The Guardian Games have returned for their fourth appearance in Destiny 2. As Guardians across the Tower compete for class superiority, there’s one reward catching a lot of attention and that is the Taraxippos Scout Rifle. This is the second Guardian Games exclusive weapon after last year’s The Title SMG, but this new Scout has earned a little more fanfare thanks to how excellent it seems to play in every area of the game. Whether you like PvE or PvP, there’s a strong likelihood that Taraxippos has a roll just for you.
Pair that great perk pool with its place as the first Strand Scout Rifle and voila, we have a winner for the current most wanted weapon in the game. This is especially true considering that Taraxippos has a due-by date: if you don’t nab one before Guardian Games ends, you’re out of luck until it returns next year. As such, what exactly should you be looking for on this prized new weapon in Destiny 2?
Here’s every perk that the new Taraxippos Strand Scout Rifle can roll with and what its God Rolls are for PvE and PvP.
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How to Get the Taraxippos
Before we dive into what makes the Taraxippos special, how do you actually get one?
Well, by completing the Best in Class Quest given by Eva Levante, you’ll be given a decently rolled one right away. It’ll come with Zen Moment, Kill Clip and Explosive Payload, making it an excellent starting option and can easily its own weight if you don’t want to grind out additional perk combinations.
To get other rolls, you’ll need to start stocking up on Medallions. Taraxippos has a chance to drop alongside The Title whenever you turn in high-rarity Medallions to the Guardian Games Podium: Gold or Platinum, in particular, seem to give you the best chance at picking one up. Additionally, lighting the Score Torches that unlock as part of progressing by reaching the Platinum threshold in Supremacy or the Competitive Playlist will each award a chest that seems to guarantee at least one or two Taraxippos, including several Masterworked ones.
If you need a bit more guidance on how Guardian Games works, including a deep dive into the different playlists, you can check out our Guardian Games 2023 guide here.
Ready with the Taraxippos
Taraxippos Perk Pool
So, what makes the Taraxippos such a highly desirable gun in Destiny 2? Well, for one, it’s only around for a limited time: once Guardian Games ends on May 23rd, Taraxippos isn’t going to stick around in the weapon pool, meaning that you have to get it as soon as possible. The other, and more important, reason is that it has an excellent suite of perks for both PvE and PvP.
In column 1, Taraxippos can roll with:
- No Distractions
- Outlaw
- Zen Moment
- Fourth Times the Charm
- Moving Target
- Offhand Strike
- Gutshot Straight
Meanwhile, in column 2, you can get:
- Keep Away
- Kill Clip
- Encore
- Focused Fury
- Cascade Point
- Hatchling
- Explosive Payload
There are plenty of great things to play around with here, especially some pretty sweet combos on our very first Strand Scout Rifles. There’s an option for PvE, PvP or both at the same time: it’s an excellent, versatile weapon that all players should try and get their hands on.
Taraxippos Strand Scout Rifle
Classy Contender
There is something else to discuss about the Taraxippos in Destiny 2 and its exclusive Origin Trait. Like with The Title, Taraxippos has access to the Classy Contender Origin Trait (alongside Omolon Fluid Dynamics) which comes exclusively on Guardian Games weapons.
Classy Cotender is a simple, but very effective, Origin Trait. Final blows with the Taraippos will generate class ability energy, so your Hunter dodge, Warlock’s rift and Titan barricade. To be more specific kills with this Origin Trait will regenerate 5% of your class ability.
This trait is always going to be a nice bonus no matter where you go – you’ll always need a dodge handy in The Crucible or a barricade to protect yourself in Grandmasters – but it has the potential for greatness when paired with some other combinations. When used with select mods and subclasses, Classy Contender could become a mainstay staple of your build and we’ll discuss those combinations when they arise.
Classy Contender
God Rolls
Strand Builds
To begin, let’s go over a hyper-specific use case for the Taraxippos: its viability in a Strand build. As the first Strand Scout Rifle to join the game since Lightfall, a lot of attention was already on the weapon thanks to its ability to use unravelling rounds or trigger other Strand-related Fragments and Aspects. Luckily enough, though, the weapon also comes packed with some heavy-hitting perk combinations that make it an excellent pick for any Strand build.
The main perk here is, obviously, Hatchling, a weapon perk exclusive to Strand weapons. Upon killing an enemy with a precision hit, you will spawn two Threadlings at their location. These Threadlings act the same as those spawned by the Threadling Grenade and they are capable of being buffed by Thread of Evolution. Hatchling is a top-tier perk for any Strand weapon, especially a Scout Rifle like the Taraxippos: these weapons are built for long-range precision damage, making them a perfect fit for a precision-based perk like Hatchling.
