Destiny 2 Exotic Tier List

Which ones are good? Which ones are worth grinding for? And for those who took a long break: Which are the latest ones?

As many of the best weapons in Destiny 2 are Exotics, this guide will cover every single one in the game. Of course, some may disagree with parts of the ranking. Just keep in mind this list is both based on my personal opinion playing Destiny 2 on PC with a mouse and keyboard, but also several discussions with very talented players.

These are the different Tier levels used for the list:

• S Tier – Best: Highest ranking weapons in our Tier List.
• A Tier – Strong: Very strong weapons, 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, you can filter and sort the list however you prefer!

Destiny 2 exotic tier list (as of October 2020)

This list covers both PVE and PVP, but pay special attention to the “Excels in” column, as it clarifies what the best exotics for PVE or PVP are.

	Weapon	Tier	Excels in	Drops from / Difficulty	Exotic Perk (and my take)	Type	Slot	Drops from
	Anarchy | Grenade Launcher	Best ❘ S	PVE	Raid ❘ Very Hard	Slot: Heavy | Ammo: Heavy "Grenades stick to surfaces and chain Arc bolts to other mines. It also has the Moving Target perk." ► Anarchy is arguably the best boss-DPS weapons in the game and a must-have. With its damage over time, it pairs perfectly with something like Mountaintop.	Grenade Launcher	Heavy	Raid
	Xenophage | Machine Gun	Best ❘ S	PVE	Exotic Quest ❘ Average	Slot: Heavy | Ammo: Heavy "Fires high-powered explosive ammunition. Aiming this weapon increases its effective range and zoom magnification." ► A nerf to snipers and a huge buff to Xenophage made it one of the best DPS weapons. With no precision damage, it's also easy to use and shreds against guardians in Gambit and PVP.	Machine Gun	Heavy	Exotic Quest
	SUROS Regime | Auto Rifle	Best ❘ S	PVP	Random Engram ❘ Average	Slot: Kinetic | Ammo: Primary "The bottom half of each magazine deals bonus damage and can return health on kill. Holding down the trigger increases rate of fire." ► 600 RPM Auto Rifles are extremely lethal in PVP these days and SUROS is perhaps the best one. When used on its spinning up form, it has one of the best TTK values in the game and one of the top PVP weapons in the game.	Auto Rifle	Kinetic	Random Engram
	Trinity Ghoul | Combat Bow	Best ❘ S	PVE	Random Engram ❘ Average	Slot: Energy | Ammo: Primary "Fires an arrow that splits when released. Aiming down sights and fully drawing the bow both decrease the spread. Precision kills grant the next shot chain-lightning capabilities." ► Trinity Ghoul was average at best but with its new Catalyst, it became one of the best exotic primaries in the game.	Combat Bow	Energy	Random Engram
	Divinity | Trace Rifle	Best ❘ S	PVE	Raid ❘ Very Hard	Slot: Energy | Ammo: Special "Sustained damage with this weapon envelops the target in a field that weakens and disrupts them." ► Able to deal with Overload Champions and to easily apply a huge debuff on everything, Divinity is a must in high-end PVE activities.	Trace Rifle	Energy	Raid
	Thorn | Hand Cannon	Best ❘ S	PVP	Exotic Quest ❘ Hard	Slot: Kinetic | Ammo: Primary "Rounds pierce targets and deal damage over time. Kills leave behind Remnants which, when absorbed, increase damage." ► One of the few hand cannons that can compete with the infamous Spare Rations, Thorn is the most consistent and deadly exotic hand cannon in PVP. With soul devour active, it can 2 tap guardians!	Hand Cannon	Kinetic	Exotic Quest
	Witherhoard | Grenade Launcher	Best ❘ S	PVE	Season Pass ❘ Easy	Slot: Kinetic | Ammo: Special "Projectiles fired blight the target or nearby area on impact. Blighted targets take damage over time and blight the nearby area on death." ► With the ability to inflict significant damage over time, Witherhoard acts like a "mini" Anarchy. This weapon has quickly become one of the go-to weapons for PVE, with many using it for the hardest solo feats.	Grenade Launcher	Kinetic	Season Pass
	Izanagi's Burden | Sniper Rifle	Best ❘ S	PVE	Exotic Quest ❘ Hard	Slot: Kinetic | Ammo: Special "Holding reload consumes the magazine and loads a round with additional range and damage." ► One of the best DPS weapons in the game, Izanagi's Burden is also easy to use, consistent and it never runs out of ammo (as it doesn't require Heavy ammo).	Sniper Rifle	Kinetic	Exotic Quest
	Eriana's Vow | Hand Cannon	Best ❘ S	PVE	Exotic Cipher ❘ Average	Slot: Energy | Ammo: Special "Fires special shield-piercing ammunition. Bonus damage when aiming down sights on the opening shot of an attack." ► Able to deal with Barrier Champions, Eriana's Vow can also dish serious damage. This makes it an excellent choice for high-end PVE content.	Hand Cannon	Energy	Exotic Cipher
