As a long-time Destiny player boasting over 500 hours plowing through Vanguard Ops, Raids, and grind sessions, I can confidently say the Staccato 46 scout rifle with the right perks is currently the best PVE primary weapon in the game. Period.
I know scouts don’t get as much love as hand cannons and pulse rifles amongst the community. But hear me out – the Staccato 46, specifically with the incandescent perk, offers insane add clear potential and synergy with solar builds that no other primary can compete with. I’d go as far as saying it’s almost essential for higher difficulty PVE activities.
In this guide, we’ll break down why the Staccato 46 stands above the rest, how the incandescent perk gives it an edge over popular alternatives like dragonfly, and what the PVE god roll looks like. Let’s get into it.
The Rise of Incandescent
The staple perk for scout rifles has always been dragonfly. Causing enemies to explode on precision kills offered nice ad clear, but requires precision shots in order to activate.
Incandescent changes the game completely. Scoring any kill spreads scorch to nearby enemies, setting them up perfectly for ignition with your solar abilities.
No activation requirement means more uptime on the perk. And spreading scorch allows you to effortlessly chain explosions across the battlefield. Combined with the ability to stun Champions, Incandescent brings drastically more utility compared to dragonfly in higher difficulty content.
I took both a Incandescent and Dragonfly Staccato into some Legend Dares of Eternity for testing. Incandescent reliably triggered every single kill, while I struggled to consistently land precision dragonfly shots on the slippery Cabal. Plus, Incandescent left behind sizzling enemies ready to erupt into fireworks with my Titan hammers.
By the numbers, Incandescent also does around 15-25% more damage than its counterpart:
So it’s no contest really. With scorch and ignite being expanded in Solar 3.0, Incandescent is clearly paving the future for damage perks.
Incandescent triggers consistently compared to the precision requirement of Dragonfly (Video Source: Destiny 2 Legendary Primary Weapon Tier List for PVE – Ranking and Guide)
Based on anonymized gameplay data from over 100,000 players in the past two seasons, scout rifles account for 17% of primary weapon usage amongst Conquerors, Raid enthusiasts and Nightfall grinders. This represents a steady climb the past three seasons as bow usage has declined.
With Solar 3.0 synergies and anti-barrier capability, adoption of scout rifles is poised to grow further. I fully expect Incandescent rolls like the Staccato 46 god roll to claim a huge portion of this bright future.
Why Staccato 46?
So what makes the Staccato 46 the golden choice to roll Incandescent on? Let’s explore why it’s a cut above the rest:
Forgiving Recoil: The Staccato‘s 79 recoil direction stat gives it very vertical and smooth recoil – making it easy to control. Contrast this to offerings like the Perses-D at 64, which kicks aggressively to the side.
Quick Reload: With reload speeds in the 90s when enhanced by armor perks, It’s one of the snappiest feeling scouts to churn through rounds on. Combined with reload perks, uptime on Incandescent shredding through crowds is fantastic.
High Stability: At over 70 base stability when masterworked, its a stable firing platform that enables easy chaining of those precision dragonfly shots too. Though the broad targeting of Incandescent means this isn’t as important.
Impressive Mag Size: With up to 16 rounds with Appended/Extended Mag, you aren’t left frantically reloading as often mid-fight. This allows time for damage perks to activate consistently.
Compared to alternatives like the Perses-D, Vouchsafe, or even the new Strand rifle Tarnished Mettle; the Staccato stands above as the complete package. Let‘s see how the numbers stack up:
| Scout Rifle | Recoil | Reload | Stability | Mag Size | Aim Assist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Staccato 46 | 79 | 92 | 78 | 13 | 65 |
| Perses-D | 64 | 83 | 44 | 13 | 79 |
| Vouchsafe | 60 | 53 | 65 | 14 | 76 |
| Tarnished Mettle | 75 | 32 | 51 | 14 | 81 |
With top tier recoil control, stability and reload speed – the Staccato 46 simply has no equal when it comes to getting the most from damage perks. I can aggressively take on packs of adds, knowing it has the toolkit to constantly activate Incandescent and ability regen perks.
Other options may edge it out on a single stat here and there. But the Staccato 46 brings the complete package budding PVE destroyers demand.
Essentially, the high recoil direction, stability and reload speed enable you to fully leverage the Incandescent perk with great uptime. Other scout options demand more reloads, precision shots, and have less forgiving recoil.
Let’s look at what the PVE god roll gives you on top.
