This post aims to partially address just how powerful 600rpm auto rifles are in PvP. A link to a supplementary video is included at the end of the post. [i]Quick disclaimer: this is a very complex issue with many potential solutions. I'm not claiming to have all the answers here; in fact, I fully expect I'm even wrong on a few things. Part of the reason why I'm posting on Reddit to hear some other opinions.[/i] [i]Second disclaimer: I am speaking as a console player, not a pc player. I don't play on pc; therefore I am likely not qualified to provide my thoughts on that platform.[/i] [b]Summary:[/b] 600rpm auto rifles are obviously very strong right now, and many people claim them to be over-powered. To a certain extent, I do agree; there's an obvious imbalance as is illustrated by the fact that the Gnawing Hunger auto rifle is single-handedly accounting for 14% of all crucible kills at the moment. However, I'm not necessarily convinced that auto rifles are "over-powered". This is for two reasons: [b]1) Fast-killing primaries are necessary to consistently combat special weapons.[/b] While I certainly enjoy special weapons and am glad Bungie steered away from its vanilla D2 weapon system, I do think that specials currently have a more pronounced role in the crucible than they should. Many people end their matches with more kills on their special weapon than their primary weapon. To me, that seems to defeat the purpose of a primary weapon, which is to be the primary weapon you use. Fast-killing primaries help to increase the number of primary gunfights, which in turn increases the overall skill gap among players and leads to game-play based less on lucky one-hits with a shotgun or fusion rifle, and more on solid gun-play. Don't get me wrong, specials are important to the identity of Destiny crucible. They add an element of chaos that I think helps to keep the game fresh, but I would prefer to see increased primary usage. [b]2) Assuming agreement with the point above, other primaries are actually under-powered.[/b] This could branch into a whole plethora of discussions about how to balance each of the primary weapon types, but I'm going to focus on hand cannons for now because they operate in the same range as auto-rifles. Now, I'm actually not convinced that 150rpm hand cannons are under-powered. They are very strong for the top ~10% of players because such players know how to use cover and aerial shooting very well, which hand cannons are excellent options for. However, for the bottom ~90%, auto rifles are almost always better options than hand cannons. I don't think this is necessarily healthy, and I think hand cannons should be an effective option for more players. I propose that 140rpm hand cannons be buffed by increasing their impact such that they can reach their optimal ttk with just one headshot and two body shots instead of the current three headshots. This would make them a more viable option for the bottom ~90%, and it would still maintain the incentive for top tier players to use 150s because 150s have a faster ttk than 140s (0.8s versus 0.87s). Of course, this would also require a retuning of 110rpm hand cannons, which I believe could take the form of a range buff or perhaps a similar impact buff. I'm a bit split on the issue. To summarize, I think that 600rpm auto rifles are fine where they are at, but hand cannons should be retuned to promote more hand cannon play in the lower skill brackets. These changes would promote more diversity in the crucible, which I think is generally a good thing. I am very curious to hear your thoughts on this matter. Obviously this is a relatively controversial topic, so all I ask that you keep things civil. [b]Supplementary Video:[/b] [url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5G_DYryJ2JE[/url]