	Whisper of the Worm | Sniper Rifle	Best ❘ S	PVE	Exotic Quest ❘ Hard	Slot: Heavy | Ammo: Heavy "Higher base precision damage. Rapidly landing three precision hits refills the magazine and missing a shot has a chance to return ammo." ► Whisper of the Worm is one of the best DPS weapons available, especially if you're a good shot. And since Izanagi's Burden was nerfed, it's again a high-end PVE favorite.	Sniper Rifle	Heavy	Exotic Quest
	Bastion | Fusion Rifle	Best ❘ S	PVP	Exotic Cipher ❘ Average	Slot: Kinetic | Ammo: Special "Charge to fire 3 spreads of Kinetic slugs. A portion of this weapon's damage bypasses elemental shields." ► Each Bastion shot is like a shotgun shot with even more range. No wonder many are calling it OP and keep asking for a nerf.	Fusion Rifle	Kinetic	Exotic Cipher
	Riskrunner | Submachine Gun	Strong ❘ A	PVE	Exotic Quest ❘ Easy	Slot: Energy | Ammo: Primary "When taking Arc Damage, this weapon becomes more powerful and resists incoming Arc Damage. Shots fired can become chain lightning and return ammo. Kills extend the duration of the effect." ► An underrated primary exotic, Riskrunner shreds when facing arc-damage dealing enemies and makes you nearly invincible.	Submachine Gun	Energy	Exotic Quest
	Hard Light | Auto Rifle	Strong ❘ A	PVP	Random Engram ❘ Average	Slot: Energy | Ammo: Primary "Rounds fired from this weapon have reduced damage falloff, over-penetrate targets, and ricochet off hard surfaces dealing extra damage. It can also change its damage type" ► Deemed OP in PVP for a while, it recently received a nerf. Still, Hard Light remains extremely lethal in PVP.	Auto Rifle	Energy	Random Engram
	One Thousand Voices | Fusion Rifle	Strong ❘ A	PVE	Raid ❘ Very Hard	Slot: Heavy | Ammo: Heavy "Charging this weapon unleashes a giant continuous beam of death. The beam superheats its targets upon impact, causing delayed explosions." ► Previously S Tier, this weapon has suffered from buffs and nerfs overall but it's still a DPS powerhouse.	Fusion Rifle	Heavy	Raid
	Jötunn | Fusion Rifle	Strong ❘ A	PVE + PVP	Exotic Quest ❘ Average	Slot: Energy | Ammo: Special "Hold down the trigger to charge up a tracking shot that explodes and burns on impact. Energy matched shield explosion disorients enemies." ► My favorite Black Armory weapon, Jötunn is so powerful and easy to use, it almost feels like cheating. Experienced players may know how to counter it, but most will burn.	Fusion Rifle	Energy	Exotic Quest
	Traveler's Chosen | Sidearm	Traveler's Chosen | Sidearm	PVP	Exotic Quest ❘ Easy	Slot: Kinetic | Ammo: Primary "Final blows grant stacks of Gathering Light. Consuming stacks, grant melee, grenade, and class ability energy based on the number of stacks. Each stack of Gathering Light improves this weapon's reload, handling, and target acquisition." ► Capable of inflicting some of the highest DPS, sidearms are considered a safe bet in PVP. And Traveler's Chosen, the newest exotic in the game, is perhaps the best sidearm ever created. It has the best base stats ever seen on a sidearm AND it features an extremely useful and consistent exotic perk.	Sidearm	Kinetic	Exotic Quest
	Monte Carlo | Auto Rifle	Strong ❘ A	PVE	Random Engram ❘ Average	Slot: Kinetic | Ammo: Primary "Dealing damage with this weapon reduces melee cooldown and can fully charge your melee with each kill. Melee kills and kills with this weapon increase damage." ► On top of dealing a lot of damage, it's a mandatory part of any decent melee build out there.	Auto Rifle	Kinetic	Random Engram
	The Chaperone | Shotgun	Strong ❘ A	PVP	Exotic Quest ❘ Average	Slot: Kinetic | Ammo: Special "Fires a single-slug precision round. Precision kills briefly grant bonus handling, range, and precision damage with this weapon." ► With the recent changes to shotguns' range, The Chaperone got even better. With unparalleled range and accuracy, this is the deadliest exotic shotgun in PVP.	Shotgun	Kinetic	Exotic Quest
	Thunderlord | Machine Gun	Strong ❘ A	PVE	Random Engram ❘ Average	Slot: Heavy | Ammo: Heavy "Kills with this weapon generate lightning strikes from above and increase reload speed for a short time." ► An absolute beast at killing ads, Thunderlord's lighting effects are both lethal and impressive to behold. It also has tons of ammo.	Machine Gun	Heavy	Random Engram
	Sunshot | Hand Cannon	Strong ❘ A	PVE + PVP	Random Engram ❘ Average	Slot: Energy | Ammo: Primary "This weapon fires explosive rounds. Targets killed with Sunshot explode in Solar energy." ► One of my personal favorites, Sunshot is not only stable and consistent, but it can also blow up entire waves of ads and make you feel like a god.	Hand Cannon	Energy	Random Engram
	Outbreak Perfected | Pulse Rifle	Strong ❘ A	PVE	Exotic Quest ❘ Hard	Slot: Kinetic | Ammo: Primary "This weapon creates SIVA nanite swarms on rapid hits and precision kills and does more damage to enemies based on the number of SIVA nanites that attach to them." ► With its SIVA nanites, Outbreak Perfected does excellent damage, especially if others in your team are using it too.	Pulse Rifle	Kinetic	Exotic Quest
