Destiny 2: The Best Rolls For The New Into The Light Weapons

Destiny 2: Into the Light has brought back 12 fan-favorite weapons to the sandbox through the new Onslaught game mode. Make Lord Shaxx proud, and he'll reward you with some of the strongest weapons that have ever graced the Destiny franchise. Blast Furnace, Mistatic.aayyy.com/topic/dn/ight Coup, the Stranger's Rifle, and many more have been brought back with glorious perk combinations.

Destiny 2: Every New Weapon In Into The Light

Defend the Last City to get your hands on Luna's Howl, Recluse, Mountaintop, and much more.

Today, we'll be analyzing all 12 weapons brought back in this update and covering their best combinations, both for PvE and PvP. Each section goes in-depth explaining why each perk combination is worth your attention, so feel free to use the table of contents above to jump to any specific weapons you're interested in.

Blast Furnace

The infamous "dad rifle" from Black Armory has finally returned. It's the same four-round Pulse Rifle that everyone remembers, but it's been updated with a new suite of perks and barrel options in place of scopes—every roll comes with the Rasmussen ISA optic by default. While a lot has changed since Forsaken, Blast Furnace remains a competitive pick in today's sandbox. Mostly.

In PvE, Blast Furnace holds no punches. Kinetic Tremors and One for All is one of the best perk combinations we've ever seen on a Pulse Rifle. Land three bursts to release a series of Kinetic shockwaves that deal great damage. Hit three targets, and you'll proc One for All's major damage bonus. This will further buff Kinetic Tremor's damage, making this gun a powerful workhorse for casual and Legend-tier content.

Enemies hit by Kinetic Tremors can proc One for All.

Crucible is where Blast Furnace might struggle. It has a fantastic base range of 79, capable of hitting enemies from 40+ meters with some investment. That makes it perfect for dueling Auto Rifles and Hand Cannons at longer distances, yet the weapon's eight crit requirement to achieve a 0.73s TTK might prove difficult in today's sandbox. Zen Moment or Headseeker is going to be mandatory to keep your aim true at such distances. Even then, a Scout Rifle with Box Breathing can eat your lunch.

You can make this weapon slightly better with Kill Clip in the second column, yet this only drops the TTK to 0.67s, the same as an unbuffed High-Impact Pulse Rifle. That's why we recommend you go for Rapid Hit instead. Paired with either first-column perk, you should have a solid dueling weapon for longer distances. For mid-range duels, you're better off using Messenger or the new Elsie's Rifle.

Barrel

Magazine

Trait 1

Trait 2

Masterwork

PvE Roll

Arrowhead Brake

Ricochet Rounds

Kinetic Tremors

One for All

Range

PvP Roll

Arrowhead Brake

Ricochet Rounds

Zen Moment OR Headseeker

Rapid Hit

Range

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Edge Transit

Edge Transit plagued everyone's inventories in the Forsaken era of Destiny 2. It's been brought back with Into the Light, and it has gotten the largest glow-up out of every weapon in this update. Edge Transit went from being the worst Heavy GL in the game to being the strongest GL, tied with Cataphract GL3.

Unlike Cataphract, you don't need to play Trials of Osiris to get your hands on this gun. Envious Assassin and Bait and Switch are what you'll want. This overflows the weapon's magazine up to 18 grenades. Buff each grenade with Bait and Switch, and you have a fantastic weapon for burst DPS. If you need a good Heavy weapon for solo content or dislike Rocket Launchers, Edge Transit is worth farming for.

Don't Farm For Holofoil

Some players have speculated that a holofoil variant with Envious Assassin + Cascade Point in the first column will outperform most Heavy weapons in PvE. Bungie is aware of this and plans to nerf this combination in a future patch (source).

As a result, we do not recommend farming for this specific perk combination. Envious is all you need in the first column.

Barrel

Magazine

Trait 1

Trait 2

Masterwork

PvE Roll

Quick Launch

Augmented Drum, Mini Frags, or Spike Grenades

Envious Assassin

Bait and Switch

Blast Radius

PvP Roll

Volatile Launch

Proximity Grenade

Impulse Amplifier

Full Court

Blast Radius

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Elsie's Rifle

Elsie's Rifle is powercreep, the gun. This 340 RPM Pulse Rifle has the same stat package as No Time to Explain, including the absurd base handling and reload speed stats. But unlike No Time to Explain, Elsie's Rifle has random rolls, deals Void damage, and doesn't take your Exotic slot. Right off the bat, this gun is S-tier due to its absurd stats. It's the Igneous Hammer of Pulse Rifles.

To get PvE out of the way, it's OK. Feeding Frenzy and Desperate Measures is a solid workhorse combination, but Pulse Rifles are seldom used in difficult content due to their low base damage. If you need to kill adds in Master or GM difficulties, you're using an Exotic Primary, SMG, or Hand Cannon; Pulses don't do the trick. With that said, Desperate Measures is an easy-to-proc 30% damage buff that requires minimal maintenance. For general content, it's a solid pick.

