Us Titan mains feel it: the tinge of disappointment in the new Prismatic subclass. We bemoan the absolute lunacy of Warlock and Hunter kits while we try to cobble together a functional build using what seem to be the worst Aspects from every subclass. But there’s still hope. We just got one of the best damage Exotics in the game.
How to get Hazardous Propulsion
The… well I won’t say easiest, but the most optimal (and fun) way to get Hazardous Propulsion is to complete the Final Shape campaign on Legendary difficulty. At the very end, you’ll be given an extra reward: a choice between the two new Titan Exotics. One is the Strand-focused Wishful Ignorance gauntlets, the other is the chest armor Hazardous Propulsion.
Wishful Ignorance is great, but does it shoot rockets out of your shoulder blades? No? Skip it for now, because the other way to get these new Exotics is to reset your reputation rank with Rahool in the Tower, then focus-decode an Engram into one of them. So no matter which one you choose at the end of the campaign, you’ll be able to get the other a little way down the line.
Why to get Hazardous Propulsion
So we’re skipping one really good Exotic for this one. Why? Well, Titans don’t exactly have excellent damage Supers, do they? What if we had access to amazing boss damage that didn’t require a Super or our guns?
When you get kills or land precision shots, this chest piece will load rockets. Using your class ability (even Thruster, mind you) will launch up to six rockets, which hit for about 28k damage each. That’s pretty good already, but they also buff your rocket launcher and rocket pistols by 35% if you land all six. And that’s nuts. Before today’s patch, this buff is overwritten by Radiant (a 25% damage increase), but this has now been fixed.
Hazardous Propulsion build basics
So, if you have this thing welded to your chest like I do, how do you make the most of it? Well, you’ll obviously want to use a rocket launcher in your heavy slot, and I’d suggest throwing a rocket pistol on as well. The Call, the new Strand sidearm from the Final Shape, suits this role perfectly, being kind of bonkers on its own.
I’d also really suggest using Thruster, which unfortunately limits you to either an Arc or Prismatic subclass. I’d recommend Prismatic, since you’ll have a freer choice in Aspects and Fragments. The reason we’re using Thruster is its shorter cooldown and its lack of an animation: you’re going to be able to fire your buffed rockets a lot faster after casting it, and you’ll be shooting them more often.
As a “nice to have” bonus, I’d recommend a heavy rocket with Auto-Loading Holster or Reconstruction. This way you can pop off a heavy rocket, switch to The Call, then switch back near the tail-end of the buff’s lifespan to shoot another without having to stop to reload. The damage bonus to rockets can’t really be overstated, so it’s best to get as many shots in as you can while it’s up.
