Playlist weapons can be somewhat intimidating to farm in Destiny 2, and the Autumn Wind pulse rifle now dropping from the Crucible in Lightfall is no different. It’s not that the weapon is hard to get—in fact, most players are getting Autumn Wind drops from almost every Crucible match they play. But Autumn Wind like so many other playlist weapons has 12 potential perks in both the third and fourth columns. It makes getting the perfect roll a daunting prospect.
However, if you’re already playing the Crucible for any other reason, it is worth checking every Autumn Wind that falls into your inventory. Rapid-Fire Frame pulse rifles aren’t quite the behemoths they used to be, but the right perks can still make one a monster in PvP as can still be seen with the crafted Piece of Mind. Autumn Wind’s expansive perk pool might make the god roll hard to get, but it makes its potential rolls the best in its class.
Whether it’s classic picks like Perpetual Motion or Rampage, ability synergy with Demolitionist and Pugilist, or forging the meta with the newly buffed Headseeker, Autumn Wind has something for everyone. While its most impressive god roll is undoubtedly geared toward a PvP environment, there’s just as much for PvE players here as well who just happen to get a decent drop of it while farming the likes of Iron Banner or Control.
Here are our picks for Autumn Wind’s god roll and the best perks available currently in Destiny 2.
Autumn Wind PvP god roll in Destiny 2
- Barrel: Smallbore
- Magazine: Ricochet Rounds
- First perk: Rangefinder
- Second perk: Headseeker
There might be more traditional perk choices for Autumn Wind that would pop up in your head as the ideal roll, but if you want Autumn Wind to stand out from the crowd, this is the roll to chase down. Rangefinder allows it to overcome some of the range limitations that now hinder the Rapid-Fire Frame pulse rifles, eeking out a tiny advantage over the archetype’s current leader Piece of Mind. Increasing that range even further with choices like Smallbore and Ricochet Rounds just adds to that medium to long-range consistency.
Headseeker is a lot stronger since its recent buff, giving notable bumps to both headshot damage and aim assist after only needing to hit a single bullet as non-headshot damage. Since Rapid-Fire Frames have such a high RPM and low stability, hitting that initial bullet before your aim moves upwards toward an enemy’s head comes almost naturally. Most players will benefit from Headseeker’s damage boost without having to do much different during a gunfight, making Autumn Wind an incredible dueling option.
Dueling is ultimately what you’re looking for when building a PvP roll of this gun. Other weapons fulfill other roles far better, so if you want an Autumn Wind for the long haul, it’s best to get perks that play to its strengths.
Autumn Wind PvE god roll in Destiny 2
- Barrel: Corkscrew Rifling
- Magazine: Light Mag
- First perk: Demolitionist, Pugilist or Perpetual Motion
- Second perk: Adrenaline Junkie, Swashbuckler or Focused Fury
The PvE god roll for Autumn Wind is a far tougher thing to assign. The number of perks that it has that work in unison for an impressive PvE build make it impossible to give the gun just one god roll. Demolitionist and Adrenaline Junkie is a great combination in the same way that Pugilist and Swashbuckler are; they allow your primary weapon to both provide energy to and get strength from your abilities. And with how important abilities currently are in the Destiny 2 sandbox—and how weak primary weapons are—it will be the ideal choice for a lot of people.
Perks like Perpetual Motion and Focused Fury are more neutral choices for these columns but hold their own weight in the ring. Focused Fury has especially risen to prominence after the universal increase in difficulty since enemies with heftier health bars to chew through are more open to taking the critical damage necessary to get Focused Fury’s 11-second-long 20 percent damage boost going. Perpetual Motion is a similarly solid workhorse perk that can give meaningful bonuses to important stats like reload speed and stability for little to no effort.
Ultimately you can’t really go wrong for PvE with Autumn Wind. All you need is two perks that synergize well together and you’ll have a robust pulse rifle ready to go for any activity.
