Destiny 2 DPS chart: The Highest DPS weapons

Short for Damage per Second, DPS dictates how much damage you can deal to Bosses or Majors. Combining burst damage, rate of fire, and reload speeds, DPS is the best indicator of a weapon’s lethality in PVE.

For the sake of clarity, DPS in Destiny 2 is calculated per archetype and not per weapon (excluding some Exotics). For example, all adaptive Sniper Rifles deal the same damage per bullet at the same rate of fire and therefore do the same DPS.

In this post, we will keep things simple and focus on the base DPS values of every weapon archetype in the game, therefore excluding Damage perks. The table below will also include examples of the best weapons per archetype.

The tables below use the excellent data from the Damage Chart Madness spreadsheet. A big thank you to Reddit user IAMADragonAMAA for a great job done.

Destiny 2 DPS values: The Witch Queen edition

List updated as of The Witch Queen’s release (S16).  

Damage numbers: In this section, DPS refers to the average damage per second a weapon can inflict. You can read more about the methodology used here.

Just as the Destiny 2 Meta and TTK values, DPS values can also dramatically change from season to season. The tables below are up to date with Season of the Risen:

Heavy Weapons

-	Weapon Type	Archetype	Average DPS	Burst DPS	Total Damage	Specs	--	Best in Class	Change?	Ammo
	Rocket Launcher	Deathbringer	31,129	-	429,583	-	-	-	Same	Heavy
	Shotgun	Legend of Acrius	25,232	25,232	247,730	-	-	-	Buffed	Heavy
	Rocket Launcher	Gjallarhorn	23,312	-	200,484	-	-	-	New	Heavy
	Grenade Launcher	Parasite	22,720	-	293,776	At x20 Averaged	-	-	Same	Heavy
	Linear Fusion Rifle	Sleeper Simulant	21,799	25,351	396,792	With Catalyst			Buffed	Heavy
	Grenade Launcher	The Prospector	20,529	25,567	148,752	-	-	-	Same	Heavy
	Sword	Aggressive	20,429	-	413,487	With Jagged Edge		Crown-Splitter	Same	Heavy
	Sword	Black Talon	19,968	-	312,599	-	-	-	Same	Heavy
	Sniper Rifle	Whisper of the Worm	19,892	19,892	397,848	With Catalyst	-	-	Buffed	Heavy
	Sword	The Lament	19,071	-	587,097	-	-	-	Same	Heavy
	Sniper Rifle	D.A.R.C.I.	18,383	22,836	205,527	With "Personal Assistant"	-	-	Buffed	Heavy
	Grenade Launcher	Adaptive	18,327	21,855	131,130	With Spike Grenades		Crowd Pleaser	Same	Heavy
	Sword	Vortex	18,094	-	279,650	With Jagged Edge		Falling Guillotine	Same	Heavy
	Sword	Adaptive	17,532	-	319,822	With Jagged Edge		Honor's Edge	Same	Heavy
	Sword	Lightweight	17,466	-	435,241	With Jagged Edge		Quickfang	Same	Heavy
	Rocket Launcher	Truth	17,322	-	132,222	-	-	-	Same	Heavy
	Fusion Rifle	One Thousand Voices	16,556	17,991	273,456	-	-	-	Same	Heavy
	Rocket Launcher	Two Tailed Fox	16,500	-	306,072	-	-	-	Same	Heavy
	Shotgun	Tractor Cannon	15,862	16,451	172,732	After debuff	-	-	Same	Heavy
	Grenade Launcher	Rapid-Fire	15,273	22,236	133,418	With Spike Grenades		Outrageous Fortune	Same	Heavy
	Linear Fusion Rifle	The Queenbreaker	15,182	17,844	389,320	With Marksman Sights	-	-	Buffed	Heavy
	Sword	Caster	15,078	-	298,546	With Jagged Edge		Sola's Scar	Same	Heavy
	Linear Fusion Rifle	Precision	14,979	17,844	356,880	-		Threaded Needle	Buffed	Heavy
	Rocket Launcher	Aggressive	14,695	-	202,790	With Impact Casing		Hezen Vengeance	Same	Heavy
	Grenade Launcher	Precision	14,655	18,061	195,057	With Spike Grenades	-	-	Same	Heavy
	Rocket Launcher	Adaptive	14,528	-	200,480	-		Hoosegow	Same	Heavy
	Rocket Launcher	The Wardcliff Coil	14,440	-	226,704	-	-	-	Same	Heavy
	Rocket Launcher	High-Impact	14,368	-	198,282	-		Code Duello	Same	Heavy
	Rocket Launcher	Precision	14,208	-	196,077	-		Royal Entry	Same	Heavy
	Grenade Launcher	The Colony	14,050	17,089	102,536	-	-	-	Same	Heavy
	Machine Gun	Xenophage	12,613	14,243	246,870	-	-	-	Same	Heavy
	Machine Gun	Heir Apparent	12,171	13,740	366,400	-	-	-	Same	Heavy
	Rocket Launcher	Eyes of Tomorrow	11,850	-	261,888	-	-	-	Same	Heavy
	Machine Gun	Grand Overture	9,575	10,997	395,880	-	-	-	Same	Heavy
	Machine Gun	Thunderlord	9,307	12,823	242,544	-	-	-	Same	Heavy
	Machine Gun	Rapid-Fire	7,352	9,855	201,042	-		Thermal Erosion	Same	Heavy
	Machine Gun	Adaptive	6,466	8,595	265,872	-		Commemoration	Same	Heavy
	Machine Gun	High-Impact	5,940	7,938	317,520	-		THE SWARM	Same	Heavy
	Grenade Launcher	Anarchy	-->	5,777	346,608	-	-	-	Same	Heavy
	Combat Bow	Leviathan's Breath	-->	14,151	363,878	With Catalyst	-	-	Buffed	Heavy

