Black Armory Curated Weapons Breakdown

May 02, 2019


Hello Guardians, my name is PandaPax with r/sharditkeepit. Since Forsaken dropped and random rolls were added Bungie snuck in a treat for us to find. Curated rolls were added as sort of exotically rolled legendaries. They were added in as potential Nightfall rewards, loot drops, and now with Gambit Prime you can get a curated roll by completing a synth worthy action.

The biggest question is, what defines a curated roll?

  • A curated roll is a roll made by Bungie similar to a Pinnacle Weapon. It comes fully masterworked and has one set roll.

Typically when I do these sorts of breakdowns I include the base stats for the weapon. However, since the curated weapons are static I decided to show the stats you would get for that curated weapon. To help make this easier I organized each curated weapon into their respective encounters, and they will be listed alphabetically in the order of Kinetic, Energy, and Power. I have also included where you can get them.

I have also done other breakdowns on Forsaken weapons and Joker's Wild weapons

Happy hunting Guardians!

Note: In order to get the curated versions of each weapon you can only get them when doing a powerful frame (using Ballistics Logs not Modulus Reports) at Bergusia Forge. The locations for all other forge weapons are which ones you need to unlock before being able to do that frame



Forge Weapons

Blast Furnace (Kinetic Pulse Rifle) - Izanami Forge

  • Rate of Fire: 450

  • Impact: 35

  • Range: 90

  • Stability: 72

  • Handling: 44

  • Reload Speed: 51

  • Mag size: 44

  • Aim Assist: 42

  • Recoil Direction: 65

Aggressive Frame / Meyrin RDL - Satou Focus Lens / Tactical Mag / Outlaw / Headseeker / Handling MW

Of the Aggressive Frame pulse rifles added since Forsaken the Blast Furnace not only has the best stats, and best possible rolls, but it also looks so clean. The Curated Blast Furnace, however, is not the best possible roll you can get on this. Outlaw is nice, but headseeker is not worth that spot. For PvP you can land a roll with maximum range and Feeding Frenzy as well as Kill Clip for easier 2 bursts. For PvE you can get a ridiculous magazine size and Feeding Frenzy with Rampage to absolutely tear through adds. If you need the Bergusian Night shader then you can get it from this.


The Spiteful Fang (Kinetic Combat Bow) - Izanami Forge

  • Draw Time: 680

  • Impact: 68

  • Accuracy: 75

  • Stability: 55

  • Handling: 78

  • Reload Speed: 64

  • Inventory: 63

  • Aim Assist: 76

  • Recoil Direction: 60

Lightweight Frame / Natural String / Fiberglass Arrow Shaft / Archer’s Tempo / Explosive Head / Accuracy MW

To start, I am not a fan of the sights on the Spiteful Fang. They’re too narrow for my liking. But the combination of Archer’s Tempo and Explosive Head is akin to the combination of Explosive Payload and Outlaw. The good part is the Explosive Head is delayed so you won’t encounter too many issues with the explosion damage outright killing the enemy before Archer’s Tempo or the precision equivalent is proc’ed.


Kindled Orchid (Void Hand Cannon) - Gofannon Forge

  • Rate of Fire: 140

  • Impact: 84

  • Range: 59

  • Stability: 60

  • Handling: 51

  • Reload Speed: 76

  • Mag size: 10

  • Aim Assist: 76

  • Recoil Direction: 99

Adaptive Frame / Corkscrew Rifling / Drop Mag / Kill Clip / Rampage / Range MW

This hand cannon is one I am slowly coming around to. I am not really a fan of Drop Mag on any weapon, especially hand cannons where their PvE ammo economy is already very poor. When this hand cannon was released there was quite a lot of hype surrounding it. An easily farmable weapon that can get BOTH Rampage and Kill Clip? An easily farmable weapon that can potentially two tap all resilience levels after a kill? An easily farmable primary weapon with potentially the highest damage possible for a primary? The Kindled Orchid is your answer for all those questions. The appeal is the high damage and relatively easy to manage recoil pattern. Arguably the best thing about the Curated Kindled Orchid is you don’t need the Curated roll to get all these perks. Just be careful with Drop Mag to not run out of ammo, but at least you can control when to waste ammo.


