Best Destiny 2 Weapons

When I returned to Destiny 2 after an 18-month break, I was completely lost. Not only is Destiny 2 notoriously bad at explaining things or giving a vague sense of priority, it’s also a game that naturally evolves with time. Especially because of its ever-changing weapons, meta, and sandbox.

It was frustrating to search online, find outdated guides and end up grinding for weapons that were no longer good (I’m looking at you Breakneck).

In this guide, you’ll find everything important there is to know about weapons in Destiny 2 today.

What are the best weapons in Destiny 2? How to find them? What about the best Exotics? 

Weapon retirement: Starting this Fall, some weapons in Destiny 2 will be retired. This means they will have a limited maximum power level and won’t be viable for end-game content. Read everything there is to know about weapon retirement (also refered to weapon sunsetting) here.

From this point forward, I’ll be making a clear distinction between PVE and PVP content. What is best for one is often not the best for the other. This is why every weapon ranking or guide needs to make a clear distinction between the two.

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The best Destiny 2 Exotic Weapons

Exotics are a key part of a Guardian’s loadout. As you’re allowed to only equip one Exotic weapon at a time, which one to bring with you can be a difficult choice and can sometimes lead to intense debates with your Fireteam. If you want to dive deep into Exotic weapons in Destiny 2, which ones are the best, which ones are easier to get, etc, this guide is for you:

That guides also covers what you’ll need to do to get every Exotic and how hard they are to obtain. If you’re starting from scratch, knowing which of the Top-tier Exotics are the easiest to get can make a big difference. With that knowledge, you can target the exotics to chase first and build strong loadouts sooner.

The summary, if you’re in a hurry:

TL;DR: The top tier Exotics for PVE and PVP are:

Our Exotic Tier list ranks every single exotic in the game, but if you’re interested in only the Best exotics, these are the ones I consider S-tier (those that excel in PVP highlighted in red, those that excel in PVE highlighted in blue):

For the complete ranking of Exotics weapons in Destiny 2, visit our Tier list here.

About Pinnacle and Ritual weapons

Not quite as unique as Exotics, Pinnacle weapons (and Rituals to a lesser extent), are also powerful weapons with unique perks. 

We cover and rank them all here:

That guides also covers what you’ll need to do to get every Pinnacle and Ritual weapon in Destiny 2 and how hard they are to obtain. The difficulty to obtain them is more important than ever because most of them will be sunset this Fall…

The summary, if you’re in a hurry:

TL;DR: The top Pinnacle weapons for PVE and PVP are:

Our Pinnacles Tier list ranks every single exotic in the game, but if you’re interested in only the best, these are the ones I consider S-tier (those that excel in PVP highlighted in red, those that excel in PVE highlighted in blue):

For the complete ranking of every Pinnacle weapon in Destiny 2, visit our Tier list here.

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The Best Destiny 2 PVE Weapons

These are the most popular weapons used for end-game PVE content, such as Master and Grandmaster Nightfall: The Ordeals, Master Nightmare Hunts, Raids, and the Pit of Heresy Dungeon.

Now, popular doesn’t always mean good, but in Destiny 2’s case, when weapons become “Meta” (e.g. the ones everyone is using), it’s because they are the most efficient at getting the job done. And in this case, I can 100% recommend any of these weapons:

If you’re building towards a strong PVE loadout, these are a good place to start.

PS: I’m still working on my in-depth “Best PVE weapons” guide and plan to release it shortly. Stay tuned!

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The Best Destiny 2 PVP Weapons

These are the most popular weapons used for PVP content, such as Trials of Osiris or the Competitive playlist. The most used weapons for more casual PVP are slightly different, but I prefer to focus on the weapons everyone uses when they are serious about winning:

If you’re building towards a strong PVP loadout, these are a good place to start.

PS: I’m still working on my in-depth “Best PVP weapons” guide and plan to release it shortly. Stay tuned!

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The best weapons per type

If you’re interested in a particular weapon type, this section is for you:

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The best places to find great weapons

Some of the best weapons are extremely hard to acquire. And that’s a good thing as Destiny 2 is a looter-shooter and having to work hard for the best weapons is part of the fun.

In the meantime, there are a few excellent sources where you can find Top-tier weapons. The following guides rank every single weapon from those activities, provide the best rolls, and give you tips and methods to efficiently farm them:

The Menagerie is another great source of good weapons.

Unfortunately, the Menagerie will be removed from the game and put into the DCV (Destiny Content Vault) this Fall. Plus, every weapon from the Menagerie will be sunset this Fall too, making the activity itself worthless from a loot perspective.

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Your turn

These resources should help you figure out what the best weapons in Destiny 2 are. These are the weapons that are worth chasing, either because they’re simply the best in class or because they’re very good while being easy to farm at the same time.