About Leveling Weapons Past 17(not light level)

[Booneblaster]

At level 17 for resonant or whatever weapons, you get access to all the perks available for shaping a weapon. Okay, cool, not hard.
But is there any reason to keep leveling the weapon? I just played with someone on the Onslaught and he was blasting everything to pieces with 1 or 2 shots- even hive knights. After the event, I looked at his char and he had an exotic scout rifle, the one that fires slow, but "heavy slugs". He had this weapon at level 263. WHY??
Weapon levels make your guns really powerful?

[trukr]

My Striga is level 2134, no it doesn't make it more powerful. You might look at the perks on the gun and the build of the player. If you're talking about Dead Mans Tale, that thing hits hard if you get crits.

Edit: Using them levels them up.

[Dragon]

My Forbearance is level 633. It's no better then it was at 533, but I sure love using the thing. Seriously, as you've already figured out, there's nothing those numbers do that affect anything but cosmetics.

[EckyThump]

Originally posted by Booneblaster:

After the event, I looked at his char and he had an exotic scout rifle, the one that fires slow, but "heavy slugs". He had this weapon at level 263. WHY??
Weapon levels make your guns really powerful?

Don't forget that actually using the weapons to kill things will also level them up.
So it may not be a case of anyone 'levelling it to pointless levels' they're just using it a lot. The high level is a side effect, not the objective.

However as a more direct answer to your question, weapons get a minor stat bump at Lv20, and if they have a memento fitted, unlock a shader specific to that memento at Lv30. That's the limit of where weapon levelling actually 'does' something.

[Eriana]

Originally posted by Booneblaster:

At level 17 for resonant or whatever weapons, you get access to all the perks available for shaping a weapon. Okay, cool, not hard.
But is there any reason to keep leveling the weapon? I just played with someone on the Onslaught and he was blasting everything to pieces with 1 or 2 shots- even hive knights. After the event, I looked at his char and he had an exotic scout rifle, the one that fires slow, but "heavy slugs". He had this weapon at level 263. WHY??
Weapon levels make your guns really powerful?

Leveling weapons just happens passively as you use it, so he most likely just uses it a lot. The only reason to go past level 17 is to get extra stats at level 20.

[trukr]

Originally posted by Nursemorph:

I've noticed that sometimes weapon levelling seems to occur even if you simply have it equipped but aren't using it.

I have seen that as well.

[Booneblaster]

okay cool. thanks for all the input. i guess people just use the same guns a LOT. btw, where do these momentos come from? never received one. different from ornaments in the store, right?

[Eriana]

Originally posted by Booneblaster:

okay cool. thanks for all the input. i guess people just use the same guns a LOT. btw, where do these momentos come from? never received one. different from ornaments in the store, right?

Get the mementos by playing their respective activity. Vanguard memento from Grandmasters, Gambit memento from Gambit, and Trials Memento from Trials of Osiris