Yesteryear is a Void Adaptive Frame pulse rifle reintroduced in Season of the Plunder. As a weapon tied to the Gambit playlist, it is always available to earn, making it a reliable target for players seeking a powerful and versatile energy-slot primary.
This pulse rifle fits well with a tactical, mid-range playstyle. It shines in PvE for general content and add-clear thanks to potent perk combinations like Subsistence and Golden Tricorn, which create a powerful loop of constant firing and significant Void-damage synergy. Voidwalkers with Volatile Rounds, Nightstalkers with Stylish Execution, and Sentinel Titans can all make great use of it. In PvP, the weapon is a proven duelist and can become a menace in the right hands—Desperado allows it to shred entire teams after a single precision kill.
From this guide, you will know:
- How good is the Yesteryear PR
- How to get Yesteryear
- Stats and Perks of Yesteryear
- Yesteryear God Roll
- If Yesteryear craftable
If you enjoy reliable pulse rifles and want a Void primary that offers both top-tier perk synergy and legendary PvP potential, Yesteryear is worth farming from the Drifter.
Is Yesteryear PR Good?
Short answer: Very good. Yesteryear is an 
A-tier in PvE and a 
B-tier (A-tier with its god roll) in PvP due to its powerful and unique perk combinations.
Yesteryear Tier list:
- PvE: A-tier. Borderline A-tier with top rolls (Subsistence + Golden Tricorn) thanks to incredible ammo economy and one of the highest damage buffs for a primary weapon.
- PvP: B-tier (A-tier with Desperado). A solid and forgiving pulse rifle frame that becomes a menace when you activate its signature perk.
Why PvE A-tier: It can roll Subsistence + Golden Tricorn, which is one of the strongest PvE combos available. Subsistence refunds ammo directly to the magazine, allowing for near-constant firing, while Golden Tricorn provides a massive 50% damage buff after a weapon kill followed by an ability kill. This synergizes perfectly with Volatile Rounds and other Void verb effects, letting you clear entire rooms of adds and melt tougher targets.
Why PvP B-tier: The 390 RPM frame is inherently strong and forgiving, but Yesteryear‘s claim to fame is being one of the only non-sunset weapons that can roll Desperado. Activating it by reloading after a precision kill drastically increases your rate of fire, allowing you to shred opponents and chain kills more effectively than any other pulse rifle in its class. Without Desperado, it’s a consistent dueling tool; with it, it becomes a top-tier slaying weapon.
How to Get Yesteryear in Destiny 2
Yesteryear is a Void Adaptive Frame pulse rifle reintroduced in Season of Plunder. Unlike limited-time event weapons, it is a permanent addition to the Gambit loot pool, so you can farm for it at your own pace whenever the Drifter has a mission for you.
Step 1: Play Gambit
Yesteryear drops as a random reward upon completing Gambit matches. Your first step is simply to play the mode, as even losses have a chance to award it.
Step 2: Reset Your Gambit Rank
As you increase your reputation rank with the Drifter, you will earn Gambit Engrams. Focus these engrams directly into Yesteryear at the Drifter to target your farming. Your chances for a good roll increase significantly with each reset.
Step 3: Claim Rank-Up Rewards
Leveling up your Gambit reputation also grants rank-up packages from the Drifter. Each package has a chance to contain a Yesteryear, giving you additional rolls on top of your match rewards.
Step 4: Utilize the Focused Decoding
The most reliable farming method is using the “Focused Decoding” option at the Drifter. This allows you to spend Gambit Engrams and Legendary Shards to directly purchase a Yesteryear with a random roll.
Fastest Way to get Yesteryear:
- Play Gambit matches consistently.
- Complete Gambit bounties and challenges for bonus reputation.
- Reset your Gambit rank to earn more Engrams.
- Spend all Gambit Engrams on focused Yesteryear decodings at the Drifter.
- Repeat until you land a strong roll (Subsistence + Golden Tricorn for PvE or Perpetual Motion + Desperado for PvP).
Yesteryear Farming Tips:
- Use Prosperity Mods: Equip a Gambit Prosperity ghost mod on your Ghost shell to gain a chance at additional legendary gear at the end of a match.
- Stack Bounties: Grab all of Drifter’s daily and weekly bounties. The extra XP and reputation will help you earn Engrams faster.
- Farm During Double Rank Weeks: Wait for weeks when Destiny 2 offers double or triple Gambit reputation to drastically speed up your Engram and rank-up farm.
- Prioritize Focused Decoding: Don’t just rely on random drops. Gambit Engrams are your most valuable resource for directly targeting this weapon.
- Team Up: While not necessary, playing with a fireteam can make the Gambit grind more enjoyable and potentially lead to faster wins.
Quick Summary
- Yesteryear is permanently available from Gambit.
- Best way: Play Gambit → earn Engrams → focus them at the Drifter.
- Focus perks: Subsistence + Golden Tricorn (PvE) or Perpetual Motion + Desperado (PvP).
- There’s no time limit, so you can farm for your perfect roll across multiple seasons.
Perks of Yesteryear PR
Column 3 Perks
This column focuses on improving the weapon’s handling, reload, and ammo economy.
PvE God Roll Pick: Subsistence
Why it’s best: Kills return ammo directly to the magazine. This creates an incredible feedback loop for add-clearing, allowing you to fire continuously without reloading. It’s the cornerstone of its top PvE build.
PvP God Roll Pick: Perpetual Motion
Why it’s best: Grants bonus stability, handling, and reload speed simply for moving—a natural state in Crucible. This makes the weapon snappier and more accurate in duels.
Strong Alternatives:
- Outlaw: A classic for a reason. A precision kill dramatically speeds up the reload, which is perfect for activating Desperado in PvP.
