Best Destiny 2 Perfect Paradox god roll to chase

Destiny 2 Perfect Paradox shotgun
(Image credit: Bungie)

A Destiny 2 Perfect Paradox god roll might be exactly what you need to complete a top-tier melee build, but you need to get it from Saint-14 first. This fan-favorite shotgun has a great selection of perks, letting you pursue several decent combinations in Destiny 2 depending on if you want to focus on single-target damage or even the Crucible. Getting god rolls for Perfect Paradox isn’t easy as you'll need to rely on luck, but here are the best perk combinations I recommend for Saint's iconic shotgun.

Perfect Paradox god roll in Destiny 2

Destiny 2 Perfect Paradox shotgun perks

(Image credit: Bungie)

With a large magazine and the ability to spew shots, Perfect Paradox is a solid PVE shotgun and comes with some great perks that work well together. That means there are actually a few options for god rolls, depending on how you want to use the weapon, but this is the best roll I recommend trying to get:

  • Barrel: Smallbore
  • Magazine: Light Mag
  • Perk 1: Pugilist
  • Perk 2: One-Two Punch
  • Masterwork: Handling
  • Mod: Choose Backup Mag

It's a bit niche, working best for only a few Subclasses (mainly Titans and Liar's Handshake Hunters with the right Destiny 2 Prismatic Fragments), but this One-Two Punch Perfect Paradox roll is very potent. Blasting a larger foe with the shotgun before following up with a punch can let you deal massive damage in short bursts, and the combo also plays nicely with Pugilist and the intrinsic Cast No Shadows Origin Trait on the weapon.

Trench Barrel is a close alternative to One-Two Punch, improving Perfect Paradox itself rather than your melee attacks, but I like the sound of the simple Pugilist + Swashbuckler combo too, which will work well for all Destiny 2 Classes in most PVE situations. However, if you want to bring Perfect Paradox into the Crucible, it's certainly a viable weapon thanks to this range-focused PVP god roll:

  • Barrel: Rifled Barrel
  • Magazine: Accurized Rounds
  • Perk 1: Slideshot
  • Perk 2: Opening Shot
  • Masterwork: Range
  • Mod: Choose Quick Access Sling

How to unlock and farm Perfect Paradox in Destiny 2

Destiny 2 Perfect Paradox shotgun engram focusing

(Image credit: Bungie)

Saint-14 will give you your first Perfect Paradox roll for completing the "Shell" mission as part of the "A Rising Chorus: Act 2, Week 3" quest. With the shotgun now in your collections, there are a few ways you can farm for random rolls but, like the other reprised Season of Dawn weapons, you cannot craft Perfect Paradox – you must get the roll you want through random luck:

  • Failsafe's Echo Engram Focusing – Every reprised Dawn weapon you've unlocked, including Perfect Paradox, can be found under Reprisal Weapon Focusing. Spend Echo Engrams and Glimmer here to get rolls for whichever weapons you want.
  • Reward chests at the end of Echoes activities – The Destiny 2 Enigma Protocol activity has a high chance to grant at least one reprised Dawn weapon, so it's the best activity for farming.

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Will Sawyer
Guides Writer

Will Sawyer is a guides writer at GamesRadar+ who works with the rest of the guides team to give readers great information and advice on the best items, how to complete a particular challenge, or where to go in some of the biggest video games. Will joined the GameRadar+ team in August 2021 and has written about service titles, including Fortnite, Destiny 2, and Warzone, as well as some of the biggest releases like Halo Infinite, Elden Ring, and God of War Ragnarok.