The Ikelos SG is a strong choice that can absolutely melt enemies with the right perk combination. Keep in mind, the Ikelos is not the boss killing machine it once was. That duty has been relegated to weapons such as Xenophage or Falling Guillotine, which have a much higher burst damage output. That being said, this shotgun is still superb for general mods or Major tier enemies. For our first slot, we are looking for Hammer-Forged Rifling to give us that boost to range, while Tactical Mag increases our magazine size, stability, and reload speed. Alternatively, you can go for Accurized Rounds if you want an even longer-ranged shotgun.
- Hammer-Forged Rifling
- Tactical Mag
- Feeding Frenzy or Lead From Gold
- Rampage or Trench Barrel
For the major perks slot, Feeding Frenzy and Lead From Gold are both solid options. Ideally, you’ll want wedding Frenzy, as it combos nicely with Rampage. This allows you to quickly burst down Majors, shattering their health bars thanks to the damage increase. Trench Barrel is mainly for melee-focused players who don’t mind punching an enemy first. Just remember, this perk got nerfed so only the first few shots will receive Trench Barrel’s bonus stat increases!
Some of you might notice we don’t have a god roll for PVP. The reasoning is, this weapon simply isn’t ideal for the Crucible, as there are much better options if you want to use a shotgun. I strongly recommend farming for First In, Last Out if PVP is your goal. That being said, if you absolutely must have an Ikelos for PVP, aim for Moving Target and Elemental Capacitor. It’s the only really solid combination of PVP perks, but again, just use a different shotgun in the Crucible.
