June 04, 2019
Hello and welcome to my breakdown of the Penumbra weapons, here you can find a links to my past articles for Forsaken, Black Armory, and Joker’s Wild. Below are the weapon’s base stats and my thoughts and opinions on their best rolls.
Fusion Rifles
Name - The Epicurean - Energy / Menagerie
Charge Time: 740
Impact: 80
Range: 63
Stability: 54
Handling: 37
Reload Speed: 33
Mag size: 5
Aim Assist: 65
Recoil Direction: 80
Curated Roll:
Hammer Forged Rifling / Accelerated Coils / Tap the Trigger / Backup Plan
Recommended PvE Perks:
Sights: Fluted Barrel, Corkscrew Rifling, Polygonal Rifling
Magazine: Liquid Coils, Enhanced Battery, Projection Fuse
Perk 1: Feeding Frenzy, Quickdraw
Perk 2: Swashbuckler, Demolitionist, Backup Plan
Recommended PvP Perks:
Sights: Full Bore, Hammer Forged Rifling, Smallbore
Magazine: Projection Fuse, Liquid Coils
Perk 1: Tap the Trigger, Quickdraw, Feeding Frenzy, Under Pressure
Perk 2: Rangefinder, Backup Plan, Demolitionist, Swashbuckler
A fusion rifle I'm interested in. It won't replace my Erentil or Wizened Rebuke, but for PvE it could certainly be a workhorse. I really like handling on my weapons, so Fluted Barrel is something I naturally gravitate towards. Having to deal with a charge time on fusions the quicker the weapon is readied the faster I can get that shot off. In PvE Liquid Coils will be a great option now that fusions got a sizable buff. Feeding Frenzy is also a new perk to have on a fusion and will make tearing through mobs just that much easier. Finally something like Demolitionist or Swashbuckler depending on your build could either mean some crazy damage or more grenades. Either is a great option in any PvE activity.
In PvP precision frames are usable but over-shadowed by their higher impact brethren. I'll keep this one short. Range. You want Range. As much range as you can manage. Tap the Trigger is a fantastic perk for keeping consistent bursts at range, and Under Pressure is always active when you respawn also giving some added consistency. Rangefinder, Backup Plan, Demolitionist, and Swashbuckler each have their own play styles and I'll let you decide which is best for you, but those are the top picks.
Shotguns
Name - Imperial Decree - Kinetic / Menagerie
Rate of Fire: 55
Impact: 80
Range: 36
Stability: 36
Handling: 37
Reload Speed: 40
Mag size: 4
Aim Assist: 35
Recoil Direction: 80
Curated Roll:
Barrel Shroud / Accurized Rounds / Grave Robber / Trench Barrel
Recommended PvE Perks:
Sights: Smallbore, Rifled Barrel, Corkscrew Rifling
Magazine: Tactical Mag, Appended Mag, Assault Mag, Extended Mag
Perk 1: Feeding Frenzy, Grave Robber, Full Auto Trigger System
Perk 2: Trench Barrel, Swashbucker, Rampage
Recommended PvP Perks:
Sights: Full Choke, Rifled Barrel
Magazine: Accurized Rounds
Perk 1: Slideshot, Feeding Frenzy
Perk 2: Swashbucker, Snapshot Sights, Rampage
A high impact shotgun with Trench Barrel? The first of its kind and hopefully not the last. The curated roll is eerily similar to Threat Level, but being that they are different frames they behave differently. I'm excited to give this a try and see how it handles. For random rolls a nice combination of range, magazine, and stability would be the best bet. Tactical Mag gives the best stat bonuses but Extended Mag gives the biggest magazine increase at the cost of reload speed. That can be mitigated by Feeding Frenzy or Grave Robber. Another option is doubling down into RPM with Assault Mag and Full Auto Trigger System. For the final perk all of the damage increasing perks are listed because they're all incredible. In PvP range is the name of the game. Full Choke is still a great option, as is Rifled Barrel. Accurized is the only choice to stay competitive. In the final two perks you have a couple different ways to go Feeding Frenzy is great after a kill, while Slideshot is good without one. Swashbuckler will be the easiest to get a full stack of, but it's also the easiest to trade with in PvP. Rampage with the range trifecta will be the safest call. And Snapshot Sights will ensure that Full Choke is fully active when you go to pull the trigger.
