“The key to using Traces effectively is to maintain a steady stream of laser fire on your target. The longer you keep it on, the more damage you inflict.” – Banshee-44
Overview
Trace Rifles are formidable weapons that fire concentrated energy beams capable of targeting multiple foes at once. These rifles fall under the special weapon category. Initially, due to their scarcity, they were integrated with auto rifles until Upgrade Modules were introduced. They also shared armor mods with auto rifles until Season of the Splicer. Most Guardian-accessible trace rifles were of Exotic rarity until the arrival of Retraced Path.
Trace rifles were initially introduced to the Last City through the advancements made by Omolon. These rifles are highly precise, battery-powered lasers. Though they may appear to have a lower impact stat, their rapid rate of fire compensates for it. Their damage output falls between auto rifles designed for general use and heavy machine guns. With their minimal spread and exceptional stability, they can be viewed as a “super auto rifle,” fitting their classification as special ammo weapons.
The intrinsic trait supported by trace rifles is the Adaptive Frame, which provides a well-rounded grip that is reliable and sturdy.
Exotic Trace Rifles
- Coldheart: Originally obtained through pre-ordering Destiny 2 and later included as a world drop.
- Prometheus Lens: Acquired as a world drop and added in the Curse of Osiris expansion.
- Wavesplitter: Acquired as a world drop and added in the Forsaken expansion.
- Divinity: Raid Exotic for Garden of Salvation. Obtained through the Divinity Exotic Quest.
- Ruinous Effigy: Acquired through the Missive (Growth) quest during Season of Arrivals. Also available for purchase at the Monument To Lost Lights.
- Ager’s Scepter: Acquired through the Tracing the Stars quest during Season of the Lost. Also available for purchase at the Monument To Lost Lights.
- The Navigator: Acquired by completing the final encounter of the Ghosts of the Deep dungeon.
Legendary Trace Rifles
- Retraced Path: Acquired as a drop from Xur’s Treasure Hoard during Bungie’s 30th Anniversary event, part of the Dares of Eternity activity.
- Hollow Denial: Random rewards from Nightmare Containment or Sever missions.
- Path of Least Resistance: Random rewards from Heist Battlegrounds.
- Acasia’s Dejection: Random rewards from the Root of Nightmares raid. An Adept version of this weapon can be obtained by completing encounter challenges on Master difficulty.
Enemy Trace Rifles
- Vex Laser Rifle
- Chronology Rifle
Trivia
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- Trace rifles appear to draw inspiration from the focus rifle in Halo: Reach, Bungie’s previous game before Destiny. This is implied by the description of Retraced Path.
List of Appearances
- Destiny 2 (First appearance)
- Curse of Osiris
- Forsaken
- Shadowkeep
- Season of Arrivals
- Beyond Light
- Season of the Lost
- The Witch Queen
- Season of the Haunted
- Season of the Seraph
- Lightfall
- Season of the Deep
