Destiny 2 – How to replace Recluse with the best Submachine Gun going into Beyond Light

The Recluse has been one of the most dominant weapons in Destiny 2 history, but that’s all about to change soon with weapon sunsetting come Beyond Light. However, it’s not all bad news as there are some useful SMGs available in the game right now, but which one will be a viable replacement for Recluse? The following is a look at how to replace Recluse with the best Submachine Gun going into Beyond Light.

What I’m going to do here is have a brief look at weapon sunsetting and then some alternatives to the Recluse. I’m only going to have a look a Legendary weapons that we can get in the game right now, then have a look at when they are going to be sunset, the perks and also how we can use Charged with Light and mods to elevate some of these SMGs up to Recluse’s level.

Sunsetting weapons has to be one of the most divisive topics in the Destiny community. Some hate the idea of leaving their beloved weapons behind come the fall expansion, and some love the idea as these weapons have dominated for too long. Here’s looking at you Mountain Top.

To counter the continued dominance of these weapons Bungie are introducing a power cap to older weapons which will make them less viable in endgame content like Trials, Dungeons, Raids and Nightfalls. Our old weapons like Mountain Top, Recluse, Beloved and many more will be capped at the Season 11 (current season) power cap. They will still be usable in Strikes, Gambit and some Cruicble modes – but they won’t be viable for endgame.

Whether you agree or not with the sunsetting weapons system, it’s coming – so we’re going to need to find replacements for our favourite weapons. This is the start of a new series where I am going to have a look at the current season 11 loot pool and look into what weapons we have available and if they are suitable to be considered as replacements for some of the most popular weapons in the game. Today, I’m starting with The Recluse.

The Recluse is an absolute beast. This one was originally introduced in Season 6 as a Crucible Pinnacle weapon. This involved a fairly lengthy quest to get it, playing a lot of crucible. The grind was worth it through. It’s a stand out weapon, although it has been nerfed from where it once was. There was a time in Crucible where everyone was running around with either Recluse and if you didn’t have it you’d probably lose that gun battle.

The Recluse is an energy submachine gun that deals void damage. It’s a 900 rpm SMG with 36 in the magazine. What really sets this thing apart from it’s competitors though are the perks on the weapon, mainly Master at Arms. It’s a Lightweight Weapon frame meaning you move faster with the weapon equipped and Master at Arms meant kills with ANY Weapon improve the weapon damage for a short time.

It also comes with Feeding Frenzy where kills with the weapon improve the reload speed for a short time. The Recluse is good in PVE for clearing enemies and it was great in PVP, but not so much these days with the rise of auto rifles and the nerf we saw to it. That’s not to say it isn’t good in PVP, it is… but it’s not what it once was.

Recluse has a power cap of 1060, meaning it’s going to be sunset at the end of season 11. So what could replace The Recluse? I’d love to hear from you as to what you’re using instead of Recluse right now, if you’re testing out something new or have already added Recluse to your Vault, let me know in the comments.

Let’s have a look at the current loot pool and see what options we have.

First up we have the Seventh Seraph SMG. This was introduced in Season 10 during Season of the Worthy, which means it has a power cap of 1310, so it’s going to be sunset in Season 13. It’s a 600 rounds per minute Precision Frame SMG with 27 in the magazine and sits in the energy slot dealing Arc damage. The curated roll comes with Elemental Capacitor, Ambitious Assassin, Appended Mag and Corkscrew Rifling. This also has the benefit of spawning Warmind Cells if you have the right mods equipped. You can get this by targetting your Umbrals Engrams to focus on weapons from Season of the Worthy.

Next up we have the Ikelos SMG. This was reintroduced in Season 11 and has a power cap of 1360, so it’s going to be sunset in Season 14. This is a legendary energy submachine gun that deals arc damage. It’s a 750 rounds per minute Aggressive Frame SMG with 30 in the magazine. The curated roll here comes with Disruption Break were breaking an enemies shield makes them more vulnerable to kinetic damage for a short time and Grave Robber where melee kills reload a portion of this weapons magazine. It also has Seraph Rounds where bullets over-penetrate targets and bounces off hard surfaces and Corkscrew Rifling for a slight increase in range, handling and stability. This one also has the benefit of potentially spawning Warmind Cells with the right mods. You can get this one from Exodus focused Umbral Engrams through the Exodus Preparation quest.

Next up we have Escape Velocity. This was introduced in Season 10 so has a power cap of 1310 and will be sunset in Season 14. Similar to Recluse, it’s a 900 rpm submachine gun with 37 in the magazine and it’s Lightweight frame meaning you can move faster with this one equipped. The curated roll comes with Quickdraw and Grave Robber. You can get this one as a random world drop as it’s in the loot pool for Season 11.

