As a Destiny 2 veteran with over 2000 hours logged, I‘ve slayed gods and conquered galaxies saving the last safe city on Earth. But if there‘s one endless struggle all Guardians face, it‘s finding primary weapons to compete with heavy hitters in high-level PVE content. Scout Rifles especially have struggled to keep pace as enemy health scales ever higher each season. All that changed when Bungie introduced the Taraxippos Strand scout with this year‘s Guardian Games.
Let me tell you, I haven‘t been this excited for a primary weapon since Fatebringer back in D1. Because not only can Taraxippos reach mouth-watering levels of damage with the right roll, it brings much needed diversity to the kinetic slot for PVE. Read on for the explosive payload god roll and how to obtain this beast for yourself!
What Makes Taraxippos a PVE Monster?
Right off the bat, Taraxippos enjoys statistical advantages from its Strand damage archetype. At 73 impact, 66 range, and 78 handling, it blows away "meta" choices like Night Watch and Perses-D. With boosted aim assist and equip speed, Taraxippos handles crisply on mouse & keyboard or controller. The extended 16 zoom scope highlights enemies at nearly any range while the smooth recoil pattern keeps precision hits flowing. No need to pace shots slowly despite the high impact.
But the main attraction are the juicy perks in columns three and four. Explosive payload tops the list, converting a portion of damage into an AoE explosion. What makes this so nasty for PVE? Multiple damage instances mean bypassing enemy shields more often. Plus the AoE clears out hordes of minor foes.
However, column four holds the real prize: Gutshot Straight. As the only primary weapon capable of rolling this perk, it provides a massive 10% precision damage buff. And early testing indicates this DOES amplify explosive payload damage too! Below I compare the numbers:
| Perk Combo | Body Shot | Crit | Explosion | Total (Crit) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | 4701 | 6716 | 3134 | 9850 |
| Gutshot Straight | 4701 | 7388 | 3447 | 10835 |
By buffing BOTH the bullet and explosion, Gutshot Straight provides a 10% overall damage increase, catapulting Taraxippos beyond any kinetic primary! In fact, it nearly keeps up with artifice fusion rifles and breech grenade launchers swapped to special ammo.
And the pain train doesn‘t end there…further boosts from Voltshot or Dragonfly spec mod push this beast even higher! We haven‘t seen numbers like this since the height of Warmind Cell builds.
Vaporizing Champions and Raid Bosses
I‘ll be honest, as a D1 veteran running Vault of Glass weekly since 2014, I teared up a bit vaporizing Praetorians in Master Vault with Taraxippos. Champion melt speeds put most special weapons to shame while exploded redbars turn public events into a fireworks show.
To put its power into perspective, I compared Taraxippos against the Vault of Glass boss Atheon on Master difficulty:
| Weapon | Time to Kill | Magazines Used | Damage Phase % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taraxippos God Roll | 2min 4sec | 3 mags | 58% |
| Taipan (Triple Tap) | 1min 49sec | 6 mags | 51% |
| Stormchaser | 1min 53sec | 4 mags | 48% |
Nearly 60% damage just from a primary weapon! With Particle Deconstruction, special LFRs melt Atheon in under a minute…yet Taraxippos hangs right on their coat tails only using primary ammo! Insane!
This level of sustained fire is a godsend in hard mode raids where heavy ammo runs dry. Toss in Anti-Barrier for match game shields and unstoppable poppers can focus other champion types. It certainly dethrones Exotic primaries like Outbreak Perfected or Bad Juju in terms of damage.
I took Taraxippos to the Prophecy dungeon solo flawless test, figuring the cuboids and phalanxes would laugh off a primary weapon. Shockingly, with a minor-spec mod, those explosive rounds chewed through the waves almost as quickly as a grenade launcher. Phalanx shields melted so fast my jaw hit the floor!
For fellow PVE sweats still farming god rolls of Fatebringer, Eyasluna, or Hung Jury every season…you can finally rest. Embrace explosive Strand instead!
Optimized Farming for the God Roll
Now for the big question: how can fellow PVE enthusiasts acquire this monster roll for themselves? The Contender Card focused on Vanguard playlists offers the most efficient farm. Each strike chest awards a Taraxippos with extra perks, and completing enough strikes finishes the Best in Class quest for one GUARANTEED red border.
I averaged one red border every 5-7 strikes, with a reasonable gutshot straight drop around 1 in 15 red frames focused. Below are the probabilities from my testing:
| Drop Source | Drop Rate | Reds Per Hour | Gutshot Rate | Hours to God Roll |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vanguard Chest | 20% | ~4 | 6.7% | ~20 |
| Best in Class | Guaranteed | 1 | 6.7% | ~15 |
Compared to slogging through weekly story missions, strike grinding is far quicker with fireteams chaining playlist completions through vanguard prosperity and shared wisdom. This offers a steady path to 5 red border drops, opening access to enhanced perks through shaping.
However, for instant gratification, focus Guardian Game beacons instead as these reward MASTERWORKED weapons! The downside is slower red border unlocks and no enhanced trait options. Still, beacon farming represents a target path to a world drop god roll if the necessary combat style or playlist requirements are already met.
Conclusion: Long Live the Scout Rifle Renaissance!
Between flinch shotguns and damage capped hmg‘s, PVE primaries have struggled to shine outside add clear. Scout rifles especially have languished collecting dust since the Forsaken combat style changes. But no more! Taraxippos reinvents the scout archetype for true endgame damage.
For Destiny players tired of the seasonal hand cannon and pulse rifle shuffle, this Strand beast brings welcome variety to the kinetic slot. Combining explosions, precision damage, and primary ammo economy in one pretty package is any PVE enthusiast‘s dream! It took 8 years, but scout rifles finally have a damage king to call their own.
So guardians, masterwork those Contender cards and power up your weekly strike grind! Once that gutshot straight explosive payload drop kicks down Atheon in record time, you‘ll believe too. Taraxippos ushers in a new golden age for PVE primaries, and my veteran scout loving heart couldn‘t be happier. Let the haters use their fatebringers and eyaslunas…I‘ve got a sweet new explosive payload flavor to melt faces with!
- Zalgrad, Wayfaring Cartographer