The Hothead god roll and best perks in Destiny 2

Destiny’s The Hothead arrived in Destiny 2 with a few tricks up its sleeve. This rocket launcher has several elements that make it unique—including its retro look and old-school scope—but its perk pool is what makes The Hothead really shine.

Although finding a god roll usually comes with a degree of personal preference, The Hothead has a few perks that make it stand out, and they’re nearly mandatory if you want to make the most out of this rocket launcher.

Related: How to get The Hothead in Destiny 2

Here’s our god roll for the Hothead in Destiny 2:

The Hothead god roll and best perks in Destiny 2

• Launcher: Hard Launch or Quick Launch for projectile velocity (Honorable Mention: Linear Compensator or Smart Drift Control).
• Casing: Impact Casing, Alloy Casing, or High-Velocity Rounds.
• First Perk: Impulse Amplifier or Auto-Loading Holster (Honorable mentions: Field Prep or Demolitionist)
• Second Perk: Explosive Light or Vorpal Weapon (Honorable mentions: Lasting Impression, Clown Cartridge).

Since players can’t always get a god roll, however, we’ll break down why the perks and parts in our god roll list are the best in their slots—and what you can go with in case you don’t get that perfect roll. As a rule of thumb, aim for Explosive Light or Vorpal, even if it comes with slightly worse perks, but try each roll for yourself to see which suits you best.

Best third-column perks for The Hothead

First Perk Column: Impulse Amplifier, Field Prep, Auto-Loading Holster, or Demolitionist

These four perks are extremely strong in their own right. You can’t really go wrong with any of them, but some of them work better in specific situations. Impulse Amplifier is universal, improving projectile velocity and reload speed. The Hothead’s projectiles are somewhat slow and its reload isn’t exactly speedy either, so this perk certainly has benefits. Field Prep, on the other hand, gives you an essentially free reload as long as you’re crouched, with the advantage of extra reserves from the start (and no need to swap armor or worry about dying and losing ammo for not having the Reserves mod on).

Auto-Loading Holster and Demolitionist are good in their own right, and though Auto-Loading Holster is more universal, both offer benefits. If you’re going for a shoot-and-swap playstyle (for instance, with Izanagi’s Burden), Auto-Loading Holster is king. Demolitionist, on the other hand, works better with other setups due to its ability to reload on a grenade toss. This was ubiquitous in the pre-nerf Starfire Protocol for Warlocks, but anything that gives you extra grenade charges or regen can potentially make good use of this perk (looking at you, Young Ahamkara Spine Hunters).

Other options: Tracking Module, Ensemble

These options fall a bit short compared to the others on the list, but they can still potentially be good. Tracking Module makes it easier to hit targets, which works particularly well for the Hothead, but you’re still missing out on a potentially good perk if you can land shots. Oryx, for instance, isn’t hard to miss. Ensemble, on the other hand, is a watered-down version of Impulse Amplifier that also requires you to have allies nearby.

Best fourth-column perks for The Hothead

Best options: Explosive Light or Vorpal Weapon

The competition was tough for this perk slot when The Hothead was released. Destiny 2‘s Hotfix 3.3.0.2. changed the playing field by buffing Explosive Light’s damage boost to 25 percent (up from 15). This means both of those perks are contenders for the god roll, but Explosive Light has an advantage.

Explosive Light boosts damage and blast radius by 25 percent after picking up an Orb of Power. This buff stacks up to six times, and each shot consumes a stack. Vorpal Weapon, on the other hand, is a flat 10-percent buff to damage against Majors and Bosses regardless of circumstances. Ultimately, choosing between them relies on personal preference, but the case for Explosive Light became even bigger with the constant presence of Orbs of Power in the post-Lightfall sandbox.

Secondary options: Clown Cartridge, Lasting Impression

Clown Cartridge and Lasting Impression aren’t bad choices, either. Clown Cartridge lets you load two rockets in the magazine and works particularly well with Impulse Amplifier, while Lasting Impression transforms the rocket into a projectile that sticks into enemies and explodes around three seconds later, dealing more damage. The delay in Lasting Impression can be a bit cumbersome in some shorter damage phases or in bosses that move, so it’s up to personal preference (though Explosive Light offers a similar benefit without much of a hassle).

Last choices: Thresh, Adrenaline Junkie

Thresh and Adrenaline Junkie aren’t that great with the Hothead. Thresh provides Super energy on kills, though you’re more likely to use a rocket launcher to deal damage to bosses rather than cleaning adds. Likewise, Adrenaline Junkie requires either kills in quick succession or grenade kills. In damage phases where there are no nearby adds, however, this perk becomes null.

Related: Here are the Perpetualis god roll and best perks in Destiny 2

Parts

For the launcher, Hard Launch or Quick Launch will give players a significant boost to projectile speed, a necessary attribute for rocket launchers. Linear Compensator and Smart Drift Control will give a smaller increase, while the rest of the options will either not increase projectile speed or outright decrease it.

The casing is far more important than the launcher, however, since Impact Casing will give players a flat damage boost on direct hits, making it easily the best in slot. You can settle for Alloy Casing or High-Velocity Rounds for a more comfortable weapon, but Impact Casing reigns in this slot.