Destiny 2 Best PVP Weapons

As you start getting serious with Destiny 2, one of the first questions you’ll have is: What are the best weapons in the game?

That question is not as easy to answer, as it all depends on whether you’re looking for the top weapons for PVP, PVE, casual, or endgame content.

Today, we’ll focus on the best PVP weapons in 2021 that were not sunsetted and are viable in Season 13, aka, Season of the Chosen.

In this guide, we cover both Exotic and Legendary weapons (including their PVP god rolls), give you an overview of the current PVP meta, and provide quick guides on how to obtain the top PVP exotics. For the sake of clarity, we’ll split our selection of weapons into three categories: Primary ammo weapons, Special ammo weapons, and Heavy weapons.

A big thank you to Pattycakes for helping me put together this selection. Pattycakes is one of my favorite Destiny 2 content creators focused on PVP and someone you should definitely check out.

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Destiny 2 Best PVP Primary weapons

In this section, we cover the best primary PVP weapons. And by primary, we mean either Kinetic or Energy weapons that use Primary ammo. If you sometimes get confused between Kinetic, Primary, Energy, and Special weapons, just remember Primary weapons use “normal” ammo, aka, white ammo boxes:

‼️ About TTK: You’ll see us talk a lot about TTK, or time-to-kill, throughout this guide. TTK is particularly important in PVP, because the lowest the TTK, the faster you can kill your opponent. You can read all about it in our TTK guide.

PS: Remember, our selection of top PVP guns is limited to weapons that were not sunsetted last season. This is why you won’t see any Pinnacle weapon such as Revoker in here!

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Destiny 2 Best PVP Special weapons

In this section, we cover the best Special PVP weapons. And by Special, we mean either kinetic or Energy weapons that use Special ammo. Just remember, Special weapons use “Special” ammo, aka, green ammo boxes:

But what about PVE?

• The Best PVE weapons in Destiny 2

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Destiny 2 Best PVP Heavy weapons

In this section, we cover the best Heavy PVP weapons. Unlike Primary and Special weapons that can be in either the Kinetic or Energy slots, Heavy weapons can only be in the Heavy slot. In other words, we’re talking about the weapons that use “heavy” ammo, aka, purple ammo boxes:

If you’re looking for a video version of a great PVP weapons guide, this 3-part video series from Pattycakes focusing on Exotics is a must-see:

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Destiny 2 PVP Meta

Every sandbox change comes with a new meta. And while we love to criticize Bungie for not changing the meta often enough, the last few seasons have significantly altered the hierarchy of PVP weapon types in Destiny 2.

PS: If you’re looking for the complete rundown of the state of the current Meta for PVP and PVP, check out our Destiny 2 Meta guide.

We just covered the absolute best PVP weapons, but if you’re interested in other weapons, it’s important to understand how the different weapon types compare to each other.

PS: Meta refers to the most used weapons for a particular activity. Generally, these weapons are the most used because they are the most powerful/efficient.

These are the different Tier levels used for these Tier lists:

• 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 S Tier and moves down until it reaches the bottom Tier. Also, remember that the PVE meta is completely different than the PVP meta!

