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.

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

Destiny 2 DPS values: Season of the Haunted edition

List updated as of Season of the Haunted’s release (S17). 

In this section, DPS refers to the average damage per second a weapon can inflict. You can read more about the methodology used here. 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.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 Haunted (S17):

Heavy Weapons

-	Weapon Type	Archetype	Average DPS	Burst DPS	Total Damage	Specs	---	Best in Class	Change?	Ammo
	Rocket Launcher	Exotic	31,129	-	429,583	-		Deathbringer	Same	Heavy
	Shotgun	Exotic	25,232	25,232	247,730	-		Legend of Acrius	Buffed	Heavy
	Rocket Launcher	Exotic	23,312	-	200,484	-		Gjallarhorn	New	Heavy
	Grenade Launcher	Exotic	22,720	-	293,776	At x20 Averaged		Parasite	Same	Heavy
	Linear Fusion Rifle	Exotic	21,799	25,351	396,792	With Catalyst		Sleeper Simulant	Buffed	Heavy
	Linear Fusion Rifle	Aggressive	21,722	25,415	381,218	-		Stormchaser	New	Heavy
	Grenade Launcher	Exotic	20,529	25,567	148,752	-		The Prospector	Same	Heavy
	Sword	Aggressive	20,429	-	413,487	With Jagged Edge		Crown-Splitter	Same	Heavy
	Sword	Exotic	19,968	-	312,599	-		Black Talon	Same	Heavy
	Sniper Rifle	Exotic	19,892	19,892	397,848	With Catalyst		Whisper of the Worm	Buffed	Heavy
	Sword	Exotic	19,071	-	587,097	-		The Lament	Same	Heavy
	Sniper Rifle	Exotic	18,383	22,836	205,527	With "Personal Assistant"		D.A.R.C.I.	Buffed	Heavy
	Grenade Launcher	Adaptive	18,327	21,855	131,130	With Spike Grenades		Memory Interdict	Same	Heavy
	Sword	Vortex	18,094	-	279,650	With Jagged Edge		Falling Guillotine	Same	Heavy
	Machine Gun	Exotic	17,615	21,100	274,300	-		Xenophage	Same	Heavy
	Sword	Adaptive	17,532	-	319,822	With Jagged Edge		Half-Truths	Same	Heavy
	Sword	Lightweight	17,466	-	435,241	With Jagged Edge		Quickfang	Same	Heavy
	Rocket Launcher	Exotic	17,322	-	132,222	-		Truth	Same	Heavy
	Fusion Rifle	Exotic	16,556	17,991	273,456	-		One Thousand Voices	Same	Heavy
	Rocket Launcher	Exotic	16,500	-	306,072	-		Two-Tailed Fox	Same	Heavy
	Shotgun	Exotic	15,862	16,451	172,732	After debuff		Tractor Cannon	Same	Heavy
	Grenade Launcher	Rapid-Fire	15,273	22,236	133,418	With Spike Grenades		Berenger's Memory	Same	Heavy
	Linear Fusion Rifle	Exotic	15,182	17,844	389,320	With Marksman Sights		The Queenbreaker	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	-		Reed's Regret	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	-		The Hothead	Same	Heavy
	Rocket Launcher	Exotic	14,440	-	226,704	-		The Wardcliff Coil	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	Exotic	14,050	17,089	102,536	-		The Colony	Same	Heavy
	Machine Gun	Exotic	12,171	13,740	366,400	-		Heir Apparent	Same	Heavy
	Rocket Launcher	Exotic	11,850	-	261,888	-		Eyes of Tomorrow	Same	Heavy
	Machine Gun	Exotic	9,575	10,997	395,880	-		Grand Overture	Same	Heavy
	Machine Gun	Exotic	9,307	12,823	242,544	-		Thunderlord	Same	Heavy
	Machine Gun	Rapid-Fire	7,352	9,855	201,042	-		Recurrent Impact	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	Exotic	-->	5,777	346,608	-		Anarchy	Same	Heavy
	Combat Bow	Exotic	-->	18,152	466,763	With Catalyst		Leviathan's Breath	Buffed	Heavy

