Queenbreakers' Bow

"Despite the Breakers' treachery, Her Majesty still stands."

- Weapon description.

Queenbreakers' Bow is an Exotic Fusion rifle in Destiny added by House of Wolves. Like the Vex Mythoclast, it is an atypical fusion rifle; in this case it is more of a hybrid with a sniper rifle. These weapons were Fallen Wire Rifles that had belonged to the Queenbreakers. It later made a return in the Destiny 2 expansion Forsaken, renamed as The Queenbreaker and re-classified as a Linear fusion rifle.

Grimoire
"A reminder that while so few 'Breakers remain, Her Majesty still stands."

"Queenbreaker" was the label given to the Fallen who first rose to betray the Queen. Their coordinated attempt on Her Grace's life was quick and violent. Most of the Queenbreakers were eliminated, their line rifles taken as trophies. Some remain at-large.

Known as Queenbreakers' Bows, the very weapons once used in an effort to assassinate the Queen of the Reef are now prized possessions for Guardians— not only for their storied history, but for the chance to get their hands on fully functional Fallen weaponry.

Lore (Destiny 2)
"Despite the Breakers' treachery, Her Majesty still stands."

Three cloaked figures trek through a cave on a windswept asteroid. As they walk, they joke. They tell stories. They are a fireteam.

"After Cybele," the Warlock says, "the Wolves bowed. Some became the Queen's bodyguards. Then, Skolas—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. How? Why?" The Hunter frowns. "Why trust enemies with your life?" A pause. "No offense, buddy."

The Captain shrugs; none taken. "Eia. Strange to do. But Eliksni… we been breathe-always love for honor. New promise not unmake an old. Wolves would been follow Marakel forever if Skolas does not appear again."

The passage widens, and they find a hidden door veneered with amethyst. The Captain lays a hand on it, bows his head. The Hunter and the Warlock fall back respectfully. After a time, the Warlock ventures, "Mithrax?"

The Captain turns. "Wolves rebel. Now, Wolves extinct. This where-live mine-things scatter must end. I will Kell the mind-open Eliksni. No spider-tricks. No loyal-lies. Variisis truths. We fight for Great Machine together."

Gameplay
This is a wire rifle; it uses the same projectile effects and makes the same distinct sound as one. Its design is clearly meant for Fallen eyes, as player Guardians can only use one scope at a time (can't look through it like binoculars). The weapon's charge time and damage changes depending on which scope is equipped; with the long-range Marksman sights, the charge time is longer but the base damage is greater. With the short-range Combat sights, the charge time is shorter at the cost of lesser damage. The weapon is capable of precision damage; precision shots will generally kill all non-major enemies, and the Hidden Hand trait combined with its already high aim assist stat will help ensure the player will rarely miss the intended target. The ability to change scopes to fit the situation gives the weapon a flexible utility for encounters that combine close-quarters and long-range enemies in one setting. Finally, its Arc damage make it very effective against units with shields, such as Captains or Knights.

The two scope choices are simplified as follows:
 * Marksman sights: Long-range, slower charge, maximum impact. Scope displays charge and ammunition status.
 * Combat sights: Close-range, faster charge (about half that of Marksman sights), lower impact. Scope displays ability energy levels.

Compared to a sniper rifle, the main disadvantages are that precision damages and range won't be as high as that of a true sniper (and never will as it does not share the same multiplier) and the shots require time to charge. This charge rate combined with bullet travel time (which sniper rounds ignore) will significantly hinder this weapon's performance. A lot of times, what looked like a head shot will register as a body shot because the target strafed a tiny bit while the shot was fired. Most of its perks do not really stand out on their own and are marginal. The advantages are that the Queenbreakers' Bow has no scope glint (this has changed as of Rise of Iron to upon aim-down-sights), provides much more situational awareness than a sniper could, much faster reload time, and higher rate-of-fire. The Bow also provides a very generous amount of ammunition reserves at 55 rounds with no armour modifiers, an absurd blessing for Crucible players who had to suffer through numerous patches that further restricted the availability of Special ammunition.