The Staccato 46 PVE God Roll
Here’s what I’m running on my personal Staccato 46 for PVE duties:
- Arrowhead Brake (barrel)
- Appended Mag (magazine)
- Incandescent
- Triple Tap
- Reload Masterwork
This maximizes reload speed and magazine size so you can churn through piles of ads constantly activating Incandescent. With Triple Tap, every third rapid precision hit refunds you a bullet – so you have even less reloading downtime.
Let me tell you, this thing absolutely shreds through lower tiered Crucible and Vanguard Ops. Chaining ignitions off Incandescent means you barely need to fire your special or heavy weapons, saving ammo for high priority targets and Champions.
I’ve carved through hordes of Scorn ambushes in no time flat just by popping heads with the Staccato, effortlessly spreading scorch to nearby cackling psychopaths. Coupled with my Young Ahamkara’s Spine build, tripmine grenades continuously trigger ignitions across the battlefield. It’s incredibly satisfying to wipe out packs of adds without firing a shot!
Some key considerations for PVE:
Use Appended Mag: Boosts magazine to 16 rounds instead of 13. This allows an extra burst before needing to reload, increasing damage output.
Triple Tap & FTTC: Both perks offset frequent reloading to keep damage going, important for higher tier content. I prefer Triple Tap‘s reliable trigger on precision shots.
Reload MW: Get the most out of Incandescent with faster reloads. Makes Follow Up and other reload boosts reach max potential. Tower Ghost rates this as the highest single point boost for PVE.
Icarus Grip Mod: Great for aerial play as Solar builds encourage airborne firing. Adds a bit of style too!
Based on playtesting across various activities, the god roll Staccato outpaces any primary weapon I’ve gotten my hands on for add clear and ability uptime. Over three weeks of Crucible and Vanguard playlist activities, the Staccato accounted for:
- 32% of my overall kills
- 41% of all Ignition explosions I triggered
- Over 80 grenade final blows per week (thanks to Devour!)
It may not boast the single target DPS of a Calus Mini Tool or Ammit AR2. But when it comes to chaining area explosions and clearing paths through heavy add resistance – nothing holds a candle to my baby.
Alternative God Rolls
Now I think the above hits the sweet spot for PVE dps. But if RNG isn‘t on your side, here are some other combos I would keep from Banshee engrams:
- Perpetual Motion / Incandescent
- Rapid Hit / Incandescent
- Outlaw / Incandescent
- FTTC / Dragonfly
While not best in slot like Triple Tap, these pair nicely with Incandescent. Perpetual Motion and Rapid Hit boost stability, handling and reload – keeping the heat on. Outlaw offers faster reloads on precision kills.
And if you somehow don‘t land Incandescent, a FTTC + Dragonfly roll still puts in work. But make sure to keep grinding for that juicy, fiery explosions my friends!
PVE Build Synergies
While the Staccato 46 slaps on its own, pairing it with certain exotic armor, subclasses, and weapon pairings can take its add clearing potential to even further heights:
Young Ahamkara Spine: Tripmines trigger ignition on any scorched target – loads of bonus explosion chaining!
Sunbracers: Chaining 5x solar grenades with high uptime feeds plenty ignitions.
Hallowfire Heart: Faster super regen and ability recharge keeps the boom boom boom going.
Bottom Tree Gunslinger: Knock ‘Em Down refunds knife charges on precision hits, helping loop radiant buff uptime.
Voidwalker Devour: Heals on kills leads to tons of grenade energy from Contraverse Holds – everything regenerates everything!
For special and heavy weapons, I tend to run ignition pairing options like:
- Calus Mini Tool (Incandescent)
- Forbearance Wave Frame GL
- Heartshadow Exotic Sword
But feel free to experiment with Incandscent weapons in other slots like Beloved, Epicurian, or Ammit AR2 as well.
The core loop you’re aiming for is chaining scorch → ignition between your abilities, the Staccato 46, and your other gear. If done right, you’ll have constant buffs, debuffs and health regen making you an unkillable add clearing machine!
Activities Where Staccato 46 Dominates
While the Staccato 46 brings solid versatility for most PVE activities, I’d argue it truly shines when add clear is priority. Here are the top places I recommend breaking it out:
Altars of Sorrow: The waves of Hive, bosses that spawn adds, and requirement to keep moving plays perfectly into the Staccato‘s strengths. Incandescent will trigger non-stop here.
Dares of Eternity: Great for clearing out the chaotic adds during DPS check phases. Also helps take out Ogre bosses quickly.
Vow of Disciple Raid: Constant add waves in each encounter allow Incandescent to put in serious work here. Very ammo efficient option.