Special Weapons

-	Weapon Type	Archetype	Average DPS	Burst DPS	Total Damage	Specs	---	Best in Class	Change?	Ammo
	Shotgun	Exotic	27,204	74,736	186,840	With Catalyst		The Fourth Horseman	Buffed	Special
	Shotgun	Exotic	22,382	29,320	175,920	With "Roadborne" active		The Chaperone	Nerfed	Special
	Shotgun	Exotic	17,515	23,050	221,280	With "Release the Wolves"		Lord of Wolves	Same	Special
	Trace Rifle	Exotic	19,551	20,295	524,964	With Catalyst Proc'd		Ager's Scepter	Same	Special
	Shotgun	Exotic	15,955	15,025	249,642	When aiming down sights		Duality	Buffed	Special
	Sniper Rifle	Exotic	15,926	19,784	178,059	-		Cloudstrike	Same	Special
	Sniper Rifle	Exotic	15,056	-	181,880	With Catalyst		Izanagi's Burden	Same	Special
	Fusion Rifle	Exotic	14,699	16,216	206,880	-		Merciless	Same	Special
	Fusion Rifle	Exotic	12,171	13,918	255,528	-		Bastion	Same	Special
	Shotgun	Precision Slug	11,894	12,983	143,808	-		Heritage	Nerfed	Special
	Shotgun	Lightweight	11,715	13,485	121,368	-		Wastelander M5	Buffed	Special
	Hand Cannon	Exotic	11,603	12,456	224,208	With "First Glance"		Eriana's Vow	Same	Special
	Fusion Rifle	Rapid-Fire	11,548	12,712	166,068	-		Cartesian Coordinate	Same	Special
	Linear Fusion Rifle	Exotic	11,325	13,412	287,500	-		Arbalest	Same	Special
	Linear Fusion Rifle	Exotic	11,325	13,412	287,500	-		Lorentz Driver	Same	Special
	Shotgun	Rapid-Fire	10,927	16,107	144,963	-		Dead Weight	Buffed	Special
	Sidearm	Exotic	10,416	12,890	278,424	-		Forerunner	Same	Special
	Sniper Rifle	Rapid-Fire	10,040	13,445	86,430	-		IKELOS_SR_v1.0.2	Same	Special
	Fusion Rifle	Exotic	9,771	11,033	225,075	-		Jötunn	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	Exotic	9,675	10,532	312,963	With Catalyst		Telesto	Same	Special
	Trace Rifle	Exotic	11,394	12,795	430,765	At Max charge		Coldheart	Buffed	Special
	Shotgun	Precision	9,230	10,869	180,594	-		Matador 64	Buffed	Special
	Trace Rifle	Exotic	10,755	12,000	320,000	With Orb pick up		Wavesplitter	Buffed	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	-		Deliverance	Same	Special
	Fusion Rifle	High-Impact	8,131	9,042	212,475	-		Glacioclasm	Same	Special
	Trace Rifle	Exotic	8,612	8,940	231,248	With debuff		Divinity	Same	Special
	Grenade Launcher	Lightweight	6,779	15,617	197,809	With Spike Grenades		Ignition Code	Buffed	Special
	Trace Rifle	Exotic	7,581	8,565	342,600	-		Prometheus Lens	Buffed	Special
	Grenade Launcher	Lightweight	6,241	14,376	182,096	-		Ignition Code	Buffed	Special
	Grenade Launcher	Wave	6,241	14,376	182,096	-		Forbearance	Buffed	Special
	Grenade Launcher	Exotic	3,601	-	740,985	-		Witherhoard	Same	Special

