Destiny 2: Cataclysmic Linear Fusion Rifle God Roll Guide

While there are many different top-tier Linear Fusion Rifles when it comes to DPS — Stormchaser, Taipan-4fr, and Reed’s Regret — one has consistently been at the top of the heap in Destiny 2. That weapon is Cataclysmic.

Available only as a reward from the Vow of the Disciple Raid, and craftable with enhanced versions of some of the best damage perks in the game, Cataclysmic is powerful on its own. But with the rolls presented in this guide and a little extra work, few other Heavy weapons come close.

Cataclysmic Linear Fusion Rifle PvE God Roll

The Cataclysmic shines brightest in endgame PvE scenarios where you can guarantee precision shots. With the right rolls, it doesn’t need any outside help to rise to the top of the Linear damage tier list, but if you add the Font of Might mod while running a Solar subclass, there’s nothing that can compete with the shot-for-shot damage.

Barrel: Arrowhead Brake, Corkscrew Rifling

Accuracy is paramount for Linear Fusion Rifles to do optimal damage, and with the Cataclysmic’s sheer output, that’s more true than ever. Arrowhead Brake does wonders to control the weapon’s Recoil while adding a modest Handling buff, making swapping to another DPS option like Izanagi’s Burden easier. Corkscrew Rifling is an excellent secondary option, with a slightly higher Handling bonus than Arrowhead and a minor boost to Stability.

Magazine: Enhanced Battery, Liquid Coils

You want to spend as little time reloading with Cataclysmic as possible, and Enhanced Battery allows for six total shots instead of five, keeping your damage up for longer. Liquid Coils adds a little bit of raw damage at the expense of a sixth shot, so if you absolutely must see bigger numbers, it’s a great choice.

PvE Trait 1: Fourth Time’s the Charm, Successful Warm-Up

Again, the less reloading you do with Cataclysmic, the better. With Fourth Time’s the Charm, you’ll automatically get two free rounds added to your magazine after hitting four precision shots. Successful Warm-Up is a serviceable replacement, as it adds a charge time buff for every enemy you defeat with the weapon. However, because you’ll spend ammo to activate the bonus, your overall DPS will likely drop.

PvE Trait 2: Bait and Switch, Focused Fury

Getting Bait and Switch to activate takes a couple of seconds, as you’ll need to hit your enemy with your other two weapons once, but the 35% damage bonus it applies is well worth the extra time. Focused Fury is only a 20% buff, but if you can’t craft Cataclysmic yet or want something a little easier to activate, you only need to hit three precision shots to increase your damage.

Cataclysmic Linear Fusion Rifle PvP God Roll

Don’t expect to be taking Cataclysmic into PvP and dominating the world with it; that’s not really what it’s meant for. That said, taking out enemy Guardians with a Linear Fusion, especially in their Super, is a power move sure to win you no friends on the opposing team and plenty of friends in your squad.

Barrel

The PvE choices work perfectly for PvP.

Magazine: Accelerated Coils, Liquid Coils

Damage isn’t really a concern for Linear Fusion Rifles in PvP, as a headshot will kill anyone from almost any distance, no matter how tanky they are. Accelerated Coils, and the faster charge rate it allows, gets your shots off faster so you can take out that roaming super from farther away. Liquid Coils is helpful if you absolutely, positively must kill every Thundercrash in the room.

PvP Trait 1: Surplus, No Distractions

Cataclysmic’s main perks for PvP are all about making it as easy to use as possible. Surplus increases the weapon’s Stability and Handling the more abilities you have charged. The Reload Speed increase it provides is wasted here, as you’ll rarely have enough shots for it to matter. No Distractions is an excellent alternative option if you plan to use Cataclysmic while under fire, as it vastly reduces the flinch you’ll take in that situation.

PvP Trait 2: High-Impact Reserves, Box Breathing

Linear Fusion damage is less of a concern in PvP; again, if you hit someone in the head, they die, full stop. If you want a little more ability to body-shot someone or take out a Super at extreme ranges, High-Impact Reserves provides up to a 6% damage buff, and Box Breathing boosts precision damage by 33% once active.

The Cataclysmic remains one of the best PvE damage weapons in the game, even if it takes a little setup to take things into the stratosphere. It’s no slouch in PvP either and can be especially dangerous in Gambit, where it’s easier to get the buffs rolling. Equip it with any of the rolls presented in this guide, and you’ll be set. Check out our other Destiny 2 guides while you’re here, including how to complete the Vow of the Disciple Raid, the Duality Dungeon, and how to get Treasure Coordinates. Our guides hub has much more.