Ascendancy is now the highest damage dealing rocket launcher in Destiny 2

Explosive Light perk has been the topic of discussion for the last three years in Destiny 2. It is only exclusive to heavy weapon types and is available for a total of two weapons that haven't been sunset yet.

Before the Ascendancy came along, Explosive Light was paired with another ritual weapon, a Legendary grenade launcher called the Wendigo GL3. Being a Legendary type, it had the highest damage output in Destiny 2 out of all the heavy grenade launchers. This also paved the way for any kinetic or energy exotics within the inventory.

Season 15 saw the return of this perk in the form of two Legendary Rocket Launchers. One is the ritual Ascendancy, and the other dropping from Nightfalls, the Hothead.

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Bungie buffed the Explosive Light perk in Destiny 2 Season of the Lost

Since the launch of Destiny 2 Season of the Lost, Guardians has had access to the ritual rocket launcher Ascendancy from either one of the three playlist vendors. The requirements were simple: each player had to level up either Zavala, Shaxx, or Drifter's reputation for getting hold of the ritual weapon.

However, one of the perks, the Explosive Light, did not perform as well as expected as its predecessors. It had a total of 15% damage bonus against bosses, which was on par with Vorpal. It felt underwhelming because of the extra work needed to get the actual perk working.

Hotfix 3.3.0.3 for Destiny 2 Season 15 (Image via Bungie)

Explosive Light only works if the wielder picks up orbs of light during combat. This can max out to a total of six stacks, therefore capping the weapon up to a certain number against bosses. In the recent Destiny 2's 3.3.0.2 hotfix, Bungie announced that they're buffing up the perk, increasing its damage by up to 25%.

Since the damage buff, it has been tested that without the six stacked Explosive Light, the weapon deals approximately 73,000 damage. However, with the stacks, it deals around 91000 damage. One thing to note here is that these numbers are recorded without the Argent Ordnance modification or Path of the Burning Stepps exotic armor.

Ascendancy new damage numbers (Image via Ehroar)

With the overall changes, the Destiny 2 community is now pretty satisfied with the ritual Rocket Launcher. Some claim it to have way more value inside the PvE after the grind for leveling up a vendor's reputation rank.

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Note: This article is subjective and reflects the opinion of the writer.