Understanding the Portal System
Edge of Fate completely changed how you get weapons in Destiny 2. Portal activities replace the old system with four specific playlists: Solo Ops, Fireteam Ops, Pinnacle Ops, and Crucible. Each weapon in this guide drops from one of these activities, and some days you'll see bonus focus periods that guarantee specific drops.
This new system means you need to plan your farming sessions. Instead of hoping for random drops anywhere, you target specific playlists when they're featuring the weapons you want. Check the daily rotations and prioritize bonus focus days for the most efficient farming.
What Makes a God Roll
God rolls represent the best possible perk combinations for either PvE or PvP content. We use S-Tier through C-Tier ratings to help you prioritize which weapons deserve your time. Enhanced perks provide significantly better benefits and should be your target when available.
Each weapon analysis includes multiple viable builds because different players prefer different approaches. Some builds focus purely on damage, others on utility, and some balance both depending on what content you're tackling.
Mint Retrograde: The Game-Changing Rocket Pulse Rifle
Why This Weapon Changes Everything
Mint Retrograde breaks new ground as Destiny 2's first Pulse Rifle to use Special ammo. Instead of bullets, it fires micro-missile bursts that deal roughly three times the damage of Rocket Sidearms. A single burst kills most majors at -20 Power, making it incredibly potent for challenging content.
You get way less ammo than Rocket Sidearms though. This forces you to be more strategic about when and how you use it, but the damage output justifies the limitation.
PvE Dominance Explained
Mint Retrograde excels because it handles situations where other Special weapons struggle. Heavily armored majors that normally require multiple shots from Fusion Rifles or Shotguns die to a single burst from this weapon. The explosive nature also means you can clear grouped enemies effectively.
Most high-damage specials only work in narrow scenarios, but Mint Retrograde adapts to various encounter types while maintaining consistent performance.
Best PvE Builds
Perk 1: Rewind Rounds + Perk 2: Bait and Switch
Players who prefer straightforward gameplay without weapon swapping mechanics.
Perk Breakdown
Rewind Rounds: This perk automatically reloads a portion of your magazine based on the number of hits you land. For Mint Retrograde's burst nature, this essentially gives you unlimited sustained fire as long as you're hitting targets consistently.
Bait and Switch: Provides the highest damage potential by requiring weapon swaps to activate. Perfect for DPS phases where you can prep with other weapons before unleashing Mint Retrograde's full power.
Envious Arsenal vs Rewind Rounds: Envious Arsenal offers better ammo economy and larger magazine sizes, while Rewind Rounds provides more consistent uptime during extended firing. Both pair excellently with Bait and Switch.
Master of Arms: Offers easier activation than Bait and Switch with solid damage scaling, making it ideal for players who prefer straightforward gameplay without weapon swapping.
How to Get It
Farm Pinnacle Ops activities: The Whisper and Kell's Fall. Wait for bonus focus periods when Mint Retrograde appears as a guaranteed drop for the best farming results.
Auto Rifles: Reliable Workhorses
Ahab Char: The Solar Solution
Finally, a competitive Solar rapid-fire Auto Rifle. Ahab Char fills a gap that's existed since Beyond Light, giving Solar builds a proper 720 RPM option. The Braytech Legacy origin trait activates from damage rather than kills, making it perfect for ability-focused builds. While it can't quite match the raw stopping power of top-tier options like Chroma Rush, its Solar synergy opens up build possibilities that kinetic alternatives simply can't provide.
| Build Type | Barrel | Magazine | Perk 1 | Perk 2 | Masterwork |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PvE Build | Smallbore | Ricochet Rounds | Heal Clip | Kill Clip | Range |
| PvP Build | Arrowhead Brake | Ricochet Rounds | Heal Clip | Kill Clip | Range |
SMGs: Close Combat Specialists
Qua Nilus II: Solid but Unremarkable
Adaptive SMGs share the same RPM as lightweights but lack their distinctive advantages. Qua Nilus II has decent base stats, but its perk combinations don't quite match what you'd find on top-tier alternatives. The weapon feels serviceable rather than exceptional, though you can definitely make it work with the right setup.
