Compact Defender god roll & best perks

SpaceMonkey (PvP): "This is now the best sidearm in the game. The archetype is not the strongest for either sidearms or the dynamic heat family, but the perk combination and the natural strength of the sidearms (highest damage primary weapons) can't be beat. This is a very impressive primary weapon. No other blaster from this season really rewards you as demonstrably as this one does for using the Dynamic Heat Limiter proc in just general play." Recommended MW: Range, Handling.

Essential perks

Rangefinder

Strong alternatives

Precision Instrument Projection Fuse Hammer-Forged Rifling Overclocked Heatsink Kill Clip Enhanced Heatsink Light Heatsink Ionized Heatsink Corkscrew Rifling Smallbore

Inspired by @CourtProjects, @Saint_Kabr and @ImpetusAlways (PvE PvE-MinorSpec PvE-God M+KB Controller): First-choice PvE roll for Minor add group control in general at-level or better content, particularly on Void builds. Compact Defender is a Dynamic Heat pulse rifle which are rated B-Tier for endgame PvE by @TheAegisRelic tiering spreadsheet https://linktr.ee/TheAegisRelic, providing an intrinsic ×1.15 damage boost against red-bar enemies and ×1.325 against orange and yellow bars and vehicles, plus a ×0.5 heat generation if you manually cancel a vent animation at <12.5% of maximum heat, as per the https://www.destiny2.science/ Destiny Data Compendium. The stats are decent by comparison with lightweight sidearms, which are the closest comparators - see https://d2foundry.gg/w/2819552809 for how the weapon stats impact in-game performance. With any fast firing weapon, improving recoil control can be useful, but otherwise looks for Handling on M+KB, and maybe extra Stability on controller. For the battery perk, Overclocked Heatsink provides free ×1.02 damage for a slightly slower vent speed - not a problem if you manually reload anyway - Particle Repeater helps Stability or Light Heatsink or Tactical Heatsink improve gunfeel. For Void synergy, the tried and trusted trait perk combination of Destabilizing Rounds, which spreads Volatility on a kill in a 6.5m radius and provides Volatile Rounds for 4.5s (5.25s when enhanced) to clear Minor add groups, and Repulsor Brace - provides a ×0.5 damage resisting Void overshield for 8s (10s when enhanced) after killing a void-debuffed enemy. With this being a CQC primary, the overshield can be very useful for tanking damage. For the Origin Trait Air-Cooled Core improves handling and ADS speed when heat is <10%, and boosts Vent Speed for 6s after sprinting. If you're very lucky you'll drop a weapon with the much better option of Accelerated Assault which passively reduces heat by 10% and boosts damage by ×1.05 for getting 3 hits within 1.6s. If you're interested, it's modelled after the Defender sporting blaster pistol used by Princess Leia Organa in the opening scenes of Star Wars: A New Hope. Recommended MW: Handling or Stability, with your preferred choice of mod to boost heat generation, weapon stats, ammo regeneration, or elemental pickups for builds - and don't forget to check any available seasonal fragile mods.|tags:PvE PvE-MinorSpec PvE-God M+KB Controller

Essential perks

Repulsor Brace Destabilizing Rounds

Strong alternatives

Arrowhead Brake Overclocked Heatsink Light Heatsink Tactical Heatsink Particle Repeater Fluted Barrel Chambered Compensator Polygonal Rifling Corkscrew Rifling