	The Last Word | Hand Cannon	Strong ❘ A	PVP	Exotic Quest ❘ Average	Slot: Kinetic | Ammo: Primary "This weapon fires full auto. Hip-fire shots deal bonus precision damage while increasing reload speed and accuracy." ► This weapon is hard to rank as it could be considered S Tier on console, but perhaps B-tier on PC. Either way, it's still strong and effective in spite of a nerf last season.	Hand Cannon	Kinetic	Exotic Quest
	Heir Apparent | Machine Gun	Strong ❘ A	PVE	Seasonal Event ❘ Unavailable	Slot: Heavy | Ammo: Heavy "This weapon can be fired only when fully spun up. While at full health, spinning up this weapon protects you with an Arc Shield." ► The newest exotic in this list, this is a unique and fun weapon that shreds. It may not have the best DPS but delivers good total DPS due to its huge magazine.	Machine Gun	Heavy	Seasonal Event
	Ace of Spades | Hand Cannon	Strong ❘ A	PVP	Exotic Quest ❘ Average	Slot: Kinetic | Ammo: Primary "Precision kills increase reload speed and cause the target to explode. Reloading after a kill increases damage. Grants radar while aiming down sights." ► With a combination of Rampage, Dragonfly and good handling, this is a consistent killing machine in PVP.	Hand Cannon	Kinetic	Exotic Quest
	Fighting Lion | Grenade Launcher	Strong ❘ A	PVP	Random Engram ❘ Average	Slot: Energy | Ammo: Primary "Grenade projectiles will bounce off surfaces. Hold to fire, and release to detonate. Direct hits do more damage to enemy shields. Rapid kills against grenade-damaged enemies refill the magazine." ► Fighting Lion us one of the most fun weapons in the game and can perform in the hands of an experienced player (especially after some recent buffs).	Grenade Launcher	Energy	Random Engram
	Legend of Acrius | Shotgun	Strong ❘ A	PVE	Raid ❘ Hard	Slot: Heavy | Ammo: Heavy "This weapon fires blasts of high-damage Arc energy that over penetrates enemies. Its radar detects enemies from farther away." ► It can deliver some serious DPS, especially with the catalyst, but it could use a little buff to make it more relevant compared to the top DPS weapons.	Shotgun	Heavy	Raid
	Black Talon | Sword	Strong ❘ A	PVE	Random Engram ❘ Average	Slot: Heavy | Ammo: Heavy "Can fire heavy projectile attacks. Heavy attacks are stronger with full energy. Most attacks partially bypass elemental shields." ► Swords are back with Season of the Worthy. Black Talon may not excel in PVP or PVE but it's fun to use and deals a lot of damage.	Sword	Heavy	Random Engram
	Rat King | Sidearm	Strong ❘ A	PVE	Exotic Quest ❘ Average	Slot: Kinetic | Ammo: Primary "This fully automatic weapon becomes stronger when nearby allies also have it equipped. Reloading immediately after a kill grants a brief period of invisibility." ► One of the most unique primary weapons available, Rat King is strong using it by yourself and very strong using it with others.	Sidearm	Kinetic	Exotic Quest
	The Wardcliff Coil | Rocket Launcher	Strong ❘ A	PVP	Random Engram ❘ Average	Slot: Heavy | Ammo: Heavy "This weapon fires a volley of rockets and automatically reloads on ammo pickup." ► Rocket launchers are always out-DPSed by grenade launchers but this weapon can still do good damage and will give you free kills in PVP.	Rocket Launcher	Heavy	Random Engram
	Telesto | Fusion Rifle	Strong ❘ A	PVP	Random Engram ❘ Average	Slot: Energy | Ammo: Special "Fusion projectiles attach and detonate with a delayed Void blast. Multikills with this weapon immediately reload your equipped Kinetic and Energy weapons from reserves." ► Telesto is a menace in PVP: Setting traps, getting multikills and shutting down Supers are all possible.	Fusion Rifle	Energy	Random Engram
	Le Monarque | Combat Bow	Strong ❘ A	PVP	Exotic Quest ❘ Average	Slot: Energy | Ammo: Primary "Arrows fired quickly after a full draw become poison arrows. Precision hits with poison arrows spread poison to nearby enemies." ► One of the best bows in the game, Le Monarque can be lethal in the hands of an experienced PVP player, especially when coupled with a Quickdraw hand cannon.	Combat Bow	Energy	Exotic Quest
	The Huckleberry | Submachine Gun	Strong ❘ A	PVE	Random Engram ❘ Average	Slot: Kinetic | Ammo: Primary "Increased rate of fire and recoil while you're holding down the trigger. Kills with this weapon temporarily grant increased damage and partially reload the magazine." ► SMGs may be outperformed by Assault Rifles right now but The Huckleberry is still an ad killing beast and a pleasure to use.	Submachine Gun	Kinetic	Random Engram
	Tractor Cannon | Shotgun	Strong ❘ A	PVE	Random Engram ❘ Average	Slot: Heavy | Ammo: Heavy "This weapon emits a powerful impulse that pushes enemies away, suppresses their abilities, and makes them more vulnerable to all incoming damage." ► Tractor Cannon was Top tier just a few seasons ago, but now that buffs and debuffs don't stack, it's no longer a must-have.	Shotgun	Heavy	Random Engram
