Whether you’re playing through Destiny 2’s latest raid, weekly pinnacle missions, or Nightfall Strikes, it’s important to have a strong loadout of PvE-centric weapons.
Despite the “sweaty” community’s best efforts, Destiny is and always has been a PvE game, first and foremost. Seasonal content, which brings players back each week to unfold the ongoing story, only makes it even more of a PvE game.
With each season, weapons come and go from the meta. Some get nerfed, while others are just surpassed by something new. Either way, it’s a good thing to keep your loadout refreshed and up to date with the best possible weapons to help you dominate the enemies of humanity and Light.
These are the current best weapons to use in PvE activities in Destiny 2.
Best PvE primary weapons in Destiny 2’s Season of the Witch
- Osteo Striga
- Funnelweb, CALUS Mini-Tool, and IKELOS SMG v.1.0.3
- Quicksilver Storm
- Wish-Ender
- Sunshot
- Rufus’ Fury
- Fatebringer
Osteo Striga (Kinetic)
- How to get: Complete The Witch Queen’s campaign.
- DLC Requirement: The Witch Queen
The add-clearing machine that released along The Witch Queen continues to be a strong tool to delete anything that comes in range. Its poisonous projectiles and tracking don’t hurt its case, but the Striga gives you enough firepower to take down red-bar enemies easily, even in higher-end content.
Funnelweb, CALUS Mini-Tool, and IKELOS SMG v.1.0.3
- How to get: World drops (Funnelweb)/Presage (Mini-Tool)/Operation: Seraph’s Shield (IKELOS)
- Perk recommendations: Funnelweb, Mini-Tool, IKELOS.
- DLC Requirement: None/Season of the Haunted or Beyond Light/Season of the Seraph or The Witch Queen
This triumvirate of SMGs has become the golden standard for their respective elements. Funnelweb kicked off its supremacy in season 16 and The Witch Queen, boasting an amazing synergy with the new Void 3.0 and an incredible perk pool in general. CALUS Mini-Tool followed in Season of the Haunted as the perfect accessory for Solar 3.0 builds thanks to Incandescent, and the IKELOS SMG returned in Season of the Seraph with Voltshot.
Neither of these three has been dethroned since.
Quicksilver Storm (Kinetic/Strand)
- How to get: Complete the Lightfall campaign
- DLC Requirement: Lightfall
Guardians who preordered Lightfall had this weapon in their arsenal starting on Aug. 23, and it’s been a great pick since. The ability to swap from regular, fast fire to heavy-hitting grenades makes this an amazing workhorse gun, and the 40-percent buff to red-bar enemies makes this even deadlier. Don’t leave home without it.
You can put a catalyst on it for Strand builds (which will switch the weapon’s element to Strand). Alternatively, pull it from Collections and don’t apply the catalyst for that juicy bonus to unshielded targets from Kinetic weapons. Dealer’s choice.
Wish-Ender (Kinetic)
- How to get: Unique quest in the Shattered Throne dungeon.
- DLC Requirement: Forsaken Pack
Wish-Ender was basically a niche pick before its glow-up in Season of Plunder, but now, it’s basically become a household name for any activity that involves Barrier Champions. With the buff, it gained even more damage and intrinsic Anti-Barrier, which will one-shot any Champions’ barrier when fully charged, even in Grandmasters.
Add to that the capacity to shred regular enemies and its infinite ammo, and you’ve got an excellent choice. If you’re running any activity with Barrier Champions, odds are either this or Arbalest will take up your Kinetic slot.
Sunshot (Solar)
- How to get: Exotic Engrams
- DLC Requirement: None
The buffs to hand cannons in Season of the Witch made Sunshot a devastating add-clear tool. It suffers a bit from the lack of range (par for the course in hand cannons), but it can destroy red-bar enemies even in higher difficulties. Also, it makes explosions on any kill, even if it’s not a headshot (and Necrochasm is already jealous).