PVP Primary weapons meta

Weapon Type	Tier	Current State
Hand Cannons	Best ❘ S	Hand Cannons were the indisputable top tier choice for PVP, but after a nerf to their effective range last year, they no longer dominate the meta as they used to. To be clear, they are still top tier. In fact, the top PVP players still rock a hand cannon as their primary weapon of choice. They may no longer have the range they used to, but they can still do a lot of damage while peaking in and out of cover (something an auto rifle user cannot do). Lastest "meta change": Hand cannons were nerfed with Shadowkeep, receiving a reduced effective range.
Pulse Rifles	Best ❘ S	Pulse rifles have been in a stable position for a while now. They have never been the best but neither the worst. They are workhorses that consistently get the job done. Often referred to as "dad rifles", they are easy to use, have a good range, and good aim assist. But with the recent PVP buff to the High-Impact archetype, pulses such as Cold Denial, Redrix's Broadsword or even Vigilance Wing have become some of the most lethal weapons in the Crucible. Lastest "meta change": Pulse rifles were buffed with Season of Arrivals, with High-Impact pulses getting an increased damage per bullet from 21 to 22.
Auto Rifles	Strong ❘ A	Auto rifles received a significant buff with Season of the Worthy, especially 600 RPM variants. They are undeniably the most lethal and easy to use primaries right now. On top of having some of the fastest TTK in the game (0.7 seconds), they also have good range and large magazines. They do have one drawback: You have to be out of cover to do damage (unlike a hand cannon or pulse), which makes them less efficient in competitive modes or against skilled hand cannon users. Lastest "meta change": Auto rifles were buffed with Season of the Worthy, receiving increased base and precision damage.
Sidearms	Strong ❘ A	Sidearms have been slept on for far too long. But things are definitely changing, especially since their target acquisition was buffed. You now see more and more top players main sidearms alongside their favorite sniper. On paper, sidearms certainly have a limited range, but they still offer some of the best TTKs in Destiny 2. Lastest "meta change": Sidearms were buffed with Season of Dawn, receiving "increased target acquisition".
Submachine Guns	Average ❘ B	The Recluse reigned supreme as the most used PVP primary for a very long time, but after a few nerfs, it finally left room for other SMGs to shine. SMGs can get the job done. A good SMG with the right rolls (like the new IKELOS SMG with the Surrounded Perk) can get to insanely low TTKs, but unfortunately, 600 RPM auto rifles are so strong, it makes little sense to use an SMG over a well-rolled Gnawing Hunger. For this reason, SMGs are currently considered average. Lastest "meta change": SMGs haven't received any noticeable PVP changes in a long time.
Combat Bows	Average ❘ B	Combat bows are definitely a niche choice for PVP. You will rarely see a guardian using a bow in the Crucible, and that's because bows are far from being the most optimal tool to get the job done. With a headshot, they can "almost" kill an enemy, but during the time you'll need to shoot a second arrow, your enemy will be either gone or you will be already dead. Exceptions such as Le Monarque do exist of course, but in general, you'll be better served with other weapon types. Lastest "meta change": Bows haven't received any noticeable PVP changes in a long time.
Scout Rifles	Worst ❘ D	Whether we're talking about PVE or PVP, Scout rifles have been in a sad state for a long time. In PVP, they have some of the worst TTKs in the game and will lose most fights in close to medium range. They do have good range, but most guardians will use a sniper rifle when engaging in long-distance fights and a scout won't be able to compete. Lastest "meta change": Scouts haven't received any noticeable PVP changes in a long time.

PVP Special weapons meta

For the sake of clarity, weapon categories consisting of only 1 or 2 exotics have been excluded. For example, Eriana’s Vow is too unique to be representative of an entire weapon type.

If you’re particularly interested in these unique exotics, check out our Exotic Tier list including every exotic weapon currently in the game.

Weapon Type	Tier	Current State
Shotguns	Best ❘ S	Arguably the best Special weapon type for PVP, shotguns are both deadly and accessible. Unlike snipers, shotguns are easier to use and can one-hit kill any guardian with a well placed shot in close range. As Destiny 2's maps were initially created for 4 VS 4 guardians, using a shotgun in today's 6 VS 6 game modes is easier than ever. There's a lot of cover and small spaces where a good shotgun user can tear an entire enemy team. Lastest "meta change": Shotungs haven't received any noticeable PVP changes in a long time.
Sniper Rifles	Best ❘ S	Sniper rifles are also top tier choices for PVP. But unlike shotguns, they have a higher skill-ceiling. In other words, it's harder to master a sniper than it is to master a shotgun, but in the hands of a talented players, there's nothing deadlier than a sniper rifle in the entire game. Overall, snipers are in weird place right now. A recent nerf rendered the Rapid-Fire archetype less viable. This forced players to Agressive and Adaptive Frames, namely Revoker and Beloved. This has lead Bungie to warn that they're looking into how snipers behave in PVP and, I assume, push people to use something other than Revoker. Lastest "meta change": Sniper rifles were nerfed with Season of the Worthy, receiving a reduced precision multiplier for Adaptive snipers and a reduced base impact from 100 to 90 damage for Rapid-fire snipers.
Fusion Rifles	Average ❘ B	Fusion rifles were so good just a few months ago, many called them "broken", especially the Erentil FR4. But in typical Bungie fashion, all fusion rifles were nerfed. Nerfed too hard in fact. Fusion rifles are no longer what they used to be, but they remain a decent weapon type to use in the Crucible. In fact, they can be very fun and are well-suited for newer players getting familiar with Destiny 2's PVP. But as you improve your game, you may want to graduate to a shotgun instead. Lastest "meta change": Fusion rifles were nerfed with Season of the Worthy, receiving an increased damage falloff and a decreased effective range.
Grenade Launchers	Average ❘ B	When it comes to Special ammo Grenade launchers, there's Mountaintop and then there's the rest. Mountaintop is so strong, many claim it's downright broken. It also calls for a toxic type of gameplay, which is why most hate it and are glad to see it sunset next season. The other special ammo grenade launchers are still decent, namely a Truthteller with a good roll or the brand-new Witherhoard. In the hands of an experienced player they can be lethal, but they remain much less effective than the top tier choices. Lastest "meta change": While not technically a "nerf", special ammo grenade launchers will greatly suffer from the Mountaintop's retirement.
-	Weak ❘ C	-
Trace Rifles	Worst ❘ D	Trace rifles don't have much going for them in PVP. They can deal respectable total damage, which can be useful on a boss. But in PVP, you wan't the opposite. With insanely high TTKs (remember, high = bad), it can take forever to down an opponent, unless they're absolutely terrible and barely move at all, or you have excellent tracking. Generally speaking, Trace rifles take too long to do significant damage and most opponents will either hide or counter you with something that hits harder, such as a shotgun. Lastest "meta change": Trace rifles haven't received any noticeable PVP changes in a long time.

