Do you want an alternative to the powerful IKELOS shotgun in the kinetic slot? Then you should take a closer look at the new raid shotgun in Destiny 2. It might be worth it for you.
The IKELOS shotgun from the Escalation Protocol is still considered one of the best, if not the best shotgun in Destiny 2 in Year 2.
Even after the nerf of its special perk Barrel Shroud, which temporarily increases damage after a melee hit, there’s no way around this pump shotgun in many situations.
Now there is an interesting alternative for this weapon.
Threat Level – An Alternative to the IKELOS Shotgun
In the new raid Scourge of the Past, all owners of the Annual Pass have the opportunity to earn the new raid shotgun Threat Level. It currently embodies one of the few real alternatives to the proven Escalation Protocol pump.
What is Threat Level? This is a legendary shotgun for the kinetic slot with a lightweight frame. Since it is a Year 2 weapon, it can also be equipped with the new mods.
It has 7 shots in the magazine by default (8 with IKELOS) and slightly higher stability, handling, and reload speed compared to the IKELOS shotgun, but somewhat less range.
How do you get Threat Level? You can only get this new shotgun in the new raid.
But the good thing is: You don’t even have to get very far. You can grab this pump gun in the first encounter of Scourge of the Past if you master it successfully.
What makes Threat Level special? This weapon can drop with random rolls during the first raid encounter, but can also come as a curated roll for you. Curated roll means that the weapon comes with fixed perks and already as a masterpiece of level 10.
The special thing about it: The random roll version of this shotgun can drop with the same perk that makes the IKELOS shotgun so unique – Barrel Shroud.
The perk currently works as follows: If you land a successful melee hit, the weapon receives increased damage, improved handling, and faster reload speed for a short time. If the time runs out, the effect resets after three shots fired and must be triggered again.
On the curated version, Barrel Shroud is even fixed on the weapon. Additionally, the weapon can be equipped with mods, which is not possible with the IKELOS.
This is how you get the IKELOS alternative with a personal touch: Through random rolls in combination with mods, you not only have a good alternative to the IKELOS shotgun, but Threat Level can even surpass the Escalation Protocol weapon in some cases.
On one hand, this shotgun is carried in the kinetic slot, which allows you to be more flexible in your weapon choice and switch between IKELOS and Threat Level depending on the situation. Also, kinetic weapons deal slightly more damage to enemies without shields compared to energy weapons.
Furthermore, Threat Level can roll with better perks – among others, with Origin. When you destroy an enemy’s shield with it, the magazine automatically reloads from the weapon’s reserves. This allows you to effectively take out protected enemies.
But also Grave Robber or “Danger recognized, danger averted” can prove to be useful.
If you additionally equip the weapon with mods like Backup Mag, Boss or Major Spec, you get an excellent barrel-shrouded shotgun for the kinetic slot that often stands toe-to-toe with or even surpasses the IKELOS pump in certain aspects.
IKELOS shotgun and Threat Level in direct comparison: In this video from Drewsky’s channel, you can see a detailed comparison of both weapons.
What do you think of Threat Level? A good alternative to the IKELOS pump? Or is the weapon not worth a raid visit for you?
