Aim at enemy, pull trigger to fire, easy right? But there's more to it than that, especially with how Destiny handles weapons. First and most importantly we [i]need[/i] to discuss the difference between Impact and Attack. Understanding this is vitally important to being able to make smart decisions when choosing weapons so I will try and make this as simple as possible. Attack - This number determines whether or not the given weapon is capable of properly damaging the enemy in question. *Taking the first 2 digits of a guns Attack will tell you the highest level an enemy can be at which the gun will deal it's full damage.* Assume any gun with a 2 digit Attack starts with an invisible 0 (20 Attack = level 2). [i]*NOTE: As of the release of update 2.0.0 this no longer applies. I am leaving this statement in the guide because it will help you understand how Attack basically works. The real point I'm getting at is you need higher attack for higher level activities.[/i] Impact - This will determine how much damage the gun will do per shot, assuming all other things (namely Attack) are normalized. Level - The actual level of a gun, or any piece of equipment, defines what level the player must be to be able to equip the item. Keep in mind that many guns can be upgraded to deal full damage to enemies that are at higher levels then the guns level. Example: A level 16 pulse rifle may be able to reach 215 Attack (which can fully damage level 21 enemies). Let take a hypothetical. Imagine 3 guns, A, B, and C and 1 enemy. We will fire 1 shot of each gun at the enemy. For simplicity's sake I'm going to use fake numbers, this will get the point across easier but will not actually apply in game. Assume that the rate of fire, range, and all other stats are the same for all hypothetical guns in this guide. First let's focus on Attack. [b]Attack[/b]: Gun A has [b]50[/b] Attack and 3 Impact. Gun B has [b]30[/b] Attack and 3 Impact. Gun C has [b]10[/b] Attack and 3 Impact. Now take a level [b]3[/b] enemy, lets say it's a Dreg named Greg. Gun A would deal [b]3[/b] damage to Greg. Gun B would deal [b]3[/b] damage to Greg. Gun C would deal [b]1[/b] damage to Greg. Confused? Why would gun A, which clearly has a higher attack, still only deal the same damage as gun B? In most cases being a higher level then an enemy does not help you in Destiny. A level 34 player with 365 Attack weapons can still be killed by a level 3 Dreg. With only a few minor exceptions level advantage doesn't mean anything in PvE. For beginners just assume that there is no such thing as level advantage. But what about gun C? Because C had an Attack rating that was lower than the level of Greg it was not able to deal it's full damage potential. This should illustrate that you need to not only [i]be[/i] at the same level as your enemies to properly confront them but you must also [i]have[/i] guns that are at that level as well. Now lets talk about Impact. [b]Impact[/b]: Gun A has 30 Attack and [b]5[/b] Impact. Gun B has 30 Attack and [b]3[/b] Impact. Gun C has 30 Attack and [b]1[/b] Impact. Now take a level [b]3[/b] enemy, lets say it's a Thrall named Paul. Gun A would deal [b]5[/b] damage to Paul. Gun B would deal [b]3[/b] damage to Paul. Gun C would deal [b]1[/b] damage to Paul. So, since all 3 guns have 30 Attack they are all equally equipped to properly damage a level 3 enemy like Paul. But some guns have higher Impact then others so they deal more damage per shot. Quiz Time! Lets look at some different situations and I want you to try and guess (to yourself you don't have to comment) what the right answer is. Click the spoiler to see the correct answer. [b]Quiz[/b]: 1. Gun D has 200 Attack and moderate Impact. Gun E has 200 Attack and high Impact. The enemy is at level 20. Which gun will deal the most damage per shot? [spoiler]Gun E. Their Attacks are the same so both guns are capable of properly damaging a level 20 enemy. Gun E has higher impact.[/spoiler] 2. Gun F has 300 Attack and very low Impact. Gun G has 30 Attack and very high Impact. The enemy is at level 30. Which gun will deal the most damage per shot? [spoiler]Gun F. With such a large gap in levels (27 to be exact) it doesn't matter what the Impact is. A level 3 weapon would be practically incapable of dealing any damage at all to a level 30 enemy.[/spoiler] 3. Gun H has 365 Attack and moderate Impact. Gun I has 300 Attack and moderate Impact. The enemy is at level 30. Which gun will deal the most damage per shot? [spoiler]Neither! Having a level 36 gun doesn't help you kill a level 30 enemy any faster then a level 30 gun. Maybe if it was a level 34 it would matter but in this case both guns will deal the same damage per shot.[/spoiler] I know this can be a bit confusing for some people and it's never formally explained in game so please, please, [i]please[/i] ask me if you still do not understand, this is a very important concept to know if you want to succeed in Destiny. Destiny 101 Full List https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/139731825