Inspired by @CourtProjects, @Saint_Kabr and @ImpetusAlways (PvE PvE-MinorSpec PvE-God PvE-EndGame M+KB Controller): First-choice PvE roll for Minor add group control in both general at-level or better, and end-game underleveled content, particularly with Void builds. Compact Defender is a Dynamic Heat pulse rifle which are rated B-Tier for endgame PvE by @TheAegisRelic tiering spreadsheet https://linktr.ee/TheAegisRelic, providing an intrinsic ×1.15 damage boost against red-bar enemies and ×1.325 against orange and yellow bars and vehicles, plus a ×0.5 heat generation if you manually cancel a vent animation at <12.5% of maximum heat, as per the https://www.destiny2.science/ Destiny Data Compendium. The stats are decent by comparison with lightweight sidearms, which are the closest comparators - see https://d2foundry.gg/w/2819552809 for how the weapon stats impact in-game performance. With any fast firing weapon, improving recoil control can be useful, but otherwise looks for Handling on M+KB, and maybe extra Stability on controller. For the battery perk, Overclocked Heatsink provides free ×1.02 damage for a slightly slower vent speed - not a problem if you manually reload anyway - Particle Repeater helps Stability or Light Heatsink or Tactical Heatsink improve gunfeel. For add clearing and void synergy, there's the double damage perk combination of Destabilizing Rounds, which spreads Volatility on a kill in a 6.5m radius and provides Volatile Rounds for 4.5s (5.25s when enhanced) to clear Minor add groups, and and Frenzy which after being in combat for 12s - that's dealing or taking damage - boosts Handling and Reload Speed by +100 and boosts damage by ×1.15 for a refreshable 7.2s - that damage boost applies to the volatility explosions too, as they count as weapon damage. For the Origin Trait Air-Cooled Core improves handling and ADS speed when heat is <10%, and boosts Vent Speed for 6s after sprinting. If you're very lucky you'll drop a weapon with the much better option of Accelerated Assault which passively reduces heat by 10% and boosts damage by ×1.05 for getting 3 hits within 1.6s. If you're interested, it's modelled after the Defender sporting blaster pistol used by Princess Leia Organa in the opening scenes of Star Wars: A New Hope. Recommended MW: Handling or Stability, with your preferred choice of mod to boost heat generation, weapon stats, ammo regeneration, or elemental pickups for builds - and don't forget to check any available seasonal fragile mods.|tags:PvE PvE-MinorSpec PvE-God PvE-EndGame M+KB Controller

Essential perks

Destabilizing Rounds Frenzy

Strong alternatives

Arrowhead Brake Overclocked Heatsink Light Heatsink Tactical Heatsink Particle Repeater Fluted Barrel Chambered Compensator Polygonal Rifling Corkscrew Rifling

Inspired by @CourtProjects, @Saint_Kabr and @ImpetusAlways (PvE PvE-MinorSpec PvE-God PvE-EndGame M+KB Controller): First-choice PvE roll for Minor add group control in both general at-level or better, and end-game underleveled content, particularly with Void builds. Compact Defender is a Dynamic Heat pulse rifle which are rated B-Tier for endgame PvE by @TheAegisRelic tiering spreadsheet https://linktr.ee/TheAegisRelic, providing an intrinsic ×1.15 damage boost against red-bar enemies and ×1.325 against orange and yellow bars and vehicles, plus a ×0.5 heat generation if you manually cancel a vent animation at <12.5% of maximum heat, as per the https://www.destiny2.science/ Destiny Data Compendium. The stats are decent by comparison with lightweight sidearms, which are the closest comparators - see https://d2foundry.gg/w/2819552809 for how the weapon stats impact in-game performance. With any fast firing weapon, improving recoil control can be useful, but otherwise looks for Handling on M+KB, and maybe extra Stability on controller. For the battery perk, Overclocked Heatsink provides free ×1.02 damage for a slightly slower vent speed - not a problem if you manually reload anyway - Particle Repeater helps Stability or Light Heatsink or Tactical Heatsink improve gunfeel. For add clearing and void synergy, there's the double damage perk combination of Destabilizing Rounds, which spreads Volatility on a kill in a 6.5m radius and provides Volatile Rounds for 4.5s (5.25s when enhanced) to clear Minor add groups, and Thermal Atomization to boost damage by between ×1.08 and ×1.14 as heat increases from 50% to 100%, and then proc a 7.5m AoE Void explosion on a kill, spreading volatility even further. For the Origin Trait Air-Cooled Core improves handling and ADS speed when heat is <10%, and boosts Vent Speed for 6s after sprinting. If you're very lucky you'll drop a weapon with the much better option of Accelerated Assault which passively reduces heat by 10% and boosts damage by ×1.05 for getting 3 hits within 1.6s. If you're interested, it's modelled after the Defender sporting blaster pistol used by Princess Leia Organa in the opening scenes of Star Wars: A New Hope. Recommended MW: Handling or Stability, with your preferred choice of mod to boost heat generation, weapon stats, ammo regeneration, or elemental pickups for builds - and don't forget to check any available seasonal fragile mods.|tags:PvE PvE-MinorSpec PvE-God PvE-EndGame M+KB Controller