- Pulse Monitor: Can be a lifesaver in difficult content, automatically reloading a portion of the magazine when your shields are broken.
Column 4 Perks
This is where Yesteryear gets its standout, game-changing perks.
PvE God Roll Pick: Golden Tricorn
Why it’s best: Weapon final blows grant a 15% damage bonus. Getting an ability kill afterwards boosts this to a massive 50%—one of the highest damage buffs available to a primary weapon. It synergizes perfectly with Void subclasses.
PvP God Roll Pick: Desperado
Why it’s best: Reloading after a precision final blow dramatically increases your rate of fire. This perk can single-handedly win rounds and chain multi-kills, making it legendary in the Crucible.
Strong Alternatives:
- Multikill Clip: A reliable and powerful damage boost that’s easy to activate and maintain.
- Rampage: A simple and effective damage buff that works well for general content.
Origin Traits
- Gun and Run (Default): Rapidly defeating targets grants a short period of increased sprint speed. Useful for repositioning in both PvE and PvP.
- Suros Synergy (Possible Roll): Reloading grants bonus handling and reduced flinch for a short time. An excellent trait for PvP that complements a dueling playstyle.
Quick Take
- For PvE: You are hunting for one combo — Subsistence + Golden Tricorn. This roll transforms Yesteryear into a top-tier add-clearing and major-melting machine, especially on a Void build.
- For PvP: You are hunting for one combo — Perpetual Motion + Desperado. This combination provides the consistency to win your first duel and the ultimate payoff (Desperado) to dominate the entire encounter.
Masterwork Recommendation: Stability is the top priority for both modes to help with recoil control, followed by Range to maintain damage and accuracy at a distance. A Counterbalance Stock mod is also highly recommended to improve recoil direction.
Yesteryear God Roll
The Yesteryear pulse rifle stands out due to its access to potent, synergistic perk combinations that are rare on its weapon frame. It can excel as both a premier add-clear weapon and a devastating duelist tool in the Crucible. Let’s look at what makes its PvE and PvP rolls worth farming.
Yesteryear PvE God Roll
In PvE, your focus is on ammo economy, damage output, and synergy with your subclass. Yesteryear has a standout combo that achieves all three.
- Subsistence – This is the best-in-slot utility perk. Defeating targets returns ammo directly to the magazine, creating an incredible feedback loop that lets you fire continuously without stopping to reload during add-clear.
- Golden Tricorn – A top-tier damage perk. Weapon final blows grant a 15% damage bonus. If you follow up with a grenade or melee kill, this surges to a massive 50% damage increase, making it one of the strongest buffs available and perfect for Void builds.
- Outlaw – A classic alternative if you prefer precision play. Drastically boosts reload speed after a precision kill, which works well with other damage perks.
- Rampage – A simple and reliable damage perk that provides an immediate boost after any kill, perfect for general content.
The definitive PvE god roll is Subsistence + Golden Tricorn. This combination provides near-bottomless magazine uptime and an enormous damage buff that can melt majors and clear rooms with ease. For a more straightforward approach, Outlaw + Rampage remains a powerful and effective combo.
Yesteryear PvP God Roll
In the Crucible, Yesteryear‘s value comes from its forgiving 390 RPM frame and its access to a legendary, game-changing perk.
- Perpetual Motion – The best-in-slot consistency perk. Simply moving grants bonus stability, handling, and reload speed, making the weapon snappier and easier to control in every engagement.
- Desperado – The crown jewel for PvP. Reloading after a precision final blow drastically increases the weapon’s rate of fire, allowing you to shred opponents and chain kills like no other pulse rifle in its archetype.
- Golden Tricorn – A powerful alternative to Desperado. The base 15% damage boost can change your time-to-kill, requiring one less crit to eliminate a Guardian.
- Outlaw – The classic partner for Desperado. It ensures you can reload almost instantly after a precision kill to activate Desperado as quickly as possible.
For barrels and magazines, focus on range and stability: Arrowhead Brake is highly recommended to fix its recoil direction, paired with Ricochet Rounds and a Stability or Range Masterwork. This setup makes Yesteryear a consistent duelist that becomes an S-tier menace when Perpetual Motion and Desperado are active.
Can you craft Yesteryear?
You cannot craft Yesteryear. It does not drop with Deepsight (red borders) and has no pattern to unlock, so there is no way to craft a personalized version at the Enclave.
The only way to get this Pulse Rifle is from the Gambit playlist. You can earn copies as random end-of-match drops or by focusing Gambit Engrams at the Drifter after reaching Rank 7 with him. This means if you want a specific god roll, you will need to farm Gambit matches and spend your engrams on focused decoding to get the perfect perk combination.
Conclusion
The Yesteryear is one of the most versatile and potent pulse rifles available in the energy slot. It brings together best-in-class perk combinations like Subsistence + Golden Tricorn for PvE and the legendary Desperado for PvP.
In PvE, it feels relentless and powerful, capable of clearing entire rooms without reloading while applying one of the highest damage buffs a primary can achieve. In PvP, its 390 RPM frame is forgiving, and activating Desperado can single-handedly win rounds, making it a top-tier choice for any pulse rifle enthusiast.
Because it’s a random drop from Gambit and not craftable, acquiring a god roll requires patience and persistence. Players who enjoy Void builds, tactical mid-range gameplay, or want a legendary weapon with massive upside in both PvE and PvP should dedicate time to farming it.
If you dislike the Gambit playlist or already have a crafted BxR-55 Battler or Syncopation-53, you might not need it — but for Guardians seeking a powerful, perk-driven workhorse, Yesteryear is absolutely worth the grind.
