I didn’t play much Guardian Games last year. In fact, I played so little that I didn’t actually get to unlock Heir Apparent. I regret this deeply, as Heir Apparent looks to be a rather great choice when it comes to DPS. Things like the Deep Stone Crypt raid, especially the first section with the fuses, might benefit from Heir Apparent. So, I think I’ll be pouring a bit of time into Guardian Games 2021 in hopes of getting not only Heir Apparent, but its Exotic Catalyst.
Guardian Games as a whole didn’t really appeal to me last year, and while it doesn’t seem to be that incredible this year, I’ve decided that I need to remove my thumb and actually get Heir Apparent. The main idea behind Guardian Games is that you collect medals for your class and deposit them into a podium in the Tower. The team that collects the most medals is crowned the winner for a year and receives special recognition. There are some differences this year with catch-up mechanics, but otherwise it’s just more shooting things and collecting what they drop.
So what makes Heir Apparent so great? Well, aside from making you feel like Valus Ta’aurc – which is obviously its own reward – the Heir Apparent Exotic Machine Gun gives you an Arc shield whenever you’re on full health and the gun is spun-up. The thing is, you can only spin-up the gun using the ADS input, which means you can’t ADS. This would be a downside with literally any other gun thanks to Destiny’s awful hipfire accuracy, but not with Heir Apparent. The gun is able to dish out an insane amount of damage thanks to its RPM and magazine size.
But it’s not just Heir Apparent I want, it’s also the gun’s Exotic Catalyst. It’s the first time it’s being added and it sounds pretty sweet. It increases the Arc shield’s durability and if the shield breaks your magazine gets partially refilled. During intense situations, you’ll likely have the shield popping all the time, which means you might be able to dish out even more damage.
In saying all of this, I obviously want Heir Apparent because it’s been missing from my Collections for almost a year. This is unacceptable and must be rectified. It’s certainly frustrating to have no other way to unlock this gun aside from an event that happens once a year. Even Thunderlord was added to the loot pool after Master Ives’ murder mystery quest.
But when Guardian Games finishes, I’m well and truly ready for the next Season to begin. Season of the Chosen has had some great story beats, some cool new activities to do, and of course the incredible Presage, but nothing razzes my berries like the impending arrival of Vault of Glass. Hook that into my veins.