Essential perks

Thermal Atomization Destabilizing Rounds

Strong alternatives

Arrowhead Brake Overclocked Heatsink Light Heatsink Tactical Heatsink Particle Repeater Fluted Barrel Chambered Compensator Polygonal Rifling Corkscrew Rifling

Inspired by https://www.youtube.com/@Legoleflash (PvP PvP-Duel PvP-God M+KB Controller): God-roll PvP for duelling in 3s and 6s. Compact Defender is, at time of writing, an A-Tier option for skilled players who can manage the Dynamic Heat frame and probably a B-Tier for the rest of us. "A sidearm that makes your first fight easier and still lets you 4-tap afterwards" according to Lego. Heat frames are like having an extra perk set, first providing a pseudo-Reconstruction, automatically "refilling" as the weapon loses heat when not being used. Additionally, Dynamic Heat weapons have an intrinsic ×1.025 damage boost against Guardians in Crucible, plus a ×0.5 heat generation for 6s if you manually reload when the heat bar is at <12.5% of maximum heat to proc Dynamic Heat Limiter, as per the https://www.destiny2.science/ Destiny Data Compendium. On top of that you also get the Lightweight frame boosts of +20 to Mobility and ×1.0625 base movement speed. The @hugowo_ spreadsheet at https://www.destiny2.science/, shows a base TTK of 0.667s (4c 1b). The stats are a bit mixed when comparing to other lightweights - good stability and ammo generation, but bad recoil direction, but as the only one that offers tiered rolls, you can get enhanced barrel, mag, weapon mods and origin traits to help out at Tiers 4 and 5. You can see the in-game effect of stat changes at https://d2foundry.gg/w/2819552809 for yourself. Range is highly compressed on sidearms so, for a controllable PvP roll aim for a total Range of around 43 and Stability of 70 with your barrel and heatsink perks, Masterwork and mod. While Rangefinder might seem the obvious pick, Delicate Tuning works like a Heat weapon's mirror to Closing Time, boosting Range by +20 (+22 when enhanced), Handling and Accuracy when a weapon's cold, with the benefits reducing to half at 50% heat. Enhanced Precision Instrument boosts Precision Instrument's crit damage by ×1.2 which means a very forgiving 0.667s (3c 2b) - but if you can run a weapon stat of 164 and two Void surge mods, picking up an orb after a kill will reduce the TTK to 0.5s (4c 0b) - the same as Kill Clip, but without having to get a kill first. You can see the play loop demonstrated in Lego's video. The Air-Cooled Core can be useful in PvP - when at <10 heat you gain Handling and improved ADS speed for the start of a duel, and after sprinting for 0.5s you'll gain improved vent speed. Accelerated Assault sounds good, providing 10% cooling and ×1.05 damage when you hit 3 times with 0.8-1.2s between each hit, but it takes at least 1.6s to proc, so you're not likely to see any benefit within a normal TTK window. Recommended MW: Stability, Range or Ballistics, with a Range or Stability enhanced mod, or your choice depending on your play style.|tags:PvP PvP-Duel PvP-God M+KB Controller

Essential perks

Delicate Tuning Precision Instrument

Strong alternatives

Smallbore Particle Repeater Projection Fuse Tactical Heatsink Corkscrew Rifling Polygonal Rifling Hammer-Forged Rifling

SpaceMonkey (PvE): "This is now the best sidearm in the game. The archetype is not the strongest for either sidearms or the dynamic heat family, but the perk combination and the natural strength of the sidearms (highest damage primary weapons) can't be beat. This is a very impressive primary weapon. No other blaster from this season really rewards you as demonstrably as this one does for using the Dynamic Heat Limiter proc in just general play." Recommended MW: Reload, Range, Cooling Efficiency.

