Destiny 2’s one of a kind Exotic is guaranteed to make a return to meta relevance in Heresy Act 2 thanks to a package of robust Artifact Perks aimed at buffing Trace Rifles.
Introduced in The Final Shape, Microcosm is currently the only Exotic Heavy Trace Rifle in Destiny 2. Despite many balking at the weapon’s relatively unremarkable Perks in previews prior to the 2024 expansion’s release, it ultimately became an instrumental tool in taking down The Witness.
With Grenade Launchers overtaking the boss DPS meta in Echoes and Revenant, Microcosm subsequently fell by the wayside, but now? It’s making a glorious comeback.
Microcosm has wild synergy with Heresy Act 2’s Artifact Perks
Microcosm will benefit massively from Heresy Act 2’s Artifact Perks.For the sake of clarity, Microcosm’s Perks grant the following effects:
- Paracausal Beam: Fires a beam of Kinetic light, dealing massive bonus damage to shields.
- Paracausal Imbuement: Final blows with this weapon grant Super energy. This weapon gains bonus damage once your Super expires.
Already a strong Exotic thanks to the above, Heresy Act 2’s Artifact brings utility to Microcosm in the form Beam Medic’s AoE healing and the ability to mass-spawn elemental pickups. See below for the full list of perks dedicated specifically to Trace Rifles.
- Overload Trace Rifles: Uninterrupted fire from your equipped Trace Rifle causes the beam to stun combatants, delaying ability energy regeneration and exhausting them.
- Beam Medic: Rapid Trace Rifle final blows heal you and nearby allies. Powerful combatants increase the amount.
- Elemental Siphon: Rapid final blows with a Kinetic weapon or a weapon matching your equipped Super create an elemental pickup that matches your equipped Super.
- Harsh Refraction: Trace Rifles do more damage to targets afflicted by elemental debuffs matching their element type.
While the first free perks listed above will naturally complement Microcosm, we won’t know until Act 2 launches how Harsh Refraction interacts with the Exotic. At face value, its status as the only Kinetic Trace Rifle means it shouldn’t benefit from Harsh Refraction. However, Bungie may have made an exception for this fringe case.
Either way, if you’ve yet to unlock Microcosm, now’s the time to do so. Check out our guide for everything you need to know about getting your hands on the weapon.
