Destiny 2 Imperial Decree: God Rolls and How to get it

Imperial Decree has made its grand return to Destiny 2 within Season of Defiance. Quickly becoming a go-to option due to its great stats and perks, the reprised Imperial Decree is better than ever.

This article will tell you how to get it, what the best rolls are for PvE and PvP, and if it’s worth farming for.

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?
	Imperial Decree	Aggressive	Legendary	Special	Kinetic	Free-to-Play	Yes	Special	Kinetic	Best ❘ S	PvP	Engram Focusing		Free-to-Play	Season 20	Kinetic	Craftable	Top-tier

How to get Imperial Decree in Season 20

Completing Defiant Battlegrounds when in possession of a Defiant Key will reward you with Defiant Engrams. Defiant Engrams can also randomly drop when completing activities elsewhere in the game. These engrams can then be taken to the War Table at the H.E.L.M and focused into a “Recovered Leviathan Weapons”. These result in either the Imperial Decree or the class-specific sword. Focusing can also result in Deepsight versions of these weapons. It takes five Deepsight rolls to unlock the pattern.

The cost to focus Defiant engrams has been greatly reduced compared to previous seasons. You’ll simply require:

• 1 Defiant Engram (or 2 if you want a specific weapon)
  • 3,000 Glimmer

How good is the Imperial Decree today

Pellet shotguns are great inside PvP but fall behind other special weapons for PvE activities. Aggressive frames shotguns are meta options for PvP, falling just behind Precision frames.

Imperial Decree doesn’t really excel within PvE. Pellet shotguns already struggle to find use, and without great PvE perks, Imperial Decree falls far behind other alternatives. Perks like Surrounded or Trench Barrel might become more valuable in the future, but at the moment, they are not meta perks.

Crucible is where the Imperial Decree shines. Aggressive frames are one of the best options for PvP due to their pellet spread and high damage. Imperial Decree can also get several great perks in both columns for PvP, making it a contender for the best shotgun for the kinetic slot. Threat Detector or Slideshot pair perfectly with Opening Shot making Imperial Decree a fantastic option to pair with popular energy primaries like the Ikelos SMG or Exalted Truth. We consider the Imperial Decree S Tier for PvP.

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?
	Astral Horizon	Aggressive	Legendary	Special	Kinetic	Lightfall	Yes	Special	Kinetic	Strong ❘ A	PvP	Trials of Osiris		Lightfall	Season 10	Kinetic	No	Top-tier
	Fractethyst	Precision	Legendary	Special	Stasis	Free-to-Play	Yes	Special	Stasis	Best ❘ S	PvP	Xûr		Free-to-Play	Season 15	Kinetic	No	Top-tier
	Wastelander M5	Lightweight	Legendary	Special	Kinetic	Free-to-Play	Yes	Special	Kinetic	Strong ❘ A	PvE + PvP	Dares of Eternity		Free-to-Play	30th Anniversary event	Kinetic	Craftable	Top-tier

Best Imperial Decree Rolls for PvE and PvP

Once you have gotten 5 Deepsights, it’s time to craft your god-roll Imperial Decree. Here are our recommendations.

Imperial Decree PvP god roll

Shotguns inside PvP have two main stats to focus on: Range and Handling. Imperial Decree can easily build into both of these stats. Barrel Shroud or Corkscrew Rifling are the best barrels due to their bonuses to handling/range. For the magazine, Accurized Rounds are recommended. The bonus to the range is critical; however, Assualt Mag can be used instead. The first column has two perks worth choosing: Threat Detector or Slide Shot.

Threat Detector is the best for general use where, as Slide Shot is preferred if you use handling boosting exotics like Dragon Shadow or Ophidian Aspect. Opening Shot is the best perk in the second column. The bonuses it provides to range/aim assist make it the only option worth choosing.

• Barrel: Barrel Shroud
• Magazine: Accurized Rounds
• Perk 1: Threat Detector or Slideshot
• Perk 2: Opening Shot
• Masterwork: Handling or Range

Imperial Decree PvE god roll

The best roll for a PvE Imperial Decree is for ability regeneration. Building around Pugilist is one of the few rolls that make Imperial Decree almost a worthwhile choice in PvE. Using Corkscrew Rifling and Assualt Mag for the barrel and magazine choices is the best option. Assault Mag increases the rate of fire, allowing you to chew through enemies quickly. Surrounded or Trench Barrel are the best perks in the second column to pair with Pugilist.

Trench Barrel provides bonuses for striking an enemy with your melee, whereas Surrounded increases the damage, making it easier to kill tougher elites.

• Barrel: Barrel Shroud
• Magazine: Assualt Mag
• Perk 1: Pugilist
• Perk 2: Surrounded or Trench Barrel
• Masterwork: Reload Speed

Imperial Decree: Is it worth it?

Imperial Decree is a must-have shotgun for any PvP player. Being a craftable Aggressive Frame with great base stats and perks makes Imperial Decree arguably the best in slot shotgun for PvP. Whilst it falls behind in PvE activities, Imperial Decree is both easy to farm and worth spending your Defiant Engrams on. It is recommended you farm for this weapon if you enjoy playing PvP.