saddle Quest, only for Titans. Recommended Perks: Linear Compensator, Life Support, Rifled Barrel, Front Lines.

Pros - High Mag Size. Above average Stability. Being near enemies increases Stability and Rate of Fire, bringing the optimal TtK down to 0.86s.

Cons - Below average Range and Reload Speed. Low Aim Assist.

• Time-to-Kill: 0.90s (10 crit shots). 1.20s (13 body shots).
• Rate of Fire: 88
• Impact: 8 (20 damage per crit shot, 16 per body shot)
• Range: 22
• Stability: 50
• Reload Speed: 62
• Mag Size: 40
• Aim Assist: 50

Hard Light - Available from Xur or random drops. Recommended Perks: Aggressive Ballistics, Volatile Light, Fitted Stock, Spray and Pray or Glass Half Full.

Pros - Above average Range. Very high Aim Assist, Mag Size, Stability, and Reload Speed. Rounds suffer no damage drop off over distance, and bounce off hard surfaces.

Cons - None.

• Time-to-Kill: 0.90s (10 crit shots). 1.20s (13 body shots).
• Rate of Fire: 88
• Impact: 8 (20 damage per crit shot, 16 per body shot)
• Range: 28
• Stability: 82
• Reload Speed: 86
• Mag Size: 40
• Aim Assist: 100

Zhalo Supercell - Available from Xur or random drops. Recommended Perks: Aggressive Ballistics, Persistence, Braced Frame, Bolts from the Blue.

Pros - Above average Range and Reload Speed. High Mag Size and Aim Assist. Double kills charge a small amount of Super energy and return ammo to the Mag.

Cons - Average Stability.

• Time-to-Kill: 0.90s (10 crit shots). 1.20s (13 body shots).
• Rate of Fire: 88
• Impact: 8 (20 damage per crit shot, 16 per body shot)
• Range: 28
• Stability: 46
• Reload Speed: 72
• Mag Size: 36
• Aim Assist: 80

Low-Impact

Nechrochasm - Available from the Crota's End Raid. Recommended Perks: Aggressive Ballistics, Cursebringer, Fitted Stock, Zen Moment.

Pros - High Mag Size, Reload Speed, Stability and Aim Assist. Headshot kills trigger a cursed thrall explosion.

Cons - Low Range.

• Time-to-Kill: 0.86s (12 crit shots and 1 body shot). 1.00s (16 body shots)
• Rate of Fire: 100
• Impact: 2 (16 damage per crit shot, 13 per body shot)
• Range: 19
• Stability: 64
• Reload Speed: 76
• Mag Size: 42
• Aim Assist: 75

If Mercules904 has to make a recommendations for each weapon class, they would be as follows:

Scout Rifles - For Time to Kill, The Jade Rabbit if you're on PS, or MIDA Multi Tool. For Ease of Use, Boolean Gemini. Tlaloc is really only useful for Sunsingers who sit on their Super, he would avoid it otherwise.

Pulse Rifles - For Time to Kill, Bad Juju. For Ease of Use, Red Death. No Time to Explain is okay, but not as strong as the other options.

Hand Cannons - For Time to Kill, The Last Word. For Ease of Use, Thorn, followed by Hawkmoon. The others are more PvE oriented.

Auto Rifles - For Time to Kill, Nechrochasm. For Ease of Use, Hard Light. Zhalo Supercell is next up, then come Monte Carlo and SUROS Regime which are also competitive options, though not as strong. Fabian Strategy is weaker than the others, and its exotic perk is underwhelming in practice.

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Credits: Special thanks to Mercules904 for this list.

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