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Destiny 2’sSeason of the Witch has added dozens of new weapons to the sandbox, some of which roll with entirely new perks and origin traits. This season also reworked how the zoom stat works, having massive ramifications on the PvP sandbox and which perks are worth chasing. Needless to say, god roll recommendations have seen some changes this season.
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Today, we’ll be looking at the god rolls for every weapon available from the Ritual Table at the H.E.L.M., the vendor that oversees rewards for Season of the Witch’s seasonal activities. We’ll be covering the six activity-specific weapons added this season and the four Nadir weapons that were reprised this season, all of which are tied to focusing options at the Ritual Table.
Brya’s Love
Only Scout Rifle fans are going to give Bray’s Love the time of day. As far as perks and stats go, this weapon is outmatched by Doom of Chelchis in nearly every way, but that’s to be expected since this gun doesn’t come from a raid. As far as PvE goes, you have a few solid workhorse combinations to play with.Loose Changeis an interesting option in the third column, granting a noticeable reload speed bonus for inflicting subclass debuffs. This pairs nicely withDestabilizing Roundsin the fourth column or Volatile Rounds from a Void subclass. For raw add-slaying,Rapid Hit with Explosive Payloadis a classic combination that never disappoints. Just don’t expect this todethrone Doom of Chelchis or Hung Jury.
PvP is where this gun starts to find a niche.No Distractionsis a great neutral game perk that makes it fairly easy to land headshots in medium-range duels, perfect when pairing this gun with a damage perk. You’ll want to since a mere 15% damage buff makes this gun three-tap in 0.67 seconds at any Resilience level.Golden Tricornis our pick here, but feel free to use Frenzy instead if you’re an aggressive Scout Rifle user.Adagioalso works, although the slower RPM lengthens your TTK to 0.8 seconds, the same as 140 Hand Cannons. If you care more about feel over lethality when using Primary weapons, take Brya’s Love for a spin.
No Distractions or Keep Away
Golden Tricorn or Frenzy
Range
Deadpan Delivery
Bungie brought back some classic D2Y1 Vanguard weapons this season, all of which are obtained from the Ritual Table’s Red War Focusing option. Deadpan Delivery returns as the same old 55 RPM Arc Shotgun, this time with random rolls and origin traits. PvE players are effectively chasing one roll here:Overflow and One-Two Punch.Most Arc builds, such as Arcstrider Hunters, can greatly benefit from a One-Two Punch Shotgun in the Energy slot. If you never got a good Xenoclast from Zavala or dislike Lightweights, this is a solid replacement. For boss DPS, don’t bother. Slug Shotguns serve that purpose far better.
Barrel Constrictoris a new perk that lends itself to PvP play quite nicely, tightening your pellet spread by 20% after a kill for the next eight seconds. For reference, Full Choke only reduces your pellet spread by roughly 4%, so this is a massive increase. The issue is that most players typically don’t have enough ammo to slay out like this, but Deadpan Delivery solves this problem withDiscord. Kill someone with your Primary, swap to Deadpan Delivery, and receive a free Shotgun round after every kill for the next seven seconds. It pairs exceptionally well with Barrel Constrictor and makes this weapon a menace in 6v6 playlists. For 3v3 modes, considerElemental CapacitorandKilling Windfor a more generic neutral-game Special.
6v6: Discord
Handling
Eleatic Principle
Eleatic Principle appears to be a Retrofit Escapade replacement at first glance,rolling with Target Lockand residing in the same Rapid-Fire subarchetype. Unfortunately, this weapon can’t compete for two reasons:
Retrofit’s power comes from its unique synergy with Fourth Time’s the Charm extending how long it can fire, allowing Target Lock to achieve its maximum damage bonus. Eleatic Principle cannot achieve maximum Target Lock stacks because it doesn’t have any perk that increases its magazine size, making this perk a trap.Do not take Target Lock.
Instead, you’ll want to treat Eleatic Principle as an add-slaying addition to your loadout. That playstyle excels here, with perks likeEddy CurrentandGolden Tricornpractically begging this weapon to bepaired with an Arc subclass. If you’re looking for a single-target DPS alternative to Retrofit, look elsewhere.
For PvP, Zen Moment and Tap the Trigger is a solid combination for improving its consistency.There’s not much else here that’s worth recommending in the Crucible since lethality perks hardly matter with Heavy weapons.
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The Eremite
If you’re looking for a seasonal weapon that’s worth crafting, look no further. The Eremite is a High-Impact Frame Fusion Rifle that has an excellent perk pool. It’s currently the third weapon to roll withControlled Burstand the first that’s not tied to an endgame activity. This is a massive DPS boost to any Fusion Rifle that can roll with it, especially for slower-firing archetypes. Pair this perk withEnvious Assassinto fire over a dozen energy bursts before needing to reload, perfect for killing stunned Champions.It’s also a great backup DPS optionfor Solar loadouts running Apex Predator or Cataclysmic.