What’s even better is that Taraxippos has some excellent options to pair with Hatchling to greatly improve its viability. To play into the precision-based gameplay of both Scout Rifles and Hatchling, you’ll want to pick up either Fourth Times the Charm or Outlaw. Both do very similar things – getting ammo back into the magazine quickly – but your choice will mainly be dictated by where and how you use it. If you plan on sticking to PvE, I would recommend Fourth Times the Charm because of its consistency and ease of use, especially with how easy it is to hit critical hits with Scout Rifles. On the other hand, if PvP is your playground, you’ll see more mileage out of Outlaw.
When put together, Hatchling and either perk in the first column make this weapon a Strand killing machine. You’ll be hitting headshots and spawning Threadlings all over the place while staying in the fight thanks to your quick ability to regenerate ammo. This gets even better if you’re playing on Broodweaver Warlock as you’ll be able to buff the Threadlings with Swarmers and take greater advantage of Classy Contender: each kill with generate class ability energy, which you can use to spawn more Threadlings and synergise with the Threadlings you create via Hatchling.
This is simply an excellent choice and a surefire pick for any lover of Strand.
Strand Builds
PvE
If you just want a solid Lightweight Scout Rifle in Destiny 2 without having to focus on Strand, Taraxippos also has you covered.
In column 1, we’ll once again be relying mainly on Fourth Times the Charm or Outlaw. Even without the aid of Hatchling, Scout Rifles excel at long-ranged combat, where they can easily line up their shots and hit precision hits with greater ease. These perks simply reward you even more beyond just killing your target. Like before, Fourth Times the Charm is going to be far more consistent than Outlaw, but the latter does have moments of greatness, especially on minor enemies who only take a shot or two to kill.
Then we have column 2, which has a plethora of interesting options to choose from. Firstly there’s Explosive Payload, a classic perk which adds a little extra punch to each of your shots. The additional damage from Explosive Payload isn’t game-changing but it will help you deal with stronger major and elite enemies, especially if you continue to regen shots through something like Fourth Times the Charm. Focused Fury has a similar interaction, buffing your damage if you hit precision hits on more than half of the gun’s base magazine. This makes it work very well with Fourth Times by letting you grab that damage boost while still having a good amount of bullets left to take advantage of it.
Lastly, there’s Kill Clip. While not as popular as it once was, Kill Clip remains a vital part of many guns and a lot of Guardians still prefer to take it over some of the more experimental options added as of late. In this situation, Kill Clip will pair better with Outlaw, an iconic pairing from back in the vanilla days.
PvE Perks
PvP
To close, let’s discuss what Taraxiposs offers in terms of PvP viability and, good news, it’s excellent here as well. Scout Rifles sit in a weird place in the current Crucible meta, one dominated by Submachine Guns and Pulse Rifles, alike. Still, it has enough here to compete, especially if you pick up the right selection of perks and combinations.
Returning from the PvE recommendations are Outlaw and Kill Clip. Just like in PvE, these perks go perfectly together and play off of each other in a way that feels satisfying and powerful. You’ll likely notice their effects even better in PvP, too, thanks to how it only takes three or four shots to kill a Guardian with precision damage from the Taraxippos. If you can hit your shots consistently, you’ll always have ammo in the magazine and damage boosts active at almost all times, making it a supreme killing machine at any range.
If you want to play a little more into the strengths of Taraxippos as a Scout, there are some other things to consider. Zen Moment recently received a small buff, one which has worked well enough to raise it back to some level of prominence. As a Scout Rifle, Taraxippos can take advantage of Zen Moment much better than other weapons, and the quick-fire rate will let you quickly stack the variety of bonuses available from the perk. To pair with Zen Moment we have a relatively new perk, Keep Away. While at range from your enemies, you’ll reload faster, gain additional range and have more accuracy, letting you fulfil a more backline role with your Scout Rifle.
Whatever PvP roll you decide to pick, Taraxippos will excel at longer ranges. Sitting back, waiting for your moment to quickly strike and take down any foe foolish enough to walk into your path before retreating and doing it again. It can certainly work as a duelling weapon, but the low body shot damage of Lightweight Scout Rifles means that you’ll want to try and take every advantage you can get.
PvP Perks
Those were all of the Taraxippos God Rolls and best perks you needed to know about in Destiny 2. A quick reminder that the Taraxippos is only available to earn for the duration of Guardian Games and will disappear on May 23rd. Get grinding those Medallions so you have the best chance of picking one up before that deadline hits.
