Its about the rhythm of the weapon. Each archetype should embody a trade off that makes comparisons of the different archetypes a matter of preference. Before I go on I need to clarify what I mean by "archetype". I'm pretty sure you understand but for the sake of other interested parties I'll elaborate. Technically I'm using the wrong term to delineate the different versions of snipers out there. Snipers as a whole are an archetype in the scope of all weapons. Within that archetype there are distinct subtypes of snipers. Low impact high fire-rate is an easily identifiable example. The point is that ideally there should be distinct tradeoffs that equalize the potential of the different sub-types. A weapon that has such a high amount of stopping power should have recoil and fire rate inhibit subsequent shot placement... In the base models of these weapons we see exactly that... The problem arises from perks mitigating the detractors inherent to the weapon balance... In the case of the spear the main detractor is recoil... Which is mitigated by stability oriented perks. Why the sub-type that hits the hardest uses recoil instead of fire-rate as an equalizer is most probably due to the nature of black hammers white nail perk which requires subsequently placed hits in a short span of time. If efrideets spear had a fire rate akin to or greater than the no land beyond it would not be as easily used, and would not be the clear cut choice in terms of crucible use. All that said I don't think there is a way to reduce the efficacy of efrideets spear without running the risk of turning everything "gray". If you step back and look at the highlights in the scope of weapons it feels right that there are gems that stand out amongst what's available. I see the issue here as a matter of players being able to adapt to what is possible concerning the potential of what opponents can bring to bear in PvP. If you are aware of the overpowering nature of a weapon you CAN overcome it by adjusting how you engage. Felwinters lie is a perfect example. It used to be a problem for me to encounter. Now it isn't so much... I adjusted how I handle cqc engagement and many times I stay just outside of their effective range and they keep rushing into my backpedaling fire and die looking dumb. If I kept employing the same pattern as I used to which was to come in closer i would still be having problems with it. The gun exploits player behavior tendencies for maximal effect. A final round spear is no different. If you stay out of sight lines that play into the strengths of the spear it loses its edge. When you are nested with a sniper you pick things off, forcing a sniper out of the nest to seek out points brings back balance. Its kind of tedious but realistically a great player will do the same thing with a faster firing weapon. You get a really twitchy shooter on the other team and you'll have the same dilemma to contend with.