Best Destiny 2 Swords: PVE and PVP Tier list ranking

Last year, a major reword and a significant buff transformed this previously mediocre weapon type into one of the most lethal and powerful alternatives in the entire game.

While not suited for all situations, swords can deal unparallel damage as long as you can get close enough.

In this guide, we’ll cover both Exotic and Legendary swords (including their PVP and PVE god rolls) and provide a verdict on how good each weapon is.

Swords in Destiny 2: High-risk, high-reward, Swords are closed-range Power weapons that excel at ad clearing and single target damage. Among the best PVE options, these are currently considered top tier.

Destiny 2 Swords Tier list

These are the different Tier levels used for this ranking:

• S Tier – Best: Highest ranking weapon types.
• A Tier – Strong: Very strong weapon types, but not on the same level as S Tier Choices.
• B Tier – Average: Decent choices that can be lethal in the hands of a skilled player.
• C Tier – Weak: The middle of the pack, somewhat mediocre.
• D Tier – Worst: Lagging behind the competition, these don’t have much to offer.

The list starts with the S Tier and moves down from there. It also covers both PVE and PVP, with the “Excels in” column clearly identifying where each weapon shines.

About DPS: You’ll see us talk a lot about DPS, damage per second, throughout this guide. DPS is important for PVE, because the higher the DPS, the more damage you can deal to a Boss or Major.

