Initially introduced in Solstice 2021, the Compass Rose Shotgun is back in Destiny 2’s Solstice of Heroes 2022 with an updated perk pool to account for the subclass and balance changes since its release. It doesn’t fill any particular niche very well, but with the right combination of god roll perks, it’s plenty usable in both PvE and PvP.
The Compass Rose has a few perk combinations that make it a contender in any activity, but few that make it the absolute best in specific modes. Most of its best options are in the third and fourth Traits columns, with its Barrel and Magazine choices being sub-par. It won’t replace the likes of Felwinter’s Lie or Seventh Seraph CQC-12, but it can be an excellent choice for certain situations.
Compass Rose PvE God Roll
- Barrel: Corkscrew Rifling, Smallbore.
- Sadly, there aren’t many Range boosting perks without drawbacks on the Compass Rose. You’ll need to settle for Corkscrew Rifling’s minor buffs to Stability, Handling, and Range. Smallbore’s slightly higher boost to Stability and Range, without the Handling bonus, is a close second.
- Magazine: Assault Mag, Tactical Mag.
- Assault Mag’s increase to the Compass Rose’s rate of fire is a unique benefit that pairs well with the perk’s increase in Stability. Tactical Mag is another solid option, increasing the Compass Rose’s magazine size by one and further increasing its Stability. It also adds a Reload Speed bonus, improving the weapon’s uptime even further.
- PvE Trait 1: Quickdraw, Surplus.
- There aren’t many other strong options in this perk tree worth using. Quickdraw is always a good choice; getting the weapon ready to fire quickly or in a pinch can save you from an ignoble death. Surplus provides a similar buff plus additional Stability and Reload Speed so long as your abilities are charged. Less useful than the passive Quickdraw, but if gun-on-gun is your goal, Surplus can be well worth its weight.
- PvE Trait 2: Vorpal Weapon, Incandescent.
- Incandescent is great for Solar 3.0 builds, provided you can keep the Compass Rose topped off and killing enemies. You can never go wrong with a passive boost to your boss damage, which Vorpal provides in spaces.
Compass Rose Shotgun PvP God Roll
- Barrel: The PvE options listed above are also perfectly usable in PvP.
- Magazine: Assault Mag, Accurized Rounds.
- Assault Mag’s benefits are good in PvP, and Accurized Rounds’ significant buff to the Compass Rose’s Range makes it a great second option.
- PvP Trait 1: In a twist, the two PvE choices of Quickdraw and Surplus are also solid for PvP.
- PvP Trait 2: Vorpal Weapon, Snapshot Sights.
- Vorpal is effective at taking out Guardians in their Super, provided they don’t kill you before you can get your shot off. Snapshot Sights is another good choice if you got the Full Choke Barrel perk or if you prefer to ADS your Shotguns whenever you use them.
The Compass Rose, like the Something New, is a strange amalgam of a PvP and PvE weapon — it’s good at both but great at neither. If you want an alternate Solar Shotgun to use, there aren’t many other weapons like it.
With Solstice of Heroes 2022 being your only source of Compass Rose god rolls, now’s the time to farm it. Check out our guides to other Destiny 2 weapons, including the Fatebringer, Gjallarhorn, and Stormchaser. There are other weapon god roll articles in our Destiny 2 guides hub.