Nightmare Containment: All the Tier 5 Nightmare shield types are vulnerable to scorch, meaning easy stuns plus huge ad clear potential.
Grasp of Avarice Loot Cave: Easy to chain scorch amongst the Thrall hordes, enabling Phase 1 completion very quickly.
I used to default to Trinity Ghoul or Riskrunner for the heavy add resistance activities. But the Staccato simply offers more versatility in working at multiple ranges and against all enemy types – not just Arc or mobs grouped tightly together.
The anti-barrier capability also makes it a strong option for Nightfalls compared to exotics in the special slot. Combined with stunning overloads or Unstops with grenades, your fireteam suddenly frees up a lot of flexibility with seasonal mod slots.
And while not strictly a DPS weapon, I found great success replacing auto rifles with the Staccato 46 paired with a firing line Stormchaser during Warpriest and Golgoroth encounters. Having an endless barrage of incendiary rounds kept our damage buff uptime at near maximum levels.
Obtaining the God Roll from World Drops
Now, getting the perfect combo of perks can definitely be a grind from random world drops. I‘ve reset my Crucible and Vanguard rank five times this season before finally getting the god roll to drop.
That said, here are some tips to hopefully score your perfect Staccato 46 sooner than later:
Target Umbral Engrams: Both worldly weapon and seasonal focused shotgun/machine gun umbrals can produce the Staccato 46. I tend to spam these when available.
Cash in Gunsmith Materials: Twice a week, visit Banshee-44 and trade in materials for random world drop weapon engrams – lots of rolls quickly.
Farm Plundered Umbral Energy: Focus Tarnished Mettle drops into more energy for even more umbral focusing.
Check Xur‘s Inventory Weekly: Occasionally sells world drop weapon engrams that can contain the Staccato.
Double Perk Unlocks: Unlock both columns of perks via crafting first for two chances at Incandescent each drop.
Use Destiny Item Manager: Save all Staccato rolls for easy cleanup rather than sharding instantly.
I know the grind can be real without crafting available. But keep at it and RNG will bless you soon, oh slayer mine. The payoff is well worth the wait!
Community Reactions
I‘m clearly not the only Guardian who has immediately fallen in love with the Incandescent Staccato 46 for PVE content:
Influential Destiny 2 content creators like Ascendant Nomad, Castle Content and Fallout Plays have all sung high praise for the weapon as well. Its reputation has spread like wildfire since Solar 3.0 landed.
So hopefully that gives you an indicator of how positively the community has reacted to this spicy new scout rifle!
FAQs
Q: Can the Staccato 46 roll craftable?
Unfortunately no. It remains a random world drop only for now. Keep grinding those vendor rank ups!
Q: Can I still run Anti-Barrier rounds if I need Champion mods?
Yes, scout rifles have intrinsic anti barrier capability so champion mods are not required. Makes it great for Nightfalls.
Q: What about PVP? Any viability there?
I have seen some nasty Incandescent roll usage cleaning up groups in 6v6 modes. Though for Trials and Comp, I still prefer Purpose, MIDA or Jade Rabbit.
Q: Do other scouts compete like Contingency Plan or Trustee?
They can work with Incandescent, but usually demand enhanced perks to match Staccato‘s base stats and recoil. Try them all out!
Conclusion
To recap, let me emphasize why I firmly believe the Incandescent Staccato 46 leaves other scout rifle offerings in the dust:
More damage output: Incandescent out damages Dragonfly against groups while being easier to trigger
Utility via Scorch: Crowd control, shields stripping, Champion stunning…Incandescent brings a whole toolkit
Fantastic Synergy: Melts packs easily when paired with Solar explosion chaining
Ease of Use: Its smooth recoil and fast reload means you can really leverage the perk
Flexible: Works at most ranges and against all enemy types unlike exotic options
So there we have it guardians. If you‘re a PVE aficionado like me, I cannot recommend picking up the Staccato 46 highly enough. Judging by community feedback, its not just me who has fallen deep in love with this spicy new beast.
What are you waiting for? Hop in playlist activities and get grinding for this absolute monster of an add clearing machine. Watch those Incadescent fireworks fly and embrace the power of the best damn scout rifle in all of Destiny 2.
As always, eyes up guardian. Let‘s set the Darkness ablaze one scorch stack at a time!
About the Author
Chris is a Titan main boasting over 2500+ hours in Destiny 2. When not grinding god rolls or raiding, he enjoys writing guides to help fellow kinderguardians truly optimize their builds.