Special Weapons

-	Weapon Type	Archetype	Average DPS	Burst DPS	Total Damage	Specs	--	Best in Class	Change?	Ammo
	Shotgun	Fourth Horseman	27,204	74,736	186,840	With Catalyst	-	-	Buffed	Special
	Shotgun	The Chaperone	22,382	29,320	175,920	With "Roadborne" active	-	-	Nerfed	Special
	Shotgun	Lord of Wolves	17,515	23,050	221,280	With "Release the Wolves"	-	-	Same	Special
	Trace Rifle	Ager's Scepter	16,300	16,920	437,664	With Catalyst Proc'd	-	-	Same	Special
	Shotgun	Duality	15,955	15,025	249,642	When aiming down sights	-	-	Buffed	Special
	Sniper Rifle	Cloudstrike	15,926	19,784	178,059	-	-	-	Same	Special
	Sniper Rifle	Izanagi's Burden	15,056	-	181,880	With Catalyst	-	-	Same	Special
	Fusion Rifle	Merciless	14,699	16,216	206,880	-	-	-	Same	Special
	Fusion Rifle	Bastion	12,171	13,918	255,528	-	-	-	Same	Special
	Shotgun	Precision Slug	11,894	12,983	143,808	-		Heritage	Nerfed	Special
	Shotgun	Lightweight	11,715	13,485	121,368	-		Seventh Seraph CQC-12	Buffed	Special
	Hand Cannon	Eriana's Vow	11,603	12,456	224,208	With "First Glance"	-	-	Same	Special
	Fusion Rifle	Rapid-Fire	11,548	12,712	166,068	-		Null Composure	Same	Special
	Linear Fusion Rifle	Arbalest	11,325	13,412	287,500	-	-	-	Same	Special
	Linear Fusion Rifle	Lorentz Driver	11,325	13,412	287,500	-	-	-	Same	Special
	Shotgun	Rapid-Fire	10,927	16,107	144,963	-		IKELOS_SG_v1.0.2	Buffed	Special
	Sidearm	Forerunner	10,416	12,890	278,424	-	-	-	Same	Special
	Sniper Rifle	Rapid-Fire	10,040	13,445	86,430	-		IKELOS_SR_v1.0.2	Same	Special
	Fusion Rifle	Jötunn	9,771	11,033	225,075	-	-	-	Same	Special
	Shotgun	Aggressive	9,736	10,685	174,840	-		Found Verdict	Buffed	Special
	Fusion Rifle	Aggressive	9,677	10,774	250,236	-		Coriolis Force	Same	Special
	Fusion Rifle	Telesto	9,675	10,532	312,963	With Catalyst	-	-	Same	Special
	Trace Rifle	Coldheart	9,500	10,667	359,132	At Max charge	-	-	Same	Special
	Shotgun	Precision	9,230	10,869	180,594	-		Retold Tale	Buffed	Special
	Trace Rifle	Wavesplitter	8,961	9,998	266,614	With Orb pick up	-	-	Same	Special
	Fusion Rifle	Adaptive	8,955	9,714	150,948	-		Trinary System	Same	Special
	Sniper Rifle	Adaptive	8,725	11,398	121,576	-		Uzume RR4	Same	Special
	Sniper Rifle	Aggressive	8,611	11,191	139,883	-		Succession	Same	Special
	Fusion Rifle	Precision	8,252	9,306	191,940	-		PLUG ONE.1	Same	Special
	Fusion Rifle	High-Impact	8,131	9,042	212,475	-		Glacioclasm	Same	Special
	Trace Rifle	Divinity	7,182	7,455	192,836	With debuff	-	-	Same	Special
	Grenade Launcher	Lightweight	6,779	15,617	197,809	With Spike Grenades		Salvager's Salvo	Buffed	Special
	Trace Rifle	Prometheus Lens	6,320	7,140	285,600	-	-	-	Same	Special
	Grenade Launcher	Lightweight	6,241	14,376	182,096	-		Ignition Code	Buffed	Special
	Grenade Launcher	Witherhoard	3,601	-	740,985	-	-	-	Same	Special