	Ruinous Effigy | Exotic Trace Rifle	Average ❘ B	PVE	Exotic Quest ❘ Easy	Slot: Heavy | Ammo: Special "Final blows with this weapon collapse victims into Void Transmutation spheres. Transmutation spheres you create can be picked up and wielded as weapons by you or your allies." ► Ruinous Effigy is hands down the most unique and fun weapon ever released in Destiny 2. It won't be replacing any of the top PVE weapons, but it can be very effective at close range on Majors: Use it to cancel stomp mechanics, dunk, melee, and finish off with a sword.	Trace Rifle	Energy	Exotic Quest
	Tommy's Matchbook | Auto Rifle	Average ❘ B	-	Season Pass ❘ Unavailable	Slot: Energy | Ammo: Primary "Sustained fire with this weapon overheats it, increasing damage but burning the user. Overheat damage is reduced while hip firing." ► This weapon is overshadowed by the extremely strong SUROS Regime, but make no mistake, this is a great AR in both PVP and PVE.	Auto Rifle	Energy	Season Pass
	Vigilance Wing | Pulse Rifle	Average ❘ B	-	Random Engram ❘ Average	Slot: Kinetic | Ammo: Primary "This weapon fires a 5-round burst. When a nearby ally is killed, gain health regeneration, and increased movement speed." ► Vigilance Wing just received a buff this season and could be considered A-tier. It's particularly strong in larger maps in PVP where it can destroy Auto rifles and Hand cannons.	Pulse Rifle	Kinetic	Random Engram
	The Prospector | Grenade Launcher	Average ❘ B	-	Random Engram ❘ Average	Slot: Heavy | Ammo: Heavy "Hold to fire grenades. Release to detonate all live grenades simultaneously. Grenades stick to surfaces and set targets on fire." ► The Prospector isn't the most popular exotic but it still gets the job done when dealing boss DPS, especially after the nerf to agressive grenade launchers.	Grenade Launcher	Heavy	Random Engram
	Lumina | Hand Cannon	Average ❘ B	-	Exotic Quest ❘ Average	Slot: Kinetic | Ammo: Primary "Kills with this weapon leave behind Remnants which convert your next hip fired shot into an ally-seeking Noble Round that heals them and grants both of you a weapon damage bonus for a short duration." ► Albeit an interesting weapon, it needs a coordinated team and the catalyst to be effective.	Hand Cannon	Kinetic	Exotic Quest
	Arbalest | Linear Fusion Rifle	Average ❘ B	-	Random Engram ❘ Average	Slot: Kinetic | Ammo: Special "Fires slugs that cause massive damage to elemental shields of enemy combatants. Breaking an enemy's shield with this weapon makes them more vulnerable to Kinetic damage." ► Easy to use in both PVP and PVE, Arbalest is a solid weapon that can sometimes be a refreshing change from all the snipers.	Linear Fusion Rifle	Kinetic	Random Engram
	Bad Juju | Pulse Rifle	Average ❘ B	-	Exotic Quest ❘ Average	Slot: Kinetic | Ammo: Primary "Kills refill the magazine, increase damage for a short duration, and grant Super energy based on the number of kills. Fires full-auto." ► Bad Juju is an absolute monster at killing ads and it gets even better with the catalyst.	Pulse Rifle	Kinetic	Exotic Quest
	The Jade Rabbit | Scout Rifle	Average ❘ B	-	Random Engram ❘ Average	Slot: Kinetic | Ammo: Primary "Chain body shots to gain bonus damage on your next precision shot, return ammo to the magazine, and increases its stability." ► Scouts may not be in a great place right now, but The Jade Rabbit can still be effective in PVP, especially in Momentum Control where it can one tap!	Scout Rifle	Kinetic	Random Engram
	Wish-Ender | Combat Bow	Average ❘ B	-	Exotic Quest ❘ Hard	Slot: Kinetic | Ammo: Primary "While aiming down sights with a fully-drawn bow, enemies behind walls are highlighted. Piercing arrowheads damage the target on entry and exit. One-shot can over-penetrate multiple targets." ► S Tier a few months ago due to a bug, the Wish-Ender is back to being average. It's a good bow but as bows are average...	Combat Bow	Kinetic	Exotic Quest
	Graviton Lance | Pulse Rifle	Average ❘ B	-	Random Engram ❘ Average	Slot: Energy | Ammo: Primary "Second shot of a burst rips a hole through space-time, doing high damage and recoil with no falloff. Kills with this weapon cause enemies to detonate and spawn tracking Void projectiles." ► While its void projectiles can kill ads in cool ways, Graviton Lance isn't much more effective than a good legendary Pulse rifle.	Pulse Rifle	Energy	Random Engram
	Lord of Wolves | Shotgun	Average ❘ B	-	Random Engram ❘ Average	Slot: Energy | Ammo: Special "Fires a powerful short-range burst of Solar damage. Hold to swap to a longer, more powerful burst." ► It recently got a (well-deserved) nerf that made it disappear from the Crucible but Lord of Wolves is still one of the highest DPS weapons in the game.	Shotgun	Energy	Random Engram
	Truth | Rocket Launcher	Average ❘ B	-	Exotic Quest ❘ Average	Slot: Heavy | Ammo: Heavy "This weapon's rockets have tracking and detonate when they are within close proximity of their targets." ► Truth is not very versatile but there is one thing it can do better than anything else in the game: Get a bunch of kills while invading in Gambit.	Rocket Launcher	Heavy	Exotic Quest
