Completing Desert Perpetual Raid Builds: A Solving Guide

Amplified, which you gain from Ascension, provides an extra 15% damage resistance and increases your chances of dodging enemy projectiles. Coupled with Facet of Protection, you’ll earn x1 Restoration each time you gather an Orb of Power—something that happens frequently thanks to x3 Heavy Handed mods on your gloves and two Powerful Attraction mods on your class item.

Ascension activates armor mods, allowing you to trigger your aerial spin to collect nearby orbs. Incorporate some surge mods on your legs, and while this build may not eclipse a dedicated Celestial Nighthawk loadout for DPS, it still holds its ground.

To maintain your survival during the encounter, we recommend employing Stylish Executioner. This will allow you to become invisible each time you eliminate a debuffed enemy. You can trigger this with Gunpowder Gamble or through weapons with elemental perks like Chill Clip or Incandescent. The Facet of Protection generates Restoration when you create Orbs of Power, which can be accomplished with Firepower mods on your gloves.

For actual DPS, running Still Hunt alongside Hezen Vengeance is your best bet. Celestial Nighthawk will turn the Golden Gun shot from Still Hunt into a one-time, high-damage round. Fire a Golden Gun shot, deplete your magazine, switch to Hezen Vengeance, fire off a few rockets, switch back to Still Hunt, and repeat. If you’re utilizing Bait and Switch, you’ll need to fire the weapon in your Kinetic slot during your DPS rotations as well to maintain the perk. It’s a demanding playstyle but yields exceptional DPS.

If your focus is purely on damage, equip Cuirass of the Falling Star to significantly amplify your Thundercrash damage. However, if your priority lies more in clearing adds or leveraging machine guns as a DPS method, Actium War Rig is a great option this season. It is featured as an Exotic and received notable buffs, enhancing ammo generation and damage for auto rifles and machine guns, including Choir of One.

This might not make Thunderlord an ideal choice for Contest, but it’s certainly worth considering.

As for swords, your best bet is Abyssal Edge from Episode: Heresy. Flash Counter will allow you to deal damage while blocking, which counts as landing an attack to build Redirection stacks. Block a few hits, then strike the target with a sword that deals 100% more damage. If you lack this sword, any one with Flash Counter is an excellent choice.

Give this setup a shot if you’re tasked with drawing enemy fire or engaging a boss up close. If your team requires additional damage, you can easily switch to Striker to enable Bolt Charge while near a barricade.