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

Imperial Decree made its grand return to Destiny 2 with Season of Defiance and quickly became a go-to option due to its great stats and perks. Today we tell you how to get it, what the best rolls are for PvE and PvP, and whether it’s worth farming.

How to get Imperial Decree

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. Focusing a Defiant engram costs:

• 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.

The 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 Imperial Decree B-tier for PvE and S-tier for PvP.

Best alternatives:

	Astral Horizon	Shotgun	Special	Kinetic	Trials of Osiris
	Fractethyst	Shotgun	Special	Stasis	Xûr
	Wastelander M5	Shotgun	Special	Kinetic	Dares of Eternity

Imperial Decree Perks and God Rolls

The Imperial Decree shotgun can roll with the following perks:

• Perk 1: Slideshot, Surplus, Auto-Loading Holster, Threat Detector, Pugilist, Stats for All
• Perk 2: Opening Shot, Trench Barrel, Snapshot Sights, Swashbuckler, Surrounded, Shot Swap
• Origin Trait: To Excess

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

Before you go…

Interested in more top-tier weapons to take the Crucible? You should definitely check out these The Summoner God Rolls.