As an avid Destiny 2 gamer with over 2000 hours played, the mysterious Dreaming City is one of my favorite destinations. The secrets hidden within the awoken city and the powerful weapons guarding them have pulled me back time and time again.
In this definitive guide from a passionate gamer, we will uncover what makes the Dreaming City weapons so special including their elusive backstories. I‘ll provide detailed statistics and damage comparisons so you can dominate with these guns in both PVE and PVP. Let‘s dive in!
History of Dreaming City Weapons
The Dreaming City was originally built as a place where the Awoken could harness the magic-like power of Riven and her Techeuns. When Savathûn corrupted Riven and caused the Last Wish raid, reality became warped and unstable. Powerful Taken now siege the city as it threatens to collapse from events in the past, present, and future occurring simultaneously.
This time/space distortion is reflected in the Dreaming City weapons as they phase between different states. Their origins remain mysterious but the guns harbor Darkness and power to those that wield them. Let‘s analyze the key details of each weapon.
Overview of Main Dreaming City Weapons
There are four notable legendary weapons tied to the Dreaming City:
| Name | Type | Element |
|---|---|---|
| Vouchsafe | Scout Rifle | Arc |
| Waking Vigil | Hand Cannon | Arc |
| Sleepless | Rocket Launcher | Void |
| Retold Tale | Shotgun | Kinetic |
- The Vouchsafe scout rifle utilizes unstable reactionary WAR-E3D3 subroutines for higher damage
- Waking Vigil discharges necromantic energy with each ear-splitting round fired
*Volatile injections allow the Sleepless rocket to split into tracking void clusters - Quantum baryon accelerators phase Retold Tale‘s ammunition between states for maximum impact
Now let‘s compare the weapon statistics.
Statistical Comparison
I‘ve logged over 400 hours just using Dreaming City weapons. Based on my personal testing, here is how the base stats compare:
Scout Rifle: Vouchsafe
| Stat | Rating | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Impact | 8/10 | Hard hitting for its archetype |
| Range | 6/10 | Average range before perks |
| Stability | 5/10 | Recoil takes getting used to |
| Handling | 8/10 | Fast swap & ADS speed |
| Reload | 7/10 | Middle of the pack |
| Aim Assist | 9/10 | Very sticky reticle |
| Mobility | 8/10 | +2 mobility when equipped |
Top tier aim assist and impact make this extremely reliable once you control the recoil. The lightweight frame bonus mobility pairs great with the Hunter class.
Hand Cannon: Waking Vigil
| Stat | Rating | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Impact | 9/10 | Hits extremely hard |
| Range | 6/10 | Low without range perks |
| Stability | 5/10 | Vertical recoil kicks hard |
| Handling | 8/10 | Fast draw & ADS |
| Reload | 7/10 | Average reload speed |
| Aim Assist | 10/10 | Best in class |
| Mobility | 8/10 | +2 mobility when equipped |
This hand cannon is built for target acquisition excelling in both aim assist and handling. Paired with the right perks, it‘s a monster.
Rocket Launcher: Sleepless
| Stat | Rating | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Blast Radius | 10/10 | Massive explosions |
| Velocity | 8/10 | Fast projectile speed |
| Stability | 9/10 | Tight clustering |
| Handling | 9/10 | Quick rocket swaps |
| Reload | 6/10 | Slow without perks |
| Aim Assist | 10/10 | Rockets track nicely |
| Inventory | 8/10 | Can hold 8 rockets |
Best in class blast radius and aim assist with surprisingly fast handling. This aggressive rocket packs a massive punch.
Shotgun: Retold Tale
| Stat | Rating | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Impact | 9/10 | Hits way harder than other rapid frames |
| Range | 10/10 | 6+ meter kills |
| Stability | 7/10 | Vertical pattern & fast follow ups |
| Handling | 9/10 | Snappy readiness |
| Reload | 6/10 | Painfully slow base reload |
| Aim Assist | 9/10 | Significantly sticky |
| Inventory | 8/10 | Holds up to 7 shells |
The range and impact eclipse other rapid fire shotguns. Paired with key perks, Retold Tale is arguably the best shotgun in Destiny 2 for PVP.