Primary Weapons

-	Weapon Type	Archetype	Average DPS	Burst DPS	Total Damage	Specs	--	Best in Class	Change?	Ammo
	SMG	Tarrabah	12,250	15,615	468,450	With "Ravenous Beast"	-	-	Same	Primary
	Sidearm	Rat King	9,902	12,863	216,095	With "Rat Pack x5"	-	-	Same	Primary
	Hand Cannon	Hawkmoon	8,979	10,980	564,704	Landing all crits	-	-	Same	Primary
	Hand Cannon	Malfeasance	7,766	9,230	323,033	-	-	-	Same	Primary
	Auto Rifle	Cerberus+1	7,097	8,481	744,915	With "perfect" RNG	-	-	Same	Primary
	Pulse Rifle	Outbreak Perfected	6,145	7,340	422,810	With averaged 'nanites"	-	-	Same	Primary
	SMG	Osteo Striga	6,114	8,450	331,240	-	-	-	Same	Primary
	Auto Rifle	Vex Mythoclast	6,086	7,144	507,738	-	-	-	Same	Primary
	Auto Rifle	Sweet Business	5,430	6,280	413,550	At Max rate of fire	-	-	Same	Primary
	Sidearm	Aggressive Burst	5,331	6,193	320,151	High aim assist, low stability & handling		Brass Attacks	Same	Primary
	Sidearm	Lightweight	5,284	6,645	149,510	High handling, very low range		Anonymous Autumn	Same	Primary
	Grenade Launcher	Fighting Lion	5,256	9,713	161,883	With Catalyst	-	-	Same	Primary
	Sidearm	Adaptive	5,137	6,431	192,937	High aim assist, decent elsewhere		Drang	Same	Primary
copy	Sidearm	Adaptive (3-burst)	5,137	6,431	192,937	High aim assist, decent elsewhere		Drang	Same	Primary
	Sidearm	Omolon Adaptive	5,020	6,355	356,452	High stability, decent elsewhere		The Last Dance	Same	Primary
	Sidearm	SUROS Rapid-Fire	4,881	6,380	140,353	Good recoil, very low range & aim assist		The Fool's Remedy	Same	Primary
	SMG	The Huckleberry	4,813	8,198	245,925	With "Ride the Bull x2"	-	-	Same	Primary
	Sidearm	Precision	4,742	6,193	205,794	Excellent aim assist, low stability & handling		Lonesome	Same	Primary
	Sidearm	Devil's Ruin	4,683	6,125	202,125	-	-	-	Same	Primary
	SMG	Lightweight	4,663	6,833	180,378	High aim assist and handling, low range		Multimach CCX	Same	Primary
	SMG	Aggressive	4,591	6,558	206,031	High range, low aim assist		IKELOS_SMG_v1.0.2	Same	Primary
	Scout Rifle	Dead Man's Tale	4,476	6,769	568,588	With Catalyst	-	-	Same	Primary
	Auto Rifle	SUROS Regime	4,391	5,513	259,200	At Max rate of fire	-	-	Same	Primary
	SMG	Adaptive	4,300	6,075	187,110	High stability & range, poor recoil		Riskrunner	Same	Primary
	Hand Cannon	Thorn	4,087	5,347	268,106	-	-	-	Same	Primary
	Hand Cannon	The Last Word	3,965	5,438	162,400	With Fan Fire x4	-	-	Same	Primary
	Auto Rifle	Rapid-Fire	3,906	4,542	280,847	High aim assist, low range		Reckless Oracle	Same	Primary
	SMG	Precision	3,875	5,645	220,155	Excellent range & aim assist, low handling		Seventh Seraph VY-7	Same	Primary
	Scout Rifle	Polaris Lance	3,785	4,470	353,984	With "Perfect Fifth"	-	-	Same	Primary
	Pulse Rifle	No Time to Explain	3,687	4,381	371,126	With Catalyst	-	-	Same	Primary
	Pulse Rifle	Vigilance Wing	3,602	4,222	215,100	-	-	-	Same	Primary
	Auto Rifle	Adaptive	3,555	4,300	295,840	High handling		Gnawing Hunger	Same	Primary
	Auto Rifle	Precision	3,369	4,073	225,888	High range, low aim assist		Shadow Price	Same	Primary
	Auto Rifle	High-Impact	3,361	3,993	298,144	Excellent range, low stability		False Promises	Same	Primary
	Scout Rifle	Rapid-Fire	3,352	4,104	170,460	High stability, very low range		Trustee	Same	Primary
	Scout Rifle	Lightweight	3,318	3,807	219,264	Excellent aim assist & handling, low range		Night Watch	Same	Primary
	Hand Cannon	Crimson	3,250	4,398	358,800	-	-	-	Same	Primary
	Scout Rifle	Skyburner's Oath	3,206	3,598	259,020	When aiming down sights	-	-	Same	Primary
	Scout Rifle	High-Impact	3,046	3,578	340,578	Excellent range, low aim assist		The Guiding Sight	Same	Primary
	Scout Rifle	Precision	3,015	3,489	204,688	High stability, decent elsewhere		Royal Chase	Same	Primary
	Hand Cannon	Aggressive	2,965	3,843	224,816	High range, low stability and handling		Igneous Hammer	Same	Primary
	Hand Cannon	Precision	2,865	3,639	131,004	High stability, poor handling		Posterity	Same	Primary
	Pulse Rifle	Adaptive	2,825	3,246	194,778	High handling, decent range		The Third Axiom	Same	Primary
	Pulse Rifle	Rapid-Fire	2,771	3,285	137,970	High aim assist, low range		The Time-Worn Spire	Same	Primary
	Pulse Rifle	Aggressive Burst	2,744	3,232	241,312	Excellent range, low aim assist		Sacred Provenance	Same	Primary
	Hand Cannon	Adaptive	2,724	3,464	163,295	Good stability, decent range		Ace of Spades	Same	Primary
	Pulse Rifle	High-Impact	2,720	3,281	250,128	High range & recoil, low aim assist		The Messenger	Same	Primary
	Pulse Rifle	Graviton Lance	2,707	2,984	271,733	-	-	-	Same	Primary
	Pulse Rifle	Lightweight	2,573	3,046	160,805	Excellent handling, low range		Chattering Bone	Same	Primary
	Combat Bow	Lightweight	-->	3,265	229,704	640 ms Draw time		Arsenic Bite-4b	Same	Primary
	Combat Bow	Precision	-->	3,215	252,221	680 ms Draw time		Biting Winds	Same	Primary
	Combat Bow	Le Monarque	-->	3,969	357,225	-	-	-	Same	Primary
	Combat Bow	Wish Ender	-->	4,137	391,952	vs. non-Taken	-	-	Same	Primary

