Every season comes with at limited selection of exclusive Nightfall weapons; the Buzzard sidearm is part of the list. Previously a statically-rolled ritual weapon from Season of Dawn, Buzzard now has random rolls and an Adept version.
In this guide, we cover how to get Buzzard, how it compares to competitors, and exactly what rolls you should look out for.
| Art | Weapon | Archetype | Rarity | Ammo | Element | Requirements | In loot pool? | Ammo? | Element? | Tier | Excels | Source | Craftable? | Requires | Released | Slot | Can be Crafted? | Best of? | Top Perk? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Buzzard | Adaptive | Legendary | Primary | Kinetic | Free-to-Play | Yes |   Primary |  Kinetic | Average ❘ B | PvE | Nightfall: The Ordeals |   |  Free-to-Play | Season 20 | Kinetic | No | Kinetic Tremors |
How to get Buzzard in Season 21
There are several Nightfall-exclusive weapons in total, but as of Season of the Deep (S21), only six are currently on rotation, with only one dropping each week. This means you can only farm the Buzzard sidearm once every six weeks!
Once you unlock Buzzard in Collections, you can purchase additional copies from Zavala’s Focused Decoding screen. Each weapon costs:
- 1 Vanguard Engram
- 25 Legendary Shards
- 20,000 Glimmer
2023 Nightfall weapon rotation
| Week | Art | Weapon | Type | Element | Ammo | Week # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 May 2023 | | Buzzard | Sidearm | Kinetic | Primary | Week 1 |
| 30 May 2023 |   | Hung Jury SR4 | Scout Rifle | Kinetic | Primary | Week 2 |
| 6 June 2023 | Week 3 | |||||
| 13 June 2023 | Week 4 | |||||
| 20 June 2023 | Week 5 | |||||
| 27 June 2023 | Week 6 | |||||
| 4 July 2023 | Week 7 | |||||
| 11 July 2023 | Week 8 | |||||
| 18 July 2023 | Week 9 | |||||
| 25 July 2023 | Week 10 | |||||
| 1 August 2023 | Week 11 | |||||
| 8 August 2023 | Week 12 | |||||
| 15 August 2023 | Week 13 | |||||
| 22 August 2023 | Week 14 |
Buzzard Focused Decoding, Destiny 2
💠 This guide highlights the Nightfall weapons this season, as well as the schedule for the coming weeks.
How good is the Buzzard today
Being a sidearm, Buzzard has already been ignored by most of the PvE community. However, Buzzard is one of the better PvE sidearms we’ve seen. With perks like Perpetual Motion, Fourth Time’s the Charm, Kinetic Tremors, and Frenzy, this gun has a surprising amount going for it.
Buzzard can also get some good rolls for the Crucible. From Perpetual Motion to Swashbuckler to Rangefinder, this weapon has a wide selection of solid perks that allow anyone to excel.
All that said, Buzzard is going in the B Tier. While it’s relatively good for a sidearm, the weapon type isn’t favored in today’s meta.
Best alternatives:
| Art | Weapon | Archetype | Rarity | Ammo | Element | Requirements | In loot pool? | Ammo? | Element? | Tier | Excels | Source | Craftable? | Requires | Released | Slot | Can be Crafted? | Best of? | Top Perk? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Drang (Baroque) | Together Forever | Legendary | Primary | Solar | Free-to-Play | Yes | Primary |   Solar | Best ❘ S | PvE + PvP | Derelict Leviathan |   | Free-to-Play | Season 17 | Energy | Craftable | Top-tier | |
 | Mykel's Reverence | Rapid-Fire | Legendary | Primary | Strand | Lightfall | Yes | Primary |  Strand | Weak ❘ C | - | Root of Nightmares Raid | |   Lightfall | Season 20 | Kinetic | Craftable | ||
 | Senuna SI6 | Omolon Adaptive | Legendary | Primary | Stasis | Free-to-Play | Yes | Primary |   Stasis | Ongoing... | - | World loot pool | | Free-to-Play | Season 20 | Kinetic | No |
Best Buzzard Rolls for PvE and PvP
We’ve covered how to get Buzzard, but what are the rolls you should look for in PvE and PvP? Read on, and we’ll explain our favorites.
Buzzard god rolls, Destiny 2
Buzzard PvP god roll
- Barrel: Smallbore (also good: Hammer-Forged Rifling)
- Magazine: Ricochet Rounds
- Perk 1: Perpetual Motion (also good: Encore)
- Perk 2: Swashbuckler (also good: Rangefinder)
We’ll start with Smallbore and Ricochet Rounds in the first two columns to get some extra range and stability. For your first perk, both Encore and Perpetual Motion are outstanding; which one you pick depends purely on your playstyle. In the final column, Swashbuckler is best, but there aren’t any outright terrible perks here, either.
Buzzard PvE god roll
- Barrel: Smallbore (also good: Hammer-Forged Rifling)
- Magazine: Ricochet Rounds (also good: Flared Magwell)
- Perk 1: Perpetual Motion
- Perk 2: Kinetic Tremors (also good: Frenzy or Multikill Clip)
As with all weapons, stats don’t matter too much for PvE. Therefore, we’ll recommend the same Barrel and Magazine as PvP. If reload speed becomes a problem, swap Ricochet Rounds for Flared Magwell. Moving to perks, Perpetual Motion is our favorite for the third column. For the fourth, you’ll want to look for Kinetic Tremors, Multikill Clip, or Frenzy.
Buzzard Adept farm: Is it worth it?
If you and your fireteam are up for a challenge, venturing into Grandmaster Nightfalls on the right week will grant you the Adept version of Buzzard. Compared to their standard variants, Adept weapons give more stats when Masterworked, have additional perks per column and can accept unique Adept mods.
Similar to the base version of Buzzard, you can purchase additional copies of the Adept variant from Zavala once it’s unlocked in Collections. These come at a steeper price: one Vanguard Engram, 50 Legendary Shards, 50,000 Glimmer, and ten Adept Nightfall Ciphers (available from Grandmaster Nightfalls).
PS: Remember that Grandmaster Nightfalls are only available during the latter part of the season.
Before you go…
Interested in more top tier Nightfall-excusive weapons? You might want to check out the Hung Jury SR4 too!
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