why you ask: [quote]Balance is not about everyone being equal, but rather that not everybody is doing the exact same thing. If everyone is doing the same exact thing, something is not balanced. Everybody is trying to pursue the same unbalanced thing.[/quote] because thorn is essentially what they tried to eliminate with the original assault rifle nerf. of course this argument can go both ways. i dont use thorn every map i only use it for the right map otherwise i may go hawkmoon, midamultitool or bad juju (if i had red death probably that) but in essence, it is commonly used, the question is: Is it too commonly used for bungies tastes? i dont see many people wielding it in pve. So for me the problem is the pvp power. and why is it powerful? head to head / toe to toe its time to kill is less than other guns unless you hit the head which is true of all hand cannons. but its main benefit is it allows people to do damage on a target. hide away,no risk of the enemy regen, get more damage then shoot again to refresh the tick. which is great if you can get a headshot. Also you can track enemies by the dot tick showing their location. i think removing the dot would help but would lose some of its charm. I'd suggest they already tweaked the thorn to buff it its unlikely to get a nerf anytime soon and how to nerf it is the question no one want it to be useless again.