Destiny Xur update: should you buy Hard Light?

Hard Light wasn't a favourite of many in Year 1, and though it received some updates in Year 2, it remained mostly undesirable. How are things today?

Xur is selling Hard Light this week. Although the version on sale does more damage thanks to the Year 2 attack power upgrade, Hard Light remains out of the top-tier and must-buy lists.

Here's what our resident Destiny expert Alex had to say about it:

"I'd say buy it only if you want to complete your collection. The impact isn't great, which is why I refer to it as the 'Pea Shooter', even after auto rifles got a buff.

"The late perk that allows bullets to ricochet could be useful in confined spaces, but it's very situational, and you'll hardly make use of it in most case. Add to this the fact that it doesn't carry any elemental damage, and you'd be hard pressed to give up your Exotic slot for it."

Hard Light can be somewhat competitive in the Crucible, but it's not among the go-to weapons for PvP either.

Even after updates post Rise of Iron, the weapon is outmatched by many Legendaries and other Exotics. "Auto Rifles have seen marginal changes to base damage and in air accuracy, but largely they still perform quite similarly," notes Alex.

In short: this is one for the collection, and you can totally avoid it otherwise.

This article was originally published in April.