Essential perks

Repulsor Brace Destabilizing Rounds

Strong alternatives

Projection Fuse Hammer-Forged Rifling Light Heatsink Ionized Heatsink Enhanced Heatsink Corkscrew Rifling Smallbore Overclocked Heatsink

Inspired by https://www.youtube.com/@Legoleflash (PvP PvP-Duel PvP-God M+KB Controller): God-roll PvP for duelling in 3s and 6s. Compact Defender is, at time of writing, an A-Tier option for skilled players who can manage the Dynamic Heat frame and probably a B-Tier for the rest of us. "A sidearm that makes your first fight easier and still lets you 4-tap afterwards" according to Lego. Heat frames are like having an extra perk set, first providing a pseudo-Reconstruction, automatically "refilling" as the weapon loses heat when not being used. Additionally, Dynamic Heat weapons have an intrinsic ×1.025 damage boost against Guardians in Crucible, plus a ×0.5 heat generation for 6s if you manually reload when the heat bar is at <12.5% of maximum heat to proc Dynamic Heat Limiter, as per the https://www.destiny2.science/ Destiny Data Compendium. On top of that you also get the Lightweight frame boosts of +20 to Mobility and ×1.0625 base movement speed. The @hugowo_ spreadsheet at https://www.destiny2.science/ shows a base TTK of 0.667s (4c 1b) - at 189 weapons stat that's an easier 3c2b. The stats are a bit mixed when comparing to other lightweights - good stability and ammo generation, but bad recoil direction, but as the only one that offers tiered rolls, you can get enhanced barrel, mag, weapon mods and origin traits to help out at Tiers 4 and 5. You can see the in-game effect of stat changes at https://d2foundry.gg/w/2819552809 for yourself. Range is highly compressed on sidearms so, for a controllable PvP roll aim for a total Range of around 43 and Stability of 70 with your barrel perk, Masterwork and mod. Overclocked Heatsink as the heatsink perk does mean an additional ×1.02 damage which makes everything more forgiving, but there seems to be a delay to the kill so try it out and, if you're not sure, maybe this is one to tuck away for later when that's fixed. While Rangefinder might seem the obvious pick, Delicate Tuning works like a Heat weapon's mirror to Closing Time, boosting Range by +20 (+22 when enhanced), Handling and Accuracy when a weapon's cold, with the benefits reducing to half at 50% heat. Precision Instrument provides a very forgiving 0.667s (3c 2b) - but if you can run a weapon stat of 164 and two Void surge mods, picking up an orb after a kill will reduce the TTK to 0.5s (4c 0b) - the same as Kill Clip, but without having to get a kill first. You can see the play loop demonstrated in Lego's video. The Air-Cooled Core can be useful in PvP - when at <10 heat you gain Handling and improved ADS speed for the start of a duel, and after sprinting for 0.5s you'll gain improved vent speed. Accelerated Assault sounds good, providing 10% cooling and ×1.05 damage when you hit 3 times with 0.8-1.2s between each hit, but it takes at least 1.6s to proc, so you're not likely to see any benefit within a normal TTK window. Recommended MW: Stability, Range or Ballistics, with a Range or Stability enhanced mod, or your choice depending on your play style.|tags:PvP PvP-Duel PvP-God M+KB Controller

Essential perks

Delicate Tuning Precision Instrument Overclocked Heatsink

Strong alternatives

Smallbore Corkscrew Rifling Polygonal Rifling Hammer-Forged Rifling

SpaceMonkey (PvE / God-PvE): "This is now the best sidearm in the game. The archetype is not the strongest for either sidearms or the dynamic heat family, but the perk combination and the natural strength of the sidearms (highest damage primary weapons) can't be beat. This is a very impressive primary weapon. No other blaster from this season really rewards you as demonstrably as this one does for using the Dynamic Heat Limiter proc in just general play." Recommended MW: Reload, Range.

Essential perks

Repulsor Brace Destabilizing Rounds Hammer-Forged Rifling

Strong alternatives

Enhanced Heatsink Overclocked Heatsink

SpaceMonkey (PvP / God-PvP): "This is now the best sidearm in the game. The archetype is not the strongest for either sidearms or the dynamic heat family, but the perk combination and the natural strength of the sidearms (highest damage primary weapons) can't be beat. This is a very impressive primary weapon. No other blaster from this season really rewards you as demonstrably as this one does for using the Dynamic Heat Limiter proc in just general play." Recommended MW: Range.

Essential perks

Kill Clip Rangefinder Hammer-Forged Rifling

Strong alternatives

Projection Fuse Overclocked Heatsink