If you're farming this gun, you're a PvP player, and it's in the Crucible where this gun really shines. Zen Moment and Headseeker might be the strongest perk combination you can get on a 340 Pulse Rifle. Landing just a few rounds will remove all visual recoil, make you nigh-immune to flinch, and buff your aim assist. It even makes the optimal TTK more lenient through Headseeker's precision damage buff.

Calling this gun amazing is an understatement. It's an Exotic disguised as a Legendary. There isn't a single Pulse Rifle that's better at dueling than this, not even Messenger. If you love Pulse Rifles, this is a must-own.

Barrel

Magazine

Trait 1

Trait 2

Masterwork

PvE Roll

Arrowhead Brake

Ricochet Rounds

Feeding Frenzy

Desperate Measures

Range

PvP Roll

Arrowhead Brake

Ricochet Rounds

Zen Moment

Headseeker

Range

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Destiny 2: Top 10 Pulse Rifles For PvP, Ranked

Dominate the Crucible with these incredible Pulse Rifles.

Falling Guillotine

Dark-Drinker's Legendary cousin has received a makeover with Into the Light. Falling Guillotine is the first Vortex Frame we ever received in Destiny 2, and it dominated the Arrivals meta with its excellent burst damage. Vortex Frames has seen some major nerfs since then, and unfortunately for Falling Guillotine, not even its stacked perk package is enough to make this weapon a true meta contender.

Vorpal Weapon rolls in the first column for this weapon, giving it a small 10% damage bonus against bosses. It's not much, but it can be stacked with Surrounded for another 35% bonus—increased to 42% when enhanced, which will be possible come Final Shape. Bait and Switch is also an option if you don't like Surrounded.

Surrounded is weaker on Swords than other weapon archetypes, offering 5% less damage.

The main issue with Falling Guillotine isn't the weapon itself, but rather the archetype. Vortex Frames just aren't good. Bequest has better DPS, is more ammo efficient, and is fully craftable. Lament deals roughly the same damage, heals you, and breaks Champion shields. Even The Slammer offers better utility through Eager Edge and Chill Clip. Falling Guillotine isn't worth farming for now, but if this archetype ever gets a buff, you'll want a god roll tucked away in your Vault.

Blade

Guard

Trait 1

Trait 2

Masterwork

PvE Roll

Jagged Edge

Swordmaster's Guard

Vorpal Weapon

Surrounded

Impact

PvP Roll

Enduring Blade

Swordmaster's Guard

Chain Reaction

Eager Edge

Impact

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Forbearance

There's some debate over Forbearance getting reissued in this update. The original version from Vow of the Disciple is still an S-tier Special weapon, and the removal of its Souldrinker origin trait arguably makes it weaker. What some players fail to realize is that the reissue does two things:

1. It gives New Lights and returning players a way to earn a raid weapon.
2. This reissue turns Forbearance into an ability generator.

The role this Forbearance serves is different. Demolitionist can roll in the first column, and this gun's origin trait grants ability energy on kills—grenade energy for Light subclasses, and melee energy for Dark subclasses. Both effects stack, so Light subclasses can get a whopping 15% grenade energy from each kill. That's invaluable to New Lights and dumb fun for veteran players.

You can still use Chain Reaction in the second column to obliterate red bars, but now those kills are generating ability energy. And if you want to double down on ability spam, you can get Wellspring in the second column. It won't sustain your HP like before, but this new version of Forbearance is perfect for ability spam builds.

This new version of Forbearance can also roll with Disruption Break in the first column, perfect for PvP players who love hotswap/blint loadouts.

Barrel

Magazine

Trait 1

Trait 2

Masterwork

PvE Roll

Quick Barrel

High-Velocity Rounds

Demolitionist

Chain Reaction

Reload Speed

PvP Roll

Quick Barrel

High-Velocity Rounds

Disruption Break

Desperate Measures

Reload Speed

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Hammerheard

It's been nearly five years since Hammerhead first graced the Destiny 2 sandbox, and not one Machine Gun has gotten close to reaching this weapon's ease of use. Hammerhead has an absolutely cracked stat package, featuring a whopping 90 aim assist and 60 in nearly every other stat. Calling this gun a headshot magnet is a vast understatement.

Crucible players don't really need perks on this weapon. Give it some range, and you'll be able to land headshots from the Hellmouth to Twilight Gap. Under Over and Tap the Trigger let you ignore overshields in the process and remove all bloom while feathering the trigger. If you grab a Heavy brick, it's over for the enemy team.

