Aside from niche builds or moments when they’ve been bugged, Trace Rifles have rarely been go-to picks in Destiny 2. But I gotta let you in on a little secret: they’re pretty great right now. In version 4.1.0, all Trace Rifles received a 20% damage buff against non-red bar enemies as well as a bump to ammo so that picking up a Special brick grants 30 ammo versus the previous 18. The Exotic Trace Rifles have received a few unique buffs over the last little while, too. Coldheart, whose Exotic perk was previously “is a Trace Rifle,” now generates Ionic Traces that restore ability energy. Prometheus Lens got Scorch. And perhaps most useful of all, Bungie reworked Wavesplitter so that it now switches into maximum power mode for 10 seconds on picking up an Orb of Power, up from the previous 5. In addition, firing in this mode now suppresses enemies.
You might think, ok, that’s fine and all, but Wavesplitter still isn’t going to be anyone’s first choice for high end content. But you’d be wrong — in part because of the limited choices of anti-Champion mods out there right now. This season, the only options we’ve got for dealing with Overload Champions are the reviled Auto Rifle/SMG Overload mods, the unreliable Molten Overload grenade mod, and Overload Trace Rifles. That means Wavesplitter is actually a viable choice for endgame content, since it’s a great option for taking out pesky Overload Champions that can easily ruin your whole run.
You can build pretty far into Wavesplitter using Void 3.0, as this video by Aztecross points out. But it’s great even without doing much of that at all. If you’re running Void, getting Volatile Rounds on it should be a priority, and Echo of Domineering — which triggers off of suppressing enemies — is going to be great too. But you don’t need to be running Void to make Wavesplitter work. On Solar 3.0, getting the Radiant buff is going to give you a big boost to damage that you can pretty easily proc with melee abilities.
It’s cool to see Trace Rifles becoming more viable options in Destiny 2. Wavesplitter is great in PVE right now, and other Trace Rifles like Divinity feel pretty good in the Crucible too. Who knows — maybe with Arc 3.0 next season and those Ionic Traces it generates now, Coldheart will be meta. I can dream, right?
If you’re looking for more help with Destiny 2, we have guides covering how to unlock the Solar 3.0 fragments and grenades, how to get the new Jotunn catalyst, how to farm Vestiges of Dread and Opulent Umbral Energy, all Exotics, new weapon Patterns, seasonal mods, and Season of the Haunted triumphs. In addition, we’re covering all patch notes, bugs and top issues, Bound in Sorrow quest steps, and Calus Bobbleheads. We’ve covered how to get Opulent Keys, Bound Presence in Containment, Crown of Sorrow H.E.L.M. upgrades, Iron Banner Seal Triumphs, and the Trespasser Catalyst. And lastly, we’ve written on how to find a Loyalist Commander for Battles Lines Triumph and the Cek’ik Boss.
