DexertoAs expected of a new season in Destiny 2, Episode Heresy added several new weapon perks that have shaken up the meta, forcing you to hunt them down.
When deciding what weapons are worth farming, the perks they roll are easily the biggest factor in deciding what you should care about. Regardless of whether you are looking for the best PvE weapons or best PvP weapons, having god rolls with meta perks is a must if you want to compete.
It’s for this reason that a new episode is such an exciting time for anyone wanting to get stronger, and Heresy is no exception. Here are all the new perks that have been added this episode and how they rank against one another.
Episode Heresy perks ranked
| TIER | WEAPON PERK |
|---|---|
| Meta | Demoralize, Detonator Beam, Rolling Storm |
| Situational | Elemental Honing, Reciprocity, Tear |
| Not Viable | Melee Momentum, Recycled Energy |
Our tiers explained
- Meta: Top-tier perks that feature often on god rolls and have a big impact on the meta.
- Situational: Niche perks that are useful but more suited to specific activities or builds.
- Not Viable: Weak perks that are outclassed by other options.
Meta Perks
Demoralize
Dexerto- Effect: Precision final blows cause nearby targets to become Weakened.
- Best Weapons: Corrective Measure, Joxer’s Longsword, Unvoiced
Void got a big-time glow-up in Episode Heresy, with Destabilizing Rounds being buffed and Demoralize getting added. This new perk Weakens all nearby combatants whenever you land a precision final blow, causing them to take 15% more damage from all sources.
This is incredible, as it can be paired with Destabilizing Rounds to first Weaken and then explode a group of combatants. This lethal combination can be considered Void’s answer to Incandescent, with the Light subclass finally offering comparable add-clear.
Detonator Beam
Dexerto- Effect: Dealing sustained damage creates an explosion around the target.
- Best Weapons: Unsworn, Warlord’s Spear
This perk is essentially just Kinetic Tremors for Trace Rifles. Deal sustained damage for a sizable DPS boost and AOE damage that hits nearby combatants. It varies from case to case, but you can typically expect Trace Rifles with this perk to deal around 30% more damage.
A boost that large is big enough to justify using them as legitimate DPS weapons, especially against Majors and Champions. You probably don’t want to be shooting actual bosses still, although even that isn’t the worst option if you are struggling for Heavy ammo. It’s no exaggeration to say this perk has saved Trace Rifles, with them once again being valuable.
Rolling Storm
Dexerto- Effect: Final blows grant Bolt Charge. While amplified, final blows grant additional Bolt Charge.
- Best Weapons: Psychopomp, The Palindrome, Watchful Eye
Bolt Charge is the new Arc Keyword added in Heresy, and it’s certainly strong. Get 10 stacks and deal any ability damage to call down a devastating lightning bolt that deals a ton of damage. Right now, the best way to get those stacks is by using add-clear weapons with Rolling Storm.
With how prevalent Arc is this season, weapons that roll this perk – like Psychopomp and Watchful Eye – are really strong right now. As such, this is an undeniably meta perk that is god roll-worthy on anything that can get it. You don’t even need to be on an Arc build to justify using it, making Rolling Storm a versatile option that makes sense in most activities.
Situational Perks
Elemental Honing
Dexerto- Effect: Dealing unique elemental damage grants this weapon a stacking damage bonus for an improved duration. This bonus is increased for kinetic weapons.
- Best Weapons: Cynosure, Hezen Vengeance, Praedyth’s Revenge
Don’t be too hasty to write off this perk. Elemental Honing is a competitive DPS option that requires a little bit of setup but is undoubtedly effective. Each time you deal damage with a new element, it adds an extra stack, peaking at 40% damage at 5 stacks on Kinetic Weapons.
This excels on Prismatic builds, where you can use a mix of abilities and even unique Exotics like Two-Tailed Fox to get all five stacks surprisingly quickly. Once set up, switch to the weapon with this perk and fire away to deal massive damage. It isn’t as easy to use as something like Bait and Switch, but Elemental Honing is still good with the right loadout.
Reciprocity
Dexerto- Effect: When healing projectiles from this weapon strike allies, you also receive a small amount of healing.
- Best Weapons: Adamantite
This is essentially the Strand equivalent of Physic, albeit a worse version. While Physic on No Hesitation grants Restoration, Reciprocity instead provides a flat healing boost of 3 HP for each projectile. That’s nothing too crazy, but it certainly helps keep you alive in more challenging content.
However, that’s the catch. Much like Physic, this weapon perk only excels in endgame content and is somewhat of a waste in easy to medium-difficulty activities. This is more so a perk you use if your fireteam is struggling, rather than something you start out with. Regardless, Reciprocity works well enough and is worth considering.
Tear
Dexerto- Effect: Precision final blows cause nearby targets to become Severed.
- Best Weapons: Unloved, Unsworn
If Hatchling is Strand’s add-clear perk, this can be considered the subclasses’ long-awaited utility perk. It’s fairly strong too, Severing nearby targets after any precision final blow. When the Sever debuff is applied, enemies deal 30% less damage, making it a great option in endgame content.
Considering Tear is now the easiest way to apply Sever to a large group of enemies, that alone makes it a good choice on primary weapons. However, it’s by no means a universal perk, as this effect is largely useless in easier content where sustain is much less of a concern.
Not Viable Perks
Melee Momentum
- Effect: Melee final blows with this weapon grant it bonus energy and provide increased movement speed while blocking.
- Best Weapons: Backfang, Refusal of the Call
Honestly, Melee Momentum isn’t the worst perk in a vacuum, especially given how strong Glaives are this season. However, the benefits provided by this aren’t that amazing when compared to other options that simply outclass it.
If you want utility, Replenishing Aegis prints ammo for blocking damage, and if you want convenience, Beacon Rounds or Impulse Amplifier are better options. This may have some niche uses for melee-focused builds, but even those are often better off using a Shotgun or one of the three Exotic Glaives instead.
Recycled Energy
- Effect: Reloading after defeating targets grants energy to your lowest charged ability.
- Best Weapons: Admetus-D, Mirror Image
If you are going to use a perk that requires reloading, you are much better off using something like Heal Clip, Kill Clip, or Voltshot. While they either massively boost DPS or provide top-tier utility, all this perk does is give you a small energy boost – a boost you can’t even control where it goes at that.
Even when compared to other energy boosting perks, Recycled Energy is still a poor option. You are far better off using Demolitionist or Pugilist, with both of these letting you focus on a specific playstyle and being plenty effective. Of all the perks added in Episode Heresy, this is by far the worst.
To learn more about what was added in Episode Heresy, check the new weapons and the seasonal artifact that introduced a variety of meta mods that define how you play.
