The D.F.A. is a Kinetic Adaptive hand cannon from the Curse of Osiris DLC (also known as the worst Destiny 2 expansion ever released). And while the DLC was awful, some of its loot was top-notch, including this hand cannon, which is now back in the game as one of the few farmable Nightfall weapons today.
In this guide, we tell you where to find the weapon, how to farm it, and what are the best rolls for PvE and PvP.
| 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? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | D.F.A. | Adaptive | Legendary | Primary | Kinetic | Free-to-Play | Yes |   Primary |  Kinetic | Average ❘ B | - | Nightfall: The Ordeals |   |  Free-to-Play | Season 17 | Kinetic | No |
How to get the DFA in Season 19
Another victim of weapon sunsetting, the D.F.A. was off the table for nearly four years (it was released during Year 1 of Destiny 2, after all!). But the wait is over, as it finally returned to us with some solid perks, especially for PvP, as a Nightfall-exclusive reward.
Nightfall Weapon rotation this Season
There are several Nightfall-specific weapons in total, and as of Season of the Seraph (S19), only six are currently on rotation, with only one dropping each week. This means you can only farm the D.F.A. hand cannon once every six weeks!
2023 Nightfall weapon rotation
| Week | Art | Weapon | Type | Element | Ammo | Week # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 August 2023 |  | Loaded Question | Fusion Rifle |   Arc |   Special | Week 1 |
| 29 August 2023 |  | BrayTech Osprey | Rocket Launcher |   Void |   Heavy | Week 2 |
| 5 September 2023 |  | Buzzard | Sidearm | Kinetic | Primary | Week 3 |
| 12 September 2023 |   | Warden's Law | Hand Cannon | Kinetic | Primary | Week 4 |
| 19 September 2023 |   | THE SWARM | Machine Gun | Arc | Heavy | Week 5 |
| 26 September 2023 |   | Pre Astyanax IV | Combat Bow |   Solar | Primary | Week 6 |
| 3 October 2023 | | Loaded Question | Fusion Rifle | Arc | Special | Week 7 |
| 10 October 2023 | | BrayTech Osprey | Rocket Launcher | Void | Heavy | Week 8 |
| 17 October 2023 | | Buzzard | Sidearm | Kinetic | Primary | Week 9 |
| 24 October 2023 | | Warden's Law | Hand Cannon | Kinetic | Primary | Week 10 |
| 31 October 2023 | | THE SWARM | Machine Gun | Arc | Heavy | Week 11 |
| 7 November 2023 | | Pre Astyanax IV | Combat Bow | Solar | Primary | Week 12 |
| 14 November 2023 | | Loaded Question | Fusion Rifle | Arc | Special | Week 13 |
| 21 November 2023 | | BrayTech Osprey | Rocket Launcher | Void | Heavy | Week 14 |
💠 This guide highlights the Nightfall weapons this season, as well as the schedule for the coming weeks.
How good is the D.F.A. today
As a 140 RPM hand cannon, D.F.A. struggles in PvE, especially when taking on some of the more challenging pieces of content.
In PvP, however, D.F.A. shows some promise. But to be fair, in spite of being a personal favorite, there are objectively better options in Fatebringer, Eyasluna, and Austringer. Fatebringer and Eyasluna outperform it in PvE due to a stronger perk pool, and Austringer beats it in PvP due to better base stats and its ability to be crafted.
However, to some, D.F.A. has a certain ‘feel’ to it. The gun sounds amazing, and the sights are extremely clean. You might find yourself performing better with it than with a technically superior hand cannon; I know I certainly do.
Simply put, the DFA is a middle-of-the-road option. It doesn’t have too much going on in the perk department and really relies on feel to beat out its competition. This nets it a B tier in our rating. It can certainly work in the right hands, however, you may be better off with some other picks instead.
- B Tier – Average: A decent choice that can be lethal in the hands of a skilled player.
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? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Austringer | Adaptive | Legendary | Primary | Kinetic | Beyond Light | Yes | Primary | Kinetic | Strong ❘ A | PvE + PvP | Presage |   |  Beyond Light | Season 17 | Kinetic | Craftable | Top-tier | |
  | Eyasluna | Adaptive | Legendary | Primary | Stasis | 30th Anniversary | Yes | Primary |   Stasis | Best ❘ S | PvE + PvP | Grasp of Avarice Dungeon | |  30th Anniversary | 30th Anniversary event | Kinetic | No | Top-tier | |
  | Fatebringer | Adaptive | Legendary | Primary | Kinetic | Free-to-Play | Yes | Primary | Kinetic | Strong ❘ A | PvE + PvP | Vault of Glass Raid | | Free-to-Play | Season 14 | Kinetic | No | Top-tier |
Best DFA Rolls for PvE and PvP
Once you’ve identified the right week to farm, you’ll want to run as many Nightfalls (and at the higher difficulty possible) as possible to increase your chances of finding a god roll. Among the several strong possible rolls out there, these are our favorites, the combinations we consider god rolls.
A DFA roll, Destiny 2
DFA PvP god roll
In terms of rolls for PvP, you want high Range and Stability, so Smallbore is the obvious choice here. For your magazine, you’re looking for Accurized Rounds for an increased range. Finally, for your perks, Perpetual Motion or Fragile Focus, and Timed Payload or Opening Shot will be your best picks. Rampage isn’t too bad either for casual PvP.
- Barrel: Smallbore
- Magazine: Accurized Rounds
- Perk 1: Perpetual Motion or Fragile Focus
- Perk 2: Timed Payload or Opening Shot
DFA PvE god roll
For PvE, you only really have one route you can go down. You will still want Smallbore and Accurised Rounds; however, the combo of Outlaw and Rampage is the only standout option. Timed Payload can work for staggering enemies, and Wellspring is okay for more ability spam.
- Barrel: Smallbore
- Magazine: Accurised Rounds
- Perk 1: Outlaw
- Perk 2: Rampage
DFA Adept farm: Worth it?
If you’re courageous enough to tackle Nightfalls on Grandmaster difficulty, you could earn an Adept version of the D.F.A. On top of serving as bragging rights, Adept variants of weapons have more perks per column, give even more stats when Masterworked, and can accept unique Adept mods.
The D.F.A. drops from The Glassway Nightfall
The Glassway contains Solar and Arc elemental shields on higher difficulties, but there will be Void minotaurs on lower difficulties. The Glassway comes with Barrier and Overload champions, so make sure to bring the classics like Arbalest or Divinity if you want an easy time in this Nightfall.
Glassway is really easy until the boss room, which hits you like an absolute train. The boss arena is split into two sections, and you literally need to play hide and seek, but there are millions of seekers and only three of you. Dispatching each major enemy together as a team is key, as Wyverns, Overload Champions, and Barrier Champions can all ruin your day.
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