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Bungie has upped the loot chase inDestiny 2’sSeason of the Wish with some fantastic seasonal weapons. Plenty of new archetypes have been introduced that greatly expand build flexibility, including the first Legendary Trace Rifle to reside in the Kinetic slot and Strand Slug Shotgun.
Season of the Witch suffered from weapons with lackluster perk pools or bad stat packages. That’s not the case here, with each gun offering niche to powerful perk combinations that are only a tier under endgame loot. From the new Wish weapons to the reprised Undying guns, here are our god roll recommendations for every seasonal weapon added in Season of the Wish.
Adhortative
One of Season of Undying’s more popular weapons, Adhortative has returned in Season of the Wish with a reprised perk pool and a unique origin trait. Unfortunately, this weapon hasn’t aged particularly well in PvE. Golden Tricorn gets you the same 50% damage bonus that Multikill Clip used to, but it’s tough to get that first kill in anything tougher than Normal difficulty.
That’s why we recommendShoot to LootandIncandescentfor general play. Enhanced Incandescent will Scorch and Ignite enemies with a good deal of consistency, although it will struggle in Legend difficulty and above.
Crucible players should keep an eye on Adhortative, however, as it’s the only 390 Pulse Rifle to roll withHeal ClipandGolden Tricorn.This is a powerful perk combination forGunslinger Hunters using Fr0st-EE5, creating a great ability loop while buffing the gun’s TTK to 0.6s. If you don’t have a perfectly rolled Jorum’s Claw from Iron Banner, Adhortative is a solid replacement. For straight dueling, there are far better options.
Range
Appetence
Appetence is the first Legendary Trace Rifle to deal Stasis damage, also making it the first Legendary Trace Rifle to reside in the Kinetic slot. This immediately makes Appetence a must-own for PvE players who love double Special builds. Perk-wise, the real standout isDemolitionistin the first columnpaired with either a damage perk(Killing Tally or Headstone)or Wellspringto double down on energy gains.
Crucible players should stay away from Trace Rifles in general unless they have excellent aim. you may get a TTK shift to 0.67s withHigh Groundactive, a fairly easy perk to trigger, yet the harsh headshot requirement of Trace Rifles makes them difficult to recommend in the current PvP sandbox. For PvE players, Appetence is a must-own and absolutely worth crafting.
Doomed Petitioner
Doomed Petitioner is the first three-round burst Linear Fusion Rifle to deal Void damage, and it’s the second Aggressive LFR to roll withSurrounded.This is an S-tier perk on a Heavy weapon if you’re able to consistently damage a boss while surrounded by a couple of enemies—Ghosts of the Deepand Crota’s End come to mind. Briar’s Contempt can technically do the same thing, but that weapon comes from a raid.
This doesn’t, and it has great synergy with Void builds that can trigger Volatile Rounds. Pair it withReconstruction or Envious Assassinfor some solid DPS numbers.Crucible players can skip this weapon entirely.Legendary LFRs aren’t worth using over Heavy Grenade Launchers or Exotic Rocket Launchers currently. If you must, a roll withKeep AwayandMoving Targetwill suffice.
Precision Instrument
Doomed Petitioner is the first LFR to roll with Precision Instrument, offering a 30% damage buff after two bursts. Despite the high damage boost, we don’t recommend this perk since it immediately vanishes if you miss a single shot.
Only use this perk over Surrounded if you always play endgame content with a friend who’s using Divinity. For min-maxers, Surrounded or Cataclysmic with Bait and Switch will always outperform.
Imperative
As is a common theme with Season 23’s weapons, Imperative is the second Scout Rifle to roll withDemolitionistandKinetic Tremors, the first being Transfiguration, a raid weapon. This perk combination is amazing in PvE, creating powerful AoE shockwaves by landing a few bullets on the same target. Anything that dies by this blast will then partially recharge your grenade, greatly improving your ability uptime.
Scout Rifles in the Crucible rely heavily on landing consistent headshots from a distance, which is something Imperative is particularly good at. It doesn’t have the absurd TTK shifts that Transfiguration is capable of, yet this gun has two great neutral game perks:No DistractionsandExplosive Payload.Build this gun for stability, and you become virtually immune to flinch.
Stability
Lethophobia
Imperial Needle has returned in the form of Lethophobia, featuring some strange perk combinations that we’ve never seen on a Bow before. PvE players can make a general long-range workhorse withSuccessful Warm-UpandGolden Tricornto make this weapon reliably one-tap red bars when fully buffed. It’s not as good as Exotic Bows or even No Turning Back, but it’s a decent option for newer players.
Lightweight Bow mains that love hot-swapping guns will love Lethophobia.This is the first Bow to roll with Disruption Break, granting a 50% damage buff to Kinetic weapons if you break the target’s shield with this weapon. This works against Guardians and has amazing synergy with high-damage Primaries. Better yet, you’re able to pair this withSteady Handsto buff your handling orImpulse Amplifierfor consistent long-range headshots.
Future Bow Nerf
Bungie is planning to nerf Bows in PvP in the near future, likely in the mid-season patch (source). If this alters precision damage in any way, Disruption Break will become a much less appealing perk.
If you have limited playtime, consider waiting for this patch before farming for this gun.
