The Imperative is a high-impact kinetic scout rifle that’s part of the Undying weapon set. Its newly refreshed perk pool contains some of the best perks to use in both PvP and PvE but will most likely see more action in PvP due to it being a high-impact kinetic scout. Historically, this archetype struggled when it comes to PvE content. That is until the addition of Kinetic Tremors.
From my experiences with the Imperative so far, I think it benefits the most from the Nano-Munitions Origin Trait. You may only get a couple of bullets per stack but you’ll only ever need one bullet per red bar enemy in base content. It’s only in higher-tier content do you start to see the major drawbacks of the high-impact scouts. The Imperative is no different in that regard.
How to get Imperative in Destiny 2
To get the Imperative, and the other weapons in the Undying reprised set, you’ll need to complete runs within the Coil activity. There is a rare chance for you to get a random roll after completing one full loop with better chances of acquiring one early by earning a Platinum score at the end of the activity. You can also get a random roll from the chest at the end of the Starcrossed Exotic quest.
You can craft your Imperative after activating Deepsight on five red border copies. The crafted version allows you to choose your perks, and masterwork, and upgrade the 3rd and 4th column perks to their enhanced version.
Best Imperative PvP God Rolls
- 1st Column: Fluted Barrel
- 2nd Column: Accurized Rounds
- Range Masterwork
- Counterbalance Stock Mod
- Rapid Hit + Explosive Payload
- Keep Away + Explosive Payload
The only time I bring out a high-impact scout into PvP is when I intend to sit in the back of the map in a place where I can’t be rushed easily. It’s not like I have much of a choice in when and where I can engage the enemy. For all its talk of high damage, these scouts have some of the lowest TTKs in the game and can easily be outgunned by SMGs.
Explosive Payload helps you out quite a bit in the ease-of-use department but you’ll still have to change your playstyle to something very passive to succeed with this kind of weapon. No Distractions is also up for consideration if you prefer to stay glued to your scope as if your life depended on it.
You have the option here to go all-out on the range stat by going Hammer-Forged Rifling over Fluted Barrel. But I can’t stand how slow this gun is with its low handling so any opportunity to bring up the stat is a welcome one. Though I understand some players love their range above all else. So, if you want to dome another Guardian from the back of Disjunction to the spawn across the map, you might want to invest in as much range as possible.
Best Imperative PvE God Roll
- 1st Column: Fluted Barrel
- 2nd Column: Steady Rounds
- Handling Masterwork
- Major Spec Mod
- Subsistence + Kinetic Tremors
- Rapid Hit + Kinetic Tremors
High-impact kinetic scouts are in an awkward position within the PvE meta. They don’t do well enough against large numbers of ads without elemental explosion perks and they historically don’t kill yellow bars and bosses efficiently. In that regard, they are in the same boat as sniper rifles. Bungie doesn’t want us to be in the glitch spots clicking heads and not engaging in the content the way it was designed.
This is why I think Kinetic Tremors is such a good addition to the perk pool. When the perk activates on a Major or a Boss, it creates three consecutive blasts that deal more than a decent amount of damage within a 10-meter radius of the impact point. This supplemental damage makes you play a little more aggressive if only to pick up what our enemies leave behind after the kinetic shockwaves.
I think Subsistence is the clear winner if we’re talking about the PvE God Roll. It usually takes one or two bullets to clear ads in the current sandbox and you will most likely remain at full magazine the entire time you’re shooting. Rapid Hit is better suited for Majors and will allow you to activate Tremors in quick succession. Subsistence can do something similar if you can manage to swap between the hard target and the ads that surround it. Throw in two Kinetic Weapon Surge mods and you’re set for the rest of the activity.
How good is the Imperative?
Like all the weapons in the reprised Undying set, the Imperative is relatively tame at best. It does some interesting things here and there but it’ll probably never be used in any serious content. That doesn’t mean that it’s completely useless. It’s just that there is a fine line between being good at general content as opposed to being good at high-level content. And scouts aren’t supposed to be this untouchable class of weapon where no enemy can touch you.
The closest weapons I can compare this one to are from my collection are Perses-D and Jade Rabbit. Perses-D has Explosive Payload and anyone from the Crucible knows how much of a menace a buffed-up Jade Rabbit is. I feel Imperative has some potential given that it’s one of the few weapons that can be crafted with enhanced Kinetic Tremors.
These are the Imperative base stats before any perks are applied:
- Impact: 67
- Range: 65
- Stability: 20
- Handling: 22
- Reload Speed: 30
- Zoom: 21
- Rounds Per Minute: 150
- Magazine: 13
The Imperative’s perk pool is standard for most high-impact scout rifles. The only perk that stands out here is Kinetic Tremors and its enhanced version. The rest of the perks, you can find in almost all kinetic scouts. If you’re looking to play more specialized play styles, No Distractions and Demolitionist are the way to go in PvP and PvE respectively.
3rd Column Perks
- Well-Rounded
- Triple Tap
- Keep Away
- No Distractions
- Rapid Hit
- Demolitionist
- Subsistence
4th Column Perks
- Deconstruct
- Osmosis
- Opening Shot
- Explosive Payload
- Adrenaline Junkie
- Attrition Orbs
- Kinetic Tremors
That’s all I’ve got for this Imperative god roll guide. I very much like the Imperative in most general content. It has a snappy aim to it and tapping heads is satisfying once you get into the rhythm of it. I’ll most likely continue using it well past the review. It has served me well so far, after all. Good luck and have fun out there, Guardians.
Check out our full list of reprised Undying god rolls: