The rocket-assisted sidearm archetype, a pistol that literally shoots rockets, is one of the best gun types in Destiny 2, and with the launch of Act 2 of Episode: Echoes, we're now up to three of these powerful, explosive-launching pistols in the game. While you'll still want to get a crafted god roll of The Call from The Final Shape's new destination, the Pale Heart of the Traveler, the newly released Aberrant Action is another gun you should be chasing. It too is craftable, and since it's a Solar gun, it carries some extremely useful perks that will help you in high-level PVE content.
Aberrant Action is part of the Episode loot pool, so you'll need to complete Episode activities to earn it. That means heading into Breach Executable, Enigma Protocol, or the newly released Nessus Battlegrounds missions in hopes of receiving Aberrant Action as a random reward. It seems more likely that you'll get them from the Battlegrounds playlist, probably because it and Aberrant Action are releasing together.
You're guaranteed at least one Aberrant Action for completing the story quests of the first week of Act 2, as well as Corrasion, the episode's new pulse rifle. You can also get Aberrant Action from Failsafe in the HELM when you turn in Echoes engrams, and eventually, you'll be able to focus those engrams to get Aberrant Action specifically--although, you can't unlock that ability in the first week.
Aberrant Action
Aberrant Action is a bit of a weaker option when compared to The Call and Indebted Kindness, the rocket-assisted sidearm you can get from the Spire of the Watcher dungeon. It might not wallop enemies quite as well as those other guns, but it makes up for that weakness with Solar build synergy.
This is a utility player that'll slot right in with your Solar builds thanks to the combination of Heal Clip and Incandescent, which work extremely well with Solar abilities, especially those reliant on scorch. Incandescent sets nearby enemies on fire when you get a kill, and Heal Clip heals you and nearby allies when you reload after a kill. In concert with other build elements that burn enemies and heal you, Aberrant Action is a great fit.
There are actually a few other good combinations for Aberrant Action, as well, if you find you want a version that's a little less dependent on a Solar use-case. Beacon Rounds, a new perk from The Final Shape, feels great, giving your sidearm rockets tracking once you get a kill with them. It's a great perk for dealing with enemies on the far side of an arena and can make up for the slower speed of rockets when compared to bullets from traditional guns.
Demolitionist is also pretty good, since you'll use your rocket-assisted sidearm to blow up and clear out lots of smaller enemies, which will boost your grenade up-time overall, and Reverberation boosts the size of your rocket explosions, which can help increase the overall utility of Aberrant Action for clearing weak enemies.
Aberrant Action isn't much of a PvP gun, so unless you love it, don't lean into that aspect of it. There are better rocket-assisted sidearms for the job, and generally, they're not well-suited to taking down Guardians anyway. If you do go with Aberrant Action in the Crucible, put your emphasis on boosting damage and the gun's Velocity stat, as it'll make those rockets harder to dodge.
For perks, your combo will depend on how you play in the Crucible. Heal Clip can help you get through dangerous situations with a boost of health after you use the gun to land a kill, making it a handy clean-up weapon in dual scenarios. Beacon Rounds, on the other hand, can pair well with Harmony, where you're going after more opponents after racking up a kill with another weapon, giving you a damage boost and, potentially, tracking on your rockets. More aggressive players will likely want the Beacon Rounds / Harmony combo, but really, there's not much in the way of perk synergy that will help you withstand fights with multiple enemies here.
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How To Get Aberrant Action
Aberrant Action is part of the Episode loot pool, so you'll need to complete Episode activities to earn it. That means heading into Breach Executable, Enigma Protocol, or the newly released Nessus Battlegrounds missions in hopes of receiving Aberrant Action as a random reward. It seems more likely that you'll get them from the Battlegrounds playlist, probably because it and Aberrant Action are releasing together.
You're guaranteed at least one Aberrant Action for completing the story quests of the first week of Act 2, as well as Corrasion, the episode's new pulse rifle. You can also get Aberrant Action from Failsafe in the HELM when you turn in Echoes engrams, and eventually, you'll be able to focus those engrams to get Aberrant Action specifically--although, you can't unlock that ability in the first week.
Aberrant Action
Aberrant Action God Rolls
Aberrant Action PvE God Roll
- Barrel: Quick Launch
- +10 Velocity, +15 Handling
- Magazine: High Velocity Rounds
- +10 Reload Speed, +10 Velocity
- First Perk: Heal Clip
- Reloading shortly after a final blow grants Cure to you and nearby allies.
- Second Perk: Incandescent
- Defeating a target spreads scorch to nearby enemies. More powerful combatants and Guardians spread scorch in a larger radius.
- Masterwork: Velocity / Reload Speed
Aberrant Action is a bit of a weaker option when compared to The Call and Indebted Kindness, the rocket-assisted sidearm you can get from the Spire of the Watcher dungeon. It might not wallop enemies quite as well as those other guns, but it makes up for that weakness with Solar build synergy.
This is a utility player that'll slot right in with your Solar builds thanks to the combination of Heal Clip and Incandescent, which work extremely well with Solar abilities, especially those reliant on scorch. Incandescent sets nearby enemies on fire when you get a kill, and Heal Clip heals you and nearby allies when you reload after a kill. In concert with other build elements that burn enemies and heal you, Aberrant Action is a great fit.
There are actually a few other good combinations for Aberrant Action, as well, if you find you want a version that's a little less dependent on a Solar use-case. Beacon Rounds, a new perk from The Final Shape, feels great, giving your sidearm rockets tracking once you get a kill with them. It's a great perk for dealing with enemies on the far side of an arena and can make up for the slower speed of rockets when compared to bullets from traditional guns.
Demolitionist is also pretty good, since you'll use your rocket-assisted sidearm to blow up and clear out lots of smaller enemies, which will boost your grenade up-time overall, and Reverberation boosts the size of your rocket explosions, which can help increase the overall utility of Aberrant Action for clearing weak enemies.
Aberrant Action PvP God Roll
- Barrel: Quick Launch
- +10 Velocity, +15 Handling
- Magazine: High Velocity Rounds
- +10 Reload Speed, +10 Velocity
- First Perk: Heal Clip / Beacon Rounds
- Heal Clip: Reloading shortly after a final blow grants Cure to you and nearby allies.
- Beacon Rounds: Final blows with this weapon grant your projectiles tracking. Dealing further damage extends the duration.
- Second Perk: Harmony / Golden Tricorn
- Harmony: Final blows with other weapons improve this weapon's damage and performance for a short duration.
- Golden Tricorn: Final blows with this weapon grant bonus damage. While this buff is active, grenade or melee kills of the same damage type greatly increase its damage and duration.
- Masterwork: Velocity
Aberrant Action isn't much of a PvP gun, so unless you love it, don't lean into that aspect of it. There are better rocket-assisted sidearms for the job, and generally, they're not well-suited to taking down Guardians anyway. If you do go with Aberrant Action in the Crucible, put your emphasis on boosting damage and the gun's Velocity stat, as it'll make those rockets harder to dodge.
For perks, your combo will depend on how you play in the Crucible. Heal Clip can help you get through dangerous situations with a boost of health after you use the gun to land a kill, making it a handy clean-up weapon in dual scenarios. Beacon Rounds, on the other hand, can pair well with Harmony, where you're going after more opponents after racking up a kill with another weapon, giving you a damage boost and, potentially, tracking on your rockets. More aggressive players will likely want the Beacon Rounds / Harmony combo, but really, there's not much in the way of perk synergy that will help you withstand fights with multiple enemies here.
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