Solar

Polaris Lance — Perfect Fifth Ignition Engine (Hunter)

Ranged scorch/ignition primary that lights up the whole pack

✓ Manifest Solar · Primary · 150 RPM · No intrinsic champion

Weapon: Polaris Lance (Scout Rifle · Primary · Solar) · Subclass: Gunslinger · Role: Ranged scorch/ignition primary that lights up the whole pack Sandbox: 9.7.0 · Created 2026-06-16

A Primary Solar scout whose every fourth precision hit loads a free explosive round — and whose catalyst turns precision kills into Dragonfly blasts. On a Solar Hunter that already wants scorch, ignitions and Firesprites, Polaris isn't a weapon you slot in; it's the ammo-free engine the subclass runs on. Hit heads → free explosive shots → scorch → ignitions → orbs → Super. The whole loop is paid for by aiming, off a Primary that never runs dry.

The weapon

The Perfect Fifth (intrinsic): "Precision hits return ammo to the mag. Landing 4 precision hits loads a delayed Solar explosive round that scorches targets for your next shot."

Dragonfly (catalyst): "Precision kills create an elemental damage explosion."

What it does: the base perk makes Polaris self-sustaining (precision hits refund the mag) and hands you a scorch round every 4th headshot — a delayed Solar explosion that stacks scorch on whatever you tag. The catalyst adds a Dragonfly AoE on every precision kill, so a precision kill detonates and the explosive round scorches the survivors. Against a clump, one well-aimed magazine is a rolling chain of scorch + AoE — and on this subclass, stacked scorch tips into ignition (a big Solar burst). Polaris is the cheapest ignition trigger in the game because it costs ammo you keep refunding.

Loadout

Slot	Pick	Why
Subclass	Gunslinger (Solar)	Scorch → ignition is the win condition; Polaris is the trigger.
Super	Golden Gun: Marksman	Champion/boss deleter; orbs feed it (Star-Eater).
Class ability	Gambler's Dodge → Marksman's Dodge	Reload + reposition between scorch volleys; no melee dependence here.
Melee	Knife Trick / Lightweight Knife	Radiant igniter via Ember of Torches; not the build's spine.
Grenade	Tripmine / Healing	Tripmine adds scorch; Healing if you want pure sustain.
Aspect 1	On Your Mark	Precision hits grant Weapons stat ×10 → direct PvE damage onto Polaris; cure at max.
Aspect 2	Gunpowder Gamble	Kills charge a throwable Solar explosive → shoot it mid-air → guaranteed ignition on demand.

Fragments

Ember of Ashes more scorch stacks per hit → reach ignition faster off the explosive round
Ember of Char ignitions spread scorch — the chain widener
Ember of Searing scorched kills → melee energy + Firesprite
Ember of Wonder rapid ignition kills → Orb of Power — feeds Star-Eater/Super
Ember of Empyrean Solar weapon/ability kills extend radiant — keep the buff rolling off Polaris kills

Exotic armour: Star-Eater Scales (Legs) — Feast of Light: bonus Super energy from orbs; at full Super, picking up an orb overcharges it for a healing burst on cast, bonus Super damage, and an overshield at max overcharge. The ignition loop floods orbs (Ember of Wonder + Firefly/Heal Clip on the other slots + Orbs from Solar weapon kills), Star-Eater eats them, and Golden Gun comes back fast and hits massively harder — the orb economy Polaris feeds becomes the Super economy.

Other two weapon slots:

Special: a Solar Special you want for surges — e.g. a Solar Fusion or Vorpal Solar Sniper for the single boss/champion Polaris can't burst, kept on-element so one Solar Surge ×3 buffs both Polaris and it.
Heavy: any Heavy for true boss DPS (Polaris is a Primary — it's the engine, not the burst). A Solar Rocket/MG keeps Ember of Empyrean and surges single-element.

Why this works (the mechanics)

Polaris is the only Primary that ignites for free. The 4th-precision-hit explosive round is a scorch grenade you fire off a self-refunding mag. With Ember of Ashes boosting scorch-per-hit, two explosive rounds (8 headshots — fast on a scout) tip a target over the 100-scorch ignition threshold. No grenade, no melee, no Super spent — just aiming.
Dragonfly catalyst makes precision kills AoE. Catalyst Dragonfly + delayed explosive round means a single precision kill detonates a Solar blast and leaves a scorch round burning the next cluster. Ember of Char then spreads each ignition's scorch outward — the chain self-widens through a pack.
On Your Mark double-pays the precision hits. Every headshot already refunds ammo and builds toward the explosive round; On Your Mark stacks Weapons stat ×10 off those same hits — a direct PvE damage multiplier layered onto the gun doing the hitting. The build's core input (precision hits) pays three outputs: ammo, scorch round, and weapon damage.
Gunpowder Gamble is the on-demand ignition. When natural scorch isn't stacking fast enough (a lone champion, a shielded major), kills charge a throwable Solar explosive — shoot it mid-air for a guaranteed ignition. It's the manual override on the automatic scorch engine.
The orb economy closes into the Super. Ember of Wonder turns rapid ignition kills into Orbs; Star-Eater converts orbs into Super energy and, at full Super, into overcharge → bigger Golden Gun + heal + overshield. Polaris's ignitions are the Super battery.
Ember of Searing keeps the class ability and Firesprites flowing — scorched kills (constant here) refund melee and drop Firesprites, and Ember of Empyrean uses Polaris's Solar kills to extend radiant, so the damage buff never lapses mid-fight.

