In a DPS meta currently dominated by rocket launchers, Apex Predator is one of the best choices at your disposal. It has a range of offensive perks in both columns and it can be crafted with enhanced versions of those perks.
In this guide, we’ll go over the best rolls for PvP and PvE, why this weapon is so good, and how you can get your hands on Apex Predator today.
| Art | Weapon | Archetype | Rarity | Ammo | Element | Requirements | In loot pool? | Ammo? | Element? | Tier | Excels | Source | Craftable? | Requires | Released | Slot | Can be Crafted? | Best of? | Top Perk? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Apex Predator | Adaptive | Legendary | Heavy | Solar | Forsaken Pack | Yes |   Heavy |   Solar | Best ❘ S | PvE | Last Wish Raid |   |  Forsaken Pack | Season 4 | Heavy | Craftable | Top-tier | Incandescent,Explosive Light,Reconstruction |
How to get Apex Predator this Season
Apex Predator drops from any of the Last Wish raid encounters and secret chests. There are a total of 5 encounters and 2 secret chests in the raid so you do have a relatively decent chance of getting a weapon’s copy.
Each week, you can visit Hawthorne in the Tower to acquire a quest to complete all encounters of the Last Wish raid. The quest will grant you a Deepsight weapon that will help you get the patterns quicker.
It can be challenging to get a decent Apex Predator especially if you are not a frequent raider or are a solo player. However, every week you can jump into Last Wish by yourself and use the Wish Wall to get both secret chests for all three characters. That should increase your chances of getting a god-roll Apex Predator.
Last Wish loot table, Destiny 2
How good is Apex Predator
Judging purely from usage stats, Apex Predator is the most-used Legendary rocket launcher in PvE and second most-used in PvP.
It can roll a number of good perks including Reconstruction with Bait and Switch which is what most players are going for. Many also use at least one Gjallahorn on the fireteam to maximize the damage output by Apex Predators.
It can take some time to get the roll you need, so in the meantime, you can use the latest Rocket Launcher, Semiotician, introduced in Season 22, and also The Hothead, which is a decent overall weapon.
Best alternatives:
| Art | Weapon | Archetype | Rarity | Ammo | Element | Requirements | In loot pool? | Ammo? | Element? | Tier | Excels | Source | Craftable? | Requires | Released | Slot | Can be Crafted? | Best of? | Top Perk? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
  | Semiotician | High-Impact | Legendary | Heavy | Strand | Season 22 | Yes | Heavy |  Strand | - | Seasonal activity | |   Season 22 | Season 22 | Heavy | Craftable | |||
  | The Hothead | Adaptive | Legendary | Heavy | Arc | Free-to-Play | Yes | Heavy |   Arc | Best ❘ S | PvE | Nightfall: The Ordeals |   |  Free-to-Play | Season 15 | Heavy | No | Top-tier | Explosive Light |
Best Apex Predator Rolls for PvE and PvP
Apex Predator God rolls, Destiny 2
Apex Predator PvE god roll
- Barrel: Quick Launch
- Magazine: Impact Casing
- Perk 1: Reconstruction
- Perk 2: Bait and Switch
- Masterwork: Reload Speed or Velocity
Apex Predator is a go-to PvE rocket launcher in today’s meta. Quick Launch and Impact casing will give the weapon much needed handling and stability to fire quickly and consistently. But if you feel like you don’t need those extra stats you can always switch to something like an Alloy Casing for more reload speed.
The golden combo for Apex Predator is Reconstruction with Bait and Switch. Reconstruction is the best perk for boss damage as Perk 1. You can go for Demolitionist or Incandescent if you want to ad-clear to the rocket launcher, but that is not something we’d recommend as rocket launchers shine at boss DPS. Bait and Switch has a few decent replacements like Explosive Light or Vorpal Weapon and can be decent if you find it difficult to trigger Bait and Switch.
Reminder: To trigger Bait and Switch you need to deal damage with all equipped weapons within 7 seconds of each to get a 35% increased damage for 10 seconds on the weapon with the perk.
Apex Predator PvP god roll
- Barrel: Smart Drift Control
- Magazine: High-Velocity Rounds
- Perk 1: Tracking Module or Reconstruction
- Perk 2: Collective Action or Vorpal Weapon
- Masterwork: Reload Speed or Velocity
Rocket launchers are something players use sparingly in PvP. It’s just not viable when you have more flexible and faster options like grenade launchers or machine guns. Apex Predator is especially lacking with PvP perks despite being one of the most used rocket launchers.
To be completely honest, almost everything Apex Predator has is garbage for PvP. For barrel and magazine, you can get away with Smart Drift Control for an overall bump in stats and High-Velocity Rounds for extra speed (both projectile and reload).
It’s the perks where things get tough. In Perk 1 you can go for a Tracking Module which still works in PvP although with diminishing performance compared to PvE. As Perk 2 we’d probably recommend Vorpal Weapon or Collective Action. The issue is that most of the perks in the Perk 2 slot are very hard to take advantage of. If you can create Orbs of Power consistently in PvP, you can go for Explosive Light for that 10% damage boost. Otherwise, just look for something that synergizes with your PvP build.
Apex Predator: Is it worth farming?
Apex Predator is a must-have for any PvE player in D2. With great perk combinations and the ability to craft the weapon, there is simply no other rocket launcher like it.
As for PvP, Apex Predator is a definite no. Rocket launchers in general are underwhelming in PvP so we would suggest switching to a different type (..ahem grenade launchers) or at just using the Gjallahorn instead.
Interested in more top-tier Crota’s End weapons? You should definitely check out the Cataphract GL3 grenade launcher.
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