If you’re planning to go into Crucible this week and try out Iron Banner and get the new Dark Decider, you’ll probably be surprised at how little has changed since the last time Lord Saladin returned to the Tower. But at the very least the pair of new weapons are worth talking about.
In this guide, we’ll talk about the god rolls you can acquire for the recently reprieved Dark Decider auto rifle for both PvP and PvE.
Dark Decider Legendary Arc Auto Rifle
Here’s a breakdown of all the information we’ve compiled from listening to the community and through our own testing. If you want to go straight to the god rolls, feel free to do so and you’ll find it if scroll down some more.
Barrel perks
At its base, the Dark Decider has some pretty poor recoil direction. So you’re going to have an option of two types when it drops.
- Option 1: Hammer-forged rifling, polygon rifling, or smallbore. Don’t bother equipping a counterbalance mod for these three. It won’t make a difference.
- Option 2: If you get a recoil direction barrel other than Arrowhead, you will need to put on a counterbalance more to make it viable for PvP. We’re suggesting this because the recoil control is so low that there’s no point in actually raising it up.
Ammo perks
- Accurized rounds for PvP
- Because of the Veistinger Trait, anything works in PvE, including mag options like Appended mag.
3rd Column perks
- Subsistence
- Dynamic Sway Reduction
- Iron Grip
- Auto loading Holster
- Offhand Strike
- Well rounded
We suggest going with Dynamic Sway Reduction, the best one to use for both PvP and PvE.
Subsistence is usually good but this gun already has the Veistinger trait and by the looks of it, it only has one pairing for the fourth column – Voltshot. And even then that’s a questionable combination. More on that below.
Our safest option here is actually Well Rounded. For a gun like this, every little bit helps. This perk gives you an additional range for powered melee kills and grenade kills. Unlike Iron Grip, it doesn’t come at the cost of reload speed. As if the gun doesn’t already take forever to reload.
4th Column perks
- Voltshot
- Gunshot Straight
- Iron Reach
- Golden Tricorn
- Dragonfly
- Rangefinder
The only reason to go with this gun for PvE, realistically, is for Voltshot. And before anyone asks, no, Subsistence with Voltshot is counterproductive. The tests we’ve seen conclude that you’ll still need to reload to activate Voltshot. This may work if you’re going up against high health targets and you can get Veist Stinger working too. Also, Subsistence can work against you at times for it can load your weapon beyond max capacity and that stops you from reloading. That’s hard to get past that.
The only scenario that this can work is if you are up against a boss resulting in you having to reload less often.
Gutshot Straight and Iron Reach are questionable at best. In our opinion, they take away more than they give in return. Golden Tricorn is one of the better options, but it’s making the best out of a bad situation.
God Rolls
For PvP, there is only one god roll for this weapon, and that’s:
- Hammer-Forged Rifling
- Accurized Rounds
- Dynamic Sway Reduction
- Rangefinder
For PvE, honestly, anything other than Iron Grip with Voltshot is going to be more than ok with the gun. You don’t have to think about range or stability so much. Reload speed is a must though. And if it happens to come with Subsistence, that’s fine too. You may have to alter your play style a bit but that’s about it.
The only reason why you want to have this weapon in Season 19 for PvE is that you can stun Champions with the right mod. If that’s more your speed, then have at it. Just don’t forget to have Veist Stinger on. Skulking Worf is not going to help you in PvE.
But if you want something that’s better at Voltshot than this, however, craft a Tarnished Mettle or a Brigand’s Law. Even better, go for the new IKELOS SMG. It has the fire rate of a Brigand’s Law plus range.
Conclusion:
The only thing going for the Dark Decider is the fact that is a 720 RPM with Veist Stinger. You can hold down the trigger for a while and not have to reload half the time. But those of us with a compulsive habit of reloading if there’s free space in the mag, may not like it so much. Apart from that, it is the only 720 RPM auto rifle in the game that has Voltshot. That counts for something.
If you’re looking for stats, your best bet is to look in the direction of better ARs such as the Krait or Sweet Sorrow. At least you can craft a Sweet Sorrow. But we’d like to emphasize that if the gun feels right in your hands, nothing we say is going to change your mind. We’re just offering guidance on a gun you may want to keep.
You can click this link here to buildcraft your own Dark Decider, courtesy of D2 gunsmith.
Update:
A near god-roll Dark Decider with Tactical Mag instead of Accurized Rounds is very fun to play with. Instantly felt the level of zoom that’s not available on something like the Sweet Sorrow. If you’re used to quick mouse movements, this may be of interest to you. It is something worth considering on Iron Banner’s next return.
(Not sure if it’s worth recommending Back Up Mag over Counterbalance Stock. Felt like it needed all the recoil control it can get. But that’s just me.)
And that’s all we have to talk about with regard to Dark Decider. As of the writing of this guide, Iron Banner is still ongoing and we may change some things here and there as more information comes to light. But still do check in with us for more Destiny 2 articles, especially with Lightfall looming on the horizon.
Check out our other guides on Iron Banner 2023:
- Gunnora’s Axe God Roll for PvP and PvP: Destiny 2 Iron Banner Guide
- Destiny 2 Iron Banner Challenges: How to Find and Complete
- Destiny 2 Iron Banner Season 19 – What You Need to Know
Check out this video from YouTuber True Vanguard where he talks about some positive aspects of the new Dark Decider auto rifle. Narrated by his wife, he also talks about the current state of Iron Banner in general.