Name	Archetype	Element	Rank	Excels	Source	Requirements	Weapon | Type	Tier	Excels in	Drops from ❘ Requires	Verdict	PVP Recommended Rolls	PVE Recommended Rolls
The Lament	Exotic	Solar	S › Best	PVE	Exotic Quest	Beyond Light	The Lament | Sword	Best ❘ S	PVE	Exotic Quest	Slot: Heavy | Ammo: Heavy Exotic Perk: "Revving the blade increases damage, shield bypass, and adds shield piercing to all attacks. You also gain stacks when dealing damage with revved attacks. Additional stacks increase the damage and damage resistance of heavy attacks." ► The Lament is a monster in practically all PvE content. It can deal with champions in endgame content and shred bosses across the game, all while replenishing health in the process. Despite the nerfs it received in the past, it is still arguably the best sword in the entire game, no matter the challenge. ► Average DPS: 19,071.	-	Exotic Perk: "Revving the blade increases damage, shield bypass, and adds shield piercing to all attacks. You also gain stacks when dealing damage with revved attacks. Additional stacks increase the damage and damage resistance of heavy attacks."
Black Talon	Exotic	Void	S › Best	PVE + PVP	Exotic Engram	Free-to-Play	Black Talon | Sword	Best ❘ S	PVE + PVP	Exotic Engram	Slot: Heavy | Ammo: Heavy Exotic Perk: "Can fire heavy projectile attacks. Heavy attacks are stronger with full energy. Most attacks partially bypass elemental shields." ► Black Talon is criminally underrated in PVE, as it can pump out huge damage with a charged heavy attack. In PVP, it can take care of enemy guardians in their supers with incredible ease. Its all-around strength to easily kill Champions and Bosses and destroy enemy Guardians in their Super destroying makes it an absolute Top tier sword. ► Average DPS: 19,968.	Exotic Perk: "Can fire heavy projectile attacks. Heavy attacks are stronger with full energy. Most attacks partially bypass elemental shields."	-
Crown-Splitter	Aggressive	Void	S › Best	PVE	World Loot Pool	Free-to-Play	Crown-Splitter | Sword	Best ❘ S	PVE	World Loot Pool	Slot: Heavy | Ammo: Heavy | Archetype: Aggressive PVE God Roll: Relentless Strikes + Vorpal Weapon (also good: Whirlwind Blade) ► Crown-Splitter is absolutely dominating the PVE scene right now, and rightly so. It does the highest damage of any legendary sword in the game and when combined with the Energy Accelerant Mod found in this season's artifact. With the mod, it can deal insane DPS to Champions in the most difficult Nightfall: The Ordeals and destroy Bosses almost anywhere in the game. Crown-Splitter is unique to the Titan Class and it is the only Aggressive sword in the game. ► Average DPS: 20,429 with Jagged Edge.	-	► Blade: Jagged ► Guard: Relentless Strikes ► Perk 1: Vorpal Weapon / Whirlwind Blade
Falling Guillotine	Vortex	Void	A › Strong	PVE	World Loot Pool	Free-to-Play	Falling Guillotine | Sword	Strong ❘ A	PVE	World Loot Pool	Slot: Heavy | Ammo: Heavy | Archetype: Vortex PVE God Roll: Relentless Strikes + Whirlwind Blade ► Falling Guillotine is still perhaps one of the best legendary weapons to have existed in Destiny. However, its nerfs in the past few seasons have seen it fall slightly down the pecking order in many player’s loadouts. Despite this, the presence of the top tier perks; Relentless Strikes and Whirlwind Blade makes it slightly better than its Solar counterpart, Eternity’s Edge. ► Average DPS: 18,094 with Jagged Edge.		► Blade: Jagged ► Guard: Relentless Strikes / Swordmaster’s Guard ► Perk 1: Whirlwind Blade
Sola's Scar	Caster	Solar	A › Strong	PVE	Trials of Osiris	Free-to-Play	Sola's Scar | Sword	Strong ❘ A	PVE	Trials of Osiris	Slot: Heavy | Ammo: Heavy | Archetype: Caster PVE God Roll: Relentless Strikes (also good: Tireless Blade) + Chain Reaction (also good: Vorpal Weapon) ► Sola’s Scar is superior to its Caster Frame rival, Temptation’s Hook, for one simple reason: As a Solar weapon, it can create Warmind Cells. And Warmind Cells are incredibly strong, due to their incredible add clear capabilities. With additional top-tier perks such as Chain Reaction and Vorpal Weapon and the ability to work with Energy Accelerant Mod found in this Season's artifact, Sola’s Scar is an excellent sword.	► Sights: Jagged Edge, Honed Edge, Tempered Edge ► Mag: Swordmaster’s Guard, Balanced Guard, Burst Guard ► Perk 1: Tireless Blade ► Perk 2: Assassin’s Blade, En Garde ► Masterwork: Impact	► Sights: Jagged Edge, Honed Edge, Tempered Edge ► Mag: Swordmaster’s Guard, Balanced Guard, Burst Guard ► Perk 1: Relentless Strikes, Tireless Blade ► Perk 2: Vorpal Weapon, Chain Reaction ► Masterwork: Impact
