I would say all special weapons are very well balanced. I am primarily a shotgunner that does fairly well. However, I do get countered many times by good players using primaries or shotgun countering specials such as fusion rifles or sidearms. I also switch between snipers, sidearms, and fusion rifles and feel as if I can effectively get kills and play just as well as I can with a shotgun. ONE MAJOR ISSUE: pulse rifles. Pulse rifles without a doubt rule the crucible right now. All I ever see now is the clever dragon or blind perdition. Low impact (clever dragon/ grasp) should not be able to outgun scout rifles at scout rifle range without a range perk. I'm not saying I want to see those pulse rifles nerfed hard, but it would be nice to see a primary in the crucible other than those and the occasional palindrome.