Elsie’s Rifle is the only Destiny 1 weapon to return in Destiny 2 Into the Light, and like its original incarnation, The Stranger’s Rifle, both the PvE and PvP god rolls are a bit janky. The weapon itself feels nice enough to use, if not quite to the level of its Exotic counterpart No Time to Explain. Also a Destiny 1 trait, actually.
Elsie’s Rifle PvE God Roll
- Barrel: Arrowhead Brake, Corkscrew Rifling
- Magazine: Armor Piercing Rounds, Ricochet Rounds
- Trait 1: Keep Away, Repulsor Brace
- Trait 2: Desperado, Desperate Measures, Destabilizing Rounds
Bungie has added probably more than 100 new perks since Elsie’s Rifle first appeared as The Stranger’s Rifle in Destiny 1, and as such, there are many more options to make a PvE god roll. For my money, the combination of Keep Away and Desperado is one of the most powerful combinations, as the first perk plays into the weapon’s ideal longer range, and Desperado alleviates the weapon’s main weakness: slow fire rate. So long as you can keep getting headshot kills, you can keep Desperado active and the weapon firing at the highest possible rate.
The Barrel and Magazine perks on offer are mostly here to make the weapon just a bit easier to use. Arrowhead Brake and Armor Piercing Rounds together form a solid baseline for performance and make taking down enemy shields or any kind much more comfortable.
Elsie’s Rifle PvP God Roll
- Barrel: As PvE
- Magazine: Ricochet Rounds, Light Mag
- Trait 1: Zen Moment, Keep Away
- Trait 2: Desperado, Kill Clip
I cannot overstate how overpowering a Desperado Pulse Rifle can be in PvP. Combine it with either Zen Moment or Keep Away, and it’s downright menacing at the proper ranges. Kill Clip remains a perfectly suitable choice in place of Desperado. While not as immediately destructive, it is still a fabulous perk that’s lost none of its lustre in all the years it’s been around. Also, as before, the Barrel and Magazine perks make the weapon handle more cleanly.
For many more Destiny 2 god roll guides, check out our guides hub.