Name - Emperor’s Courtesy - Energy / Crown of Sorrow
Rate of Fire: 80
Impact: 65
Range: 53
Stability: 47
Handling: 72
Reload Speed: 64
Mag size: 6
Aim Assist: 85
Recoil Direction: 60
Curated Roll:
Rifled Barrel / Accurized Rounds / Grave Robber / One-Two Punch
Recommended PvE Perks:
Sights: Smallbore, Rifled Barrel, Corkscrew Rifling
Magazine: Tactical Mag, Appended Mag, Assault Mag, Extended Mag
Perk 1: Grave Robber, Quickdraw
Perk 2: Swashbuckler, Rampage, Surrounded
Recommended PvP Perks:
Sights: Full Choke, Rifled Barrel
Magazine: Accurized Rounds
Perk 1: Quickdraw, Snapshot Sights
Perk 2: Opening Shot, Swashbuckler, Slideshot, Rampage, Surrounded
A new energy lightweight shotgun. The curated roll is arguably one of the best rolls you can get on it. Great for PvP and equally great for PvE. Another perk combo is the same Grave Robber with Swashbuckler for instant magazine fills and an instant 5 stack of Swashbuckler. Both Rampage and Surrounded are great options but have their drawbacks as well.
In PvP the same trifecta that all shotguns need. Full Choke or Rifled Barrel, Accurized and a Range masterwork. The lighweight frame will make up for the slightly lower one-hit kill distance. Depending on your barrel perk the first perk node will change. Quickdraw for Rifled Barrel and Snapshot for Full Choke. In the final perk node Opening Shot is going to be my top choice and the perk I'll be looking for. Slideshot and Swashbuckler are also both good options so there's a few perks you can be proud of.
Name - Gunnora’s Axe - Energy / Iron Banner
Rate of Fire: 65
Impact: 70
Range: 70
Stability: 54
Handling: 68
Reload Speed: 53
Mag size: 6
Aim Assist: 34
Recoil Direction: 51
Curated Roll:
Fluted Barrel - Rifled Barrel - Barrel Shroud / Accurized Rounds - Assault Mag / Outlaw / Opening Shot
Recommended PvE Perks:
Sights: Fluted Barrel, Corkscrew Rifling, Arrowhead Brake
Magazine: Tactical Mag, Assault Mag, Appended Mag
Perk 1: Outlaw, Quickdraw, Full Auto Trigger System
Perk 2: Swashbuckler, Demolitionist, Triple Tap, Rampage
Recommended PvP Perks:
Sights: Fluted Barrel, Hammer-Forged Rifling, Smallbore, Full Bore
Magazine: Accurized Rounds, Assault Mag, Light Mag
Perk 1: Quickdraw, Outlaw
Perk 2: Opening Shot, Swashbuckler, Demolitionist, Slideshot, Rampage, Moving Target, Snapshot Sights
The Gunnora's Axe was and still is my favorite year 1 weapon. So to say I'm happy it's getting the year 2 treatment is an understatement. I wouldn't recommend slug shotguns in PvE but you can make sure it's definitely dead with Swashbuckler. Triple Tap is also an interesting choice due to the nature of slug shotguns, but it's definitely a high-risk medium-reward.
In PvP is where this gun can flex its muscles. The Good Bone Structure has a base range of 59. Gunnora's Axe already blows that out of the water. So for me, the curated and year 1 version is hard to beat. Quickdraw or Outlaw are both amazing perks. Finally in the last column, really anything can work for Gunnora's, so be prepared to rip this from my cold, dead hands.
Sniper Rifles
Name - Beloved - Energy / Menagerie
Rate of Fire: 90
Impact: 70
Range: 55
Stability: 51
Handling: 52
Reload Speed: 44
Mag size: 4
Aim Assist: 68
Recoil Direction: 77
Zoom: 40
Curated Roll:
Chambered Compensator / Accurized Rounds / No Distractions / Box Breathing
Recommended PvE Perks:
Sights: Fluted Barrel, Corkscrew Rifling, Polygonal Rifling
Magazine: Tactical Mag, Appended Mag, Extended Mag
Perk 1: Demolitionist, No Distractions, Mulligan
Perk 2: Fourth Times the Charm, Box Breathing, Rampage
Recommended PvP Perks:
Sights: Fluted Barrel, Hammer-Forged Rifling, Smallbore
Magazine: Tactical Mag, Accurized Rounds, Flared Magwell
Perk 1: Snapshot Sights, Demolitionist, No Distractions
Perk 2: Quickdraw, Moving Target
Shelving my nostalgia trip and hype for Gunnora's returning is the Beloved, another weapon I am HYPED for. No Distractions is an interesting perk and something I am excited to test. Being able to have both Demolitionist and Fourth Times the Charm isn't necessarily new, but Fourth Times the Charm and Rampage or Box Breathing? That's an extremely appealing roll. Firing Line is unfortunately exclusive to Sole Survivor, but hopefully the drop rates are better for Beloved than Sole Survivor.
What's also exciting is the exclusive combo of Quickdraw AND Snapshot Sights, no more having to choose a sniper with one or the other. Being discouraged because the sniper doesn't have the perk you want. Now you can have one, the other, OR BOTH. You can also go for Quickdraw and No Distractions to be able to quickly scope in and have reduced flinch, the largest complaint from snipers everywhere. I will definitely be grinding Menagerie for this weapon.
If you would like more articles like this check out my breakdowns on Penumbra's new Pinnacle, kinetic, and power weapons. Happy hunting Guardians!