Finally, for the submachine gun candidates, we have Death Adder. This one was originally introduced in Season 1 way back when but was reintroduced into the game in Season 11 meaning it has a 1360 power cap and won’t be sunset until season 14. Death Adder is a legendary, energy submachine gun that deals Solar damage. Its a lightweight frame SMG meaning it’s got superb handling and you move faster with this weapon equipped. The curated roll comes with Eye of the Storm where this becomes more accurate and boosts handling as your health gets lower. Also, Hip Fire Grip for that increase in accuracy, stability and precision hit targeting when firing from the hip. To get this weapon you’ll want to run the Prophecy Dungeon. I got this to drop for me after the 3rd encounter in the cube room and then again from the secret chest on the way to the final boss room during the sparrow/ribbon sequence.

One of the best features of Recluse is the perk, Master of Arms. Kills with any weapon buffs the damage of Recluse for a short time. We can use Charged with Light mods to emulate this damage buff with a couple of mods. First of all you want a mod that allows you to get charged with light. There’s a mod called Swift Charge where you can become Charged with Light by rapidly defeating combatants with Pulse Rifles, Sidearms or Submachine Guns. We can pair this up with High-Energy Fire to get a damage buff which is similar to the value of Master at Arms. it’s not going to proc as often as Master of Arms, but we’re getting closer to emulating the features of Recluse.

Another thing to consider is Warmind Cell generation. The Ikelos SMG and the Seventh Seraph SMG have the ability to spawn Warmind Cells. These were introduced in Season 10, and were one of the better features where you kill and enemy and randomly a Warmind Cell will pop out. Shoot them and they explode for a big area of effect damage, but there’s also a mod called Power of Rasputin which allows you to get bonus damage if you’re near Warmind Cells. Warmind Cells aren’t going to spawn each time, but it’s worth considering for your replacement.

Now we have out weapons and mods sorted, let’s get into some testing. For this we head on over to the Tribute Hall.

First of all lets remind ourselves the damage of Recluse.

Recluse

Weapon	Normal	Crit
Recluse	425	699
Recluse (Master at arms)	510	840

We can see here that Master of Arms adds a damage buff of 20%, which lasts for a short time. Let’s see how the other weapons stack up against Recluse.

Seventh Seraph SMG

Weapon	Normal	Crit
Recluse	425	699
Recluse (Master of arms)	510	840
Seventh Seraph	618	867
Seventh Serpah (Charged with Light)	741	1040

Charged with Light here gives this a buff of 20%, much like Master of Arms.

Pros

• Higher damage values at regular and when charged with light
• Potential to create Warmind Cells for more damage

Cons

• This is the slowest of the SMG options at 600 rpm, so won’t kill as fast as Recluse
• Sunset in Season 13, sooner than other options

Ikelos SMG

Weapon	Normal	Crit
Recluse	425	699
Recluse (Master of arms)	510	840
Ikelos SMG	580	841
Ikelos SMG (Charged with Light)	696	1010

Pros

• Higher damage values than Recluse
• Warmind Cells
• This isn’t going to be sunset until Season 14 (probably a year away)
• Easy to get through the Evacuation Preparation quest

Cons

• Slower rate of fire than Recluse
• No lightweight frame

Escape Velocity

Weapon	Normal	Crit
Recluse	425	699
Recluse (Master of arms)	510	840
Escape Velocity	446	734
Escape Velocity (Charged with Light)	535	831

Pros

• Same fire rate as Recluse
• Lightweight frame

Cons

• Sunset in Season 13, sooner than other options
• Lower crit damage values
• Random drop, so harder to get

Death Adder

Weapon	Normal	Crit
Recluse	425	699
Recluse (Master of arms)	510	840
Death Adder	425	699
Death Adder (Charged with Light)	509	839

Pros

• Same rate of fire at Recluse
• Lightweight frame meaning you can move faster with this equipped
• Sunsets in Season 14
• Fairly easy to get through the Prophecy Dungeon

Cons

• No Warmind Cells
• If you’re not confident in end game content this could be an issue (but try using LFG)

Taking all that info on board if I was purely going by the numbers then I’d say Death Adder. It looks like Recluse has the same rate of fire and has the lightweight frame meaning you can move faster with the weapon. It’s also available through a farmable activity in the Dungeon this season, which is one of the best pieces of endgame content Bungie has ever created. By using Charged with Light and High Energy Fire you can emulate the damage of Recluse and Master of Arms but it’s not going to last as long and have quite the same effect.

If I wasn’t going purely by the numbers then I’d say the Ikelos SMG for the feel. This weapon simply feels much better than the others. Yes, it’s a slower rate of fire at 750 rpm, but it looks cool and feels better. The Ikelos SMG is much much easier to grind for too, so if you don’t fancy the Dungeon, then try the Ikelos SMG.

With that, it’s up to you. Recluse is going to be sunset on November 10th and we do have some viable options out there. I’ve been through my vault recently and made some space by clearing out a lot of my old weapons that aren’t going to be carried forward, so I can gather god rolls of the loot pool this season. Recluse maybe going away but Death Adder or Ikelos SMG will suit you just fine.

Let me know down in the comments what you think? What SMGs have you been enjoying this season and what will you replace Recluse with? Let me know what you think of the choices here, and if I have missed something let me know!

That’s it for this guide for how to replace Recluse with the best Submachine Gun going into Beyond Light. For more Destiny 2 content like this check out the Shadowkeep Guide or check out the YouTube Channel.