Finality's Auger — The Forge (Hunter)
Weapon: Finality's Auger (Linear Fusion Rifle · Heavy · Strand) · Subclass: Threadrunner (Strand) · Role: Boss/champion burst DPS — turret + swap-buff total damage Sandbox: 9.7.0 · Created 2026-06-16
A Heavy LFR you fire and a turret you build. Bolt the boss with the linear, then [Alt-Weapon-Action] a Ruinscribe Turret skyward and it keeps autofiring while you reload. The catalyst is
Bait and Switch — tag the boss with all three weapons in a short window and the Auger lights up. So the optimal DPS rotation isn't "hold the trigger," it's swap, swap, swap, then dump — and on Hunter, Star-Eater turns every Super into one more multiplier on top of that.
The weapon
Ruinscribe's Forge: "[Alternate Weapon Action] to fire a special projectile that deploys a Ruinscribe Turret. This projectile costs 3 ammo to fire. Aim the projectile skyward to provide the clearest sight lines for the turret which will automatically shoot at nearby targets." (verbatim)
Catalyst — Bait and Switch: "Deal damage with all equipped weapons within a short time to give this weapon a damage boost." (verbatim)
What it does: it's two damage sources in one slot. The linear is high-impact precision burst; the turret is set-and-forget add/boss damage that ticks while you're off-weapon. Critically, the turret keeps applying damage during the swap window — so it helps maintain the Bait and Switch buff while you tag the boss with your other two weapons, then you come back to the linear for the buffed volley. Total-DPS weapon: stacked window damage, not raw per-shot.
Loadout
| Slot | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Subclass | Threadrunner (Strand) | Element-matched to the Auger → Strand surges and weapon-damage fragments land on the LFR. |
| Super |  Silkstrike | Cheap roaming Super to bank Star-Eater overcharge between damage phases; or swap to a one-and-done if Prismatic (see Verify). |
| Class ability |  Gambler's Dodge | Reloads-adjacent uptime + reposition to keep turret sightlines and dodge-back to the linear. |
| Movement |  Triple Jump | Air control to lob the turret projectile skyward (the perk wants it aimed up). |
| Melee |  Threaded Spike | Returns melee energy on hit; cheap verb feeder, keeps you in cover. |
| Grenade |  Grapple | Mobility to relocate fast between turret placement and DPS spot; pairs with Cyrtarachne alt (see Verify). |
| Aspect 1 |  Widow's Silk | Extra grenade charge → Grapple uptime for repositioning; opens fragment slots. |
| Aspect 2 |  Threaded Specter | Class ability drops a Strand decoy → pulls aggro off you during the long charge-and-fire DPS rotation. |
Thread of Ascent grenade reloads your equipped weapon + bonus airborne handling — reloads the Auger mid-rotation, +10 Weapons
Thread of Generation dealing damage makes grenade energy → more Grapple → more Ascent reloads
Thread of Warding Orb pickup → Woven Mail for the DPS window- Thread of Wisdom (Orb generation from suspended kills feeds the Star-Eater economy). Net stat garnish: +10 Weapons from Ascent
Exotic armour — Star-Eater Scales (Legs)
Feast of Light: "You gain additional Super energy from Orbs of Power you pick up. While your Super energy is full, picking up an Orb of Power overcharges your Super, causing you to gain a burst of healing when cast and a bonus to your Super damage. At maximum overcharge, you also gain an overshield." (verbatim)
Why Star-Eater on a gun build: a DPS phase is a burst-economy problem. Walk into the phase with an overcharged Super for one big hit, then the Auger + turret + Bait-and-switch swaps carry the rest. The overcharge healing/overshield also keeps you alive through the long, exposed LFR charge-up. On boss DPS, the meta isn't "gun or Super" — it's Super opener → swap rotation → linear dump, and Star-Eater maximises the opener's contribution to total damage.
Why this works (the mechanics)
- The catalyst pays you to swap, and the turret swaps for you. Bait and Switch needs damage from all equipped weapons in a short window. The Ruinscribe Turret is autonomously dealing damage the whole time — so it's effectively keeping one of the three "weapon damage" requirements ticking while your hands are on the other two. Tag with the secondary, tag with the heavy/primary, the turret covers the Auger's own tag, and the buff lights for the next volley.
- It's a total-DPS weapon, so you never stop dealing damage. Linear fires → reload window → during reload the turret is still hitting → you're never at zero output. The DPS math is the area under the curve, and the turret raises the floor between volleys.
- Aim the turret skyward (the perk literally says so). A high, clear sightline lets it autofire on the boss/adds for its whole duration instead of clipping geometry. Drop it, then play your gun game underneath it.
- Star-Eater makes the Super an opener, not a separate kit. Overcharged Super for the first hit of the phase + a heal/overshield that buys you survival through the LFR's slow charge. Orbs you generate (siphons, Wisdom) refill toward the next phase's overcharge.
- Element-matched on purpose. Strand subclass → Strand weapon surge mods and Thread of Ascent's +Weapons land directly on the Auger. Threadrunner keeps it in-element so every damage multiplier the subclass offers is on the gun, not wasted on an off-element weapon.
- Thread of Ascent closes the reload loop. Grapple → Ascent reloads the Auger and buffs handling; Thread of Generation refunds grenade from the damage you're already doing. You self-reload the linear between volleys without leaving cover.
Stats & mods
Weapons 100+ → Super 100 → Health. Weapons stat boosts PvE weapon damage vs minors/majors and bumps the linear's output; Super stat speeds the next Star-Eater opener. Health for surviving the exposed charge-up.
- Helmet: Harmonic Siphon (match Strand → Orbs for Star-Eater) · Heavy Ammo Finder (the Auger eats 3 ammo per turret) · Hands-On if running the Super hard.
- Gauntlets: Loader mod for the linear's archetype · Heavy Ammo Scavenger.
- Chest: Concussive Dampener / elemental resists for the DPS window.
- Legs (Star-Eater): Strand Weapon Surge ×2 (≈+17% Strand damage straight onto the Auger) · Orbs of Restoration.
- Class item: Powerful Attraction (dodge vacuums Orbs → Star-Eater overcharge) · Reaper · Bomber.
- Heavy ammo economy is the real constraint: every turret costs 3 reserve ammo, so stack Finder/Scavenger and a Heavy ammo brick mod.
Where it shines
- Boss DPS (raids, GMs, Lost Sector bosses): the headline use. Turret + linear + Bait-and-switch swaps + Star-Eater opener = a high total-damage window. The raid-DPS LFR lane it was built for.
- Champions: flag this. The intrinsic perk text states no champion stun, so the Auger does not carry bespoke anti-champion. Under Anti-Champion 2.0, champion stun is intrinsic to weapon archetypes — confirm the Auger's LFR frame (High-Impact → Unstoppable is the usual linear stun) in Verify, and cover Barrier/Overload with your other two slots regardless.
- The other two slots (swap partners for the catalyst): a rocket-assisted frame sidearm or wave-frame GL as the fast "tag" weapon to light Bait and Switch instantly, plus a primary (an Overload/Barrier archetype) so all three weapons cover champions between the two of them. The job of the off-slots is to proc the catalyst fast and stun champions; the Auger does the damage.