Eternity's Edge	Vortex	Solar	A › Strong	PVE	World Loot Pool	Free-to-Play	Eternity's Edge | Sword	Strong ❘ A	PVE	World Loot Pool	Slot: Heavy | Ammo: Heavy | Archetype: Vortex PVE God Roll: Relentless Strikes + Surrounded ► Eternity’s Edge, Warlocks' specific sword, is the Solar equivalent to Falling Guillotine but without Whirlwind Blade. As a Vortex sword, it ranks higher than most other Legendary swords due to their superior ammo efficiency and high DPS, only second to Crown-Splitter in pure damage.	-	► Blade: Jagged ► Guard: Relentless Strikes ► Perk 1: Assassin's Blade / Surrounded
Negative Space	Adaptive	Solar	B › Average	PVE	Prophecy Dungeon	Free-to-Play	Negative Space | Sword	Average ❘ B	PVE	Prophecy Dungeon	Slot: Heavy | Ammo: Heavy | Archetype: Adaptive PVE God Roll: Relentless Strikes + Whirlwind Blade ► Negative Space is an Adaptive sword and that alone puts it behind other, simply superior, archetypes. Despite being able to roll with top-tier perks such as Relentless Strikes and Whirlwind Blade, and having access to interesting perks such as Disruption Break and Flash Counter, it simply can't compete with superior frames.
Temptation's Hook	Caster	Arc	B › Average	PVE	World Loot Pool	Free-to-Play	Temptation's Hook | Sword	Average ❘ B	PVE	World Loot Pool	Slot: Heavy Heavy | Ammo: Heavy | Archetype: Caster PVE God Roll: Relentless Strikes + Whirlwind Blade (also good: Vorpal Weapon) ► Temptation’s Hook is one of the only two Caster Frame swords in the game. These frames are generally considered inferior compared to Vortex swords due to their poor ammo economy and overall lower total damage potential. However, that is the price of offering better burst damage when using their heavy attack, especially with the Energy Accelerant mod found in this season’s artifact.
Honor's Edge	Adaptive	Arc	B › Average	PVE	Gunsmith	Free-to-Play	Honor's Edge | Sword	Average ❘ B	PVE	Gunsmith	Slot: Heavy Heavy | Ammo: Heavy | Archetype: Adaptive PVE God Roll: Relentless Strikes + Surounded (also good: Flash Counter) ► Honor’s Edge is an Adaptive legendary sword and it suffers from the same issues as the other Adaptive swords do. However, it can roll with interesting perks including Flash Counter, Shattering Blade, and a good, solid perk in Relentless Strikes.
Quickfang	Lightweight	Void	B › Average	PVE	World Loot Pool	Free-to-Play	Quickfang | Sword	Average ❘ B	PVE	World Loot Pool	Slot: Heavy | Ammo: Heavy | Archetype: Lightweight PVE God Roll: Tireless Blade + Assassin’s Blade ► Quickfang is the only Hunter-specific and Lightweight sword in the game. This sword not only has a higher ammo capacity but also allows you to move faster while holding it. It can be strong in PvP as it allows you to quickly swap to it and out move faster to cover or reposition quicker.	-	► Blade: Jagged ► Guard: Relentless Strikes ► Perk 1: One For All
Steel Sybil Z-14	Adaptive	Void	C › Weak	-	World Loot Pool	Free-to-Play	Steel Sybil Z-14 | Sword	Weak ❘ C	-	World Loot Pool	Slot: Heavy | Ammo: Heavy | Archetype: Adaptive PVE God Roll: Relentless Strikes + Whirlwind Blade ► Steel Sybil Z-14 is yet another Adaptive Frame and therefore lags before most other swords belonging to other frames. But Steel Sybil's issues don’t stop there, though, as it can only roll with two strong perks in Relentless Strikes and Whirlwind Blade, but offers no other interesting perks. ► Average DPS: 17,532 with Jagged Edge.
Bequest	Adaptive	Arc	C › Weak	-	Deep Stone Crypt Raid	Beyond Light	Bequest | Sword	Weak ❘ C	-	Deep Stone Crypt Raid	Slot: Heavy | Ammo: Heavy | Archetype: Adaptive PVE God Roll: Relentless Strikes + Surrounded ► Bequest is another sword that suffers from being an Adaptive Frame. On top of that, Bequest can't roll with the typical top-tier sword perks including Whirlwind Blade or even Vorpal Weapon. And to make matters worse, it can only drop from the Deep Stone Crypt, making it more difficult to obtain than most other swords in the game. ► Average DPS: 17,532 with Jagged Edge.
Worldline Zero	Exotic	Arc	D › Worst	-	Exotic Kiosk	Free-to-Play	Worldline Zero | Sword	Worst ❘ D	-	Exotic Kiosk	Slot: Heavy | Ammo: Heavy Exotic Perk: "Press while sprinting to launch a heavy blink attack. Attacks partially bypass elemental shields." ► Worldline Zero was a thing when "warlock skating" was used for speed-running, but since Bungie removed that feature, Worldline Zero became completely irrelevant. Worldline Zero is without a doubt not worthy of your exotic slot and is certainly the worst sword in the game, because, why use it when most legendary swords are better?

