So I noticed recently that there is a lot of controversy around Bloom/Accuracy Cone/Ghost Bullets, and I figured I would do my best to try and explain it to people who maybe have been away for a while or who just didn't know. If I miss something or provide incorrect information, let me know and I'll change it to better match the reality of it all. Wall of text incoming. [b]There is a TL;DR if you don't want to read the whole post.[/b] About a week before The Taken King released, bungie dropped an update, and in this update many things changed (some for the worse, some for the better). One of those things was an added "accuracy cone." Now although this accuracy cone is most prevalent on HC's, it is on every gun with varying effects. [spoiler]Supposedly, there was a significantly narrower version of the accuracy cone before this, but if there truly was, then it was much too narrow for people to notice, and it's effects on game play were unnoticeable.[/spoiler] Now imagine a straight line protruding from the barrel of your gun. At the muzzle of your gun (this is a placeholder example, it is more likely that it begins to expand at around 1-2 meters), this line begins to expand, and although that original line still exists, a second area is now present surrounding it. This area continues to expand as the original line goes out farther and farther. This, is the "accuracy cone." An invisible area that creates a zone where the bullets [b]may[/b] go (can also be called an "area of probability"). Each gun has it's own area of probability extending from the muzzle, which can be expanded or shrunk down by changing the range stat (this is why everyone looks for range perks on HC's). [spoiler]I feel like I should clarify accuracy cone vs. bloom. Accuracy cone refers to the cone itself that extends from the gun and determines where bullets may possibly go, while bloom refers to the expansion [and contraction?] of that cone as you fire your gun. Now, while they are not exactly the same, many people combine their definitions and use them interchangeably. Since for the most part, people recognize them as one and the same (they are very closely linked, but not identical), it isn't that much of a problem, and for the most part people only point it out as a technicality. If you see someone talking about bloom or the accuracy cone, it is extremely likely that they are referring to both things under one term.[/spoiler] All of this is comparable to a flashlight. If you take a flashlight and hold it 1 meter away from a wall, the light beam is going to be bright against the wall and focused in a small area. But as you continue to increase the distance between the light source and the wall, the area where the light is continues to increase, as well as it's distribution of light particles, making each part of the wall where the light is shining dimmer. Depending on the kind of flashlight, this effect can be very different at different ranges. When a bullet is aimed at someones head and fired, yet it misses, it is referred to as a "ghost bullet." This doesn't actually mean that the bullet literally disappeared, it is merely a term that was coined to describe shots that appear to be vanishing. This happens because the bullet goes somewhere random within that cone of probability we just talked about, and in this case it didn't go to a part within the cone where your enemies head was present. Since HC's have such a wide cone once you get to short-medium range, the chance that your shot won't go exactly where you are aiming is very high unless you have rifled/reinforced/hammer forged. As you continue to fire repeatedly, this cone continues to increase (up to a certain point). Now, this mechanic is not only present on Hand Cannons, but it is most noticeable on them because of their low initial range (also very noticeable on low-range auto rifles, but not many people use those, so they get less attention). Ghost bullets, a product of the accuracy cone and bloom, are present on all weapons, with varying degrees of effectiveness across different archetypes. The main problem that people have with this mechanic is that it introduces an RNG element into gunfights, making it possible for you to lose a 1v1 battle even if you aimed all of your shots perfectly. This is why so many people want the accuracy cone (and as a result, bloom) removed. This is also the reason why Y1 is often considered the golden age of Destiny. It was extremely fast paced and reaction-based, and no matter what gun you were using, your shots were [b]always[/b] going where you aimed them. Hope this helped anyone who was curious. [b]TL;DR[/b] - "Ghost bullets" is just a term to describe what happens when the accuracy cone of a gun causes your bullets to go somewhere other than exactly where you aiming (the expansion of the cone as you continue to fire being called bloom). They don't completely vanish, they just don't hit your intended target. It is impossible to have an accuracy cone/bloom without having ghost bullets, as bullets that appear to vanish are a direct product of the accuracy cone and bloom mechanic(s). [b]CLARIFICATION[/b]: This is a post for people who [b]don't[/b] already know this information, as I have seen many people ask what people are talking about whenever the subjects of bloom/accuracy/ghost bullets are brought up. If you already know this, it isn't for you, but feel free to read it anyway. I have my own opinions on the matter, but those are my own, and the intent of this post is simply to inform. I make no argument, nor do I defend any stance on the matter. >MRW reading some of these responses.