Scintillation is Destiny 2‘s deadliest Strand linear fusion rifle, and it comes with enough perks to make a collage of god rolls, depending on what you want from this weapon. It’s godly in PvE, but don’t go looking for Crucible perks here.
The incredible perk pool is Scintillation’s biggest strength, with multiple meta options on each column. Linear fusion rifles aren’t usually this stocked, so Scintillation becomes an interesting weapon from the get-go.
Scintillation is available from Nightfalls when it’s the featured weapon, but players who already have a copy can focus on the regular version through Zavala at any time. Guardians who brave Grandmasters can also earn this weapon as an Adept version when it’s on tap and focus subsequent rolls of it with Nightfall Ciphers. The removal of Adept Big Ones Spec makes the rest of the Adept mods more valuable since they’ll usually run against lesser-powered versions of themselves (though with fewer downsides).
Linear fusion rifles may have fallen quite a bit since their heyday, but they may still be a decent option for damage, especially if you’re looking for something to match a Strand surge in applicable activities (which don’t include base-difficulty raids). Here are our Scintillation god rolls in Destiny 2, focusing on the PvE side.
Scintillation PvE god roll in Destiny 2
- Barrel: Arrowhead Brake, Polygonal Rifling, or Smallbore
- Battery: Enhanced Battery or Ionized Battery
- Third column: Envious Assassin, Rapid Hit, Rewind Rounds, or Auto-Loading Holster
- Fourth column: Bait and Switch, Surrounded, or Firing Line
Scintillation brings an arsenal of meta perks for linear fusion rifles across both columns. We opted for Envious Assassin because it’s easy to overflow this linear fusion rifle between damage phases, but there are good arguments for most options. Auto-Loading Holster makes for a great perk to swap with during DPS phases, especially if you’re using Izanagi’s Burden in your rotation, and it’s a comfortable perk to have. It also helps if you’re using a Supremacy with Kinetic Tremors to activate Bait and Switch since by the time you’ve reactivated the damage perk, you may already have a full magazine.
Rapid Hit grants you a hefty buff to reload speed and some extra stability, which can help land your bolts in your target. Rewind Rounds refunds some of your magazine once it runs out, letting you prolong your damage output for a bit longer. Even Slice can work to mitigate incoming damage in a boss fight.
Your choice of third-column perk here basically depends on how you want this gun to perform. Cornered might be the worst pick, but even Cornered/Surrounded can make for a devastating (if situational) combination. This perk lent some fame to Briar’s Contempt (from Root of Nightmares), but it’s still not something you’ll use every boss fight. If you want to keep a Surrounded roll, we’d recommend having a different god roll in your vault.
The fourth column also brings some heavy hitters. Bait and Switch takes the top of our god roll because it gives you a great damage boost with more ease of use than Surrounded and without the fireteam requirement from Firing Line. It’s one of the best perks for heavy weapons overall, whether you’re solo or in a squad, and it gets even better with the right Scintillation god roll.
That’s not to say other options don’t have their merits. Surrounded can offer a bigger damage boost, though it only applies in situations where there are enemies around you. Firing Line is pretty much a free damage boost if you’re alongside allies, though it’s easier to bring a good special weapon to pair with Scintillation and activate Bait and Switch.
Since Scintillation shines at damaging bosses or Champions, Reservoir Burst, Hatchling, and Attrition Orbs aren’t really in the conversation compared to the other monumental choices on the table.
Scintillation PvP god roll in Destiny 2
- Barrel: Arrowhead Brake or Polygonal Rifling
- Magazine: Particle Repeater
- Third column: Cornered or Rapid Hit
- Fourth column: Reservoir Burst
Scintillation is, at its core, a godly PvE weapon, and there isn’t much going for it in the PvP department. We’d pick Rapid Hit or Cornered paired with Reservoir Burst in a pinch, but don’t look for PvP staples in this gun. It will still delete anyone who gets caught in its crosshairs, but that gun isn’t made for the Crucible. Grenade launchers, rockets, or machine guns are probably better picks.