Best Destiny 2 PVP Swords

When it comes to PVP, most sword users, unfortunately, use it for the wrong reason: Three-peeking. While this is not the place to explain why this is (and should be) frowned upon, swords shouldn’t be limited to that and can be lethal and viable tools in their own right, especially Black Talon:

Black Talon

Weapon Type:	Sword	Slot:	Heavy
Ammo:	Heavy	Source:	Exotic Engram

Swords are definitely not the safest or more reliable Power weapon one can bring to the Crucible. That would be The Wardcliff Coil or even The Colony. But in spite of that, Swords remain extremely fun to use, and Black Talon can also be an absolute menace when used right.

With its ranged heavy attack that happens to have insane aim assistance and stickiness, Black Talon is a top-tier option for PVP.

Best Destiny 2 PVE Swords

It’s in PVE where swords shine the most. These are the absolute best:

The Lament

Weapon Type:	Sword	Slot:	Heavy
Ammo:	Heavy	Source:	Exotic Quest

The Lament doesn’t need an introduction anymore. It has been part of the PVE meta since Beyond Light was launched. And even if Bungie nerfs it to make it more balanced compared to the rest, it remains one of the best options of endgame content.

Albeit risky to use, The Lament can deal with Anti-barrier Champions intrinsically, it can heal you while being used, and can deal insane burst damage. What else could we ask for?

Good PVE alternatives

Name	Archetype	Element	Rank	Excels	Source	Requirements	Weapon | Type	Tier	Excels in	Drops from ❘ Requires	PVE Recommended Rolls
Crown-Splitter	Aggressive	Void	S › Best	PVE	World Loot Pool	Free-to-Play	Crown-Splitter | Sword	Best ❘ S	PVE	World Loot Pool	► Blade: Jagged ► Guard: Relentless Strikes ► Perk 1: Vorpal Weapon / Whirlwind Blade
Falling Guillotine	Vortex	Void	A › Strong	PVE	World Loot Pool	Free-to-Play	Falling Guillotine | Sword	Strong ❘ A	PVE	World Loot Pool	► Blade: Jagged ► Guard: Relentless Strikes / Swordmaster’s Guard ► Perk 1: Whirlwind Blade
Sola's Scar	Caster	Solar	A › Strong	PVE	Trials of Osiris	Free-to-Play	Sola's Scar | Sword	Strong ❘ A	PVE	Trials of Osiris	► Sights: Jagged Edge, Honed Edge, Tempered Edge ► Mag: Swordmaster’s Guard, Balanced Guard, Burst Guard ► Perk 1: Relentless Strikes, Tireless Blade ► Perk 2: Vorpal Weapon, Chain Reaction ► Masterwork: Impact
Eternity's Edge	Vortex	Solar	A › Strong	PVE	World Loot Pool	Free-to-Play	Eternity's Edge | Sword	Strong ❘ A	PVE	World Loot Pool	► Blade: Jagged ► Guard: Relentless Strikes ► Perk 1: Assassin's Blade / Surrounded

Are Swords Meta?

So how do Swords stack against the competition? Before we look into lethality and ease of use (two of the most important factors to take into account in PVE), we need to be clear about the role Swords are supposed to fill. According to Bungie, these are the different roles for Heavy weapons:

Heavy weapons Meta for PVE

So how good are Swords in PVE? This table summarizes how the several Power weapon types rank against each other in PVE:

