Destiny 2: Symmetry vs. Conspirator

Welcome Guardians.

There have been quite a few infamous Scout Rifles throughout the Journey of Destiny. Let's take a look at the evolution of this Weapon Type from Highs to Lows and on its way back up again.

First: The Highs. A couple of my favorites have to be Hung Jury SR4 and MIDA-Multi-Tool from the original Destiny video game. What made them so special?

Allegiance with Dead Orbit allowed players to purchase Weapons and Armor as you Ranked up. (Yes, back when the Faction Vendors were accessible all of the time). By the end of Destiny 1's Life Cycle, I believe Hung Jury was no longer available for purchase directly from the Vendor. Seems as if it simply became too popular. Plus, it wasn't an Exotic Weapon, meaning you could have this gun along with an Exotic.

Deadly Accurate. Long Range. Quick Rate of Fire. The MIDA used a Hair Trigger. Both of these Scout Rifles were in the Kinetic Slot, so you could not Equip both of them at the same time.

Honorable Mention goes to the Exotic Scout Rifle called TLALOC. If memory serves, the Weapon's Stats were buffed when a Warlock's SUPER was fully Charged, which included a faster Reload Speed. There was a noticeable drop in Performance after your Super was used, which made the Weapon inconsistent. However, it was cool that only the Warlock Class could acquire this Weapon.

Unfortunately, Scout Rifles became so popular in Destiny 1, it feels as though Developers at Bungie decided to rein in their supremacy.

Enter Destiny 2: new Scout Rifles emerged to a myriad of complaints. They didn't feel the same as in Destiny 1. Actually, they felt terrible. Nigh, unusable. The extremely slow Rate of Fire of Scout Rifles like The Cut and Run did not help matters.

The Good News: a new Stat labeled Rounds per Minute let Guardians know the exact Rate of Fire from a Weapon. The ideal number is 180 Rounds per Minute. Especially for Hand Cannons, as well, this allows for fast, high Impact attacks against Guardians and non-Guardians alike.

Yet, The Cut and Run is 150 Rounds Per Minute, which means it's about three paces too slow. Scout Rifle lovers like myself steered clear of using Scout Rifles entirely with many switching to Hand Cannons or high Impact Weapon Types.

After a slew of under-performing variations were introduced, the Scout Rifles are making a comeback. Still, do they compare to the Destiny 1 feel of solid Weapons? ..No. Yet, Bungie has made improvements on what turned out to be slow, heavy, and dull Scout Rifle choices.

Long before Season of the Dawn, the Legendary Scout Rifle named Conspirator easily became my favorite Scout Rifle in Destiny 2. However, you have to play the Last Wish Raid in order to have a chance of acquiring it. After opening a few Chests, it dropped for me…

After you're finished drooling over the Look of this Beauty, notice the new Stat: 200 Rounds per Minute. Are you kidding me? (To see this Weapon in action, see the Video above). Because 180 Rounds per Minute is ideal, this Weapon seemed a step too fast, at first. It took time to for me to adjust and find a good rhythm of firing in quick succession.

Afterwards, the Conspirator was golden. Because it's an older Destiny 2 Weapon, it lacks an extra Perk Column. You'll notice that The Cut and Run (introduced later on in the Forsaken Expansion) has four Perk Columns while Conspirator has three Perk Columns. Still, the Weapon can be Infused well beyond 900 Light, which is in line with the current Power Level in Destiny 2.

An added bonus is the Perk, Dragonfly, which causes an Elemental Damage explosion with Precision Kills. Of course, this is a perfect fit for the Weapon Type.

Exposition Break: The format of Destiny was altered by the end of 2019. We used to go by Expansions like The Dark Below to House of Wolves to The Taken King. Each Expansion revolved around a specific Storyline and we delved into that until a new Expansion was Released.

After the Release of the Expansion entitled, Forsaken, Developers took on a new approach in Releasing Content. Each new Storyline now revolves around Seasons, which last about three months. Each Season introduces new Weapons and Gear Sets, as well. Specific Rewards are tied to a Ranking System. As you earn XP, you Level Up from Rank 1 to Rank 100.

Yes, that's a lot ton of XP to earn.

Point being, we're currently in what's called Season of Dawn. The Storyline revolves around the Legendary Titan, Saint-14. Often times, a few Weapons spring to the top of Must-Haves (or must-try-out). This Season is no different...

Introduction: Symmetry. First, solid Design. A thing of Beauty. Not simply a re-Skinned Weapon. Second: 260 Rounds per Minute. The Rate of Fire is off the charts for a Scout Rifle and it's Full-Auto (just hold the trigger down and it's gone). Third: the Symmetry has an altered Mode called Arc Seeker that allows Guardians to change how the Weapon functions.

Arc Seeker Mode fires a bolt of Arc Energy that Tracks enemies. While the Rate of Fire is significantly lower in this altered Mode, it's fun to switch back and forth whenever you want.

Added bonus? A Perk entitled Dynamic Charge allows you to build up Arc Energy with Precision hits made in normal Mode. You can stack Precision Hits up to x15, then swap to Arc Seeker Mode. The Tracking Bolts have increased Damage based on the number of Dynamic Charge hits you accumulated, again, 1 to 15. Plus, the magazine partially Reloads based on the number of Charge hits you had before swapping to Arc Seeker Mode.

You can see both Modes of this Weapon in action during the Video above.

Finally: Here is the head-to-head Screenshot of the two Scout Rifles...

Disappointed? I'm guessing it would have been tougher to find a Legendary Weapon with better Stats than an Exotic Weapon in Destiny 1. The only Category Symmetry pulls ahead in is Stability ..and it's not by that much.

Furthermore, one of the most important Stats to me is Reload Speed. The Conspirator easily outdoes the Competition. Though, it is a Raid Weapon; I can't forget to take that fact into consideration.

Impact. Range. Handling. Masterworked, meaning you generate Orbs with double kills. It doesn't take up the one Exotic Weapon allowed on your Build. It also keeps track of Enemy Kills for bragging rights. What else do you want? (I've had this Weapon for a while, so over 1,400 kills with it doesn't surprise me). I told you it's one of my favorites.

Added to that, Exotic Weapons needs Catalysts instead of being Masterworked. Completing the Catalyst Requirements for Exotics is usually grueling and/or tedious; the Symmetry is no exception. I believe you need 400 RUNS in Strikes, Gambit, Crucible, Nightfalls, or Sundial runs. Yes, complete one and a combination of all these Activities within Destiny 2 ..four hundred times.

What does the Catalyst do?

Well, I've already written a small book at this point, so.. I will borrow a Video from Aztecross Gaming to explain what's turned out to be a complex explanation. Still, in short, the Catalyst doesn't do much to boost my excitement.

So! Which Weapon would you choose? Team Conspirator? Team Symmetry? Again, I'm rolling with Team Conspirator until Bungie makes something more appealing.

Stay Crispy, Guardians.

Eric