Hammerhead got some serious love for PvE players. It's the first LMG to roll with Rampage and Onslaught, the infamous perk combination that Breakneck had back in Forsaken. That combination is so strong that it's completely overkill and somewhat inefficient. We actually recommend Rewind Rounds and Killing Tally for most. You'll have a constant 30% damage buff and seldom need to reload.

Barrel

Magazine

Trait 1

Trait 2

Masterwork

PvE Roll

Arrowhead Brake

Ricochet Rounds

Rewind Rounds

Killing Tally

Range

PvP Roll

Arrowhead Brake

Ricochet Rounds

Under Over

Tap the Trigger

Range

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Destiny 2: How To Reach 2020 Power Level Quickly

Reach the 2,020 Power cap quickly with this complete guide.

Hung Jury SR4

Someone at Bungie must love Hung Jury because this is the fourth time it's been reissued. Hung Jury SR4 is a run-of-the-mill 180 Scout Rifle with a solid perk pool. If you farmed for a roll with Rapid Hit and Box Breathing in the past, there's no need to farm for this gun. If you missed it, well, it has a golden ornament now. This is a safe skip for most PvP players unless you love Box Breathing Scouts, in which case you already own this gun.

PvE players sadly can't get a roll with Shoot To Loot + Kinetic Tremors on this version of Hung Jury—they both roll in the same column now. Kinetic Tremors and One for All is as good as you'll get. It's a great workhorse weapon when both perks are active, but there are other weapons that accomplish this better. Mistatic.aayyy.com/topic/dn/ight Coup and Blast Furnace are generally better and have the exact same perk combination.

Explosive Payload does not proc Kinetic Tremors faster. It's best to pair Kinetic Tremors with One for All.

Barrel

Magazine

Trait 1

Trait 2

Masterwork

PvE Roll

Fluted Barrel

Accurized Rounds

Kinetic Tremors

One for All

Range

PvP Roll

Fluted Barrel

Accurized Rounds

Eye of the Storm OR Rapid Hit

Zen Moment OR Kill Clip

Range

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Luna's Howl

Luna's Howl is similar to Rose in that it has a unique intrinsic. This is a 140RPM Hand Cannon with the intrinsic properties of a 180, giving this weapon minimal vertical recoil and +25 Airborne Effectiveness that isn't shown on the stat page. This makes Luna's Howl a fantastic weapon for dueling, provided you can land your headshots.

Strangely, Magnificent Howl was reworked into an inverse version of Hawkmoon. Precision kills will load empowered rounds into your next magazine, providing a 50% damage boost. Land precision kills with those bullets, and you'll be refunded a stack of Magnificent Howl, allowing you to chain this buff indefinitely if you can keep landing headshots. Pair this with Subsistence, and you have a shockingly powerful PvE Hand Cannon.

Crucible players will likely avoid Magnificent Howl entirely. It does allow for crisp two taps when the perk's up, but getting the perk active in the first place can prove challenging since you forgo a consistency perk like Opening Shot. Generally, 140s are best used for 1v1 duels, not kill chaining. On that front, Luna's Howl is solid with Slideshot and Precision Instrument. It won't redefine the meta, but Luna's Howl still packs a mean punch in the hands of a good player.

Barrel

Magazine

Trait 1

Trait 2

Masterwork

PvE Roll

Smallbore

Ricochet Rounds

Subsistence

Magnificent Howl

Range

PvP Roll

Smallbore

Ricochet Rounds

Slideshot

Opening Shot OR Precision Instrument

Range

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Mistatic.aayyy.com/topic/dn/ight Coup

Emperor Calus' prized Hand Cannon has never been better. While it was changed from a 150 RPM Hand Cannon to a 140, Bungie gave it a fairly substantial stat increase and a phenomenal perk pool. PvE players should absolutely farm for Firefly and One for All. A single precision kill will proc multiple effects:

• Spawns a Solar explosion.
• Grants +50 reload speed.
• If the explosion hits two other people, gain +35% damage for 10 seconds.
  • This damage also buffs Firefly.

Powerful is an understatement. This gun is effectively Ace of Spades in Legendary form, at least in PvE. If you dislike One for All, you can also get Fatebringer's chase roll of Explosive Payload and Frenzy.

Crucible players might be disappointed by the lack of Slideshot and Eye of the Storm on this gun, but you can make Mistatic.aayyy.com/topic/dn/ight Coup work with Explosive Payload and Zen Moment. Throw on some targeting mods, and you can hit 100 aim assist on this gun. It lacks the range of meta 140s, but few guns will land headshots quite as easily as Mistatic.aayyy.com/topic/dn/ight Coup.

Barrel

Magazine

Trait 1

Trait 2

Masterwork

PvE Roll

Smallbore

Accurized Rounds

Firefly

One for All

Range

PvP Roll

Smallbore

Accurized Rounds

Explosive Payload

Zen Moment

Range

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Destiny 2: Season Of The Wish - The Best Rolls For The New Playlist Weapons

Here are the god rolls for Season 23's Trials of Osiris, Iron Banner, and ritual playlist weapons.