Steady Hands OR Impulse Amplifier
Draw Time
Optative
Optative is a 180 RPM Hand Cannon that deals Void damage, an archetype that’s already overcrowded with solid options. If you love 180 Hand Cannons,we highly recommend getting Word of Crota instead.DemolitionistandGolden Tricornmake this a poor man’s Word of Crota, but this gun has nothing close to Sword Logic or the Cursed Thrall origin trait.
You won’t be getting streaks with this gun in PvP, either. Precision Hand Cannons require a damage buff to become competitive, but this forces your build to use a Solar subclass for Radiant or an Exotic that buffs weapon damage. You can get three taps withGolden Tricorn orKill Clipactive, but that first kill is going to feel like pulling teeth in this sandbox.
Demolitionist OR Repulsor Brace
Kill Clip OR Golden Tricorn
Scalar Potential
Rapid-Fire Pulse Rifles aren’t a meta pick currently, but they can hold their own with the right perks. Scalar Potential is effectively a weaker, more accessible version of last season’s Oversoul Edict from Crota’s End. If you already have a god roll Horror’s Least or Oversoul Edict, you can safely skip this weapon.
But if you don’t,OverflowandGolden Tricornis a decent enough workhorse for Normal difficulty. It will struggle in Legend+ content, but that’s true for nearly every Legendary Pulse Rifle. Crucible players can make this gun quite consistent withKeep AwayandHeadseekerfor some easy three-burst kills. It won’t top Horror’s Least, but Scalar Potential is a decent enough weapon if you like Pulse Rifles.
Scatter Signal
This is the second time in a row that Bungie has released a meta-defining Fusion Rifle as a seasonal weapon. Scatter Signal is a Rapid-Fire weapon that deals Strand damage, making it a direct competitor to Riptide for the Kinetic slot. While this gun lacks the raw utility offered by Chill Clip, if you only care about single-target DPS, Scatter Signal is an objective upgrade.
OverflowandControlled Burstis the strongest Fusion Rifle perk combo you’re able to ask for. Enhancing both perks will offer a 16-round magazine that unleashes powerful bursts with a blazing 414ms charge rate. It’s also a Strand weapon, so you could proc Unraveling Rounds through an Artifact perk or a Fragment for even more damage.
Easy Unravel Procs
In Season of the Wish, you canuse the Unraveling Orbs perk from this season’s Artifactto gain Unraveling Rounds for a short duration. Any Orbs of Power will proc this perk, including those made by aWell of Radianceor Ward of Dawn.
We highly recommend using this in dungeons and raids to increase your team’s DPS.
PvP is where this gun gets interesting. You have some great options in the first column—featuring perks likeSurplusandEncore—butEnlightened Actionis a first for a Fusion Rifle. Landing five bolts will max this perk, offering a massive +50 handling and +50 reload speed buff for a short time. This pairs exceptionally well withKickstartto make a snappy, fast-firing Fusion Rifle.
But we can’t dismiss this season’s newest perk:Slice.After using your class ability, your next five hits willinflict the Sever debuff.This reduces the target’s damage output by 15%, a drastic decrease that can completely shift a gunfight in your favor. And since this is a Fusion Rifle, you’re able to quickly move your reticle mid-burst to tag multiple targets with a single shot. We doubt this will be a meta PvP pick, but theorycrafters will have a field day with this gun.
Enlightened Action OR Slice
Charge Time
Subjunctive
Back during Season of Undying, Subjunctive never got a chance to shine due to the tight chokehold Recluse held on the meta. Years have passed since then, yet Subjunctive wasn’t left in the dust. Bungie has given this weapon a major upgrade with an incredible suite of perks to choose from.
PvE players should build this gun withThreat DetectorandVoltshot.No other reload perk on this gun will let you refresh Voltshot, not even Stats for All, so Threat Detector is your best bet. Get a kill, reload, and release a flurry of chain lightning by hitting your next target.
PvE Melee Build God Roll
Subjunctive is the second Arc SMG to roll withGrave RobberandSwashbuckler, the other being a PvP weapon. This is an amazing perk combination for Arcstrider Hunters and Striker Titans.
Crucible players won’t find a meta-defining weapon in Subjunctive since it can’t roll with Target Lock, but it can hold its own if you aim for the head.Under PressureandGolden Tricornis arguably the best perk combination here, making this gun far more accurate during the second half of a gunfight. Land a kill, and Golden Tricorn will drop the weapon’s TTK to 0.6s, provided you can land mostly headshots.
Supercluster
Destiny 2’s first Strand Slug Shotgun is a pure menace in both PvE and PvP. Slugs are already great for slaying majors and weaker miniboss targets, but Supercluster takes this to a new level withReconstruction and Cascade Point.Land a few headshots, then swap to Supercluster to release a flurry of high-damage slugs in three seconds. It’s a great burst DPS option.
PvP players can take advantage ofSlideshotandHatchlingon this gun. With the right perks, you’re able to achieve 100 range, 100 handling, and 91 stability mid-slide. This makes landing a precision kill trivial, generating a Threadling to distract any nearby targets. It’s great in PvE, a surprisingly fun PvP gun, and is fully craftable. There’s not much more you could want from a Shotgun.