The Ringing Nail (Solar Auto Rifle) - Volundr Forge

  • Rate of Fire: 450

  • Impact: 29

  • Range: 78

  • Stability: 60

  • Handling: 51

  • Reload Speed: 52

  • Mag size: 32

  • Aim Assist: 37

  • Recoil Direction: 69

Precision Frame / Rasmussen ISA - Meyrin RDL / High-Caliber Rounds / Dragonfly / Rampage / Stability MW

The Curated Ringing Nail is an interesting weapon. Rampage to increase the damage of Dragonfly, and Dragonfly explosions to increase or maintain the stacks of Rampage. High-Caliber Rounds is nice to stagger those beefier enemies and of the auto rifles in the game the 450’s are easily the most versatile in almost all activities. You won’t find much use of this roll in PvP, but there are certainly worse options. The real question to ask yourself is what mod to run on this gun. Rampage Spec? Dragonfly Spec? Minor or Major Spec? You tell me what you think is best, a case could be made for each one.


Tatara Gaze (Arc Sniper Rifle) - Gofannon Forge

  • Rate of Fire: 72

  • Impact: 90

  • Range: 83

  • Stability: 40

  • Handling: 38

  • Reload Speed: 42

  • Mag size: 3

  • Aim Assist: 45

  • Recoil Direction: 79

Aggressive Frame / Chambered Compensator / Accurized Rounds / Snapshot Sights / Box Breathing / Handling MW

The Tatara Gaze is one of the strongest legendary snipers in the game for PvP. Kill Clip to one-shot body-shot any resilience guardian, and it is one of two snipers to be able to one-shot a super off of spawn. The other is Izanagi’s Burden, an exotic. Tatara has huge stopping power behind it and the Curated roll keeps up that strength. Accurized Rounds will keep your aim assist and damage at the furthest edges of almost all crucible maps. Snapshot Sights is a must-have for snipers. And the Box Breathing perk allows you to one-shot supers off spawn, like I mentioned earlier. The handling masterwork also helps with the sluggish feel of aggressive frame snipers. For PvE, Box Breathing will certainly help crush majors and named bosses but a lack of magazine extending perks or damage increasing perks puts it more towards the PvP side, with a splash of PvE.


Hammerhead (Void Machine Gun) - Volundr Forge

  • Rate of Fire: 450

  • Impact: 41

  • Range: 78

  • Stability: 64

  • Handling: 46

  • Reload Speed: 64

  • Mag size: 59

  • Aim Assist: 90

  • Recoil Direction: 75

Adaptive Frame / Hammer-Forged Rifling / Armor-Piercing Rounds / Feeding Frenzy / Rampage / Handling MW

Among the heavy weapons you’ll find Hammerhead used very frequently in almost all activities, from PvP, to Gambit, to Gambit Prime, to Raids, and everything in between. The Hammerhead sits nicely in the top spot for all heavy weapons; only dropping to the second for raids. The Hammerhead was the first weapon Guardians could forge and was found by 93.89% of all light.gg Guardians. The Curated roll takes whats best and condenses it. Feeding Frenzy and Rampage. Allowing Guardians to spray down hordes of enemies with increasing damage and a fast reload. Hammer-Forged Rifling maintains damage at range and Armor-Piercing Rounds has the ability to overpenetrate targets allowing for even faster stacks of Rampage. The only thing the Hammerhead lacks is in handling which the masterwork helps make up for. An all around solid weapon for every activity.