As for the Crucible, there’s not much here worth chasing. It can’t roll with consistency perks like Under Pressure or Rangefinder, nor can you make it one-burst since it doesn’t roll with Kickstart. You could runPulse MonitorandElemental Capacitoras a panic weapon, but at that rate you’re better off using a Rapid-Fire Frame.PvP Fusion enthusiasts are better off ignoring this gun.However, if you’re a PvE player that doesn’t have a good Techeun Force or Loaded Question, The Eremite is absolutely worth farming for.
Kept Confidence
There’s no sugarcoating this:Kept Confidence is the worst Hand Cannon Bungie’s released in years, at least for PvE.Compared to meta 140s like Rose and Exalted Truth, Kept Confidence has middling reload speed, subpar stability and handling stats (although higher than weapons like Judgment), and a mediocre range stat of 46. The only thing going for this weapon is its above-average airborne effectiveness stat of 19, a stat that has virtually no impact in PvE content and is tough to buildcraft around in the Crucible.
Perks can’t save this gun for PvE players. Despite being the first Strand 140 RPM Hand Cannon in the sandbox,this gun can’t roll with Hatchlingor any other Strand-themed perks. In fact, the weapon can’t roll withanycommon low-effort damage perks like Frenzy, Explosive Payload, or even the new Precision Instrument perk introduced this season, although it can roll with Collective Action if your build spawns elemental pickups like Tangles. Your best PvE roll isLoose ChangeandMultikill Clip, with the former only granting its reload speed buff if you’re running Unraveling Rounds on a Strand subclass.If you want to slay out with a Hand Cannon, use Sunshot. UseMalfeasance. Use any Exotic Hand Cannon, or equip virtually any other Hand Cannon that’s released over the last couple of years.
Kept Confidence has some serious competition in the PvP sandbox, although there is a niche where this gun excels. If you main Strand and want a good Hand Cannon to use in the air, you’re able to perform fairly well withAir AssaultandEye of the Storm. It’s currently one of two 140 Hand Cannons that can roll with this combo, the other being Austringer which doesn’t have a reliable drop source currently. All other playstyles will perform much better with a different Hand Cannon.Killing Windcan be used to hit 100 range after a kill with a perfect roll, but the same is possible with Exalted Truth, Palindrome, and even Fatebringer. If you love the feel of this gun, it’s definitely worth crafting, but don’t expect Kept Confidence to shake up the Hand Cannon meta.
Eye of the Storm
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Locus Locutus
Locus Locutus is an Adaptive Frame Sniper Rifle that deals Stasis damage, making it a spiritual successor of sorts to Thoughtless. As far as PvE goes, that’s an accurate description. This weapon can roll withOverflowandFiring Lineto increase its sustained DPS in boss fights, the same combination that made Thoughtless popular back during Season of the Risen. Not much else is going for Locus Locutus in PvE, so if you already have a 5/5 crafted roll, you can safely skip this weapon. Anyone that missed out on Thoughtless should consider crafting this, especially if you play PvP.
Sniper enthusiasts won’t want to miss this weapon.Locus Locutus is the same model as Beloved but features a larger scope reticle, making it fairly easy to line up headshots. It also has the same zoom value as Beloved at 40, so switching between both weapons should feel natural. As for perks, it’s effectively Mercurial Overreach but craftable, albeit with worse base stats.SurplusandOpening Shotis an amazing combination on this weapon that buffs virtually everything a sniper main cares about. Build this weapon for handling, and it shouldfeel like a Stasis version of Belovedthat’s even easier to land headshots with.
Nightshade
Many Guardians swore by Nightshade back in Destiny 2’s Red War period. It’s back in Season of the Witch, although its damage type was changed to Strand in this reprisal. This makes Nightshade the first 450 Strand Pulse in the game, featuring a solid perk pool to cement itself as a great workhorse option in PvE content.
While generic,OutlawandKill Clipremains a staple PvE combination for any Primary weapon. Land a precision kill, reload, and melt any other red bars with your 25% damage buff. This weapon can also roll withHatchlingif you want to spice up Nightshade’s add-slaying with some AoE explosions. It won’t break the mold for meta PvE weapons, but you can safely bring this gun into Power-irrelevant content like seasonal activities and slay out.
