Is Coldheart The Best Exotic Trace Rifle?

Coldheart is a base game Destiny 2 Exotic, but for many Guardians it wasn’t even accessible for a full year. The reason for this is that it was locked behind exclusivity with Sony for Playstation 4, which undoubtedly harmed its reputation. However, now that it’s available for everyone, and because Xur sold it last week, we thought it was high time we did an in-depth look and decided if it was the best of the Exotic Trace Rifles or not.

Trace Rifles are currently all Exotic in Destiny 2, and there’s a short list to compare Coldheart with. However, we’re going to dive in with the stats first as always. The following stats and hidden stats are as they appear on Destiny 2 DB.

Stats

• Rounds per Minute – 1000
• Impact – 6
• Range – 73
• Stability – 73-91
• Magazine – 101
• Reload Speed – 37-55
• Handling – 32

Hidden Stats

• Zoom – 16
• Inventory Size – 60
• Aim Assistance – 100
• Recoil Direction – 100

These stats aren’t amazing to be honest, but when you consider what a Trace Rifle is they’re not exactly bad either. There’s no point in a Trace Rifle having a huge Impact rating, because not only will it increase the Recoil, but it will alert enemies to the fact that they’re being shot. The beauty of Trace Rifles is that you’re damaging enemies before they really realise it, and once they do, they’re in deep trouble. Let’s have a look at the perks to see why they’re in trouble. Once again, these perks are as they appear on Destiny DB, and while most will randomise, the Exotic perk and Longest Winter should always appear on Coldheart.

Perks

• Exotic Perk: Cold Fusion – Coldheart shoots a steady laser beam that’s powered by cold fusion
• Extended Barrel – Increases Range, decreases Handling Speed, and moderately controls Recoil
• Enhanced Battery – Increases Magazine Size
• Longest Winter – The longer Coldheart’s laser remains on a target, the more damage the damage it’s dealing will increase
• Hand-Laid Stock – Increases Stability

These perks pretty much sum up Trace Rifles, though Coldheart does add a unique spin to them. Every Trace Rifle is a variation of a laser beam that deals increased damage to an enemy the longer that beam is held on them. Usually this is with an aura of damage that seems to visibly grow around the enemy, and it’s really quite powerful. Coldheart’s unique take is a cold-fusion powered laser, which hints at an ice element in Destiny 2, though that has never extended beyond the weapon.

Competition

It’s time to compare Coldheart to the other Exotic Trace Rifles in Destiny 2; Prometheus Lens, and Wavesplitter.

Prometheus Lens

As I said, there’s no real difference between Trace Rifles apart from the element they fire. Prometheus Lens uses Solar energy, which is arguably more obvious than whatever Coldheart shoots. However, Prometheus Lens differentiates itself with the second perk you’ll find on it, Flame Refraction. This perk returns a fraction of the ammo used to kill an enemy to the magazine. That’s quite powerful, because it means you can continuously fire this red hot beam into a crowd of enemies, potentially forever.

Wavesplitter

Wavesplitter swaps between three different power levels while you’re shooting an enemy. The highest is accessible only by holding that trigger down for the longest time, but it definitely deals more damage than the lower levels. This could be compared to holding either Promethues Lens’ or Coldheart’s beams on enemies for a long time, letting that aura of damage build up. However, Wavesplitter is different from each of these because of another perk, supercharged Battery. this perk automatically reloads Wavesplitter and provides a temporary power boost to the highest level when you pick up an Orb of Light. This perk is potentially even more powerful than Flame Refraction is on Prometheus Lens, because it can get you dealing more damage much faster, and help you keep on firing.

Conclusion

It’s a hard choice, but I think it’s safe to say that both Prometheus Lens and Wavesplitter offer something better than Cldheart. There’s nothing to return ammo, and no way to boost damage quickly on it, so it falls flat against both the other Exotic Trace Rifles. However, collecting Exotics is also important, and this one has a bit more history than others because of the deal with Sony exclusivity. Buying it is always essential but using it over other Trace Rifles is a little bit silly.

Let us know what you think of Coldheart in the comments.

Image Source: Destiny Wiki