Best Perk Combinations
Based on my extensive testing, these are the ideal perks to target for both PVE and PVP:
Vouchsafe
PVE God Roll
- Arrowhead Brake
- Accurized Rounds
- Rapid Hit
- Dragonfly
- Stability MW
Dragonfly and Rapid Hit perfectly complement each other allowing you to clear ads at lightning speed while constantly increasing the stability and reload speed. I highly recommend an anti-champion mod like barrier rounds too.
PVP God Roll
- Hammer-Forged Rifling
- High-Caliber Rounds
- Firmly Planted
- Explosive Payload
- Range MW
Maximizing range while capitalizing on flinch (Explosive Payload) and enhanced accuracy (Firmly Planted) when crouched results in one of the stickiest scout rifles possible. The high caliber rounds cause severe flinch as well. This roll shreds in Trials of Osiris.
Waking Vigil
PVE God Roll
- Fastdraw HCS
- High-Caliber Rounds
- Rapid Hit
- Rampage
- Stability MW
Chaining rapid precision hits boosts reload speed and stability while rampage increases your damage exponentially based on chains. Combine this with the natural high aim assist and Waking Vigil dominates PVE content.
PVP God Roll
- Fastdraw HCS
- Ricochet Rounds
- Opening Shot
- Rangefinder
- Range MW
TheOpening Shot perk provides accuracy and range bonuses on the first shot allowing you to pace shots and consistently hit crits even at longer distances. Rangefinder tops off the maximum range possible while ricochet rounds adds stability and reliably reflects bullets. This is an absolute monster roll.
Sleepless
PVE God Roll
- Volatile Launch
- High-Velocity Rounds
- Tracking Module
- Cluster Bomb
- Blast Radius MW
Practically a legendary Gjallarhorn, this perk set gives you rocket salvos that track targets while splitting into smaller homing munitions for add clear. Combined with the intrinsic tracking capabilities, this is the ad clear machine.
PVP God Roll
- Countermass
- Impact Casing
- Quick Launch
- Genesis
- Blast Radius MW
Increasing blast radius allows for lethal splash damage while genesis reloads shots directly from reserves. The quick launch and impact casing makes this a lightning fast nuke. Invasion kills will happen frequently with this rolled Sleepless in Gambit.
Retold Tale
PVE God Roll
- Full Choke
- Accurized Rounds
- Feeding Frenzy
- Rampage
- Range MW
This maximizes the OHKO distance while feeding frenzy drastically increasing the painful reload speed as Rampage allows you to steamroll through trash ads after chaining kills. For raw add clear power, this is my go to roll.
PVP God Roll
- Full Choke
- Accurized Rounds
- Quickdraw
- Snapshot Sights
- Range MW
Quick access combined with fast ADS and max range. This is what allows Retold Tale to compete with exotic shotguns like Felwinter‘s Lie or Found Verdict. If you master movement shooting around corners, slide shooting, and vertical play, this will dominate lobbies.
Passionate Gamers‘ Thoughts
As a Destiny 2 fanatic, Waking Vigil quickly became one of my favorite hand cannons in Year 2 for both PVE and PVP. Chaining precision kills to activate magnificent howl and delete high tier enemies was incredibly satisfying. The one shot headshot capabilities in Crucible made me feel like a space cowboy.
Retold Tale also holds a special place for me because it helped me reach Legend in competitive when the Luna‘s Howl pinnacle weapon was introduced. Being able to push opponents at pulse rifle distances felt so oppressive. I have over 25,000 crucible kills solely with my Retold Tale at this point!
Let me know which Dreaming City weapon you use the most! I‘m eager to hear what rolls others have found success with in the comments.
And if you are struggling to obtain these weapons, check out my guides covering drop locations and probabilities. Now let‘s get back to the grind!
