It’s been a while since there was a reason for players to get excited about a trace rifle in Destiny 2. However, the new Lodestar Exotic trace rifle from Episode: Heresy might be just the thing to rekindle that old love with the weapon type.
Destiny 2‘s trace rifles had a bit of a heyday up into the Lightfall era. Back then, it was much easier to generate heavy ammo bricks when using two special ammo weapons. Trace rifles fit nicely as the “primary” special weapon, featuring large reserves. Those days wouldn’t stick around forever, though, and the guns fell by the wayside when Bungie retuned heavy ammo drops. Now, with a primary ammo trace rifle on the table, it might harken back to those old times.
Where does the Lodestar come from?
The Lodestar Exotic trace rifle is a reward that’s exclusive to Episode: Heresy‘s Season Pass. That said, players don’t necessarily need to purchase the Episode itself to access the new weapon; it’s available on the free reward track at Rank 40. So, as long as you’re participating in Destiny 2 during Episode: Heresy, you shouldn’t have a problem acquiring the weapon.
If players did shell out for Episode: Heresy or bought the annual pass version of The Final Shape, the Lodestar will be available to claim immediately from the Season Pass. Further into the premium track, the Artificial Sun Ornament is also available once Guardians reach Rank 100.
Once Heresy is over, the Lodestar will likely be available for purchase through the Monument to Lost Lights in The Tower. While Bungie hasn’t explicitly confirmed this, it has happened to countless other Exotic weapons earned through the Season Pass.
What does the Lodestar do?
The Lodestar is very different from the trace rifles players are familiar with. On the surface, one reason is that the gun uses primary ammo, essentially making it infinite. Looking deeper, the Exotic also has some peculiar behaviors that might take a little getting used to.
When Guardians aim down the sights of the Lodestar, instead of emitting a solid beam like other trace rifles, it will behave more like a pulse rifle. The bursts of energy have their place, though, as they increase damage and detonate Blinding explosions on Arc-debuffed enemies. Additionally, once players deal enough Arc damage while using the Lodestar, they can perform an alternate reload to imbue the weapon with Jolt while firing from the hip.
The Lodestar should work nicely with any number of Arc builds in this Episode, especially with the Artifact Perks that rely on Arc debuffs like Jolt. Lodestar may be hitting far above its weight class during Heresy because of its Arc focus, but even after, it’ll still allow players to relive the glory days of running double special weapons.
