Wavesplitter, All Trace Rifles Really, is an Awesome Right Now in Destiny 2
Except for niche builds and moments when they have been bugged, Trace Rifles are rarely the go-to choice in Destiny2. They are, however, quite great at the moment. All Trace Rifles got a 20% boost against non-redbar enemies and an ammo bump so that picking up a special brick grants you 30 ammo instead of the previous 18. Over the past few months, Exotic Trace Rifles received some unique buffs. Coldsnap’s Exotic perk, which was “is a Trace Rifle”, now generates Ionic Traces to restore ability energy. Prometheus Lens got Scorch. Perhaps the most important change Bungie made to Wavesplitter was that it switches into maximum power mode for 10 second after picking up an Orb of Power. This is a significant improvement over the 5. Additionally, enemies can no longer be shot in this mode.
Wavesplitter is not going to be the first choice for high-end content. You’d be wrong, partly because there are very few anti-Champion mods available. The only options for dealing with Overload Champions this season are the infamous Auto Rifle/SMG Overload and the unreliable Molten Overload Grenade mods. Wavesplitter can be a viable option for endgame content since it is a great choice to take out the Overload Champions that can quickly ruin your entire run.
With Void 3.0 you can get quite far into Wavesplitter, as this video from Aztecross demonstrates. It’s also great without having to do much. It’s important to get Volatile Rounds if you run Void. Echo of Domineering, which triggers the suppression of enemies, is also a great option. Wavesplitter doesn’t require you to run Void. Radiant buff on Solar 3.0 will give you a huge boost in damage. You can easily proc melee abilities.
It’s great to see Trace Rifles become more viable options in destiny 2. Wavesplitter’s PVE is excellent right now. Divinity and other Trace Rifles feel great in the Crucible, too. Coldsnap could be meta with Arc 3.0 next year and the Ionic Traces generated now. I can dream, right?