- Barrel: Fluted Barrel
- Magazine: Appended Mag
- Perk 1: Proximity Power or Slice
- Perk 2: Swashbuckler or Dragonfly
- Masterwork: Reload Speed
- Barrel: Smallbore
- Magazine: Accurized Rounds
- Perk 1: Dynamic Sway Reduction
- Perk 2: Swashbuckler or Harmony
- Masterwork: Range
The PvP build pushes effective range to about 23 meters through careful stat stacking, which significantly expands where you can engage compared to typical SMGs.
Combat Bows: Precision Tools
Mercury-A: Overpenetration Power
Mercury-A introduces the High-Impact Longbow archetype with Wish-Ender's overpenetrating arrows and higher base damage. The slower draw time hurts, but the extra damage helps compensate.
Attrition Orbs or Rapid Hit for Perk 1
The kinetic element limits build synergy in the current meta, and the slow draw time makes it feel clunky compared to Hand Cannons for general content. Still, the overpenetrating shots can create satisfying moments when enemies line up perfectly.
Pre Astyanax IV: Nightfall Excellence
This Solar precision Bow comes from Pinnacle Ops. The refined perk pool offers excellent flexibility for different PvE roles, and it's one of the few Bows that actually feels competitive in today's sandbox.
| Component | Endgame Build | Alternative Options |
|---|---|---|
| Bowstring | Flexible String | Elastic String |
| Arrow | Straight Fletching | - |
| Perk 1 | Archer's Tempo | Successful Warm-Up |
| Perk 2 | Precision Instrument | Incandescent, Collective Action |
| Masterwork | Draw Time | - |
Successful Warm-Up provides an alternative for the first column, while Incandescent and Collective Action offer build-specific utility depending on your Solar setup.
Fusion Rifles: Energy Projection
Lionfish-4FR: Veist Innovation
The first Veist Fusion Rifle comes with the Veist Stinger origin trait for partial auto-reload during damage phases. This creates excellent DPS rotation potential where reload timing matters. After suffering through underwhelming Fusion Rifles for several seasons, Lionfish finally delivers the performance this weapon type deserves.
Chill Clip provides crowd control if you missed out on good Tinasha's Mastery or Riptide rolls.
Lionfish competes directly with Scatter Signal from Season of the Wish, offering similar DPS potential with unique origin trait advantages for sustained damage phases.
Shotguns: Point-Blank Power
Pure Recollection: Heavy Burst Power
This Void Heavy Burst Shotgun excels as a close-range boss DPS option when your heavy ammo runs dry. Since it drops from Crucible, you can farm it relatively easily compared to raid or dungeon alternatives. The burst nature means you're firing multiple pellets per trigger pull, creating impressive damage potential against large targets.
- Barrel: Fluted Barrel
- Magazine: Extended Mag
- Perk 1: Envious Arsenal
- Perk 2: Bait and Switch
- Masterwork: Handling
- Barrel: Fluted Barrel
- Magazine: Ricochet Rounds
- Perk 1: Under Pressure
- Perk 2: Closing Time
- Masterwork: Range
Sidearms: Secondary Versatility
Faustus Decline: Precision Excellence
Skilled players can push Faustus Decline to a 0.5-second TTK with high Weapons stats when using Sword Logic. The weapon rewards precision and game sense, though it doesn't quite reach the top tier for PvE due to limited perk synergies.
| Build Type | Barrel | Magazine | Perk 1 | Perk 2 | Masterwork |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PvE Build | Smallbore | Ricochet Rounds | Demolitionist | Headstone | Range |
| PvP Setup | Smallbore | Ricochet Rounds | Hip-Fire Grip | Sword Logic | Range |
Returned Memory: Solar Rockets
This Solar Rocket Sidearm basically recreates Aberrant Action from previous seasons, but with even better perk options. The explosive projectiles and Solar synergies make it incredibly powerful for PvE content, especially when you need something that bridges the gap between Primary and Special weapons.
Perk 1: Impromptu Ammunition, Lead from Gold | Perk 2: Redirection, Burning Ambition
Sniper Rifles: Long-Range Precision
Shoreline Dissident: Rapid-Fire Energy
Shoreline Dissident fills the energy slot gap for rapid-fire Sniper Rifles, but struggles to find a meaningful role in the current sandbox. While it can provide backup DPS for boss encounters that need sustained precision damage, most players will find better options elsewhere.
