As much as Destiny 2 players love to complain about overlooked Exotics needing buffs, it’s only when you look back at the franchise’s worst-ever armor that it becomes truly apparent just how far we’ve come.
There are a lot of Exotics that are hardly ever used by the community. When was the last time you saw an unironic Arbor Warden, Blight Ranger, or Skull of Dire Ahamkara build? Each class has its own forgotten equipment, but all of these are incredible compared to what the original Destiny had to offer.
This was the focal point of a Reddit thread that asked, “What is the worst Exotic piece of armor of all time (Destiny 1 & 2) for each of the 3 classes? Titan, Hunter, and Warlock,” which challenged the community to name the franchise’s worst Exotics to date.
The winner was without a doubt ATS/8 Arachnid, which was an Exotic in Destiny 1 that provided a singular, underwhelming effect: “Your Golden Gun zooms in for accuracy when aimed.”
Emphasizing how dreadful this was, one player explained, “Yes, that’s literally it. That was the entire exotic. When you cast Golden Gun, when you ADS’ed, it would zoom in more. That’s it. That was the whole exotic. It adds Rangefinder to Golden Gun.”
Remembering how terrible ATS/8 Arachnid was, another Guardian commented, “LOL, I forgot about the ATS8 Arachnid, that is comical,” with its limited impact sounding laughably bad when compared to its modern successor, Celestial Nighthawk.
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Other nominations included the original Apotheosis Veil, which replenished health after using a Super, and the first version of Mk. 44 Stand Asides, which increased the duration the Shoulder Charge ability could be triggered from 10 seconds of sprinting to 15 seconds.
Pointing out just how terrible Mk. 44 Stand Asides was, a user emphasized, “The only time this Exotic was useful was if you sprinted for 15+ seconds, not attacking anyone, and only then activated your shoulder charge. That’s the whole Exotic.”
Interestingly, the reissued Mk. 44 Stand Asides in Destiny 2 was also voted by many as the worst current exotic, suggesting Bungie needs to rework the Titan armor to make it much more useful.
Alchemist’s Raiment received several votes too, a Warlock Exotic that provided a chance to reward Glimmer after picking up Primary Ammo. Funnily enough, given the current Glimmer crisis, Guardians might not mind an Exotic like that these days.
While some Exotic Armor pieces in the current sandbox need buffs, it’s fair to say they would all be viable options back in the original Destiny. Bungie has come a long way in figuring out what players want from their gear, and a return to Exotics like ATS/8 Arachnid is the last thing anyone needs.
