Lodestar is an Exotic Trace Rifle in the Energy weapon slot that should have fans of Arc subclasses and effects excited. It's an excellent weapon in Destiny 2, and while it isn't the strongest in the arsenal, it's fun to use, and it can hold its own well if paired with the right builds.
If you're looking to run an Arc build for Destiny 2, then the Lodestar might be the primary weapon you're looking for. Yes, while this may be a Trace Rifle, it's perfectly capable of filling in as your main gun. Here's a breakdown of what this rifle offers.
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Destiny 2: Lodestar Review
Unlike other Trace Rifles, Lodestar has unlimited ammunition. You can zap things for as long as its battery isn't drained yet, making it great for general add-clearing against red-bar enemies. Lodestar's damage output is comparable to other Legendary Trace Rifles except against minor enemies (it deals 40% more damage to red-bar targets like all other Exotic weapons).
Apart from having infinite ammo, Lodestar carries the following Exotic perks:
- Starlilght Beam: This weapon fires a low-intensity Arc beam with enhanced stability and accuracy.
- Arc Alignment: Dealing Arc damage from any source aligns the battery's coils. When alignment is complete, hold the reload button to disengage the safety and enable hip-fired Starlight Beam to apply Jolt to any target damaged for a short time. Aim down sights to slow the rate at which the battery drains.
- Phase Converter (Battery): When aiming down sights, the beam is compressed into short, high-energy bursts that interact with targets affected by Arc debuffs, dealing increased damage and causing them to detonate into blinding explosions on final blows.
To summarize, as you fire Lodestar or deal any form of Arc damage from any source, the weapon's Arc Alignment perk will charge up. When the Arc Alignment bar is full, hold your reload/alternate weapon function button to supercharge Lodestar. Doing so will cause hip-fired beams to Jolt enemies. When an enemy is Jolted (or hit by any other Arc debuff), aim down Lodestar's sights to deal more damage.
With Arc Alignment active, Jolt only applies with hits made while hip-firing Lodestar. Conversely, you don't need to have Arc Alignment active to make Lodestar deal more damage while aiming down sights.
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Is Lodestar Any Good?
It's great. Lodestar is meant primarily for clearing adds — not only can its hip-fire beam vaporize red-bars quickly, but when you defeat Arc-debuffed targets while aiming down sights, enemies will detonate into blinding explosions. Nearly every part of this weapon screams crowd control, and it should be used for such purposes.
To make the best use of Arc Alignment, tag an enemy with the hip-fire beam once to apply Jolt, aim down your sights, then continue shooting at the Jolted target using Lodestar's energy bursts.
Lodestar's DPS against Major enemies isn't exactly stellar, but such is the case for most primary weapons in Destiny 2. Arc Alignment does a good job of hurting Major enemies, though, and if there are Trace Rifle mods in the Seasonal Artifact, then Lodestar is going to be pretty good for Nightfalls and other similar content that has Champions.
Much like Coldheart, Lodestar shines brightest when used with an Arc build, like any variant of the Bolt Charge Titan build. Paired with Fragments, this gun will be able to generate Ionic Traces that feed into your subclasses Aspects, fueling your elemental rampages across the galaxy.
What About PvP?
Lodestar is surprisingly decent in PvP, but given how it basically functions like a Pulse Rifle when aiming down sights, it can feel a bit awkward to use. It can fry other players fairly quickly when firing from the hip, though it's hard to justify using this over any other meta pick unless you just want to have some fun.
Destiny 2
- Released
- August 28, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For TEEN for Blood, Language, and Violence
- Developer(s)
- Bungie
- Publisher(s)
- Bungie
- Engine
- Tiger Engine
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
- PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S
- Cross Save
- yes
- Expansions
- Destiny 2: Forsaken, Destiny 2: Shadowkeep, Destiny 2: Beyond Light, Destiny 2: The Witch Queen, Destiny 2: Lightfall
- Franchise
- Destiny
- Number of Players
- 1-6 (Co-Op)
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- no
- Genre(s)
- FPS
- Platform(s)
- PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC, Stadia
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
- How Long To Beat
- 100+
- X|S Optimized
- YES
- PS Plus Availability
- Essential, Extra, & Premium (The Witch Queen)