	Polaris Lance | Scout Rifle	Average ❘ B	-	Exotic Quest ❘ Average	Slot: Energy | Ammo: Primary "Precision hits return ammo to the mag. Landing 4 precision hits loads a delayed Solar explosive round for your next shot." ► Definitely underrated, this is one of the best scout rifles in the game. It's just too bad Scouts overall are in a bad place.	Scout Rifle	Energy	Exotic Quest
	Coldheart | Trace Rifle	Average ❘ B	-	Random Engram ❘ Average	Slot: Energy | Ammo: Special "This weapon shoots a steady cold fusion-powered laser that does exponentially more damage the longer it remains on a target." ► Previously one of the best exotics in the game, Coldheart is nowadays a decent option, mainly because trace rifles are in a bad place overall.	Trace Rifle	Energy	Random Engram
	The Fourth Horseman | Shotgun	Average ❘ B	-	Exotic Quest ❘ Easy	Slot: Energy | Ammo: Special "This weapon's rate of fire is increased significantly and fires full auto. Each successive shot has more damage and more spread." ► A good all-around weapon, this shotgun can deal great damage if you manage to get very close. It's too bad most high-end PVE content isn't designed for close-combat...	Shotgun	Energy	Exotic Quest
	Devil's Ruin | Sidearm	Average ❘ B	-	Exotic Cipher ❘ Average	Slot: Energy | Ammo: Primary "Variable trigger. Press and release to fire individual shots. Hold to charge up a high-powered, staggering laser." ► Able to deal with Unstoppable Champions, this is a fun weapon that does decent damage overall and melts shotgun apes in PVP in its laser form.	Sidearm	Energy	Exotic Cipher
	Leviathan's Breath | Combat Bow	Average ❘ B	-	Exotic Cipher ❘ Average	Slot: Heavy | Ammo: Heavy "Fires a massive heavy bolt that staggers unshielded combatants. When fully drawn, the bolt knocks combatants back." ► Able to deal with Unstoppable Champions, Leviathan's Breath is a strong and versatile weapon, even if, for some reason, people love to hate.	Combat Bow	Heavy	Exotic Cipher
	The Colony | Grenade Launcher	Average ❘ B	-	Random Engram ❘ Average	Slot: Heavy | Ammo: Heavy "This weapon's grenades are insectoid robots that chase targets and explode close to them." ► Extremely easy to use, The Colony is extremely effective and always a favorite in PVP, especially for those grinding The Mountaintop.	Grenade Launcher	Heavy	Random Engram
	Sleeper Simulant | Linear Fusion Rifle	Average ❘ B	-	Exotic Quest ❘ Very Hard	Slot: Heavy | Ammo: Heavy "The weapon's laser over penetrates enemies and refracts off hard surfaces." ► Sleeper Simulant is, unfortunately, the shadow of its former self. It used to be a Top Tier weapon but has suffered from too many nerfs.	Linear Fusion Rifle	Heavy	Exotic Quest
	Tarrabah | Submachine Gun	Average ❘ B	-	Raid ❘ Very Hard	Slot: Energy | Ammo: Primary "This weapon stores power when dealing or receiving damage. Once full, hold reload to unleash the beast." ► Tarrabah could be a monster but activating its perk consistently is stupidly hard. This weapon is crying for a fix. Plus, it's extremely difficult to obtain...	Submachine Gun	Energy	Raid
	Wavesplitter | Trace Rifle	Weak ❘ C	-	Random Engram ❘ Average	Slot: Energy | Ammo: Special "Laser damage has three power levels that oscillate while the trigger is held down. Collecting an Orb of Light grants a short period of maximum power." ► There's nothing wrong with it, but Trace rifles are in a bad spot and are easily outmatched by other types of weapons.	Trace Rifle	Energy	Random Engram
	Symmetry | Scout Rifle	Weak ❘ C	-	Exotic Cipher ❘ Average	Slot: Energy | Ammo: Primary "Precision hits build up Dynamic Charge. Swapping to Arc Seeker mode increases damage and partially reloads the magazine. Arc Seekers track toward combatants you target." ► If you can hit your precision shots, Symmetry can be deadly both in PVP and Gambit.	Scout Rifle	Energy	Exotic Cipher
	Crimson | Hand Cannon	Weak ❘ C	-	Random Engram ❘ Average	Slot: Kinetic | Ammo: Primary "This weapon fires a 3-round burst. Kills with this weapon heal the wielder. Precision kills also refill the magazine." ► A pulse rifle in a hand cannon body, Crimson can deal decent pain from a distance. Still, it's easily outperformed by other exotic hand cannons.	Hand Cannon	Kinetic	Random Engram
	Malfeasance | Hand Cannon	Weak ❘ C	-	Exotic Quest ❘ Average	Slot: Kinetic | Ammo: Primary "Shoot tainted slugs that burrow into the enemy. Stacking enough slugs causes them all to explode. Bonus damage against Taken enemies and Gambit invaders." ► Malfeasance used to have a little niche, but it no longer offers anything special that makes it stand out.	Hand Cannon	Kinetic	Exotic Quest
	MIDA Multi-Tool | Scout Rifle	Weak ❘ C	-	Exotic Quest ❘ Easy	Slot: Kinetic | Ammo: Primary "This weapon boosts move speed. Radar stays active while aiming down sights." ► Victim of the poor state of Scout rifles, MIDA doesn't have much to offer in neither PVE nor PVP. And if you really a Scout, you'll be better off with Polaris Lance or The Jade Rabbit.	Scout Rifle	Kinetic	Exotic Quest
