User blog:Jaimas/Destiny: Legendary Weapon Reviews - Nirwen's Mercy

Hey, all! Jaimas here, with my first of what I Hope is an ongoing column, in which I dig deep into various weapons and analyze them. To begin, and because Iron Banner just ended, let's take a gander at the big bad prize of the October 2015 Iron Banner, the Nirwen's Mercy Pulse Rifle.

I'm sort of weird in that I've always liked Pulse Rifles. Their history in Destiny is more than a little questionable, and, frankly, has always been such. From the early days at launch when Bad Juju was thought of as a terrible exotic weapon, but that the Rare version of The Stranger's Rifle was a decent one. Ah, what a distance this weapon class has come!

When Nirwen's Mercy first emerged, I was kind of on the fence about it; It didn't look like a terribly good rifle from just appearances alone (I'd been burned by Iron Banner weapons in the past), and I didn't think too much of it, immediately assuming it was another "status weapon" and would be resigned to my vault as a status symbol and nothing more.

This was a stupid move, and I am glad I was proven wrong on this.

Nirwen's Mercy could be obtained in one of two ways - either as a random drop from the Iron Banner, or, more commonly, by buying it via Lord Saladin at rank five of the Iron Banner. If you got it the former way, it will have randomized perks, but if obtained via the latter it will always have the following perks:


 * Red Dot-OAS
 * Ranged Lens RLR5
 * Truesight IS


 * Outlaw


 * Perfect Balance
 * Braced Frame
 * Injection Mold


 * Third Eye

As you can see, the purchasable version of this rifle actually has some level of flexibility, which is a bit strange - It boasts a mid-range, long-range, and short-range sight, a perk that boosts its reload considerably on precision kills, three separate stability perks, and Third Eye, making this weapon clearly designed for fights in open terrain. By tweaking the perks, the Mercy has some surprising utility; Combining Ranged Lens RLR5 with Braced Frame gives you better range than your average Scout Rifle, whereas the Truesight IS and Injection Mold make it much more dangerous at close range, though this rifle is clearly at its best at mid-to-long range, and here the Red Dot OAS won't ever disappoint.

The store-bought version of Mercy is clearly intended for PVP play; its versatile ability set and inclusion of Third Eye makes it a great team overwatch weapon. In spite of this, it's not a bad weapon for PVE; I'll get into the specifics below with the stat breakdown of the Nirwen's Mercy and its application in various arenas.

If you were fortuitous enough to get a random Nirwen's Mercy, then how good it is will be entirely up to the unpredictable whims of fate. Whilst I have seen someone get one with Headseeker, Skip Rounds, and Glass Half Full, I have also seen it spawn with Last Resort and Partial Refund, so courage.

Stats and Usage
Magazine: 24/36 (Default 33 if Purchased)
 * Fire Rate: 66
 * Impact: 14
 * Range: 34
 * Stability: 71
 * Reload: 68

Nirwen's Mercy is dangerously similar to the notorious House of Wolves expansion weapon, Hopscotch Pilgrim. For the uninitiated, this was one of the finest weapons in the Pulse Rifle class, and Nirwen's Mercy is a worthy descendant, being equal to or better than its predecessor in every stat but range, in which it is slightly weaker.

Like its HoW predecessor, it's a slow-firing, high-damage Pulse Rifle that reliably guns down other players in 3-5 bursts and has enough punch to put the hurt on tough foes in PVE. It's critical to note, however, that whilst it is nowhere near as sluggish as the heavy Spare Change.25, it does have a lag between bursts and players will need to be prepared for this in combat. You can't simply use it the way you would an auto rifle, or any of the faster-firing Pulse Rifles, like Bad Juju or the Grasp of Malok. It's important to actively pick and choose shots; actively aim for the upper body and "walk" the burst towards the target's head, and this weapon will quickly reward you with pretty meaty damage. Even better, Nirwen's Mercy has exceptional range for a Pulse Rifle; if paired with the Ranged Lens RLR5 or Range-boosting perks, this thing thing can and will reliably work as a countersniper weapon and poses a significant threat to enemies down-range.

However, what Nirwen's Mercy has in range and power, it lacks in speed. With a notable recycle rate between bursts and no fire rate boosting perks to speak of, this weapon struggles at close range, where Auto Rifles, Fusion Rifles, and Shotguns call home. It's important to back it up, as a result, with a weapon more suitable for close combat, such as a Sidearm, Fusion Rifle, or Shotgun.

All in all, Nirwen's Mercy is a fantastic weapon, undercut mostly by the fact that most will only be receiving the stock model. As a similar weapon to the Hopscotch Pilgrim, it's a really hard long-range weapon to go wrong with. It's better to switch to another weapon at closer ranges, however, unless you've kitted it for close combat (Truesight IS and Injection Mold). If you were fortunate enough to get one with a different perk set, consider using it - it's an extremely powerful weapon and pound for pound a match for many stronger weapons.

Final Score

 * PROS:
 * Excellent damage
 * Superb accuracy
 * Flexible mod capability
 * High damage
 * Inherent perks excellent for Crucible


 * CONS:
 * Harsh recoil (mitigated by stability perks)
 * Sluggish recycle rate between bursts
 * Scopes trend towards mid-long range
 * Most players will only get default version
 * Random versions can have atrocious perks
 * Only available from October 2015 Iron Banner