Primary Weapons

-	Weapon Type	Archetype	Average DPS	Burst DPS	Total Damage	Specs	---	Best in Class	Change?	Ammo
	SMG	Exotic	12,250	15,615	468,450	With "Ravenous Beast"		Tarrabah	Same	Primary
	Sidearm	Exotic	9,902	12,863	216,095	With "Rat Pack x5"		Rat King	Same	Primary
	Hand Cannon	Exotic	8,979	10,980	564,704	Landing all crits		Hawkmoon	Same	Primary
	Hand Cannon	Exotic	7,766	9,230	323,033	-		Malfeasance	Same	Primary
	Auto Rifle	Exotic	7,097	8,481	744,915	With "perfect" RNG		Cerberus+1	Same	Primary
	Pulse Rifle	Exotic	6,145	7,340	422,810	With averaged 'nanites"		Outbreak Perfected	Same	Primary
	SMG	Exotic	6,114	8,450	331,240	-		Osteo Striga	Same	Primary
	Auto Rifle	Exotic	6,086	7,144	507,738	-		Vex Mythoclast	Same	Primary
	Auto Rifle	Exotic	5,430	6,280	413,550	At Max rate of fire		Sweet Business	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		Redback-5si	Same	Primary
	Grenade Launcher	Exotic	5,256	9,713	161,883	With Catalyst		Fighting Lion	Same	Primary
	Sidearm	Adaptive	5,137	6,431	192,937	High aim assist, decent elsewhere		High Albedo	Same	Primary
	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 Vision	Same	Primary
	Sidearm	SUROS Rapid-Fire	4,881	6,380	140,353	Good recoil, very low range & aim assist		Punching Out	Same	Primary
	SMG	Exotic	4,813	8,198	245,925	With "Ride the Bull x2"		The Huckleberry	Same	Primary
	Sidearm	Precision	4,742	6,193	205,794	Excellent aim assist, low stability & handling		A Swift Verdict	Same	Primary
	Sidearm	Exotic	4,683	6,125	202,125	-		Devil's Ruin	Same	Primary
	SMG	Lightweight	4,663	6,833	180,378	High aim assist and handling, low range		Funnelweb	Same	Primary
	SMG	Aggressive	4,591	6,558	206,031	High range, low aim assist		Unforgiven	Same	Primary
	Scout Rifle	Exotic	4,476	5,866	568,588	With Catalyst		Dead Man's Tale	Same	Primary
	Auto Rifle	Exotic	4,391	5,513	259,200	At Max rate of fire		SUROS Regime	Same	Primary
	SMG	Adaptive	4,300	6,075	187,110	High stability & range, poor recoil		The Hero's Burden	Same	Primary
	Hand Cannon	Exotic	4,087	5,347	268,106	-		Thorn	Same	Primary
	Hand Cannon	Exotic	3,965	5,438	162,400	With Fan Fire x4		The Last Word	Same	Primary
	Auto Rifle	Rapid-Fire	3,906	4,542	280,847	High aim assist, low range		Chroma Rush	Same	Primary
	SMG	Precision	3,875	5,645	220,155	Excellent range & aim assist, low handling		Shayura's Wrath	Same	Primary
	Scout Rifle	Exotic	3,785	4,470	353,984	With "Perfect Fifth"		Polaris Lance	Same	Primary
	Pulse Rifle	Exotic	3,687	4,381	371,126	With Catalyst		No Time to Explain	Same	Primary
	Pulse Rifle	Exotic	3,602	4,222	215,100	-		Vigilance Wing	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		Age-Old Bond	Same	Primary
	Scout Rifle	Rapid-Fire	3,352	4,104	170,460	High stability, very low range		Aisha's Embrace	Same	Primary
	Scout Rifle	Lightweight	3,318	3,807	219,264	Excellent aim assist & handling, low range		Night Watch	Same	Primary
	Hand Cannon	Exotic	3,250	4,398	358,800	-		Crimson	Same	Primary
	Scout Rifle	Exotic	3,206	3,598	259,020	When aiming down sights		Skyburner's Oath	Same	Primary
	Scout Rifle	High-Impact	3,046	3,578	340,578	Excellent range, low aim assist		The Scholar	Same	Primary
	Scout Rifle	Precision	3,015	3,489	204,688	High stability, decent elsewhere		Vision of Confluence	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		Piece of Mind	Same	Primary
	Pulse Rifle	Aggressive Burst	2,744	3,232	241,312	Excellent range, low aim assist		Insidious	Same	Primary
	Hand Cannon	Adaptive	2,724	3,464	163,295	Good stability, decent range		Eyasluna	Same	Primary
	Pulse Rifle	High-Impact	2,720	3,281	250,128	High range & recoil, low aim assist		The Messenger	Same	Primary
	Pulse Rifle	Exotic	2,707	2,984	271,733	-		Graviton Lance	Same	Primary
	Pulse Rifle	Lightweight	2,573	3,046	160,805	Excellent handling, low range		Ogma PR6	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		Under Your Skin	Same	Primary
	Combat Bow	Exotic	-->	3,969	357,225	-		Le Monarque	Same	Primary
	Combat Bow	Exotic	-->	4,137	391,952	vs. non-Taken		Wish-Ender	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:

• New Exotic archetypes were introduced, some of them featuring brand-new damage archetypes.
• Some weapons types received buffs or nerfs. You can read more about those changes here.