Compact Defender god rolls and how to get them in Destiny 2

Every blaster in Destiny 2 Renegades has a Star Wars counterpart. For the Compact Defender, the inspiration was Leia’s blaster. While it may be a sidearm, it comes with heavy-hitting perks that offer both damage and subclass synergy.

Compact Defender is a Dynamic Heat Void sidearm. It fires at 360 RPM, placing it in the same category as Lightweight Frame sidearms, such as Heliocentric QSc or Faustus Decline. As a Void weapon, there are tried and tested combinations to synergize with your build, as well as a few additional damage options.

Here are our Compact Defender god rolls for PvE and PvP in Destiny 2.

What is the Compact Defender god roll in Destiny 2?

Compact Defender PvE god roll

• Barrel: Chambered Compensator
• Battery: Enhanced Heatsink
• Perk one: Destabilizing Rounds
• Perk two: Repulsor Brace or Desperate Measures
• Masterwork: Cooling Efficiency

Compact Defender PvP god roll

• Barrel: Arrowhead Brake
• Battery: Projection Fuse
• Perk one: Rangefinder
• Perk two: Kill Clip
• Masterwork: Range

Compact Defender comes with a classic combination of Destabilizing Rounds and Repulsor Brace. Destabilizing Rounds makes targets volatile and grants Volatile Rounds when defeating an enemy, while Repulsor Brace grants an overshield for defeating Void-debuffed targets, including those affected by volatile.

If you already have enough survivability, you can go for Desperate Measures. With this perk, you want to go for melee or grenade kills, as those give you the maximum benefit: one kill grants two stacks of Desperate Measures (20 percent damage increase) for seven seconds, and a subsequent kill grants three stacks (30 percent damage increase). Weapon kills only keep Desperate Measures at one stack, which equals a 10 percent damage increase.

Desperate Measures can trigger while the weapon is stowed, and every kill you get, including weapon kills, at three stacks refreshes the buff’s duration. With an ability-spam build, it becomes quite easy to get and maintain maximum stacks.

In the Crucible, Compact Defender is a decent sidearm to run alongside another primary weapon to clean up kills. When it comes to perks, Rangefinder is back as a solid PvP option. After the update 9.5.0, Rangefinder grants 10 range when aiming down sights, in addition to its previous zoom magnification benefits.

In the fourth column, Kill Clip grants a 25 percent damage increase for five seconds when reloading after a kill. For blasters, reloading means fully venting the weapon. Clean up a kill, vent, and greet the next enemy with Kill Clip active.

How to get Compact Defender in Destiny 2

To get the Compact Defender, you need to grind the Lawless Frontier activity. During missions, complete side objectives, such as jammers, for a chance to get Weapon Lockboxes and exchange them after exfil. Alternatively, you can do a couple of Invasions if you have Deathmarks. It’s a fast and easy way to get a couple of drops.

You can also pick up additional copies of the weapon at the Bazaar on Tharsis Outpost. A Vex vendor is selling them for 1,000 Credits on the far side of the Bazaar, the same place where you can get the Uncivil Discourse hand cannon.