Published , by Sam Chandler
Published , by Sam Chandler
The Swarm is coming back to Destiny 2 as a reward for those players valiant enough to fight through Nightfalls and Grandmasters. Walking away with one is easy enough, but actually getting a god roll of The Swarm is going to require some luck. If you do get one, see if it matches the following PVE and PVP god rolls we recommend.
Check out the Nightfall weapon rotation schedule so you can plan out which weeks to farm The Swarm. There's also our GM schedule so you can pick up an Adept version.
As a 360 RPM Machine Gun, the Swarm offers high damage but a low magazine size. Thankfully, this means you don’t need to expend many bullets to put the hurt on your foes, which can be further increased with some choice perks.
| The Swarm - PVE | |
|---|---|
| Barrel | Arrowhead Brake (Recoil +10, Handling +10) |
| Magazine | Accurized Rounds (Range +10) |
| Perk 1 | Dynamic Sway Reduction (Improves accuracy and stability while continuously holding down the trigger) |
| Perk 2 | Target Lock (Damage increases the longer this weapon remains on target) |
| Origin Trait | Stunning Recovery (Stunning a Champion partially refills your magazine, triggers health regeneration, and improves recovery for a short duration) |
| Masterwork | Range |
| Mod | Adept Big Ones / Boss Spec |
Firstly, Arrowhead Brake will straighten up the recoil direction to near-perfect and make the handling more reasonable. With Accurized Rounds, you’ll be able to send the damage a bit further.
For the two perks, the first should likely be Dynamic Sway Reduction to help keep your reticle on-target. This will come in handy as the second perk should be Target Lock. This increases the damage the longer you keep hitting the same target without letting up. Dynamic Sway Reduction kicks in when continuously firing, which will help keep you locked in on said target.
For the Masterwork, try to get one with Range to keep this thing competitive. As always, Adept Big Ones if you’ve got it or Boss Spec if you don’t.
As for alternative perks, the final column also features Dragonfly which is lovely for the Arc explosions. There’s also Vorpal Weapon if low-speed Machine Guns end up being the best boss chunking options. And if you’re rolling with an Arc build, Golden Tricorn will boost the weapon’s damage by up to 50 percent if you can nail an ability kill.
When it comes to a PVP god roll, The Swarm’s perks should focus on making the initial rounds as accurate as possible. It goes without saying, you want as many rounds to hit your target, especially as you get frightfully few in Crucible.
| The Swarm - PVP | |
|---|---|
| Barrel | Arrowhead Brake (Recoil +10, Handling +10) |
| Magazine | Accurized Rounds (Range +10) |
| Perk 1 | Rangefinder (Aiming this weapon increases its effective range and zoom magnification) |
| Perk 2 | Tap the Trigger (Grants a short period of increased stability and accuracy on initial trigger pull) |
| Origin Trait | Vanguard's Vindication (Final blows with this weapon grant a small amount of health) |
| Masterwork | Range |
| Mod | Adept Range / Icarus Grip |
As above, Arrowhead Brake and Accurized Rounds will lift the Swarm’s handling thanks to some recoil direction improvements. You’ll also see the Range stat increase even further.
Rangefinder and Tap the Trigger go hand in hand to make this thing monstrous at a distance. Aim down sights to boost the range and then, literally, tap the trigger to get some extremely accurate rounds heading straight to your foes.
For the Masterwork, Range will make this even meaner though you could hope for Handling to make it a bit more comfortable. Additionally, Icarus Grip will help keep the thing on-target while you’re jumping around.
As far as Machine Guns go, there are likely better options out there right now for various occasions, but picking up a god roll Swarm is always worth it. You never know when you’ll need a disgustingly high impact MG in your build. For more weapon god rolls, read over our Destiny 2 strategy guide.