	Cerberus+1 | Auto Rifle	Weak ❘ C	-	Random Engram ❘ Average	Slot: Kinetic | Ammo: Primary "Shoots erratic bullets from all gun barrels at the same time. Aiming this weapon reduces the spread of its projectiles." ► Cerberus+1 can be fun to use, especially with the catalyst, but even then you'll be better served with another assault rifle.	Auto Rifle	Kinetic	Random Engram
	Sweet Business | Auto Rifle	Weak ❘ C	-	Random Engram ❘ Average	Slot: Kinetic | Ammo: Primary "Larger magazine. Increased accuracy when firing from the hip. Picking up ammo for this weapon immediately reloads it." ► While it can be fun to use, especially when pre-firing it and surprise opponents in PVP, Sweet Business definitely feels underpowered.	Auto Rifle	Kinetic	Random Engram
	Prometheus Lens | Trace Rifle	Weak ❘ C	-	Random Engram ❘ Average	Slot: Energy | Ammo: Special "Fires a Solar trace beam and generates a damaging heat field that grows while the weapon continues to fire. Kills with this weapon return a fraction of the ammo used." ► There's nothing wrong with it, but Trace rifles are in a bad spot and are easily outmatched by other types of weapons.	Trace Rifle	Energy	Random Engram
	D.A.R.C.I. | Sniper Rifle	Weak ❘ C	-	Random Engram ❘ Average	Slot: Heavy | Ammo: Heavy "Aim at an enemy to activate Personal Assistant and view critical information. When Personal Assistant is active, this weapon has better target acquisition and deals significantly more precision damage." ► This can do a lot of damage but is completely surpassed by most of the other exotic Snipers.	Sniper Rifle	Heavy	Random Engram
	Sturm | Hand Cannon	Weak ❘ C	-	Exotic Quest ❘ Average	Slot: Kinetic | Ammo: Primary "Kills fill the magazine of the equipped Energy weapon from reserves. Kills with Drang reload this weapon and provides bonus damage." ► Sturn is definitely better when paired with Drang. But even then, it's easily outmatched by many other exotic hand cannons in this list.	Hand Cannon	Kinetic	Exotic Quest
	Merciless | Fusion Rifle	Weak ❘ C	-	Random Engram ❘ Average	Slot: Energy | Ammo: Special "Non-lethal hits make this weapon charge faster. Reloading immediately after a kill increases weapon damage for a short time." ► Merciless outputs decent damage and handles just fine, but unfortunately doesn't offer much compared to other exotic fusion rifles in this list.	Fusion Rifle	Energy	Random Engram
	Deathbringer | Rocket Launcher	Weak ❘ C	-	Exotic Quest ❘ Average	Slot: Heavy | Ammo: Heavy "Fires remotely detonated projectiles that drop Void orbs on combatants. Hold to fire, release to detonate. The further a Void orb falls, the more powerful its detonation becomes." ► Albeit unique, Deathbringer doesn't really have a place as other Heavy Exotics are better at either ad clearing and/or boss DPS.	Rocket Launcher	Heavy	Exotic Quest
	Two-Tailed Fox | Rocket Launcher	Worst ❘ D	-	Random Engram ❘ Average	Slot: Heavy | Ammo: Heavy "Shoots two rockets, one Void and one Solar, that can track onto the same target. The Void rocket suppresses enemies. The Solar rocket causes damage over time." ► There's nothing wrong with it, it does good damage, but it's simply irrelevant compared to other heavies.	Rocket Launcher	Heavy	Random Engram
	Borealis | Sniper Rifle	Worst ❘ D	-	Random Engram ❘ Average	Slot: Energy | Ammo: Special "Holding changes this weapon's damage type. Breaking an enemy shield with that shield's energy type grants bonus damage for the rest of the magazine." ► Borealis is a cool concept, it's just sad that some of the other Exotic Snipers are vastly superior.	Sniper Rifle	Energy	Random Engram
	The Queenbreaker | Linear Fusion Rifle	Worst ❘ D	-	Random Engram ❘ Average	Slot: Heavy | Ammo: Heavy "Fires a long-range precision Arc bolt that blinds enemies on hit. It has a slower charge time and deals greater damage." ► Previously amazing when invading in gambit, The Queenbreaker has suffered from nerfs that have made it pointless nowadays.	Linear Fusion Rifle	Heavy	Random Engram
	Skyburner's Oath | Scout Rifle	Worst ❘ D	-	Random Engram ❘ Average	Slot: Energy | Ammo: Primary "This weapon lobs large, explosive, seeking slugs when firing from the hip. When aiming down sights, the slugs travel fast and straight, with higher damage and a lower rate of fire." ► Often the worst-ranked exotic, this weapon desperately needs a rework. There's no reason why you would waste your exotic slot on it.	Scout Rifle	Energy	Random Engram
	Worldline Zero | Sword	Worst ❘ D	-	Exotic Quest ❘ Average	Slot: Heavy | Ammo: Heavy "Press while sprinting to launch a heavy blink attack. Attacks partially bypass elemental shields." ► This was a thing when "warlock skating" was used for speed-running, but since Bungie removed that feature, Worldline Zero became somewhat useless...	Sword	Heavy	Exotic Quest