Stryker’s Sure-Hand (Arc Sword) - Volundr Forge (needs to have unlocked Izanami Forge)

  • Swing Speed: 46

  • Impact: 70

  • Range: 46

  • Efficiency: 55

  • Defense: 46

  • Ammo Capacity: 42

Adaptive Frame / Tempered Blade / Balanced Guard / Assassin’s Blade / Surrounded / Impact MW

I’m not fond of swords within the current sandbox. Their damage is outclassed by other weapons, their intended range is bested by Trench Barrel shotguns. And they promote a very aggressive play style with lower benefits from other CQC weapons. The Curated Striker’s Sure-Hand does the best of the swords. Typically you’re surrounded by enemies which will increase the damage, and the impact masterwork also supplements that damage. Tempered Edge does nothing but boost your impact further as well as ammo capacity. If you fancy swords the Stryker’s Sure-Hand is *hands down* the best you can get.



Scourge of the Past

Threat Level (Kinetic Shotgun) - opening

  • Rate of Fire: 140

  • Impact: 65

  • Range: 42

  • Stability: 63

  • Handling: 58

  • Reload Speed: 78

  • Mag size: 7

  • Aim Assist: 74

  • Recoil Direction: 66

Rapid-Fire Frame / Barrel Shroud / Light Mag / Trench Barrel / Grave Robber / Stability MW

The much younger sister to the Ikelos_SG-v1.0.1 (Ikelos SG), the Threat Level is a slight breath of fresh air before you melee something to get another hit of that sweet, sweet Trench Barrel damage. Jokes aside the Threat Level is the kinetic version of the Ikelos SG introduced way back in Season 3. Heavily regarded as the king of burst DPS the Threat Level allows you to expand your loadout. No longer are you tied to a kinetic primary, now you can pair the Threat Level with the Curated Nation of Beasts, Kindled Orchid, or really any energy primary. In PvP the Rapid-Fire Frame Shotguns got hit a bit hard the last balance pass, so their effectiveness is less ideal than their PvE utility.


No Feelings (Arc Scout Rifle) - Insurrection Prime

  • Rate of Fire: 180

  • Impact: 62

  • Range: 64

  • Stability: 50

  • Handling: 49

  • Reload Speed: 50

  • Mag size: 18

  • Aim Assist: 66

  • Recoil Direction: 76

Precision Frame / Meyrin RDS - Satou Precision Lens / Appended Mag / Full-Auto Trigger System / Zen Moment / Stability MW

The No Feelings is for those Guardians who like ease of use and cannot get enough of the Nameless Midnight feel from year 1. Appended Mag will keep the damage going, and Full-Auto Trigger System just allows for less thinking. Zen Moment will keep your bullets on target and your choice of sight is a nice touch. The Curated No Feelings doesn’t really excel at any one thing but is a solid workhorse for continuous damage.


Tempered Dynamo (Arc Fusion Rifle) - Vault Access

  • Charge Time: 740

  • Impact: 80

  • Range: 74

  • Stability: 61

  • Handling: 35

  • Reload Speed: 32

  • Mag size: 5

  • Aim Assist: 65

  • Recoil Direction: 80

Precision Frame / Meyrin RDL - Rasmussen ISA / Particle Repeater / Backup Plan / Rampage / Range MW

The Curated Tempered Dynamo is interesting. Backup Plan and Rampage cater to a very specific use case. Keep the Tempered Dynamo in your pocket until you’re rushed, swap to it for Backup Plan, melt whatever is in front of you, and then go on a tear with the increased damage. Once you’re done, reload and stow. While it’s good for PvP I prefer the higher damage Erentil FR4. For PvE I would have liked a better magazine perk or something to help the really slow reload speed.


Bellowing Giant (Void Rocket Launcher) - Insurrection Prime

  • Rate of Fire: 20

  • Blast Radius: 75

  • Velocity: 72

  • Stability: 72

  • Handling: 59

  • Reload Speed: 50

  • Mag size: 1

  • Aim Assist: 63

  • Recoil Direction: 70

Adaptive Frame / Countermass / Impact Casing / Tracking Module / Cluster Bomb / Velocity MW

Similar to the Curated Bad Omens, the Curated Bellowing Giant is great for Void activities and Gambit. The same pros and cons apply to the Bellowing Giant. Good for high damage, ease of use, fire-and-forget, and add clear. Less useful in PvP but still a good option for both Tracking Module and Cluster Bombs.



~PandaPax