The Mountaintop

Bungie reworked Mountaintop in this update to have intrinsic Micro-Missile and Danger Close. Mountaintop's projectiles fire in a straight line instead of an arc, making it a pocket Rocket Launcher. You can also rocket jump with this weapon for some fun movement tech. Its damage was nerfed in PvP and is incapable of landing one-hit kills under any circumstances. For PvP, we simply don't recommend using this weapon. Period.

PvE is a different story. Mountaintop is the new king of swap DPS. Auto-Loading Holster can be paired with Recombination to create the strongest Special weapon for burst DPS rotations. Fire your Primary, swap to Mountaintop, fire a rocket that deals 100% more damage, then use your Heavy to proc Bait and Switch. It's great for deleting majors, Champions, and damaging bosses. There's not much else you could ask from a Special weapon.

Barrel

Magazine

Trait 1

Trait 2

Masterwork

PvE Roll

Quick Launch

Spike Grenades

Auto-Loading Holster

Recombination

Velocity

PvP Roll

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Recombination Vs. FrenzyOn Mountaintop

Recombination is always better than Frenzy, no exceptions. At max stacks, it provides a 100% damage bonus for your next shot. Frenzy offers a 15% bonus.

You would need to fire seven Frenzy shots to exceed the DPS of a Recombination roll. If you're using the gun for swap DPS (which you should), then you'd have to make at least eight swaps to overtake a Recombination roll. Virtually no boss fight in D2 lasts long enough for you to squeeze that many rotations in. And if such a fight existed, you woulstatic.aayyy.com/topic/dn/'t be using a burst DPS loadout at all. Everyone would run Whisper of the Worm or Leviathan's Breath instead.

For sustained DPS, it's a fool's errand comparing the two. Breech GLs are the absolute worst archetype for sustained DPS due to their frequent reloads; you're better off using any other category of Special weapon.

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The Recluse

The Recluse has lost its bite with this rendition, but it's not the weapon's fault. Master of Arms was gutted from its original version. Previously, this weapon gave a 50% precision damage buff and over 200% extra body shot damage, making your body shots deal as much damage as critical hits. This was absurdly overpowered, so Bungie nerfed it to a flat 21% buff. It was then nerfed a second time, reducing the damage bonus to 15%.

If you want a decent workhorse weapon, then you want Subsistence and Frenzy instead. This will give you a 15% damage bonus that also maxes your reload and handling stats. For tougher content, Repulsor Brace with either Destabilizing Rounds or Desperate Measures is ideal. The former will give you constant Void Overshields, while the latter will buff your weapon damage by 30%.

As for the Crucible, Recluse has been powercrept by 750s and other 900s. Dynamic Sway Reduction can be paired with Master of Arms for a low 0.6s TTK after you land a kill, or you can use Target Lock to make its optimal TTK easier to hit. It's not a bad option, but it struggles to outmatch the likes of Immortal, Unending Tempest, and Shayura's Wrath.

Barrel

Magazine

Trait 1

Trait 2

Masterwork

PvE Roll

Smallbore

Ricochet Rounds

Subsistence

Frenzy

Range

PvP Roll

Smallbore

Ricochet Rounds

Dynamic Sway Reduction

Master of Arms OR Tap the Trigger

Range

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Succession

Succession is still a popular Sniper Rifle in today's sandbox, so its inclusion in the Brave arsenal was questionable. But after we've played with this weapon, this reissue is easily the best version of Succession. For PvE, Reconstruction and Recombination is still the king of burst DPS if you need a good Sniper Rifle.

However, the real spice of this reissue comes from Discord and Redirection. Killing a target with any other weapon will proc Discord, refunding ammo for Succession when you land kills. This will then build stacks of Redirection, granting a whopping 100% damage bonus against tougher enemies. Once you proc Discord, you can effectively use this weapon like a Primary weapon for a few seconds.

As for PvP, it's still a monstrous 72 RPM Sniper Rifle. Moving Target and Snapshot Sights remains a good combination here, but don't sleep on Discord in the first column either. Just like in PvE, if you land a kill with your Primary, you can potentially chain back-to-back precision kills with this weapon. And thanks to the great base stats on this gun, you aren't missing much by forgoing a consistency perk.

Barrel

Magazine

Trait 1

Trait 2

Masterwork

PvE Roll

Fluted Barrel

Accurized Rounds

Discord OR Reconstruction

Redirection OR Recombination

Range

PvP Roll

Fluted Barrel

Accurized Rounds

Moving Target OR Discord

Snapshot Sights

Range

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Destiny 2: Prismatic Subclass, Explained

Prepare to face The Witness with the Prismatic subclass in Destiny 2.