How to get Exotics in Destiny 2

In a nutshell, there are now 4 ways you can find exotic weapons in Destiny 2:

1. Exotic engrams: These can be found in the Season pass, they are sold by Xur and can also drop randomly at any time.
2. Exotic quests: The most iconic exotics are often tied to Exotic quests of varying degrees of difficulty and length.
3. Raid drops: A select handful of exotics can only drop from raid bosses.
4. Exotic Cipher: A new way to acquire exotics tied to previous Season Passes or Seasonal Exotic quests no longer around.

There isn’t much more to say about Exotic engrams, only that they have a higher chance to drop from end-game activities. If collecting exotics is your priority, Nightfall: The Ordeals are for you. And the higher the difficulty, the higher the chance to get one.

Things can always change in future seasons, and the best way to be prepared is to keep an eye on our Destiny 2 Roadmap.

Image: Reddit user Kaizion

Exotic quests

Exotic quests are a different story. They are, for the most part, long and complicated, each deserving a good tutorial. To get you started, you can head over to our comprehensive guide featuring all Destiny 2 exotic quests available (including video guides and highlighting the quests that will be soon removed and put into the DCV).

And to make things a little easier, Bungie recently made a change to the quest log and put all Exotic quests in a dedicated section. This won’t make each quest easier but at least keeping track of all of them will be simpler.

The new Exotics quest menu

Raid drops

A few exotics can only drop from raid bosses. You can simply filter the Tier list above and set the column “Drops from” to “Raid” to see all of them. The most infamous example is Anarchy. Probably because it’s one of the best PVE weapons in the game while being hard to obtain…

Exotics are special weapons and are supposed to be difficult to obtain. And when Bungie begins to retire Legendary weapons in a few months, Exotics will become even more special.

