Published , by Sam Chandler
Published , by Sam Chandler
The Palindrome is one of a few new additions to Destiny 2. Available exclusively through Nightfall Strikes, The Palindrome will fast become a go-to weapon for a lot of experienced players in both PVE activities and Crucible. For those that want one of their own, finding a Palindrome god roll in Destiny 2 will be a top priority.
The Palindrome, a weapon from the original Destiny, has found its way into Destiny 2. This Hand Cannon has shifted from the Kinetic weapon slot into the Energy slot, though it still uses Primary ammo. This shift to Energy also means it does elemental damage. Players can enjoy some Void damage on this Hand Cannon, which has a similar feel to another popular gun from a previous Season in Destiny 2.
The Palindrome is a random drop from Nightfall: The Ordeal. Check out the Nightfall weapon rotation schedule for when you can next get your hands on one.
Fans of Season of Opulence’s Austringer will certainly be pleased with the feel of The Palindrome. Both guns sit at the same 140 RPM archetype while also having stats within a few points of one another.
The glaring difference is, of course, the fact that The Palindrome is an Energy weapon, which could make it a bit difficult to find a gun that fills the Sniper and Shotgun role. And, of course, the perks available on The Palindrome are a bit different to Austringer. So, let’s take a look at a couple of Palindrome god rolls as well as some options for PVE and PVP players, and some suggestions for what else to look out for.
Much like Austringer, Palindrome can tend to fall short in the Range and Reload Speed stats. Oddly enough, Light.gg’s community-sourced recommended perks places some questionable perks higher than other preferable options, especially considering how this is basically a carbon copy of Austringer. Because of this, the following are my personal suggestions as well as the reasoning behind them. As always, these perks may be incompatible with your playstyle.
For PVE, the diminished Range stat on The Palindrome is less of a concern than it is in Crucible. For this reason, you can likely forgo perks that boost this stat in favor of ones that help with handling and others that boost various combat areas.
For this Palindrome god roll, the main goal is to improve handling, boost the magazine, speed up the reload speed, and ensure you’re constantly working towards getting your Super back. Extended Magazine reduces your reload speed but that can be circumvented with Outlaw, which merely requires a precision kill to proc.
Thresh is a relatively new perk and one that I personally find quite appealing. The addition of Masterwork weapons dropping Orbs of Power was excellent, but perks that actively help you regain your Super is the icing on the cake. With Extended Mag, you’ll have a better opportunity to get more kills.
The second-last perk column doesn’t really have a lot of great options of PVE. Quickdraw and Killing Blow aren’t necessary in PVE content and I cannot imagine a scenario where I’d want to use Overflow. Bottomless Grief is interesting, but it requires your teammates to be dead – not a great trade-off.
For the last column, you might also consider One For All, which increases damage by hitting three different targets. This, of course, requires there to be enough enemies around for this to proc. Then there’s Rampage, which is a true classic.
While you might not be too worried about Range in PVE, you would be wise to consider boosting the Range stat on The Palindrome if you plan on taking it into Crucible. The last thing you want is to be using a Hand Cannon and being unable to tap Snipers or spar with Pulse Rifle users as you’re moving between areas.
For the Barrel perk, Smallbore boosts both Range and Stability and when paired with Ricochet Rounds for the Magainze, ensures The Palindrome’s damage fall off is pushed out as far as possible. Plus, not having the gun flail about is neat. Hammer-Forged Rifling would be the other option if you’re able to control the Stability and are more concerned with maximising the Range stat.
The first perk column has two main options for Crucible players, but I believe Killing Wind to be the better option. This perk increases your mobility, range, and weapon handling after a kill, making you more lethal for the next target or helping you quickly flee a challenging fight. The other option is Quickdraw, but this is likely only useful if you’re using The Palindrome as your backup weapon when your Kinetic is out of ammo.
For the final perk column, Rangefinder is a tried and true option. It pushes out the Range of this gun, making it even more lethal for long-range sparring. While Light.gg’s community might not think so, you might be interested in Unrelenting, which triggers health regeneration when you rapidly defeat targets, with Guardians counting as more than one kill. In certain circumstances, this could save your hide.
Overall, The Palindrome is a fantastic new addition to Destiny 2 and has quite a few options when it comes to a god roll. Your personal playstyle, and the activity in which you’re using it, will ultimately dictate what you considered to be a Palindrome god roll. Head on over to the Shacknews Destiny 2 guide hub for more great articles and let me know below what awesome rolls you’ve gotten for The Palindrome!