Published , by Sam Chandler
Published , by Sam Chandler
Relentless was originally a Trials of the Nine reward back when Destiny 2 first launched. But now, some 22 seasons later, Relentless is back with a suite of new perks that allow it to function at a high level in PVP and even tear through foes in PVE activities. Of course, you will need to get your hands on a god roll Relentless for this to be the case. And just for posterity, Relentless is a Strand Pulse Rifle that features a High-Impact Frame and a 340 RPM.
Relentless is available from the first encounter in the Prophecy dungeon. This fight is against Phalanx Echo, which also has a chance to drop the Prosecutor Auto Rifle. If you want a god roll Relentless, you’re best farming Prophecy when it is the featured dungeon.
There are a couple of great Relentless god rolls for Crucible players. The weapon benefits from some of the top-tier perks these days, all of which helps boost its stats and its damage output.
| Relentless god roll - PVP | |
|---|---|
| Barrel | Arrowhead Brake (Recoil Direction +30, Handling +10) |
| Magazine | Ricochet Rounds (Range +5, Stability +10) |
| Perk 1 | Keep Away (Increased reload, range, and accuracy, when no targets are in close proximity) |
| Perk 2 | Headseeker (Body shots landed with this weapon increase precision damage and aim assist for a short time. Body shots landed while the perk is active refresh the time) |
| Origin Trait | Crossing Over (This weapon has increased range and handling for the top half of the magazine, while rounds from the bottom half of the magazine deal increase damage) |
| Masterwork | Stability (+10 when fully masterworked) |
| Mod | Quick Access Sling (Increases this weapon’s ready and stow speed) |
Though its recoil pattern is vertical, Arrowhead Brake helps keep it inline, as it can tend to waver slightly off the dead center. Follow this up with Ricochet Rounds for the boost to Range and Stability.
The perk selection is where a lot of personal preference comes into play. One potential option is to chase Keep Away and Headseeker. These work well together to boost the base stats and increase the damage output. Because it is a Pulse Rifle, there’s always the chance a stray round will hit the body, which should proc Headseeker.
Alternatively, there’s Outlaw and Desperado, which will boost Relentless’ rate of fire a decent amount, turning this hard-hitting albeit slow Pulse Rifle into something a bit faster.
The Masterwork and mod are also going to change slightly depending on your preferred roll. Stability helps keep this focused, which can sometimes be a problem with those High-Impact Frames. You might also consider Handling if you prefer your weapons to feel snappy. In saying this, Quick Access Sling can do this, or if you’ve chased Fluted Barrel, swap in Counterbalance Stock. There are a lot of great options.
Unless you can secure a Belisarius-D, there’s a good chance Relentless will be your only option for a Strand Pulse Rifle with Slice. Because of this, it’s great to have this following god roll in your back pocket.
| Relentless god roll - PVE | |
|---|---|
| Barrel | Arrowhead Brake (Recoil Direction +30, Handling +10) |
| Magazine | High-Caliber Rounds (Range +5, Shots from this weapon knock the target back further) |
| Perk 1 | Slice (Casting your class ability allows this weapon to sever targets on hit for a brief duration, up to a maximum number of targets) |
| Perk 2 | Hatchlings (Precision final blows or rapidly defeating targets with this weapon spawns a Threadling at the target’s location) |
| Origin Trait | Crossing Over (This weapon has increased range and handling for the top half of the magazine, while rounds from the bottom half of the magazine deal increase damage) |
| Masterwork | Stability (+10 when fully masterworked) |
| Mod | Major Spec |
As with the PVP roll, kick this off with Arrowhead Brake to keep its vertical recoil perfectly straight. Now slap on High-Caliber Rounds for a slight knockback effect on those red bar enemies. This will let you stagger them, ensuring you disrupt their damage output.
Now for the fun park: the perks. Slice and Hatchlings are two perks unique to Strand weapons, and Slice is only seen on a few Primary-slot options. Once activated, Slice will let you sever targets, reducing their damage output. This is great when fighting tough, endgame foes like Champions, minibosses, or even bosses. Hatchlings will just increase your overall add-clear potential.
Round this all off with Stability mod if you don’t like the kick or Reload Speed if you hate how long it takes to re-mag. Major Spec will be the play here, though, as you’ll tear through basic foes and you likely won’t be using this as your main damage output on bosses.
The re-release of Relentless has delivered players a powerful Strand Pulse Rifle with some great god roll options. There are a few great choices for PVP players while the PVE enjoyers can really lean into the Strand goodness. Check out our Destiny 2 Strategy Guide for even more weapon god rolls.