Weapon Type	Tier	Role ❘ Current State
Swords	Best ❘ S	► Main roles: Add Clear & Single Target damage (i.e. Boss damage). ► Current State: Swords are incredibly strong right now. Several buffs and a huge rework during Season of the Worthy made them much more usable. They are now safer to use, have a better ammo economy, and can deal much more damage. Swords are as high risk / high reward as it gets. If used right, a top-tier sword can basically delete any enemy, even on higher difficulties. No wonder The Lament and Falling Guillotine are still some of the best Power weapons available.
Rocket Launchers	Strong ❘ A	► Main role: Burst Damage (Secondary role: Add Clear) ► Rocket launchers went through a rough patch that relegated to the least preferred Heavy weapon in the entire game. Bungie has been hard at work at making them relevant again, and after two noticeable buffs, Rocket launchers are making a huge comeback. With great DPS potential and bigger magazines, they are among the best tools at your disposal, no matter the content.
Linear Fusion Rifles	Strong ❘ A	► Main role: Single Target damage (Secondary role: Burst Damage) ► Current State: Linear fusion rifles have been in the middle of an identity crisis for a while, but that should finally change this season. With increased damage to critical hits, Linear Fusions are now much more lethal and rewarding, provided you can hit your shots. It's still too early to tell how meta they can become, but keep an eye on Sleeper Simulant, or a Threaded Needle with Vorpal Weapon. These will be among your top DPS options this season.
Machine Guns	Average ❘ B	► Main role: Add Clear ► Current State: Machine guns are not what they used to be, not for PVE at least. While a god-rolled Commemoration or a Thunderlord will definitely get the job done at clearing ads, they remain the shadow of their former selves. Bungie itself has confirmed they need to be fine-tuned, but that could take a while... To be fair, they still have their place and have proven to be excellent to deal with elemental shields in Grandmaster Nightfall: The Ordeals.
Grenade Launchers	Average ❘ B	► Main role: Add Clear (Secondary role: Single Target Damage). ► Current State: Grenade launchers went from the indisputable PVE choice to just an average, situational weapon type, in a matter of months. To be fair, they remain viable, especially when getting too close to the enemy is impossible. Otherwise, they have been replaced by Swords as the go-to damage-dealing Heavy weapon type in the game.
Exotic Sniper Rifles	Weak ❘ C	► Main role: Single Target damage ► Current State: Finally, we have Exotic Sniper rifles, a very niche choice represented by only 2 weapons, D.A.R.C.I and Whisper of the Worm. Heavy Exotic Snipers are far from being meta right now. D.A.R.C.I is one of the most underwhelming Exoticsin the entire game, while Whisper of the Warm is the shadow of its former self due to the blanket nerf all snipers received a few seasons ago.

Heavy weapons Meta for PVP

What about PVP? This table summarizes how they rank against each other in PVP:

Weapon Type	Tier	Role ❘ Current State
Rocket Launchers	Best ❘ S	Rocket launchers are in a great place right now for PVP. As ammo economy is not an issue in the Crucible, their insane high-burst damage per rocket allows them to shine. Rocket launchers, and especially the exotics, can basically guarantee a kill without requiring much skill nor effort. And if used right, you can easily get multi kills in 6v6 modes. Rocket launchers even have a place in competitive modes, namely the Wardclif Coil, due to their consistency.
Machine Guns	Strong ❘ A	Machine guns are always a safe bet in PVP. They have excellent TTK, are very consistent from medium to long-range, and have enough ammo to kill easily 2 to 3 guardians, 4 if you play your cards right. Not all machine guns were created equal, though, as some of them are much stronger than the rest, especially the exotics (Heir Apparent immediately comes to mind). But with the right perks, legendary Machine guns can also shine
Grenade Launchers	Average ❘ B	Grenade launchers can be good options in PVP. They are powerful and can come with great perks, including the newish Chain Reaction, which can easily net you multi kills when hitting enemies grouped together. When used with something like Proximity grenades, grenade launchers can be even more reliable and easy to use. Compared to the other Power weapon in the game, grenade launchers remain strong contenders. And when you take into account the exotics, namely The Colony, they can basically give you free kills.
Swords	Weak ❘ C	Swords may be a top-tier choice in PVE due to their high-risk, high reward approach. But in PVP, the risk is much higher than the reward. You can, of course, use a sword to benefit from the third-person view and wait for opponents around corners. But in many situations, you could find yourself completely vulnerable out in the open while chasing an enemy. On top of that, 3-peeking with swords is considered a douchy approach by the community, and with reason!
Linear Fusion Rifles	Weak ❘ C	Linear fusion rifles are in the middle of an identity crisis. They are stronger than sniper rifles and have more aim assistance, but they still require Heavy ammo and a headshot to one-shot an enemy. On top of that, they also have a charge time to take into account. Compared to a sniper rifle that fires immediately and only uses Special ammo, Linear Fusion rifles make little sense for the Crucible. In PVP, you want a Heavy weapon that can either easily down several guardians or guarantee a kill in a high-stakes match. It isn't impossible to do with a linear fusion rifle, but other weapon types can accomplish that more easily.