Stats & mods

Weapons 200 → Super 100+ → Class 100. Weapons is the lever: it multiplies Polaris's damage directly and stacks on top of On Your Mark. Super feeds the Star-Eater Golden Gun loop; Class keeps Marksman's Dodge (reload) up between volleys.

Mods: Scout Rifle Loader + Scout Rifle Scavenger, Solar Weapon Surge ×2 on boots (straight onto Polaris), Heavy/Special Finisher for ammo economy, Firepower/Bomber to start grenades, and Orbs of Restoration so Star-Eater orb pickups also top abilities. Archetype: any piece favouring Weapons/Super; font mods to backfill Class to 100. Stat tuning: trade Grenade/Melee → Weapons (the gun does the work, not the abilities).

Where it shines

Add-dense PvE (Nightfalls, GM clear phases, Onslaught): Polaris is a scorch/ignition lawnmower from range — it lights packs without burning ammo, a Primary that performs like a wave-clear Special.
Endgame sustain: ammo never an issue (self-refunding mag), and the orb→Super loop gives Golden Gun for the orange-bar/champion you can't ignite to death.
Champion coverage: flag — Polaris carries no bespoke champion stun. As a Precision-frame scout under Anti-Champion 2.0 it stuns Barrier intrinsically (Precision/Adaptive → Barrier). Unstoppable and Overload are not covered by Polaris — bring an Unstoppable/Overload archetype in the Special slot or take the seasonal artifact anti-champion mods. Ignitions also stagger many unshielded elites, but that is not a true champion stun.

Verify notes

Exotic perk + catalyst text are verbatim from `docs/encyclopedia/exotics.md` (line 286) and `docs/encyclopedia/catalysts.md` (line 112). Element (Solar) and class (Scout Rifle) confirmed in the same lines. Ammo type (Primary) is not stated in the encyclopedia snippet — all baseline Scout Rifles are Primary-ammo and Polaris has no listed special-ammo intrinsic, so it is Primary; flagged here rather than fabricated.
Aspects (On Your Mark, Gunpowder Gamble, Knock 'Em Down) and Embers all verbatim from `docs/encyclopedia/aspects.md` and `docs/encyclopedia/fragments.md`.
Star-Eater Scales text verbatim from `docs/encyclopedia/exotics.md` (line 62).
Scorch ignition threshold (~100 stacks) and the exact scorch-per-hit added by Ember of Ashes are sandbox constants, not in the encyclopedia text — values from general Solar mechanics; confirm in-game. The encyclopedia gives behaviour ("you apply more scorch stacks"), not the number.
Champion stun: Precision-frame → Barrier is the Anti-Champion 2.0 archetype rule (`docs/sandbox_state.md`); Polaris has no bespoke stun listed in its exotic text, so Unstoppable/Overload must come from elsewhere.

Mod selection (masterworked — full allocation)

Piece	Mod · cost	What it does
Helmet (7/10)	Solar Siphon 3e fill	Rapid Solar weapon final blows create an Orb of Power.
	Ashes to Assets 3e fill	Gain bonus Super energy on grenade kills.
	Heavy Ammo Finder 1e fill	Increases the effect of all contributions towards the Heavy ammo meter.
Arms (8/10)	Firepower 3e	Your grenade final blows create Orbs of Power.
	Utility Kickstart 3e fill	When your class ability energy is fully expended, your Armor Charge is consumed and you gain class ability energy for each Armor Charge used.
	Momentum Transfer 2e fill	Causing damage with a grenade reduces your melee cooldown.
Chest (6/10)	Solar Resistance 2e fill	Reduces incoming Solar damage from combatants.
	Concussive Dampener 3e fill	Reduces incoming area-of-effect damage from combatants.
	Sniper Damage Resistance 1e fill	Reduces incoming damage from combatants that are at long range.
Legs (3/10)	Solar Scavenger 1e	Solar weapons get bonus reserves when picking up ammo used by that weapon.
	Solar Weapon Surge 1e	Your Solar weapons gain a small bonus to damage while you have any Armor Charge. Your Armor Charge now decays over time.
	Solar Weapon Surge 1e	Your Solar weapons gain a small bonus to damage while you have any Armor Charge. Your Armor Charge now decays over time.
Class Item (3/10)	Special Finisher 1e	Finishers generate Special ammo for the whole fireteam.
	Bomber 1e	Reduces grenade cooldown when using your class ability.
	Reaper 1e fill	Shortly after using your class ability, your next weapon final blow spawns an Orb of Power.

All 15 sockets used, 10 energy per masterworked piece; costs from the manifest. Core mods are the build's engine; fill mods are strong defaults — swap freely (chest resists should match the activity's damage types). Flex/loadout-dependent: not the abilities).