D.A.R.C.I. — Networked Targeting (Hunter)

Weapon: D.A.R.C.I. (Sniper Rifle · Heavy · Arc) · Subclass: Arcstrider · Role: Team-wide sniper buffer + Overload precision deleter

Sandbox: 9.7.0 · Created 2026-06-16

A Heavy Arc sniper that Jolts on every hit and stuns Overload all by itself — no artifact mod required. The catalyst turns that into a fireteam loop: your hits pump every ally's regular sniper to maxed-out precision damage, and maxing an ally hands the bonus back to you. Pair it with Arcstrider, where "Jolt" is the whole subclass: jolt → Amplified → damage resist → orbs, all spun off the same trigger the gun already pulls. Buff the team, stun the champion, delete the major.

The weapon

Personal Assistant (verbatim): "Aim at a target to view their health and other critical information in the scope. Jolts targets when dealing damage. Strong against [Disruption] Overload Champions."

Catalyst — Networked Targeting (verbatim): "While Personal Assistant is active, hits grant this weapon and nearby allies' non-Exotic Sniper Rifles increased overall weapon performance and precision damage. Granting maximum stacks of the effect to an ally grants this weapon bonus damage."

What it does: it's a Heavy-slot Arc precision sniper that applies Jolt on every hit. Jolt is a chaining Arc lightning debuff and is the keystone of Arc Hunter, so the gun is permanently feeding the subclass. The bespoke anti-champion line means D.A.R.C.I. stuns Overload intrinsically — you do not spend an artifact slot on Overload, and you don't depend on archetype stun. The catalyst is a team buff: hits ramp your own performance/precision and buff nearby allies' legendary snipers; max an ally out and D.A.R.C.I. gets bonus damage back — a reciprocal loop that makes it the best sniper to hold in a coordinated sniper-DPS fireteam.

Loadout

Slot	Pick	Why
Subclass	Arcstrider	The gun already Jolts; the whole kit converts Jolt → Amplified → orbs → DR.
Super	Gathering Storm	Throw the staff to embed + Jolt a pack/boss; pairs with the Arc damage profile and feeds add-clear between sniper shots.
Class ability	Marksman's Dodge	Reloads D.A.R.C.I. on dodge (heavy ammo is precious) + repositions for the next angle.
Melee	Disorienting Blow	Blinds on hit → safety to line up sniper shots; on-class Arc melee.
Grenade	Pulse Grenade	With Touch of Thunder it makes Ionic Traces + ramps damage — chip + ability energy while you ADS.
Aspect 1	Flow State	"Defeating a jolted target makes you amplified." Every D.A.R.C.I. kill is a jolted kill → permanent Amplified (faster reload/handling on the sniper, ~15% DR, faster dodge).
Aspect 2	Ascension	Airborne: jolts + amplifies allies — AND it's the trigger for the Gifted Conviction exotic (bouncing jolt explosives + DR).
Fragments	Spark of Ions, Spark of Discharge, Spark of Amplitude, Spark of Beacons	See below — convert jolt/Arc kills into Ionic Traces, Bolt Charge, orbs, and a blinding heavy-ammo explosion.
Exotic armour	Gifted Conviction (Chest)	"Activating Ascension or Tempest Strike throws bouncing explosives that jolt and damage. Jolting nearby targets grants you damage resistance." The gun jolts non-stop, so the DR is effectively always live.
Kinetic/Energy 1	Voltshot SMG / Auto (Arc)	Add-clear that also Jolts → feeds Flow State + Spark of Ions when D.A.R.C.I. is stowed; matches the Arc surge.
Energy 2 / pair	Barrier/Unstoppable legendary	D.A.R.C.I. covers Overload; bring a frame (or matching artifact mod) for the other two champion types.
Heavy	D.A.R.C.I. itself	The centerpiece occupies the Heavy slot — build the other two around add-clear + champion coverage.

