Best Shotguns in Destiny 2: Tier List for PvP & PvE

Several nerfs & buffs to specific archetypes and traits have completely changed the shotgun meta. But now that the dust has settled, Shotguns remain extremely lethal and continue to sit among the best Special weapons.

This guide covers all Shotguns in Destiny 2 and their best rolls for PvE and PvP.

Updated as of Episode 1: Echoes. See Updates.

Top Tier Shotguns (Episode 1)

This Tier list features the best Exotic and Legendary Shotguns right now:

Destiny 2 Shotguns: Complete List

This database includes every viable Shotgun currently in the game:

Tier Ranks used for our list:

• S+ Tier – Meta: Weapons so good they singlehandedly shifted the current meta
• S Tier – Best: Highest ranking weapons.
• A Tier – Strong: Very strong weapons, but not on the same level as S Tier Choices.
• B Tier – Average: Either decent weapons or weapons that fit a very specific niche/use case.
• C Tier – Weak: Mediocre weapons that are easily outclassed by the competition.
• D Tier – Worst: Weapons that don’t have much to offer and don’t deserve your attention.

Best D2 Shotguns Today

Ready to dig deeper into the absolute best Shotguns in Destiny 2 right now? These are the cream of the crop, our favorites (for PvE and PvP):

 

6. Arcane Embrace

Excels in PvE

While Arcane Embrace automatically earns points solely for being so novel, it also offers a fair bit of raw power.

Arcane Embrace’s primary competitors are slug shotguns, most of which are solid options in their individual slots (Heritage is likely the best example of this). Luckily, in PvE, Arcane Embrace keeps up. With top-tier damage perks like Surrounded, this shotgun can pump out some substantial damage in the right scenario.

As for The Crucible, most of Arcane Embrace’s strength comes from perks that are new with Episode: Revenant. While the weapon isn’t on track to replace anyone’s current favorite, it can put in some solid with the right roll. These are the top Arcane Embrace God Rolls:

• PvE God roll: Fourth Time’s the Charm + Surrounded (also good: Precision Instrument)

How to get it: Arcane Embrace can be acquired during the Festival of the Lost Halloween-event.

Name: Arcane Embrace

Type: Shotgun Archetype: Heavy Burst

Ammo: Special Element: Arc

Craftable: No Released: Episode 2

Source: Event: Festival of the Lost Requires: Free-to-Play

 

5. Compass Rose

Excels in PvP

Compass Rose is Matador’s primary contender, and honestly, the debate between the two Shotguns could go either way. However, we believe Compass Rose marginally edges out Matador 64 due to the presence of Slickdraw in the first column and a potentially Enhanced Opening Shot in the second Column.

You can max out the range by taking traditional Range-boosting perks like Accurised Rounds, any range-boosting barrel, a Range Masterwork, and Opening Shot, which gives it an absurd range of 6.71 meters, which is nothing to scoff at whatsoever. On top of this, you can pair Compass Rose with popular weapons like Rose, Hawkmoon, or Ace of Spades in the Kinetic Slot as Compass Rose sits in the energy slot. These are the top Compass Rose God Rolls:

• PvP God roll: Slickdraw (also good: Threat Detector) + Opening Shot (also good: Snapshot Sights)

How to get it: Compass Rose is a Solstice Weapon that can be acquired during Destiny 2’s Summer event, Solstice.

Name: Compass Rose

Type: Shotgun Archetype: Precision

Ammo: Special Element: Solar

Craftable: No Released: Season 14

Source: Event: Solstice Requires: Free-to-Play

 

4. Someday

Excels in PVE and PVP

Someday is a jack of all trades. It is arguably the best PvP Shotgun in the entire game due to it being a Precision Frame Shotgun in the Kinetic slot, which allows you to use some powerful secondaries like Igneous Hammer, but it also comes with perks like Opening Shot, Threat Detector, and Elemental Capacitor which are very popular options.