PVP Heavy weapons meta

Weapon Type	Tier	Current State
Rocket Launchers	Best ❘ S	Unlike for PVE, rocket launchers are in a great place right now for PVP. As ammo economy isn't an issue in the Crucible, their insane high-burst damage allows them to shine. Rocket launchers, and especially the exotics, can basically guarantee a kill without requiring much skill. And if used right, you can easily get multikills. Even in competitive modes, they are still preferred due to their consistency. Lastest "meta change": Rocket launchers were nerfed with Shadowkeep, having their DPS destroyed with the removal of instant reloading capabilities.
Machine Guns	Strong ❘ A	Machine guns are extremely popular in PVP. They have excellent damage, great TTKs and come with enough ammo to kill 3 or 4 enemies. Not all machine guns were created equally, of course, but with the right perks, they can be incredibly stable. Lastest "meta change": Machine guns haven't seen any significant changes in a while.
Grenade Launchers	Average ❘ B	Grenade launchers can be excellent options in PVP. They are powerful and can come with great perks. When using something like Proximity grenades, they become even more reliable and easy to use. Compared to the other Heavy weapon types, grenade launchers remain strong contenders. And when you take into account the exotics, namely The Colony, they basically give you free kills. Lastest "meta change": Grenade launchers were nerfed with Season of the Worthy, receiving a reduced damage to all Rapid-fire frames.
Swords	Weak ❘ C	Swords may be top tier in PVE because they're high risk and high rewards, 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. For this reason, you won't see many sword users in the Crucible (except those that use them for 3 peeking...). Lastest "meta change": Swords were buffed with Season of the Worthy, receiving a complete overhaul of how they function.
Linear Fusion Rifles	Weak ❘ C	Linear fusion rifles are in the middle of an identity crisis. They are stronger than sniper rifles and have a little more aim assistance, but they still require a headshot to one-shot an enemy. On top of that, they have a charged time, which makes them feel like a charge-time snipers that also require Heavy ammo. In PVP, you want a Heavy weapon that can easily down several guardians. A skilled player can probably do that with a linear fusion rifle, but other weapon types can accomplish that more easily. Lastest "meta change": Linear fusion rifles haven't seen any significant changes in a while.
-	Worst ❘ D	-

As you can see, the Meta can completely change in a heartbeat. You can rest assured, though, as this overview is up to date with the current Season of of the Hunt and will be updated as soon as a new meta arrives.

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Destiny 2 Best PVP Exotics: How to get them

These are the detailed steps on how to acquire all the top PVP exotics in Destiny 2 mentioned before:

1. Exotic Engrams: How to get Telesto, Wardcliff Coil, and Tractor Cannon

All of these weapons can be found as random exotic engrams. This is bad news if you don’t already have them as you won’t be able to actively work to get them.

