Solstice of Heroes has returned to Destiny 2 for 2021 and brings with it a new Solar-energy, precision frame Shotgun, Compass Rose. This weapon is available to all players and is awarded for completing the Solstice of Heroes introduction quest.
As well as Compass Rose, Destiny 2 players can also get a new set of Solstice of Heroes Armor, complete with bright, holographic glowing effects. As part of Solstice of Heroes, players will need to play through all of Destiny 2’s activities to upgrade the armor, including Raids like the Vault of Glass.
Compass Rose is a Solar-damage, precision frame archetype Shotgun that is from the Solstice of Heroes 2021 event. It has good range, controllable recoil, and a higher rate-of-fire, but suffers from slow handling and reload speeds. Despite this, it can still perform well in PvE and PvP thanks to some of its perks which can boost its damage or improve its weaker stats.
With its slower handling, this is not the kind of Shotgun that Destiny 2 players will necessarily want to quickly whip out for a moment in close quarters, even across PvE and PvP. Instead, players should pair their Compass Rose with a medium-to-long-range primary, such as a Scout Rifle like the Hung Jury, and use Compass Rose as their dedicated close-range weapon.
Destiny 2 - How to Get Compass Rose
Compass Rose is available to all Destiny 2 players and is a reward for finishing the five-step quest called ‘The Solstice Begins.' This quest can be picked up straight away from Eva Levante in the Tower. The quest ends with players collecting the full set of Rare Renewed Solstice Armor and then Eva will give players the Shotgun.
More rolls of Compass Rose have a chance of dropping from Solstice Packages, which are earned from the European Aerial Zone activity, but only once Destiny 2 players have unlocked the ‘Solstice Packages: Compass Rose’ upgrade. This upgrade is automatically unlocked and applied when players meditate at the Solstice of Heroes statue in the Tower to upgrade their Renewed Solstice Armor to Majestic Solstice Armor.
Compass Rose Perk Recommendations
This Shotgun’s range and recoil are its strongest points, while its sub-par handling makes it much worse as a fast-switching Shotgun compared to Riiswalker. Compass Rose does have some varied perks, and while not all of them are great, they can make for some interesting roles that can mitigate some of its issues and enhance its overall damage.
Barrel perks that add a few smaller benefits with no drawbacks are the best options as Destiny 2 players should not hurt this weapon’s good stats or reduce the bad ones even more. Smallbore will bolster Compass Rose’s Range and Stability stats by seven points, while Corkscrew Rifling will increase the same stats as well as Handling by five points.
Full Choke is a good Crucible-specific option that will tighten Compass Rose’s pellet spread while aiming down the sights, making it a bit more reliable at slightly longer ranges. If players do opt for Full Choke, Snapshot will be an essential pick in perk slot two.
As for magazine perks, Assault Mag is the standout option for both PvE and PvP. When fighting tankier Major and Ultra enemies in PvE, the rate-of-fire increase from 65RPM to 70RPM will slightly enhance the damage-per-second of Compass Rose.
Likewise, a higher fire rate in PvP means Destiny 2 players can quickly secure a kill with a follow-up shot if the first one is not a one-hit kill. Tactical Mag’s boosts to Magazine Capacity, Stability, and Reload Speed are good second choice, and Accurized Rounds for even more Range will be another fine choice.
For perk slot one, there are some fairly average options. For Crucible, Quickdraw is the best option as it will help with Compass Rose’s lower Handling stat, and Surplus would be a decent substitute. As for PvE, lots of these perks revolve around ammunition, whether that is reloading it or getting it. Lead From Gold will mean Destiny 2 players rarely run out of ammo, especially if they have Ammo Finder Armor Mods equipped for their heavy weapon. Field Prep is another good choice that will give Compass Rose bigger ammo reserves but will also help out that low Reload stat by speeding up reloading while crouched.
In perk slot two, Trench Barrel is the best PvE damage perk that plays into the very close-range role of Shotguns. The damage increase from Trench Barrel does require some setup and is more complicated than normal damage-enhancing perks, so One For All and Adrenaline Junkie are other good options. For more general use and the PvP, Vorpal Weapon and Snapshot are solid perk choices too.
Suggested Compass Rose Rolls
PvE – Burst Damage Blast:
This is a PvE roll that focuses on maximizing the damage-per-second of Compass Rose, while also ensuring it rarely runs out of ammo.
- Corkscrew Rifling or Smallbore
- Assault Mag
- Lead From Gold
- Trench Barrel
- Reload Masterwork
PvP – Dedicated Close-Range Weapon:
This roll sees Compass Rose as a Crucible player’s dedicated close-range weapon that can be used in tighter lanes and rooms across various maps that a longer-ranged weapon just would not suit.
- Corkscrew Rifling or Full Choke
- Assault Mag
- Quickdraw
- Vorpal Weapon or Snapshot
- Range or Handling Masterwork
Destiny 2: Beyond Light and the new Season of the Splicer are available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.