Why this works (the mechanics)

• The gun's trigger and the subclass's trigger are the same trigger. D.A.R.C.I. Jolts on hit; Arcstrider is built entirely around Jolt. One precision shot = damage + Jolt + (on kill) Amplified (Flow State) + Ionic Trace (Spark of Ions) + Bolt Charge (Spark of Discharge) + an Orb while Amplified (Spark of Amplitude) + a blinding explosion (Spark of Beacons, since it's an Arc Heavy). No rotation — the sniper does it all.
• Overload is handled by the gun, so the artifact is free. Personal Assistant carries a bespoke Overload stun (jolt-based). You don't burn a slot on Overload and don't rely on archetype stun — spend the freed budget on Barrier/Unstoppable for the other two champion types instead.
• Gifted Conviction makes the DR permanent. Its DR is gated on "jolting nearby targets" — and D.A.R.C.I. jolts everything it touches. Activating Ascension also throws its bouncing jolt-explosives, so you get the DR up front and keep it topped by normal sniping. A Heavy sniper player normally stands still and exposed; this is the survivability that makes that viable in GMs.
• The catalyst is a fireteam multiplier, not a solo perk. Networked Targeting buffs allies' legendary snipers to maxed precision damage and pays you bonus damage when you max one out. In a 2-3 sniper DPS fireteam, D.A.R.C.I. is the one weapon that should be held — it lifts everyone else's damage and gets lifted in return. (Solo, it's still a self-buff; the team value is the headline.)
• Amplified is the quiet engine. Flow State keeps you permanently Amplified off jolted kills → faster reload/handling on a slow Heavy sniper (huge for sustained DPS), ~15% DR stacking with Gifted Conviction, and faster dodge = faster Marksman reloads. Amplified is also the gate for Spark of Amplitude/Beacons, so it's doing four jobs at once.
• Heavy-ammo economy is the only real constraint, and the build answers it. Marksman's Dodge reloads from reserves; Spark of Discharge/Ions flood Ionic Traces for ability uptime so you're not starved between heavy bricks; Heavy Ammo Finder + Heavy scavenger mods keep reserves stocked.

Stats & mods

Weapons 200 → Health 100+ → Class. Weapons is the priority: it raises PvE weapon damage vs minors/majors on top of the catalyst ramp, and benefits the add-clear secondary. Health 100+ keeps you alive while planted and ADS (Heavy snipers don't reposition mid-shot); Class feeds Marksman's Dodge for reload + Ascension/Gifted Conviction uptime.

Archetypes: Powerhouse / Gunner pieces (Weapons + Super/Health). Stat tuning: +Weapons / −Class where rolls allow.

Mods, by piece:

• Helmet: Heavy Ammo Finder · Harmonic/Arc Siphon (Arc kills → Orbs).
• Gauntlets: Loader for your secondary's type · Heavy-Handed (melee → ammo) optional for Disorienting Blow.
• Chest: Resistance mods (Arc/elemental) under the Amplified + Gifted Conviction DR stack.
• Boots: Arc Weapon Surge ×2 (≈+17% Arc weapon damage straight onto D.A.R.C.I.) · Sniper Rifle Scavenger / Heavy ammo reserves.
• Class item: Powerful Attraction (dodge vacuums the orbs Spark of Amplitude spawns) · Bomber/Reaper.

Where it shines

• GM Nightfalls / −30 to −40 content: Overload handled by the gun, two free champion slots, permanent Amplified + Gifted Conviction DR to survive while planted, and a Heavy sniper that one-shots majors and stuns the Overload that walls most teams.
• Coordinated sniper-DPS fireteams (raids/dungeons): the catalyst's headline use — D.A.R.C.I. buffs every ally's legendary sniper to maxed precision and gets paid back. Hold it; let the team's Cataclysmic/whatever ride the buff.
• Champion coverage: Overload — intrinsic to D.A.R.C.I. (Personal Assistant, jolt-based). Barrier + Unstoppable — bring a legendary frame or artifact mod on your other two slots; the gun does not cover them.
• Weak fit: ammo-starved sustained-DPS races where a primary-ammo or Special exotic would feed faster — D.A.R.C.I. is Heavy-gated.