On top of this, it can hold its weight in PvE, too. Lead From Gold is always great for ammo economy, and the options of Recombination or Cascade Point in the second column make Someday a very solid Shotgun in PvE, making it a strong weapon almost everywhere in the game. These are the top Someday God Rolls:

• PvE God roll: Lead From Gold + Recombination or Cascade Point

How to get it: Someday is a Pale Heart Weapon that can be acquired within the Pale Heart destination.

Name: Someday

Type: Shotgun Archetype: Precision

Ammo: Special Element: Kinetic

Craftable: Yes Released: The Final Shape

Source: The Pale Heart Requires: The Final Shape

 

3. Perfect Paradox

Excels in PvE

Perfect Paradox is only a couple perks away from being the perfect Shotgun. With a brilliant Origin Trait, plus staple perks like One-Two Punch, Trench Barrel, Pugilist, Threat Detector, and Field Prep, it’s easy to see why Perfect Paradox is one of the best Shotguns in the game.

The primary use for Shotguns these days is to enable One-Two Punch builds while also being a solid burst-backup option. Perfect Paradox fills both these roles brilliantly, with the only thing missing being Lead From Gold in the first perk column. All of this makes Perfect Paradox the ideal Shotgun for any melee-focused player. These are the top Perfect Paradox God Rolls:

• PvE God roll: Field Prep (also good: Pugilist) + One Two Punch

How to get it: Perfect Paradox is an Echoes Weapon that can be acquired from Echoes activities, Engrams, and/or rank-ups.

Name: Perfect Paradox

Type: Shotgun Archetype: Rapid-Fire

Ammo: Special Element: Kinetic

Craftable: No Released: The Final Shape

Source: Dawn Engrams Requires: Episode 1: Echoes

 

2. Conditional Finality

Excels in PVE and PVP

Conditional Finality is easily the best Shotgun in the game right now. It is versatile but also powerful in each of its use cases. It is a consistent Shotgun in The Crucible, putting enemies down at respectable ranges. It also has the ability to completely shut down any Super in the game by simply hitting all Shotgun pellets, freezing them, and allowing you to get a free kill on them. This is especially useful in Trials of Osiris against a Ward of Dawn.

In PvE, Conditional Finality has anti-champion uses as it counters Unstoppable Champions thanks to the freezing or ignition caused by the Shotgun. On top of this, it is a very well-rounded option, dealing solid damage to beefy enemies, making it a brilliant weapon to take into any content. It is also incredibly unique and can deal serious damage due to the shattering and igniting effects applied.

Exotic Perk: “Dual barrels split into Stasis and Solar damage. Landing nearly all Stasis pellets will freeze targets; landing nearly all Solar pellets will ignite targets.”

How to get it: We cover How to get Conditional Finality here.

Name: Conditional Finality

Type: Shotgun Archetype: Exotic

Ammo: Special Element: Stasis

Craftable: No Released: Season 20

Source: Root of Nightmares Raid Requires: Lightfall

 

1. Tractor Cannon

Excels in PvE

While unconventional, Tractor Cannon is one of the most important weapons in a Raid team. It provides a 30% debuff to any target, meaning other players, such as Hunters, can use high-damage supers instead of Shadowshot. This enables your team to deal much better damage overall, especially if you incorporate Special weapons into your DPS loadout when using the Tractor Cannon.

Essentially, when using Tractor Cannon, you should look to also deal damage with other Special weapons as you don’t need to constantly apply Tractor Cannon as the debuff lasts 10 seconds, meaning you don’t have to spam shots. This makes Tractor Cannon the ideal support weapon, and is a major boon to any fireteam.

Exotic Perk: “This weapon emits a powerful impulse that pushes enemies away, suppresses their abilities, and makes them more vulnerable to all incoming damage.”

How to get it: Tractor Cannon can be acquired from Exotic engrams or occasionally from Xûr.

Name: Tractor Cannon

Type: Shotgun Archetype: Exotic

Ammo: Heavy Element: Void

Craftable: No Released: Season 1

Source: Exotic Engram Requires: Free-to-Play

Shotguns and the PvP Meta: TTK

We covered which Shotguns are considered top-tier (and should be farmed) and which ones can be safely ignored. But how do they compare to other Special weapons in PvP?

