[b]Disclaimer:[/b] I'm only talking about [i]PvE [/i]here. I've rarely used it in PvP, and when I did it just didn't work for me. I tried it for a few games, but I did absolutely terribly with it. I just couldn't give up having a medium range primary. [b]End Disclaimer.[/b]
So Universal Remote was my absolute baby during TDB (after the shotgun PvE buff) up until and including HoW. I've run countless strikes with it, and it was by far the most fun I've ever had in Destiny. Running dual shotguns and obliterating everything at close range felt so good and satisfying.
Along comes patch 2.0, where shotgun damage in PvE gets nerfed with 45%, as well as a nerf to precision damage, causing UR to lose pretty much all its worth (disregarding the fact that it didn't get brought up to TTK right away). It still had its main draw, however, pushing the limits of shotgun range as per its grimoire description. The main trade-off with the UR having best-in-class range was the fact that you lost having a medium-long range primary weapon, meaning you opted to use it knowing that you wouldn't win any fights outside shotgun range. Especially during the PR meta, when pulses had close to zero range drop-off that was a fair trade-off.
Along comes the December 2015 balance patch, where shotguns received extreme nerfs to range, reload, handling and movement speed while wielding them. I was glad to find out UR still managed to push the boundaries of shotgun range (talking strictly PvE here, obviously), even though the damage was lacking. Still, the weapon did what it was supposed to do, having best-of-class range for a shotgun in Destiny's engine. April update comes along and nerfs all our special and heavy ammo inventory sizes, and the change affects UR as well, going from 25 possible rounds to 20 or 21.
Along comes patch 2.4, absolutely destroying UR's range with a massive, 75% range nerf, meaning you have to be within arms' reach of enemies in PvE to hit them for full damage (which was still very low at this point). This was my main gripe, [b]because it made an absolute liar of its own grimoire card[/b]!
Along comes the valentine's day patch, putting the final nail in the coffin that is the Universal Remote in PvE. Nerfing mag size to 3, and slowing down its reload speed even more. Even with the 20% PvE damage boost for shotguns, we're left with yet another exotic that's a shell of its former self in PvE. You now have three rounds before having to reload very slowly, you have almost no usable range in PvE, and thus the damage drop-off is too severe to warrant the risk/reward of going in close to an enemy.
[b]tl;dr[/b]
Universal Remote has gone from being one of the most unique, powerful and fun weapons in the [PvE] game to being yet another waste of your exotic slot.
There's only one exotic primary worth using in the game right now, and that is Outbreak Prime. I'm tired of having exotics become useless in PvE for PvP balancing reasons. I'm tired of not being able to use fun loadouts in PvE when I feel like it, instead of always having to go for a "maximum DPS build". UR during House of Wolves used to be both fun AND effective in PvE, but now it's all but pointless unless it happens to be Small Arms and Airborne heroics, and even then it is hardly worth it since the low range puts you in constant danger of getting one shot by boss melees.
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Agreed. Pve is really getting roasted on all these weapon changes.