In a nutshell, there are only a few ways you can get exotic engrams in Destiny 2:

• From the Season pass (the Free track offers while the Paid track offers )
• From Xur: Either as his random exotic engram or as his weekly Exotic weapon for sale
• As a random World drop

There isn’t much more that can be said about grinding Exotic engrams, only that they have a higher chance to drop from end-game activities. If finding this exotic is your priority, Nightfall: The Ordeals are for you. And the higher the difficulty (Master level and above), the higher the chance to get one.

2. Exotic kiosk: How to get Ace of Spades, Sturm, and Bastion

With the release of Beyond Light on November,20, 2020, several Exotics became available via the new Exotics kiosk in the tower, called the Monument to Lost Lights. The Monument to Lost Lights includes weapons that used to be part of Exotic quests that are no longer in the game. Nowadays, weapons such as Bastion, Thorn and Le Monarque can be instantly acquired at the Exotics kiosk, provided you have the necessary materials. We cover all the weapons and materials from the Monument to Lost Lights here.

3. Exotic Quests: How to get Hawkmoon, The Chaperone, Deadbringer, and Xenophage

The difficulty of an exotic quest can vary from long and hard (such as Xenophage’s quest) to fast and easy (The Chaperone).

In any case, you can find every single exotic quest in this guide. It also includes the difficulty of the quest itself and links to the best video guides I could find.

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Destiny 2 Best PVP loadouts

Up until now, we have split our top PVP guns into Primaries, Special and Heavy weapons. This makes sense when comparing weapons against each other.

But once you start building towards the ultimate loadout, a weapon’s slot becomes crucial. That’s because you can only carry one Kinetic, one Energy, and one Heavy weapon at a time. For example, if you’re committed to using an Igneous Hammer as your primary weapon, then your Special weapon will have to be Kinetic.

In this section, we’ll share some of the most popular PVP loadouts right now. This is how our Top PVP weapons look like, filtered by slot and not by ammo type:

Destiny 2 Best PVP Kinetic weapons:

Weapon	Type	Ammo Type
Ace of Spades	Hand Cannon	Primary
Sturm	Hand Cannon	Primary
True Prophecy	Hand Cannon	Primary
No Time to Explain	Pulse Rifle	Primary
Hawkmoon	Hand Cannon	Primary
MIDA Multi-Tool	Scout Rifle	Primary
The Chaperone	Shotgun	Primary
Heritage	Shotgun	Special
Bastion	Fusion Rifle	Special
Astral Horizon	Shotgun	Special
Eye of Sol	Sniper Rifle	Special

Destiny 2 Best PVP Energy weapons:

Weapon	Type	Ammo Type
Gnawing Hunger	Auto Rifle	Primary
Posterity	Hand Cannon	Primary
Stars in Shadow	Pulse Rifle	Primary
IKELOS_SMG_v1.0.2	SMG	Primary
Adored	Sniper Rifle	Special
Felwinter’s Lie	Shotgun	Special
Cloudstrike	Trace Rifle	Special
Seventh Seraph CQC-12	Shotgun	Special
Telesto	Fusion Rifle	Special

If we mix and match the top kinetic and energy weapons, these are some of the most “Meta” and popular PVP loadouts currently in the Crucible:

Loadout 1*:

Kinetic	Energy	Heavy
Bastion (or Astral Horizon)	Igneous Hammer (or Bottom Dollar)	Wardcliff Coil

*My current go-to loadout!

Loadout 2:

Kinetic	Energy	Heavy
The Messenger (or No Time to Explain)	Felwinter’s Lie	Wardcliff Coil

Loadout 3:

Kinetic	Energy	Heavy
Dead Man’s Tale	Felwinter’s Lie	Wardcliff Coil

Loadout 4:

Kinetic	Energy	Heavy
The Steady Hand	Adored (or Cloudstrike)	Commemoration

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The Last Word

We did our best to include both Legendary weapons and Exotics, as well as the top tier, most difficult to obtain weapons, and easier to get, yet still great alternatives.

Did we miss your current favorite PVP weapon? Do you have a particularly good PVP loadout you would like to share? Let us know in the comments section below!

For the record, this list is based on my experience playing the PC version of the game.