Rufus’ Fury (Strand)
- How to get: Root of Nightmares raid
- DLC Requirement: Lightfall
- Perk recommendations: Rufus’ Fury god roll and best perks
This Strand-aligned auto rifle surfaced alongside the Root of Nightmares raid, and it continues to be a good choice. Its archetype isn’t too unfavorable, and its perk pool can keep it useful in quite a variety of scenarios.
Fatebringer (Kinetic)
- How to get: Vault of Glass raid
- DLC Requirement: None
- Perk recommendations: Fatebringer Perk god roll and best perks
The pocket Ace of Spades, Fatebringer returned in Destiny 2 alongside the Vault of Glass raid. Though it’s a couple of years old, it’s still one of the best hand cannons in Destiny 2 thanks to its stacked perk pool, with the possibility of rolling Firefly for add clear.
Best PvE Special weapons in Destiny 2’s Season of the Witch
- Riptide
- Arbalest
- Witherhoard
- Forbearance
- Divinity
- Conditional Finality
- Izanagi’s Burden
Riptide (Stasis)
- How to get: Crucible Engrams
- DLC Requirement: None
One of the weapons that were so good Bungie nerfed it—in this case, by making it take longer to freeze an enemy. Aim for Chill Clip with this Rapid-Fire fusion, because that’s what sets it apart from the competition.
If you can’t get Riptide, Vow of the Disciple’s Deliverance can work as a decent substitute with Chill Clip. For general fusion rifles, though, take a look at Loaded Question (Nightfall), The Eremite (Season of the Witch), or Iterative Loop (Neomuna).
Arbalest (Kinetic)
- How to get: Exotic Engrams
- DLC Requirement: None
If you want to destroy a Barrier Champion, you take Wish-Ender. If you really want to destroy a Barrier Champion, that’s where Arbalest comes in. Match Game is (thankfully) dead, but Arbalest still excels at destroying shields in all forms.
This hard-hitting linear fusion rifle has built-in Anti-Barrier, paired with Disruption Break and Genesis to make sure you’re finishing them off. It works as a damage option for Champions, as a backup damage tool for bosses, and as a way to take off chunks of health from priority targets.
Witherhoard (Kinetic)
- How to get: Monument of Lost Lights
- DLC Requirement: Shadowkeep
Witherhoard is perfect for applying damage-over-time effects and negating an area. It’s one of those weapons that basically requires the catalyst to work properly, but once you do, odds are it won’t leave your Kinetic slot.
Forbearance (Arc)
- How to get: Vow of the Disciple raid
- Requirement: The Witch Queen
Sometimes, all you need is to clear a room quickly. Forbearance lets you do just that thanks to the Chain Reaction perk, which creates an explosion after a kill. Surplus or Ambitious Assassin go well with it for even less downtime between blasts.
Divinity (Arc)
- How to get: Unique quest in Garden of Salvation
- DLC Requirement: Shadowkeep
This trace rifle’s ease of use and utility continue to make this a great option for bosses even after its significant nerf. Hold your fire to create a bubble that debuffs the target and creates a large crit spot. Simple, effective, and often borderline indispensable. The release of Cenotaph Mask for Warlocks only makes this Exotic better.
Conditional Finality (Stasis)
- How to get: Root of Nightmares raid
- DLC Requirement: Lightfall
Raid Exotics are usually good, but generally still get somewhat overshadowed by other Exotics. Conditional Finality breaks that principle: this two-round shotgun can freeze and create Ignitions easily, which makes for a great damage output at the cost of special ammo. The downside is, you need to be close for it to count.
Izanagi’s Burden (Kinetic)
- How to get: Monument to Lost Lights
- DLC Requirement: Forsaken Pack
Izanagi’s Burden lets you combine four sniper shots into one, which makes it easy to deal absurd amounts of damage quickly. It’ll burn through your special ammo, though, so keep an eye out for your reserves.
Izanagi is king in DPS rotations since you can pair it with a weapon that has Auto-Loading Holster. Time it right, and the swap/fire/reload animations should give you just enough time to proc the perk.
