New Destiny 2 Pulse Rifle’s stacked perk pool makes melee builds even better

Episode: Echoes Act 2 went live with Destiny 2’s weekly reset on July 16, adding three new weapons for Guardians to earn, one of which has emerged as a real meta contender.

Introduced as a new archetype for Pulse Rifles in The Final Shape, Corrasion follows in the footsteps of Salvation’s Edge’s Nullify as a Heavy Burst frame, trading the usual three-round salvo for two. Losing a round in each burst might not sound ideal, but this frame hits hard, dealing some of the highest damage of any primary weapon type.

As with Aberrant Action, Act 2’s Vex-themed primary is earned from Echoes content and has access to a stacked perk pool. For Arc loadouts, Eddy Current and Voltshot are terrific choices, but Corrasion shines most as an accompaniment for melee-focused builds, which are performing well in the current PvE Meta.

This is the best Corrasion to hunt down or craft once the Pattern has been unlocked:

• Barrel: Corkscrew Rifling
• Magazine: Tactical Mag
• Perk 1: Pugilist
• Perk 2: Swashbuckler

Pugilist and Swashbuckler’s gameplay loop means any kills with Corrasion reduce melee cooldowns, granting more opportunities to proc Swashbuckler for additional damage. As with all crafted gear, enhanced versions of both perks can be unlocked, with Enhanced Swashbuckler being especially strong, as it extends the perk’s duration by 36%.

Hunters and Warlocks, in particular, have the best opportunity to fit Corrasion into existing loadouts. The latter’s access to Arcane Needles with Strand or Prismatic means Destiny 2’s resident space wizards needn’t engage in the close-quartes combat necessitated by Swashbuckler, taking full advantage of Corrasion’s impressive 75 range.

With melee-centric builds having dominated the PvE sandbox since The Final Shape’s launch, this is one Pattern worth farming. If you’re a Pulse Rifle aficionado, standard Corrasion drops can be earned from any of the three Battlegrounds introduced with Echoes’ second act, with Expert clears granting a greater chance at Red Border drops.

Looking for more meta suggestions? Hunters will want to look into Marcato-45. As a World Drop, hunting the God roll could prove to be a chore, but the grind is well worth the effort.