You may recall, from our most recent evaluation of Xur’s weekend Exotic inventory, a jab at him never selling the Gjallarhorn rocket launcher, handily the most sought after weapon in Destiny. I like to think it was that exact good-natured, slightly spiteful jab that directed his beady little eyes to the writing on the wall and led him to sell the thing this, the weekend of August 14, 2015. For some reason, he’s also selling some other stuff that will inevitably be overshadowed by the arrival of the affectionately titled “Ballerhorn,” but I suppose it’s not all totally useless.
Related: Xur's location and exotic items for this week (8/14-8/15/15)
An Insurmountable Skullfort is perfect from a thematic standpoint. The helmet’s melee-triggered regeneration ability ensures that as long as there are faces in need of tenderizing, you won’t be dying easily. And with a melee animation as satisfying as theirs, Titans were made to punch. The Skullfort won’t get you far in pragmatism, unfortunately. The regeneration ability is niche, and spawning with melee energy is rarely relevant. For PvE and PvP alike, it’s simply outclassed.
The Hunter’s Achlyophage Symbiote is much more relevant, though perhaps not as much as you might think. Adding a fourth shot to your Golden Gun super is potent, to be sure, but inconsistent in certain Crucible play modes, PvP being the only home for the Symbiote. In my experience, the information offered by the Knucklehead Radar’s ADS display is more valuable, as I rarely get even three shots of Golden Gun off. However, that only applies to Clash and Elimination. Control, where enemy locations are easier to predict, gives the Symbiote serious blowout potential, especially when paired with the Combustion perk, which renders all Golden Gun victims short-lived living bombs.
Warlocks’ Light Beyond Nemesis is arguably the best of the lot, both aesthetically and practically. Its quick revive ability is invaluable in Nightfall Strikes, Trials of Osiris and Elimination Crucible, and Normal Raids. In my experience, “quick-res” helms are musts for Trials of Osiris, as they reduce your window of vulnerability significantly. Beyond that, Nemesis will also generate additional orbs for your teammates, which is always useful—and will only get better with the arrival of new and more inventive Supers in The Taken King. You won’t wear it everywhere, but if you don’t own one by now, you should definitely pick one up.
Of course, if you only have the scratch for a single purchase this weekend, make it the Gjallarhorn, the rocket launcher so powerful that for some time it was the only reliable way to clear the Prison of Elders arena. Gjallarhorn is simply the most effective PvE weapon in the game, nearly three times the strength of other rocket launchers. Even after it’s rebalanced in the upcoming Weapon Tuning 2.0 patch, along with virtually every other weapon in the game, it will likely remain a boss destroyer. If you don’t have one, you want to buy one. If you do have one, buy one anyway in celebration of Xur’s long-overdue decision to sell it.