Nightshade is a surprisingly strong PvP option with the right roll.Nadir Focusgives this weapon a bonus to its accuracy and range just by firing the gun. This greatly buffs the gun’s consistency when compared to other 450 Pulse Rifles, and you can further improve this withKeep AwayorUnder Pressurein the first trait column. Rangefinder is also an option, although the decoupling of zoom and damage falloff in Season of the Witch has made this perk far from mandatory. For slayers, don’t sleep onHeating Upas it doubles-down on that accuracy increase from Nadir Focus. Pair any of those perks withKill Clip, and you have a rapid 0.53s TTK against T9 Resilience Guardians. If consistency matters more to you, tryEncorefor a major boost to your range and stability after each kill. There isn’t a definitive god roll for Nightshade in PvP; it boils down to preference.
Kill Clip or Encore
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Persuader
This marks the third time Persuader has been released in Destiny 2. It launched back in vanilla Destiny 2, then it came back in Black Armory with random rolls. It’s back again this season, retaining the same Void damage and 140 RPM archetype of its previous incarnations. This version differs in its perk pool, offering more elemental-themed options that help the gun serve a more utility or add-slaying role in PvE.
If PvE DPS is what you’re after, the Persuader isn’t an ideal pick but can get the job done.Rapid Hit and High Groundis arguably the best roll if you can damage a boss on a raised platform. If that’s not possible, thenTriple Tap or Precision Instrumentshould work fine. For a more general use role in your loadout, giveRepulsor BraceandDestabilizing Roundsa try. This gives you a way of generating Void Overshields on any class with a few sniper shots. It’s not an ideal use of a Sniper Rifle, but neither is using it for sustained DPS in tough boss fights. Such is the painful existence of PvE Sniper Rifles currently.
As far as PvP is concerned, this weapon has an abnormally low zoom value of 35, lower than the likes of Beloved and Supremacy.Keep AwayandOpening Shotcan help buff two important stats on this weapon: range and aim assist. Handling on Persuader is fairly high at 63, standard for a Rapid-Fire Frame, so using Fluted Barrel and a Handling Masterwork should make this weapon feel fairly snappy. Give it a try if you’re a sniper enthusiast, but non-snipers shouldn’t stress about farming this gun.
High Ground or Precision Instrument
Semiotician
Crowning Duologue has lost its short-lived achievement as Destiny 2’s only Strand Rocket Launcher, and it has been outclassed in nearly every way. Semiotician not only deals more damage thanks to its High-Impact Frame, but it is also fully craftable and has a far better perk pool than the Solstice Rocket Launcher.
PvE perks might look lackluster at first glance, lacking access to Bait and Switch or Reconstruction, but this weapon greatly benefits from the changes to Bipod in Season of the Witch.Bipod now only imposes a 25% damage penaltyin exchange for a larger magazine and deeper ammo reserves. That’s a tradeoff that’s actually worth considering now, doubly so because this gun can also roll with Field Prep, synergizing nicely with the Head Rush origin trait that grants reload speed upon standing up from a crouched state.
Pair the two perks together, and you can hold a whopping 13 rockets without any reserve mods equipped. Build around the gun’s reload speed when crafting it, and you’ll have a surprisingly good sustained DPS option for tough raid encounters where ammo conservation matters.This weapon iseffectively a Strand version of Hothead.Endgame PvE players should keep an eye out for any red border of this gun, whilePvP players can safely ignore itsince Rocket Launchers are completely outclassed by Adaptive GLs with Impulse Amplifier.
Any
The Showrunner
Showrunner is a 900 RPM SMG that deals Kinetic damage, competing with the likes of Immortal and Submission. PvE players should be familiar with how good 900 RPM SMGs are. Some of the game’s best add-clear SMGs—CALUS Mini-Tool, Funnelweb, Immortal, and Submission—are Lightweight Frames, giving Showrunner a head start.
Thankfully, the perks help push Showrunner into meta workhorse territory for SMG fans.OverflowandKinetic Tremorsis an interesting combo we seldom see on weapons, especially rapid-fire weapons like SMGs. It takes roughly 12 bullets to trigger Kinetic Tremors, allowing you to proc it three times per magazine with perfect aim—six times if Overflow is active. That’s a sizable chunk of bonus damage you get just from shooting the gun. In a similar vein,Target Lockis also a great alternative since it ramps up your damage by hitting the same target. Pick Kinetic Tremors for general add clear, and use Target Lock if you plan to use this SMG in Legend-tier content.
Crucible players shouldn’t immediately dismiss this weapon.Zoom has no bearing on range anymore, so Rangefinder isn’t required for SMGs to compete.Perks that buff the gun’s range stat itself are far more valuable in this sandbox. Showrunner unfortunately can’t buff its range through third column perks, but it does have access toDynamic Sway Reductionto increase its accuracy. You can pair this withTarget Lockto improve the weapon’s TTK forgiveness or opt intoFragile Focusto gain nearly two meters of range while you close the gap on your target. While it isn’t the new meta of SMGs, it’s not a bad option for players that have never got their hands on a good Immortal from Trials.
Target Lock
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