Destiny 2 Swords sources: How to get them

The table above includes a column titled “Drops from  ❘ Requirements“.

This section goes deeper and includes more detailed steps on how to acquire all the shotguns still viable in Destiny 2:

Weapon	Drops from	Requires?	How to get it?
The Lament	Exotic Quest		This Exotic requires you to complete a dedicated Exotic quest. For more information, check out our Exotic Quests hub.
Black Talon	Exotic Engram		This Exotic can only randomly drop while playing the game or by acquiring Exotic engrams (most notably from the Season Pass or from Xur). Playing higher-difficulty activities will greatly increase your chances to find one (namely, Nightfall: The Ordeals).
Worldline Zero	Exotic Kiosk		This Exotic can be acquired via the Exotics Kiosk in the tower, officially called the Monument to Lost Lights. You can read all about it, including costs and requirements, here.
Sola's Scar	Trials of Osiris		This weapon can only drop while getting wins in the endgame PVP mode Trials of Osiris, Destiny 2's endgame (and brutal) PVP mode. Beware that drops rotate weekly, so you'll have to patient and wait until it becomes part of the weekly drops.
Bequest	Deep Stone Crypt Raid		This elite weapon can only be found in the Deep Stone Crypt raid. For a detailed overview of all the weapons found in the newest Destiny 2 raid, this loot table covers both weapons and armor, per encounter.
Negative Space	Prophecy Dungeon		This weapon can only drop from Destiny 2's newest dungeon. For a detailed overview of all the weapons found in Prophecy, this loot table covers both weapons and armor per encounter.
Honor's Edge	Gunsmith		This weapon can drop when playing the Crucible playlist.
Crown-Splitter, Quickfang, Eternity's Edge, Falling Guillotine, Temptation's Hook, Steel Sybil Z-14	World Loot Pool		These Legendaries can randomly drop while playing the game, either as end-of-match rewards or when finding Legendary engrams.

Most of these sources are self-explanatory, but in doubt, you can always leave a comment below with your question or ask away on our Discord.

Ranking criteria

For the record, as much as we tried to keep this list as objective as possible, it’s still based on our personal experience playing the PC version of the game.

Finally, if you’re wondering what criteria was used to build this Tier list, these are the main factors I took into account:

• Lethality: The higher the effective DPS and usability, the higher the ranking.
• Consistency: Some weapons may not have the highest DPS numbers, but they are so consistent, they more than make up for their lower DPS numbers.
• Ease of use: Similar to the point above, some weapons are very effective because they are easy to use and don’t require too much skill or setup. This is also rewarded with higher rankings.
• PVE/PVP Performance: High lethality in either PVE or  PVP is equally valuable. However, a weapon that is good at both PVE and PVP should rank higher than one that is slightly better on only PVE or PVP.
• Fun factor: Not the most important factor, but it also helps if the weapon is damn fun to shoot with!

If you strongly disagree with some of the rankings here, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section. By the way, what is your personal favorite?