Exotic Cipher

Bungie finally introduced a method to acquire exotic weapons from previous seasons. Up until now, if you missed Season of Dawn, for example, you could not get Eriana’s Vow anymore. With Season of Arrivals, Bungie added an item called Exotic Cipher to the Season Pass (available to all, including free-to-play players).

The newly introduced Exotic Cipher

As soon as you reach rank 55, you’ll be able to claim that item and simply bring it to Master Rahool at the Tower. He will exchange you one of the following weapons for the cipher:

• Eriana’s Vow
• Bastion
• Devil’s Ruin
• Symmetry
• Leviathan’s Breath

For the sake of clarity, this means you can only claim one of these weapons during the entire season. Choose wisely…

Destiny 2’s new exotics: Season of Arrivals and Worthy

These weapons are part of the full Tier list above, but for those curious about what are the latest exotics released with Season of the Worthy, here they are:

Witherhoard

Witherhoard became an instant favorite the day it was released alongside Season of Arrivals. It’s fun to use and unbelievably deadly. It was probably that lethal because it was plagued by bugs that made it inflict more damage than planned. Still, the bugs have been solved and Witherhoard remains a beast in PVE.

This weapon is so effective with its damage over time that many are using to tackle some of the most challenging solo experiences in Destiny 2, such as flawless solo runs of the Prophecy dungeon. But even if you’re not into unbelievably hard challenges, Witherhoard will get the job done for you, be it in Prophecy, Gambit, or a Nightfall.

Heir Apparent

Officially the newest exotic in Destiny 2, Heir Apparent was a nice surprise. Many were quick to discard it as weak, probably because it was attached to Guardian Games, a weak seasonal event itself. But once people got their hands on it, they all changed their minds.

This exotic is effective (it has good total DPS), strong against ads and fun to use. Plus, it makes you feel powerful, something Destiny 2 has been missing lately. Many compare using it to that scene in Terminator 2 in which Arnold mows down several police cars with a minigun, and I couldn’t agree more!

Tommy’s Matchbook

While everyone was busy spamming Hard Light in Trials of Osiris, Tommy’s Matchbook was quietly racking up kills in both PVE and PVP. This Assault Rifle was probably not good enough to compete with Hard Light (which was completely OP), but now that Hard Light was nerfed, perhaps Tommy’s will finally be recognized as a very strong PVP option, along with SUROS Regime and the infamous Galliard-42 XN7568 from the Black Armory forges.

Drewsky did an excellent review of this gun concluding Tommy’s Matchbook is a great auto rifle because it has a hidden perk that makes it “incredibly unique, powerful and fun to use”: Excellent when fired from the hip.

The Fourth Horseman

My least favorite of the three exotic weapons of the season, The Fourth Horseman is undeniably powerful. If you can get close enough to your enemies, it can dish a lot of damage. That said, there are so many excellent legendary shotguns that excel in both PVE and PVP, I don’t see The Fourth Horsemen getting any more spotlight than the week it was launched.

Ehroar did a great review pointing out that because it has poor range and pellet spread, The Fourth Horseman requires much more work and risk-taking than a Heavy sniper rifle or grenade launcher. So… Why bother?

Ranking criteria:

For the record, as much as I tried to keep this list as objective as possible, it’s still based on my personal experience playing the PC version of the game.

Also, even with hundreds of hours of playtime, I’m far from being neither an expert on the matter nor an amazing PVE/PVP player. But that’s the whole point of this site. I’m just a blueberry who loves this game and wants to share everything I’ve learned so far!

For that reason, this Tier list also takes into account everything I’ve learned from watching hundreds of videos from the most talented Destiny 2 players out there. The Reddit Tier list from Skyknight and the video Tier list from Skarrow9 were both great sources of inspiration.

Finally, if you’re wondering what criteria was used to build this Tier list, these are the main factors I took into account:

• Lethality: The higher the effective DPS and usability, the higher the ranking.
• Consistency: Some weapons may not have the highest DPS numbers, but they are so consistent, they more than make up for their lower DPS numbers.
• Ease of use: Similar to the point above, some weapons are very effective because they are easy to use and don’t require too much skill or setup. This is also rewarded with higher rankings.
• PVE/PVP Performance: High lethality in either PVE or  PVP is equally valuable. However, a weapon that is good at both PVE and PVP should rank higher than one that is slightly better on only PVE or PVP.
• Fun factor: Not the most important factor, but it also helps if the weapon is damn fun to shoot with! A good example is Fighting Lion. Not the most efficient but sooooo much fun to use!

If you strongly disagree with some of the rankings here, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section. But more importantly, what is your own personal Top 3, and why?