- Barrel: Arrowhead Brake
- Magazine: Tactical Mag
- Perk 1: Triple Tap
- Perk 2: Precision Instrument
- Masterwork: Range
- Barrel: Smallbore
- Magazine: Accurized Rounds
- Perk 1: Lone Wolf
- Perk 2: Closing Time
- Masterwork: Range
Heavy Weapons: Maximum Impact
Outrageous Fortune: Solar Grenade Power
Outrageous Fortune matches VS Chill Inhibitor's excellence while providing Solar element access. Perfect for burst DPS in raid and dungeon encounters, though ammo scarcity remains an ongoing challenge.
Burst DPS phases in raid and dungeon encounters where maximum damage output is critical.
T5 roll with 200 Weapons stat and quarter-second airtime for Full Court activation.
Aurora Dawn: Wave Frame Utility
Wave frame Swords excel at clearing fodder enemies and damaging majors through their unique attack pattern. Aurora Dawn can't roll Eager Edge (that's exclusive to Synanceia from Arms Week), but it offers valuable utility through other combinations. The Stasis element also opens up some interesting build possibilities with the right setup.
Pulse Rifles: Controlled Bursts
Stars In Shadow: High-Impact Return
This 340 RPM Solar Pulse Rifle returns from Beyond Light unchanged, but the sandbox has shifted around it. High-impact pulses no longer dominate the meta, but they're still competitive within their range. The Solar element makes it much more appealing for PvE than it was in its original incarnation.
| Build Type | Barrel | Magazine | Perk 1 | Perk 2 | Masterwork |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PvP Build | Arrowhead Brake | Accurized Rounds | Zen Moment | Headseeker | Range |
| PvE Solar Setup | Arrowhead Brake | Accurized Rounds | Heal Clip | Incandescent | Range |
Linear Fusion Rifles: Long-Range Burst
Boomslang-4FR: Limited Potential
Burst-fire Linear Fusion Rifles remain underused outside of The Queenbreaker, but Boomslang actually performs better than expected. The Arc element and Veist Stinger origin trait give it some legitimate utility, especially if you need a long-range option that can handle both DPS and add clear depending on your perk selection.
- Barrel: Arrowhead Brake
- Magazine: Accelerated Coils
- Perk 1: Envious Arsenal
- Perk 2: Precision Instrument
- Masterwork: Charge Time
- Perk 1: Field Prep
- Perk 2: Vorpal Weapon
- Focus: Super shutdown
Grenade Launchers: Situational Power
Theodolite: Micro-Missile Energy
Theodolite brings micro-missile functionality to the energy slot with movement capabilities through self-launch mechanics. Despite initial skepticism, this Grenade Launcher actually performs incredibly well with the right perk combinations. The ability to both clear adds and provide meaningful DPS makes it surprisingly versatile.
Perk 1: Danger Zone | Perk 2: Reaper's Tithe, Frenzy
Reconstruction essentially gives you unlimited ammo as long as you're landing shots, while Elemental Honing provides significant damage scaling on Prismatic builds. The combination makes Theodolite much more viable than you'd expect from a Grenade Launcher in the energy slot.
Farming Strategies
Portal Activity Planning
Each weapon drops from specific playlists, with bonus focus periods offering guaranteed drops. Check daily rotations and plan farming sessions around weapons you actually want.
- Prioritize bonus focus days for specific weapons
- Crucible provides reliable access to certain weapons
- Plan sessions around your available time and preferred activities
Resource Management
S-Tier weapons like Mint Retrograde and Outrageous Fortune deserve immediate attention and resources. Situational options can wait for convenient farming opportunities.
Consider masterwork materials and enhancement cores as limiting factors. Focus resources on weapons that provide the biggest immediate impact for your preferred content types.
Weapon Priority Rankings
Building Your Arsenal
Edge of Fate's weapon landscape offers diverse options, though some archetypes wait for future balance changes to reach full potential. PvE players should prioritize exceptional DPS options like Mint Retrograde and Outrageous Fortune. PvP enthusiasts should pursue refined rolls for weapons like Ahab Char and Faustus Decline.
Portal rewards strategic farming over random grinding. Understanding rotation schedules and bonus focus periods will significantly improve your acquisition efficiency and help build the arsenal for your preferred playstyle.
Weapon effectiveness extends beyond individual god rolls. Successful builds integrate weapons with armor mods, Subclass abilities, and team compositions for maximum impact. Use this guide as a foundation for building complete loadouts that excel in your chosen content.