Remember that when it comes to PvP, TTK is perhaps the most important factor. As you know, the lower the TTK, the faster you can kill your opponent. We have a TTK guide/chart that includes TTK figures, but that mostly applies to Primary weapons, not Specials.

For PvP, you want a Special weapon that can consistently get you a one-hit kill. Shotguns are quite consistent and can be easy to use, provided you can get close enough to your opponent. In the grand scheme of things, Shotguns are among the top Special weapons to bring to the Crucible.

Shotguns and the PvE Meta: DPS

How do Shotguns compare to other Special weapons in PvE?

Weapon Type	Rank	Tier	Trend	Role ❘ Current State	Category
Fusion Rifles	S › Best	Best ❘ S		►Fusion Rifles are brilliant right now. Outside of Sniper Rifles, Fusion Rifles are the traditional 'backup damage' weapons due to options like Scatter Signal or Cartesian Coordinate. On top of this, you can use Fusions like Riptide for some utility instead, or even Merciless as a unique burst DPS option. ► Best Archetype: Rapid-Fire (500ms Charge Time) - Example: Scatter Signal	PVE Specials
Sniper Rifles	S › Best	Best ❘ S		► Sniper Rifles have continued to grow into a strong Special Weapon subtype. With options like The Supremacy, Ikelos Sniper Rifle, and Still Hunt, it's very common for Sniper Rifles to be included in DPS rotations. ► Best Archetype: Rapid-Fire (140 RPM) - Example: Supremacy	PVE Specials
Shotguns	A › Strong	Strong ❘ A		► Shotguns are pretty decent right now. Slug Shotguns aren't as strong as they once were, and Shotguns have mostly been demoted to being a funnel for One-Two Punch Melee builds. However, they are definitely still capable, and can be used in a general loadout. ► Best Archetype: Lightweight (90 RPM) - Example: Wastelander M5	PVE Specials
Grenade Launchers	A › Strong	Strong ❘ A		► Grenade Launchers are brilliant right now. They are versatile and are arguably the best pick in almost all areas. GLs have excellent ad control through Blinding Grenades or Wave Frame GLs like Forbearance, and they also have good boss damage in certain hot-swap builds due to Spike Grenades. Simply put, having a strong arsenal of Grenade Launchers is something you should definitely try to do as a player looking to get into high-level content. ► Best Archetype: Wave-Frame - Example: Forbearance	PVE Specials
Trace Rifles	B › Average	Average ❘ B	-	► With the nerfs to the double-special ammo economy, Trace Rifles have been knocked down a notch. Using a Primary weapon is just more efficient these days. However, they remain solid utility weapons and a go-to if players still want to run double-special lodouts. They also have a couple of solid Exotic options too, making them a decent pick right now.	PVE Specials
Glaives	B › Average	Average ❘ B	-	► Glaives require a bit of getting used to, but when you do, they can grant you crazy levels of damage resistance. However, they are quite a risky pick, especially if you haven't learned how to master them first. Glaives are also one-dimensional. There is basically no reason to use their melee attack, which is unfortunate as that is probably the most fun part of the Glaives. ► Best Archetype: Adaptive (55 RPM) - Example: The Enigma	PVE Specials
Linear Fusion Rifles	C › Weak	Weak ❘ C	-	► Linear Fusion Rifles are difficult to rank as there are only two of them. While Arbalest is definitely a powerful weapon, it is by no means a must-pick anymore. And Lorentz Driver isn't exactly a serious contender for PvE. Overall, this archetype is quite weak, especially now that Arbalest isn't the top-pick it used to be.	PVE Specials

Keep in mind that when it comes to PvE, DPS is one of the most important factors. As you know, the higher the DPS, the more damage you can deal to a Boss or Major. This D2 DPS chart includes the DPS numbers for every weapon in Destiny 2.

When it comes to actual DPS, Shotguns are in a good place, but they require you to get up close and personal to enemies:

Before you go…

Are you looking for a top-tier Primary and Heavy weapon to round out your loadout? We cover the Best Destiny 2 SMGs and Best Destiny 2 Rocket Launchers, too.

You now know everything there is to know about shotties in Destiny 2, whether that is for PvP or PvE content.