Fighting Lion

Fighting Lion
Production overview
Manufacturer:	Wei Ning
Rarity class:	Exotic
Weapon type:	Grenade Launcher (Breach Loaded)
Min-max accuracy:	Poor
Min-max impact:	Medium
Min-max stability:	High
Min-max handling:	Moderate
Min-max magazine:	1
Specifications
Feed system:	Tube
Ammunition type:	Grenades
Fire mode:	Breach-Loaded
Rate of fire:	60 RPM
Damage:	Void
Effective range:	Short
Service history
In service:	Guardians

Fighting Lion is an exotic Grenade Launcher in Destiny 2. It was designed by Wei Ning.

Lore

"I call it the Zhang Fei. It hits almost as hard as I do." —Wei Ning

Wei Ning punched the mountain. It moved. A microscopic shudder, but enough to make her punch it again. “They're just angry that you keep winning without a gun.” Her Ghost danced fretfully around her fist. “That's why they say these things. Jealousy.”

“I tell you,” Ning grunted, shattering granite, “someday they'll lose their smart guns and fancy ships, and then they'll wish they'd listened! There's one weapon you can always count on, and it's your strong hand.”

“Eriana would be sad to hear you dismissing machines.” Her Ghost bobbed slyly up to her shoulder. “Eriana would ask if those mighty hands could build a machine in the image of your strength. Just like she was made in the image of a woman.”

Wei Ning tapped her fists together. “Huh,” she said.

Gameplay

Unlike most grenade launchers, which are power weapons, Fighting Lion goes in the energy weapon slot. Fighting Lion's intrinsic perk is that grenades will bounce off surfaces while the fire button is held down, similar to the Remote Detonation perk that can be rolled for other grenade launchers. The secondary exotic perk provides higher damage to shields on direct hits, an instant reload when rapidly killing enemies damaged by the weapon, and a guarantee of a Primary ammo drop on kills with the weapon.

Strangely, Fighting Lion uses Primary ammo instead of Special ammo, meaning that it can be used much more liberally in the Crucible.

Weapon Mods

Jade Countenance - Equip this Weapon Ornament to change the appearance of Fighting Lion.

Fighting Lion - Equip this Weapon Ornament to change the appearance of Fighting Lion.

Weapon Perks

Delayed Gratification - Grenade projectiles will bounce off surfaces. Hold to fire, and release to detonate.

Countermass - This weapon is weighted for vertical recoil.

Implosion Rounds - This weapon's projectiles travel faster and have a controlled explosion.

Thin the Herd - Direct hits do more damage to enemy combatant shields. Rapid kills against grenade-damaged enemies refill the magazine. Kills always drop Primary ammo.

Short-action Stock - This weapon is especially easy to grip.

Catalyst

Upgrades this weapon to a Masterwork. It will generate Orbs on multikills and gains a tracker that displays the number of combatants defeated with it. The Masterworked weapon will also receive additional capabilities.

Chimera: After this weapon fires, equipped Kinetic and Power weapons gain a brief period of increased handling and accuracy.

Trivia

The Fighting Lion was considered by the community to be the worst exotic weapon in the series due to its exotic perk having very limited use, until it’s mechanics were revised in Curse of Osiris.
The quote associated with this weapon could possibly be a reference to famous Chinese folklore about the war of the three kingdoms. In the quote Wei Ning calls the weapon "Zhang Fei", the name of one of the founding leaders and most brutish generals of the faction led by Liu Bei in the tale of the three kingdoms. This reference would make sense considering the weapon's link to Asian culture and the fact Zhang Fei was known as a brutish, unintelligent but strong fighter.