While Pro Memoria has established itself as the premier Strand Machine Gun in Destiny 2, it’s another LMG entirely that might just be the best of all, especially for Hunters.
As one of the new weapons introduced in The Final Shape, Pro Memoria is an excellent option for add-clear. Its impressive stats and perk pool have led to it becoming the third most used Legendary weapon in PvE, only behind The Call and Indebted Kindness, according to DestinyTracker.
However, Marcato-45 isn’t far behind, with this alternative Strand Machine Gun seeing more use than many meta PvE weapons like Edge Transit, Hammerhead, and Zaouli’s Bane.
While its popularity might be surprising at first, Marcato-45 has an exceptional perk pool with some undoubtedly meta rolls. This includes Demolitionist, Triple Tap, and Slice in the third column, as well as Hatchling, Onslaught, Golden Tricorn, and Surrounded in the fourth column. All of these perks can be enhanced too, thanks to the changes made in The Final Shape.
Here’s the Marcato-45 god roll that Hunter mains will want to farm:
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- Barrel: Arrowhead Brake
- Magazine: Appended Mag
- Perk 1: Demolitionist
- Perk 2: Onslaught
- Weapon Mod: Backup Mag
Onslaught is key to this LMG’s success, boosting its already incredible 900 RPM fire rate up to an immense 1,233 RPM. That is unbelievably fast, allowing for Marcato-45 to mow down hundreds of combatants in no time at all.
You would think this roll’s rapid fire rate would result in constant reloading, but Appended Mag + Backup Mag gives Marcato-45 a huge 75-round magazine. Even better, Hunters can use Thread of Ascent and Marksman’s Dodge to avoid reloading altogether. Demolitionist further improves this gameplay cycle by producing Grenade Energy, letting you use Grapple to trigger Thread of Ascent more often.
Unfortunately, there is a catch. While the weapon itself is great for meta Hunter builds, getting the recommended god roll is not easy. Marcato-45 is a World Drop weapon, so most rolls are received by opening Legendary engrams. Getting a god roll with this method is entirely luck-based, and the odds aren’t in your favor.
The only viable alternative is to farm Lost Sectors when Marcato-45 is one of the four featured daily weapons. Completing an Expert Lost Sector provides a 70% chance of receiving one of the four weapons, while Master completions guarantee a drop. Even though this method can still require a hefty grind, it is much preferred to praying for a World Drop.