Another strong contrast to other sniper rifles is the excellent hip-fire accuracy, a natural trait for most fusion rifles. This coupled with the Hip Fire trait makes the Bow viable for any range. Hip-fire accuracy is something that sniper rifles have virtually none of. One can say the real reason for its Exotic status is the very fact it is a fusion-sniper hybrid. Whether or not this is enough to justify having this weapon over existing sniper rifles or another viable Exotic in a primary/heavy weapon slot will ultimately belong to individual experience, fun factor, or preference.

Destiny 1
The Queenbreakers' Bow is one of three possible rewards for The Elder Cipher exotic bounty, the other two being Lord of Wolves and Dreg's Promise. The bounty is only available as a random reward for the level 34 or 35 Prison of Elders challenge modes. From Year Two onwards, this weapon had a random chance of being acquired after completing Challenge of the Elders.

It should be noted that the trait "Send It" will only increase the Combat scope's range to that of the Marksman scope; it will not further increase the Marksman scope's range.

Weapon Perks
Column 1 Column 2 Column 3 Column 4
 * Marksman Sights: Long-range sights with slower charge time, greater damage, and ammo and charge displays.
 * Combat Sights: Low-zoom sights with faster charge time and ability energy display.
 * Hip Fire: This weapon has bonus accuracy while firing from the hip.
 * Single Point Sling
 * Switch weapons faster. Move quicker while aiming.
 * Flared Magwell
 * Reload this weapon even faster.
 * Send It
 * Increases range and accuracy.
 * Harder to handle.
 * Decreases carried Ammo capacity.
 * Hidden Hand: This weapon gains better target acquisition.

Destiny 2
Starting with the release of Forsaken, Queenbreakers' Bow can be obtained as a random drop from exotic engrams, which can drop rarely from enemies in the wild or by opening chests in Strikes or other activities. It can also be acquired from Bounties which doesn't drop the engram itself but rather the rewards immediately. It is renamed The Queenbreaker and is now classified as a Linear fusion rifle. The fact that it has changed to be mounted in the player Guardian's heavy slot instead of secondary, and now uses Heavy ammunition, means that it is no longer as generous with ammunition reserves as it was before.

Performs much the same as its original incarnation with a minor change in utility: it now adds blinding as a secondary status effect on enemy units struck by the projectile. In a similar vein to Sleeper Simulant, the weapon became a popular choice for Gambit players as the various mix of close and long-range combatants in Gambit maps allowed the Queenbreaker's flexibility to excel at any ideal range.

Weapon Perks

 * Intrinsic trait - Wire Rifle: Fires a long-range precision Arc bolt that blinds enemies on hit.
 * Marksman Sights: Long-range sights with slower charge time and greater damage. Displays ammo and charge levels.
 * Combat Sights: Low-zoom sights with faster charge time and handling. Displays ability energy.
 * Enhanced Battery: Strong battery life.
 * Increases magazine size
 * Hip-Fire Grip: Ergonomic grips that increase accuracy and stability when firing from the hip.
 * Quickdraw: This weapon can be drawn unbelievably fast.
 * Fitted Stock: This stock makes the weapon stable but heavy.
 * Increases stability
 * Moderately controls recoil
 * Slightly decreases handling speed

Weapon mods

 * Kingmaker - Equip this Weapon Ornament to change the appearance of The Queenbreaker
 * Polemology - Equip this Weapon Ornament to change the appearance of The Queenbreaker

Trivia

 * Due to a bug which gave the weapon far greater Aim Assist on both Console and PC, the weapon would very rarely miss the head. Due to this as well as its range it became an incredibly popular weapon to use as an invader in Gambit.

List of appearances

 * Destiny
 * House of Wolves
 * April Update
 * Destiny 2
 * Forsaken