Undercurrent god roll and best perks in Destiny 2

It's coming for Forbearance's throne.

The Undercurrent grenade launcher in Destiny 2 as shown in the weapon inspect screen.
Image via Bungie

It’s no secret Wave Frame Grenade Launcher’s are some of Destiny 2’s strongest available special weapons. Even amid an archetype so universally strong are clear outliers like Forbearance, and Undercurrent—a new Nightfall weapon—looks to be on par, if not stronger, than even that.

Like Forbearance, Undercurrent is an Arc Wave Frame, but unlike Forbearance, it has the added advantage of releasing after Arc 3.0’s launch in Season of Plunder. Chain Reaction has been replaced with Voltshot, Demolitionist has been added to the third column and even Bait and Switch makes a return. Undercurrent’s god rolls are plentiful in number, catering to any particular niche a player might want to fill with their Wave Frame of choice. It’s also going to be a lot easier for players to get their hands on, with Forbearance stuck behind RNG drops in the Vow of the Disciple raid.

Here’s a guide on how to get your hands on the Undercurrent Grenade Launcher, as well as our recommendations for a PvE god roll that’ll serve you well across all tiers of difficulty.

How to get the Undercurrent Grenade Launcher in Destiny 2

Undercurrent is an Arc Wave Frame Grenade Launcher added to Destiny 2 in Season of the Wish. It’s a Nightfall weapon, which means it drops exclusively from Nightfall Strikes. Unlike the Vanguard weapons that can drop from any Vanguard Ops activity, Nightfall weapons are on a weekly rotation, so you’ll need to grind the Nightfall playlist while Undercurrent is the currently available reward to get it.

Fortunately for players, after you’ve earned it at least once and the weapon has been unlocked in your Collections, additional rolls of Undercurrent can be focused at any time through Commander Zavala in the Tower. However, it’s a steep asking price of five Vanguard Engrams to focus even one drop, so make sure you stock up on materials before trying to chase down a god roll through this method.

What is the Undercurrent god roll in Destiny 2?

Undercurrent PvE god roll

A graphic depicting the Undercurrent Grenade Launcher with its perks and stats. It has Ambitious Assassin and Voltshot equipped.
Nothing will dish out death quicker than this combination. Screenshot by Dot Esports via D2Foundry
  • Launcher Barrel: Smart Drift Control
  • Magazine: High-Velocity Rounds
  • First perk: Ambitious Assassin or Demolitionist
  • Second perk: Voltshot or Bait and Switch
  • Masterwork: Reload Speed or Handling

In PvE, the Undercurrent Grenade Launcher god roll for the majority of players is going to be a combination of perks like Ambitious Assassin and Voltshot. With how strong abilities are in the current sandbox, Demolitionist will have just as prominent a spot in the third column for many players.

Ambitious Assassin and Voltshot is something of a sequel (or spinoff) to the Ambitious Assassin and Chain Reaction perk combination that has made Forbearance such a staple in the PvE meta for so long. Voltshot by comparison has some unique advantages and disadvantages, as it requires reloading after a killing blow to proc, but the explosion it generates can synergize with the Arc subclass in a way Chain Reaction can’t. Players who can capitalize off of that fact, running Undercurrent with Arc Fragments that benefit from the activation of Jolt, will find a lot of success with this roll.

While taking Demolitionist over Ambitious Assassin will remove some of the overall damage output the player can be capable of, the massive amount of grenade energy it will allow you to generate can’t be overlooked. Wave Frame Grenade Launchers are already good at killing large groups of enemies quickly by default. With every kill generating grenade energy too, that combat efficacy directly feeds into the potency of your ability build.

The third column isn’t the only one you have alternative perks in either. Bait and Switch, which was previously a raid-exclusive perk, is in Undercurrent’s fourth column. It grants a powerful 35 percent damage boost for 10 seconds, and it’s simple to activate, with the only requirement being to apply damage with all three of your equipped weapons within a short period. This is perfect for players that don’t want to pick up Voltshot, either because they don’t want to run Arc or they need the extra base damage output to deal with tankier targets.

It isn’t as potent of an Origin Trait as Forbearance’s Souldrinker, but Undercurrent does have a similar Origin Trait of its own to help with survivability. Vanguard’s Vindication might only grant a very small amount of health upon a kill, but with how many kills in quick succession Undercurrent is capable of, you can still feel the constant supply of health regeneration throughout prolonged fights.

Author

Alexis Walker
Alexis is a freelance journalist hailing from the UK. After a number of years competing on international esports stages, she transitioned into writing about the industry in 2021 and quickly found a home to call her own within the vibrant communities of the looter shooter genre. Now she provides coverage for games such as Destiny 2, Halo Infinite and Apex Legends.