The Solstice event in Destiny 2 offers players a unique opportunity to earn powerful gear, including the Something New hand cannon. This sought-after weapon boasts a versatile perk pool and a stylish design, making it a valuable addition to any Guardian's arsenal. This guide provides a comprehensive breakdown of how to acquire the Something New hand cannon during the Solstice event, detailing the activities, challenges, and strategies necessary to maximize your chances of obtaining this desirable weapon.
Acquiring Something New: A Solstice Guide
The Solstice event in Destiny 2 is an annual celebration that brings unique activities, challenges, and rewards to the game. Among the most coveted rewards is the Something New hand cannon, a 120 RPM Stasis weapon known for its solid stats and impressive perk combinations. Understanding the event mechanics and focusing on the key activities is essential for efficiently acquiring this hand cannon. This guide will walk you through the process, ensuring you're well-equipped to add Something New to your collection.
Understanding the Solstice Event
The Solstice event revolves around upgrading your Candescent armor set by completing various activities throughout the Destiny 2 universe. These activities contribute to event challenges, which, in turn, award event tickets. These tickets can then be spent on various rewards, including the Something New hand cannon. The event takes place within the European Aerial Zone (EAZ), a special activity area accessible only during the Solstice event.
The EAZ features a three-player matchmaking activity where Guardians work together to eliminate enemies and collect Solstice Packages. These packages contain a variety of rewards, including armor upgrade materials and, crucially, a chance to obtain the Something New hand cannon. The more enemies you defeat and packages you collect in the EAZ, the higher your chances of receiving the hand cannon.
The Candescent Armor Grind
Upgrading your Candescent armor is a core mechanic of the Solstice event and directly impacts your ability to earn event tickets. Each piece of Candescent armor has specific objectives that must be completed to advance its tier. These objectives typically involve defeating enemies with specific weapon types, completing activities in certain locations, or participating in the EAZ activity.
As you upgrade each armor piece, you'll unlock additional event challenges and opportunities to earn event tickets. Focus on completing the armor objectives efficiently to maximize your ticket earnings. This is a crucial step, as event tickets are the currency you'll use to acquire the Something New hand cannon.
Earning Event Tickets: The Path to Something New
Event tickets are the key to unlocking the Something New hand cannon. These tickets are primarily earned by completing event challenges associated with the Candescent armor set. These challenges vary in difficulty and can range from defeating enemies in the Crucible to completing Strikes with specific elemental subclasses.
Prioritize completing the easier and more efficient challenges first to quickly accumulate event tickets. Some challenges may require specific strategies or loadouts, so be sure to read the challenge descriptions carefully. Furthermore, keep an eye out for daily or weekly challenges that offer bonus event tickets for completing specific activities.
"The Solstice event is all about engaging with the activities and completing the challenges," says Destiny 2 Community Manager, Liana Ruppert. "Focus on upgrading your armor and earning event tickets to maximize your rewards."
Spending Your Event Tickets: Claiming Something New
Once you've accumulated a sufficient number of event tickets, head to Eva Levante in the Tower. Eva is the event vendor and offers a variety of rewards in exchange for event tickets. The Something New hand cannon is typically available for purchase directly from Eva's inventory.
Keep in mind that the cost of the Something New hand cannon may vary depending on the event year. Be sure to check Eva's inventory regularly to see if the hand cannon is available and to confirm the required number of event tickets.
Farming the EAZ: Increasing Your Odds
While purchasing the Something New hand cannon directly from Eva is the most reliable method, there's also a chance to obtain it as a drop from Solstice Packages earned in the EAZ. Farming the EAZ can be a viable strategy, especially if you enjoy the activity and want to maximize your chances of obtaining multiple copies of the hand cannon with different perk rolls.
To effectively farm the EAZ, focus on maximizing your efficiency in defeating enemies and collecting Solstice Packages. Coordinate with your fireteam to cover different areas of the map and prioritize high-value targets. The more packages you collect, the higher your chances of receiving the Something New hand cannon.
Understanding Something New's Perk Pool
The Something New hand cannon boasts a diverse perk pool, allowing for a variety of viable perk combinations. Understanding the available perks and their effects is crucial for identifying the best possible rolls for your playstyle.
Some of the most desirable perks for Something New include:
- Perpetual Motion: This perk grants increased stability, handling, and reload speed while the wielder is moving. It's a strong choice for aggressive players who like to stay mobile.
- Wellspring: This perk grants grenade, melee, and class ability energy on weapon kills. It's a valuable perk for builds that rely on frequent ability usage.
- Headstone: This perk creates a Stasis crystal on precision kills. It's a unique perk that can synergize well with Stasis subclasses and create opportunities for crowd control.
- Demolitionist: Kills with this weapon generate grenade energy. Activating your grenade reloads this weapon from reserves.
- Adrenaline Junkie: Grants bonus damage and handling from grenade kills or when using your grenade.
- Elemental Damage: Many Solstice challenges require defeating enemies with specific elemental damage types. Be sure to have weapons with different elemental affinities to efficiently complete these challenges.
- Weapon Archetypes: Some challenges may require using specific weapon archetypes, such as hand cannons, auto rifles, or shotguns. Keep a variety of weapon types on hand to adapt to different challenge requirements.
- Subclass Synergy: Choose a subclass that synergizes well with your preferred playstyle and the activities you'll be participating in. Stasis subclasses can be particularly effective in the EAZ due to their crowd control capabilities.
- Armor Mods: Equip armor mods that enhance your weapon handling, reload speed, and ability regeneration. These mods can significantly improve your overall performance during the Solstice event.
- Team Up: Coordinate with your friends or clanmates to form a fireteam. Working together will make it easier to complete event challenges and farm the EAZ.
- Focus on Efficiency: Prioritize activities and challenges that offer the most event tickets per hour. Avoid spending time on activities that are time-consuming or offer low ticket rewards.
- Utilize Bounties: Pick up daily and weekly bounties from vendors in the Tower. These bounties often reward event tickets or other valuable resources.
- Check for Guides: Consult online guides and resources for tips and strategies on completing specific event challenges or farming the EAZ efficiently.
- Stay Informed: Keep an eye on the Destiny 2 community forums and social media channels for updates on the Solstice event and any changes to the event mechanics.
Consider your preferred playstyle and the types of activities you typically engage in when evaluating the perk rolls on Something New. A hand cannon with Perpetual Motion and Wellspring might be ideal for general PvE content, while a roll with Headstone could be a strong choice for Stasis builds in both PvE and PvP.
Optimizing Your Loadout for the Solstice Event
Choosing the right loadout can significantly improve your efficiency during the Solstice event, especially when farming the EAZ or completing event challenges. Consider the following factors when selecting your weapons, armor, and subclass:
By optimizing your loadout, you'll be able to complete event challenges more efficiently and maximize your chances of obtaining the Something New hand cannon.
Tips and Tricks for Efficiently Farming Something New
Here are some additional tips and tricks to help you efficiently farm the Something New hand cannon during the Solstice event:
By following these tips and tricks, you'll be well-equipped to efficiently farm the Something New hand cannon and add this valuable weapon to your collection. The Solstice event is a limited-time opportunity, so make the most of it and enjoy the rewards!
