The meta of Destiny 2 is constantly shifting, with the most popular and most effective weapons shifting as patches and updates tweak the balance and introduce new gear. However, no matter how much things change, certain weapons still hit the top of most players' list, like the Whisper of the Worm sniper rifle.
To poke a hole in one of the most popular exotic builds available, one player went to Reddit to share a massive amount of data that suggests that there are more options for snipers in Destiny 2. This might not be able to replace other weapons like the high DPS Falling Guillotine sword, but for players that prefer a sniper rifle, the new data does show that there are more options than previously assumed.
The player has found that The Queenbreaker, a sniper rifle first introduced to Destiny 2 as a part of the Forsaken expansion, is nearly on equal terms with the Whisper, previously thought to be the best exotic sniper rifle. Looking at a number of variables, including the perks, total damage capabilities, and the potential DPS of each weapon, the outcome shows that as a practical use, sometimes Queenbreaker can be just as good if not the superior option. While some of the findings seem to contradict the claim at a surface level, and neither exotic will give players some sort of god mode in Destiny 2, it does even the meta to give different maximization options for players.
What stands out as most interesting is that the maximum DPS findings put Whisper as the top gun when applied in a vacuum, but this is only the case if players can land precision shots perfectly. In a more practical application, such as fighting Calus at the end of the Leviathan raid, anytime the player has to move between firing, such as switching plates, or misses a shot, the Whisper's DPS drops fast and is difficult to recover. However, Queenbreaker doesn't have the same recovery issue when having to recenter or after missing, making it a more reliable choice in Destiny 2's toughest encounters.
The data here doesn't really lie, but there are a few key aspects of the comparison that is somewhat dependent on player skill more than it is on the weapon's raw stats. Of course, not every player can land perfect shots every time in high pressure situations, so the argument does still stand. So, with so many new weapons in Season of Arrivals and Destiny 2 eventually sunsetting certain weapons, the balance that keeps older weapons relevant is entirely positive for the game.
Destiny 2 is available now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.
Source: Reddit