Best PvE Heavy weapons in Destiny 2’s Season of the Witch
- Taipan-4FR, Cataclysmic, Stormchaser
- Thunderlord
- Gjallarhorn
- Apex Predator
- Commemoration
- Retrofit Escapade
- Fallen Guillotine
Taipan-4FR, Cataclysmic, Stormchaser
- How to get: World Drop (Taipan)/Vow of the Disciple (Cataclysmic)/Duality dungeon (Stormchaser)
- DLC Requirement: None/The Witch Queen/The Witch Queen dungeon key
Much like how SMGs have a triumvirate, these three linear fusion rifles dominated the meta throughout the year of The Witch Queen, and they still offer good damage despite a hefty nerf. Taipan is a great all-rounder LFR thanks to its perk pool, while Cataclysmic gets ammo refill from Fourth Time’s the Charm and a massive damage output through Bait and Switch. Stormchaser gets enough firepower from its burst-fire mode, but the right perk combinations make it even more deadly. As a bonus, it rolls Auto-Loading Holster if you want to pair it with Izanagi’s Burden.
Thunderlord (Arc)
- How to get: Exotic Engrams
- DLC Requirement: None
Thunderlord is the new Xenophage when it comes to damage and ease of use. This machine gun has a respectable, consistent damage output, and you can also use it as an incredible tool for clearing adds. Thunderlord may not hit the top of the charts with damage, but there’s very little that can go wrong while using it. This works best with its catalyst and a Divinity bubble.
Gjallarhorn (Solar)
- How to get: Exotic Engrams
- DLC Requirement: 30th Anniversary Pack
Gjallarhorn’s Destiny 2 version doesn’t quite come to the “have Gjallarhorn or kick” legends of Destiny, but it’s still a good support weapon. It will boost the damage from other rocket launchers, so it’s basically essential for any damage phase with rockets, even after it took a bit of a hit with a stealth nerf/fix.
Apex Predator (Solar)
- How to get: Last Wish raid
- DLC Requirement: Forsaken Pack
- Perk recommendations: Apex Predator god roll and best perks
Speaking of rockets, Apex Predator has risen to the top of the food chain after its rework in Season of the Deep. Its frame already helps with damage, but the perk pool helps bring it above the competition: Reconstruction helps overflow the magazine passively, and it can also roll Bait and Switch for tremendous damage. As an alternative, Cold Comfort (Ghosts of the Deep) can roll Envious Assassin with Bait and Switch.
Commemoration (Void)
- How to get: Deep Stone Crypt raid
- DLC Requirement: Beyond Light
- Perk recommendations: Commemoration god rolls and best perks
The buff to machine guns gave way to a new top contender: Commemoration from the Deep Stone Crypt. This gun excels at clearing adds and can deal an impressive amount of sustained damage to targets—with the ammo efficiency of a machine gun, no less. Reconstruction plus with Firing Line or Killing Tally really help its damage.
Retrofit Escapade (Void)
- How to get: Operation: Seraph’s Shield
- DLC Requirement: The Witch Queen or Season of the Seraph
- Perk recommendations: Retrofit Escapade god roll and best perks
Commemoration isn’t the only gun that emerged after the buffs. Retrofit Escapade excels at dealing boss damage due to a unique combination: Fourth Time’s the Charm and Target Lock. Fourth Time’s the Charm generates ammo quickly since it’s a 900rpm machine gun, and Target Lock deals more damage the longer your aim stays on the target.
Lament and Fallen Guillotine
- How to get: Europa Exotic quest/Xûr or Banshee
- DLC Requirement: Beyond Light/none
If we could only use one sword, we would be torn between Lament and Fallen Guillotine. Swords can excel at damage for certain bosses and they’re just generally good, versatile tools. Lament gives you health back and deals a ton of damage if you know the correct combos, but Falling Guillotine is a good alternative that doesn’t take up your Exotic slot (assuming you have one left over in your vault). Titans can also go for Crown-Splitter or Throne Cleaver, which are exclusive to that class.
