Lodestar is an Exotic Trace Rifle that falls within the Energy weapon category and is sure to excite those who appreciate Arc subclasses and their capabilities. While it may not hold the title of the most powerful weapon in Destiny 2, it offers an enjoyable experience and can perform admirably when paired with complementary builds.
If you’re planning to utilize an Arc-themed build in Destiny 2, Lodestar could be your go-to weapon. Despite being classified as a Trace Rifle, it serves excellently as a primary weapon. Here’s a detailed look at what this rifle brings to the table.
Destiny 2: Lodestar Overview
Distinct from other Trace Rifles, Lodestar has an unlimited ammo supply. This feature allows you to continuously fire until the battery is depleted, making it effective for efficiently dealing with red-bar enemies. Its damage output is comparable to other Legendary Trace Rifles, though it excels against weaker foes, delivering 40% increased damage to them, as is standard for Exotic weapons.
In addition to its infinite ammo, Lodestar boasts the following Exotic perks:
- Starlight Beam: Fires a low-intensity Arc beam, providing superior stability and accuracy.
- Arc Alignment: Inflicting Arc damage activates the battery’s coils. Once fully charged, you can disengage the safety by holding the reload button, allowing hip-fired Starlight Beam to Jolt any target hit for a limited time. Aiming down sights slows the battery’s drainage rate.
- Phase Converter (Battery): Aiming down sights compresses the beam into short, high-energy bursts that interact with targets afflicted by Arc debuffs, causing increased damage and leading to blinding explosions upon final blows.
In essence, as you fire Lodestar or deal any kind of Arc damage, the Arc Alignment feature will charge. When the Arc Alignment meter is full, pressing the reload or alternate weapon function will supercharge the Lodestar. This action allows hip-fired beams to Jolt enemies. When an enemy is Jolted or affected by another Arc debuff, aiming down the sights boosts your damage output.
When Arc Alignment is active, Jolt is only applied to hits made while hip-firing Lodestar. However, you don’t need Arc Alignment to increase damage while aiming down sights.
Is Lodestar Effective?
Yes, it is quite effective. Lodestar is specifically designed for clearing enemies. Its hip-fire beam can swiftly eliminate red-bar targets, and when you defeat Arc-debuffed enemies while aiming down sights, those foes will explode in blinding blasts. This weapon is geared towards crowd control, making it exceptionally effective for that purpose.
To optimize the use of Arc Alignment, hit an enemy with the hip-fire beam to apply Jolt, aim down your sights, and keep shooting at the Jolted target with Lodestar’s energy bursts.
Lodestar’s damage per second (DPS) against Major enemies isn’t remarkable, which is typical for many primary weapons in Destiny 2. Nevertheless, Arc Alignment significantly enhances damage against these foes, and with any available Trace Rifle mods in the Seasonal Artifact, Lodestar becomes a formidable choice for Nightfalls and similar content featuring Champions.
Similar to Coldheart, Lodestar performs exceptionally well when integrated into an Arc build, particularly within variants of the Bolt Charge Titan build. When paired with Fragments, this weapon can generate Ionic Traces that bolster your subclass Aspects, fueling your elemental adventures throughout the game.
How Does It Perform in PvP?
Surprisingly, Lodestar holds its own in PvP, though it can feel somewhat awkward to handle since it behaves like a Pulse Rifle when aimed down sights. It can eliminate other players quickly when fired from the hip, but may not be as appealing compared to other meta choices unless you’re looking for a fun experience.
