You’re staring down a lane in Burnout. Your palms are a little sweaty, mostly because the guy on the other team has been clicking heads with a sniper that sounds like a cannon. That’s Keen Thistle. It’s the Solar Aggressive Frame sniper rifle that dropped with Episode: Heresy, and honestly, it’s been haunting the Crucible ever since.
Most people see a 72 RPM sniper and think "slow." They think it’s just another Succession clone. But they’re wrong. Keen Thistle is basically the legendary version of Ice Breaker if Ice Breaker stopped worrying about ammo and started caring about pure, unadulterated stats.
The Keen Thistle God Roll for PvP
If you’re taking this into Trials, you aren't looking for "decent." You want something that feels like the gun is doing half the aiming for you. Aggressive frames usually feel like clunky bricks, but the right keen thistle god roll fixes that.
- Barrel: Fluted Barrel. Period. You need the handling.
- Magazine: Accurized Rounds or Extended Mag.
- Perk 1: Lone Wolf or Snapshot Sights.
- Perk 2: Closing Time or Moving Target.
- Masterwork: Handling.
Let’s talk about Closing Time. It’s the secret sauce. It gives you massive boosts to range, handling, and accuracy as the magazine gets lower. Since you usually spawn with two shots in PvP, you are almost always benefitng from this. Pair it with Lone Wolf, which juices your Aim Assist and Airborne Effectiveness when you’re away from teammates, and you have a weapon that feels "sticky" in a way snipers haven't felt in years.
🔗 Read more: First Name in Country Crossword: Why These Clues Trip You Up
Some players swear by Extended Mag. Why? Because it can actually bump your magazine size enough to give you two shots of Closing Time at peak effectiveness rather than just one. It’s a niche interaction, but if you’re a perfectionist, it’s the play.
Can It Actually Work in PvE?
Usually, Aggressive snipers are for deleting Champions, not for boss DPS. But Keen Thistle has a weird side to it. You can actually roll Triple Tap and Fourth Time’s the Charm at the same time.
It’s a gimmick. I’ll be honest. In a vacuum, it sounds insane—you can theoretically fire like 19 shots without reloading if you hit every crit. In reality? Bosses move. Flinch happens. You’re better off looking for Envious Arsenal and Bait and Switch if you want to use it for actual damage rotations.
💡 You might also like: The Dawn of the Brave Story Most Players Miss
Is it going to replace your Still Hunt? No. But if you need a Solar sniper to match surges and you’re running a rotation with a Kinetic primary and an Apex Predator, Keen Thistle fits the bill perfectly.
How to Get It (And the Adept Version)
You have to brave the Trials of Osiris. There’s no way around it. You can get the standard version by focusing Trials engrams at Saint-14 once you’ve unlocked it in your collections.
The Adept Keen Thistle is the real prize. You get it from the Lighthouse chest on weeks when it’s the featured reward. The Adept version is worth the headache because of the +3 to all stats when Masterworked and the ability to slot Adept Targeting or Adept Handling. In a game where every millisecond of ADS speed matters, those small bumps are the difference between a headshot and a trip back to the respawn screen.
📖 Related: Why the Clash of Clans Archer Queen is Still the Most Important Hero in the Game
The Closing Time Controversy
There’s a lot of chatter in the community about whether Closing Time is better than Opening Shot. On paper, Opening Shot is more consistent because it works on the first bullet of every engagement.
However, Closing Time’s stat ceiling is higher. It feels more like a "snowball" perk. If you’re the type of player who stays alive and keeps the pressure on, the handling boost from Closing Time makes the gun feel lighter as the round progresses. It's weirdly intuitive once you get the hang of it.
Actionable Tips for Your Farm
- Check the Rotation: Don't waste your time farming on a week where the Hand Cannon is the Adept reward. Wait for the sniper week.
- Prioritize Handling: Aggressive frames have terrible base handling. If your roll doesn't have Fluted Barrel or a Handling Masterwork, it’s going to feel like you're aiming a log.
- Don't Sleep on Lone Wolf: Even though it got some side-eye when it first launched, the Aim Assist bump is noticeable on 72 RPM snipers.
If you manage to snag a Fluted/Accurized/Lone Wolf/Closing Time roll, lock it immediately. That is the definitive keen thistle god roll that people will be complaining about on Reddit for the rest of the season.
Go get your flawless card. The Lighthouse is waiting, and this sniper is the best reason to visit it right now.
Check your vault for any old Solar loaders or sniper targeting mods before you head in; you're going to need them to make this thing feel truly snappy.