Destiny 2 – How to get The Messenger (Legendary Pulse Rifle)

The Messenger is back in Trials of Osiris as part of the new and reprised weapons added back into the weekend PVP playlist in Destiny 2. It’s back, and if you’re watching the video at the time of release it’s available to get right now as the 3 win reward. Today I am going to have a look at The Messenger’s stats and perks, god rolls for PVE and PVP and how to get The Messenger in Destiny 2. Oh, and one of the potential perks on this weapon is Desperado… so if you were thinking of skipping this one, think again.

The Messenger Stats and Perks

The Messenger is a Legendary Kinetic Pulse Rifle with a High-Impact Frame meaning it’s Slow-firing and high-damage. This weapon is more accurate when stationary and aiming down sights. Looking at the stats we have Impact 33, Range 69, Stability 59, Handling 38, Reload Speed 44, Rounds Per Minute 340 and Magazine 31.

Looking at the perks on this one it can roll with some very effective perks, plus there’s a couple of surprises in there too.

In the 4th slot we have

• One for all – Hitting Three Separate Targets increases damage for a moderate duration
• Desperado – Reloading after a precision final blow increases your rate of fire
• Headseeker – Body shots landed with this weapon increase precision damage for a short time
• Celerity – Gain the following effects when you are the last living member of your fireteam
• Kill Clip – Reloading after a kill grants increased damage

In the 3rd slot we have

• Rapid Hit – Rapid precision hits temporarily increase stability and reload speed
• Zen Moment – Causing damage with this weapon increases its stability
• Killing Wind – Final blows grant increased mobility, weapon range and handling for a short duration
• Outlaw – Precision kills decrease reload time
• Moving Target – Increased movement speed and target acquisition when moving while aiming down sights

So there’s some very good perks here and some potentially deadly combinations. The one that stands out to me is Desperado, which we had on Redrix’s Pulse Rifle previously. One for all sounds interesting too, but I am going to have to test that a bit more before sharing my thoughts. It sounds like a decent Trials and PVP perk, giving the specific number three being called out in the description.

The Messenger God Rolls

Some popular rolls out there with the community right now are Rapid Hit and Desperado, Outlaw and Kill Clip, Zen Moment and Headseeker and finally Killing Wind and One for All. Personally I’d like a Killing Wind and Desperado roll. I got Outlaw and One for all on my drop this week, which feels pretty good but I am a little gutted I didn’t get Desperado. Killing Wind or maybe Outlaw and Desperado would be a decent roll. For PVE I’d be looking for Outlaw/Kill Clip. For PVP Killing Wind and Desperado would be a decent roll.

How To Get The Messenger

To get this weapon you are going to need to run some Trials of Osiris. You’ll get loot at 3, 5 and 7 wins plus your trip to the Lighthouse. Each week the loot rotates. This week for example we have The Messenger at 3 wins, Tomorrow’s Answer at 5, Exile’s Curse at 7 wins and then the chest piece for a Flawless victory. I do a video each week on Trials loot, so check in on Friday, about an hour after Trials goes live and I’ll let you know what the loot is. Subscribe and turn on notifications to make sure you don’t miss out on the info.

If you don’t like Trials, then you can always go after the Trials Engram. This is one of the weekly bounties from Saint-14, the Trials vendor. On completing this bounty you’ll get the reward at 3 wins, so you can relatively easily pick up Trials loot each week. You don’t have to win a match, you simply have to fill up the bar to 100% and you’ll get your hands on the Trials Engram. As of this week The Messenger is the 3 win reward, so if you want to get your hands on the Messenger then this week is one of the best week’s to do it. If you’re watching this video after 16th February 2021, then you’ll have to wait until The Messenger becomes in the weekly trials loot pool once again. Make sure you check out the video on friday’s and you’ll never miss out on what the loot is.

The Messenger is a reprised weapon from Destiny 1. It used to have perks like:

• Third Eye – Radar stays active while aiming down this weapon’s sights.
• Headseeker – Body shots with this weapon increase precision damage for a short time.

The Destiny 2 version has retained the potential to roll with Headseeker, which is similar to the original. However, the Destiny 2 version seems like it’s much more powerful and a significant upgrade over the Destiny 1 version. If you played back in the day and you enjoyed using the gun, then I’d give the new version a go for sure.

The Messenger Lore

The bearer of bad news.

Aunor was in a sour mood when she transmatted into Ikora’s personal library. She hated visiting the Tower. Even in a room without doors, well away from the dank Annex basement, she could still smell the Drifter’s sulfuric odor. How the others could stand it, she had no idea.

Her irritation was softened slightly, when Ikora looked up from her writing with a smile. “I’m glad to see you,” she said.

“Interesting choice of words. I thought I was being summoned for a ‘matter of grave importance. ‘”

“‘Relieved’ may be the better word. There aren’t many I can trust with an assignment like this.” Ikora gestured towards a seat. Aunor shook her head.

“Is that so?”

“I mean that as a compliment to you. Not a condemnation of anyone else.”

“You don’t need to butter me up before a bad job, Ikora.”

Ikora sighed, then tapped her datapad. “We’ve received word of another tainted Guardian in our ranks.”

Within her cloak, Aunor’s pad dinged. She took it out, reading as she scrolled. “Disobeying orders, trading Vanguard secrets… Pretty standard. Prolonged and intentional torture?” She looked up questioningly.

“Fallen civilians fleeing the House of Salvation,” Ikora supplied, her voice grave. “According to her fireteam, she wanted to know how Eramis accessed the Darkness. “When they tried to intervene…” she trailed off.

Aunor looked up sharply. “She tortured her own teammates too?”

Ikora nodded. Aunor stowed her datapad back in her cloak. “Where’s she headed now?”

“We believe she’s still on Europa, trying to access the Darkness on her own.”

“Makes sense. Now that the Vanguard’s lifted the ban, she has plausible deniability. As does anyone else who’s tempted by that power,” she added pointedly.

“Please don’t make me go over this again. The Vanguard—”

“The Vanguard allowed Darkness into the Tower. You let Guardians play with it, so long as they do it under the Drifter’s roving eye. Otherwise, you’ll send me after them as punishment.”

“Not punishment,” Ikora corrected evenly. “Redemption. You offer them a chance to cooperate first. To make up for their selfish acts and rejoin the side of humanity.”

“And so far, I’ve had no takers.”

“That doesn’t mean that none exist.”

“And this Trestin? You think she’ll be lucky number… how many are we up to now? At this point, the only chance I’m giving them is the chance to kill me first.”

“Enough.” Ikora’s eyes flashed. “I won’t pretend to be optimistic about the outcome of this case. Or any future ones. But there’s no guarantee that all who are touched are forever tainted. Until that’s proven otherwise, your orders remain the same. Is that clear?”

Aunor stared at her, jaw clenched. “Future cases?” She shook her head. “Never mind. I’m sure you’ll tell me after they’ve wreaked havoc somewhere.”

“You don’t have to do this, if you don’t want to. I’d understand.”

Aunor swatted the concern away. “I stand by my promise,” she said. Then, in a flash of blue, she was gone.

Let me know what you think of the Messenger down there in the comments and let me know what rolls you got!

That’s it for this guide on how to get The Messenger in Destiny 2.