Published , by Rise of Bacon
Published , by Rise of Bacon
Season of the Witch has arrived and conjured up a Rocket Launcher that can compete with some of the best heavy weapon slot choices in the current meta. Introducing Semiotician, a Strand, High-Impact Frame Rocket Launcher that comes with all the right perks to slip into any Guardian’s arsenal to deal some serious damage to higher tier enemies.
Semiotician can be earned from completions of either Season of the Witch activities, Savathun’s Spire or Altars of Summoning. You can also use any Season of the Witch engrams to focus Semiotician at the Ritual Table located in the H.E.L.M. Direct focus can also be done, costing just four engrams.
You can earn Witch's Keys from completing any activity across Destiny 2 and these can be used at the end of Savathun’s Spire or Altars of Summoning for an extra chance at Semiotician. Furthermore, Semiotician is craftable, so any drops have a chance to roll with Deepsight Resonance.
Semiotician is the first Strand Rocket Launcher that comes with perks that really elevate it to a spot that challenges your choices for the heavy slot. With high Blast Radius base stat, building into getting your rockets to their target effectively is the key to getting the most out of it.
| Semiotician - PVE | |
|---|---|
| Barrel | Quick Launch (Velocity +10, Handling +15) |
| Magazine | Impact Casing (Stability +10, direct impact damage increased by 10 percent) |
| Perk 1 | Field Prep (While Crouched: Reload +50, Inventory size +30) |
| Perk 2 | Explosive Light (Orbs of Power pickups grant one stack of Explosive Light, granting 100 Blast Radius and increased damage. 25 percent increased impact and explosive damage) |
| Origin Trait | Head Rush (Standing up after crouching for a short time grants this weapon a brief period of improved handling and reload speed) |
| Masterwork | Velocity (+10 when fully masterworked) |
| Mod | Boss Spec (7.7 percent damage increase) |
Quick Launch provides the best base to start with its Velocity and a welcome boost to Handling which helps you switch to Semiotician and have it ready to go as quickly as possible. Follow up with Impact Casing which rewards extra damage on direct impact, essential for Champions or Boss damage in higher end content.
Aiming to do the most damage, Field Prep is best here for not only its Reload bump while crouched but also its increased ammo reserve size. Round Semiotician off with Explosive Light, arguably the best perk for Rocket Launchers currently in PvE. Collecting Orbs of Power overcharges this perk up to 6x, helping deal massive damage to your enemies and you don’t need to have Semiotician readied to receive this boost, any Orb of Power pick up feeds into it. When you need a big damage dealer after picking up the orbs, it’s ready to go.
Semiotician also carries a fun variety to mix and match on the crafting table. Hatchling can be implemented to take advantage of Hatchling builds and their recent buff or Guardians who just want more rockets to shoot can opt for Bipod, although this drags down some of its stats considerably.
Semiotician fits the profile for PvE with its available perks but with a high Blast Radius it can easily take down grouped up opponents in the Crucible.
| Semiotician - PVP | |
|---|---|
| Barrel | Quick Launch (Velocity +10, Handling +15) |
| Magazine | High-Velocity Rounds (Velocity +10, Reload +10) |
| Perk 1 | Impulse Amplifier (Passively grants: 35 percent increased projectile velocity, Reload +20 and 0.8x reload duration multiplier) |
| Perk 2 | Danger Zone (The blast radius of this weapon increases when surrounded by combatants. While active, this weapon deals significantly less damage to the wielder) |
| Origin Trait | Head Rush (Standing up after crouching for a short time grants this weapon a brief period of improved handling and reload speed) |
| Masterwork | Velocity (+10 when fully masterworked) |
| Mod | Quick Access Sling (Increases weapon ready and stow speed) |
Velocity starts pretty low so to get the most benefit in PvP, start with Quick Launch on the barrel and pair with High-Velocity Rounds as the Magazine. This pairing brings an immediate +20 boost and gives enemies much less time to dodge an incoming rocket.
Impulse Amplifier is a top-tier perk when focusing Velocity so this is a must-have for this Rocket Launcher in the Crucible. The last slot is where Semiotician is let down when focused on PvP. Danger Zone stands out here due to its high damage reduction when in close proximity to opponents. This can be used effectively in 6v6 game modes to play much more aggressively with your Rocket Launcher rather than keeping a distance to stay away from the blast.
Semiotician is a welcome addition to the heavy weapon slot and adds some much needed firepower to the Strand weapon collection. For more Season of the Witch details and weapon guide content, be sure to check out the Shacknews Destiny 2 complete strategy guide.