These are important things to understand when reading these tables:

1. Damage perks will significantly change maximum DPS values
2. Times-to-kills are listed with optimal damage (maximum damage at close range) and damage falloff will dramatically affect the listed numbers (SMGs and sidearms in particular).

Destiny 2 Power Weapons: What is the Meta?

Keep in mind that the top Power weapons are not only defined by their raw DPS or Total Damage. Many other things come into play. Some of them are almost as important as raw damage.

For example, just as damage numbers and ease of use are extremely important, a weapon’s role is critical too. This is especially true for Heavy weapons:

Based on that, when choosing a Power weapon, always keep in mind the type of damage you need.

Methodology

About the DPS numbers: As mentioned before, the DPS figures used for this Tier list come from the excellent Damage Chart Madness database.

As explained in that document:

Average DPS represents a weapons performance when emptying all of its reserves, with only full magazines. This factors in that the first magazine is already loaded, and you keep firing until the last mag is empty. Effectively, a combination of Burst DPS and Sustain DPS. The most accurate representation of a gun’s performance in most circumstances.

Bear in mind this number is done with luna/rally/fieldprep reload buffs

That document also includes Sustained DPS in case you want to get into the nitty-gritty.

The Last Word

Seasoned PVE players have a good understanding of the current PVE meta, and by extension, DPS values. However, if all of this is new to you, the chart above will help you better decide what weapons to bring to your next PVE challenge.

And by the way, even if you’re a veteran, it’s always good to have these figures at hand!

Latest changes

Things change fast in Destiny 2, especially the Meta. The weapons we call the best one day can completely change the next. All it takes are a few minor changes on Bungie’s end. For that reason, this ranking will be updated at least once per season.

Changes introduced this season:

The following items were added to the ranking:

• Parasite exotic
• Grand Ouverture archetype

The following weapons types received noticeable changes:

• Rocket Launchers
• Several Exotics