Best Machine Guns in Destiny 2: Tier List for PvP and PvE

Machine guns have been underwhelming for a long time, but thanks to recent buffs, they have finally claimed their place in the meta. In fact, today’s top-tier machine guns can easily compete with the best weapons in the game.

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

Updated as of Episode 1: Echoes. See Updates.

Top Tier Machine Guns (Episode 1)

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

Destiny 2 Machine Guns: Complete List

This list includes every viable Machine gun 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 Machine Guns Today

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

 

5. Corrective Measure

 Excels in PvE

Corrective Measure is a top-tier void heavy machine gun that was reintroduced along with the Vault of Glass raid in Season 14. It can be found via the Conflux, Templar, or Atheon encounters within the raid – giving you at least three chances for it to drop in your first run of the raid.

In PvE, Rewind Rounds and Firefly is the preferred roll as you’ll find the ability to keep your magazine loaded and continue activating the explosive Firefly perk incredibly effective in crowd control scenarios. The weapon also provides great boss DPS via a Rewind Rounds and High Impact Rounds perk combination

For PvP, maximizing stability and handling is the way to go. Look for a roll with Dynamic Sway Reduction and Tap the Trigger so you can aim uninterrupted and shred your opponents in duels.

• PVE God roll: Rewind Rounds + Firefly (also good: High Impact Rounds)

How to get it: Corrective Measure can be acquired from the Vault of Glass Raid.

Name: Corrective Measure

Type: Machine Gun Archetype: Adaptive

Ammo: Heavy Element: Void

Craftable: No Released: Season 14

Source: Vault of Glass Raid Requires: Free-to-Play

 

4. Unwavering Duty

 Excels in PvE

In PvE, there is a great perk pool here. In slot 1, Ambitious Assassin is the perk you want. This will overload your magazine to ensure you have ample ammunition loaded to maximize time dealing damage without wasting time reloading. In slot 2, Incandescent will help you spread solar damage when conducting crowd control or you can get a roll with Killing Tally to maximize damage output.

For PvP, as with most heavy machine guns, you want to maximize your stability and handling by looking for a roll with Dynamic Sway Reduction and Tap the Trigger 

• PVE God roll: Ambitious Assassin + Incandescent (also good: Killing Tally)

How to get it: Unwavering Duty is a Trials of Osiris Weapon that can be acquired from Trials completions, Engrams, and/or rank-ups.

Name: Unwavering Duty

Type: Machine Gun Archetype: Adaptive

Ammo: Heavy Element: Solar

Craftable: No Released: Season 19

Source: Trials of Osiris Requires: The Final Shape

 

3. Pro Memoria

 Excels in PvE

Pro Memoria was introduced with The Final Shape and sports a brand new weapon frame called Aggressive Frame which grants high damage at the expense of increased recoil.

This weapon shines mostly in PvE, and the roll you want to get contains the perks Demolitionist and Frenzy. Demolitionist will recharge your grenade ability upon kills with the weapon and Frenzy will increase damage, handling, and reload speed the longer you are in combat. The real selling point here is the impressive damage output possible with this new weapon frame. These are the top Pro Memoria God Rolls:

• PvE God roll: Demolitionist + Frenzy

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

Name: Pro Memoria

Type: Machine Gun Archetype: Aggressive

Ammo: Heavy Element: Strand

Craftable: Yes Released: The Final Shape

Source: The Pale Heart Requires: The Final Shape

 

2. Commemoration

Excels in PvE and PvP

Commemoration is a void machine gun that was introduced back in Beyond Light. 

Starting with PvE, the roll you want to get is Reconstruction and Killing Tally, so you can continue to activate the 30% damage boost provided by Killing Tally without the need to reload. Killing Tally will make your damage output impressive as you take out minor enemies and shift your gaze to major enemies or bosses.

In PvP, viable perks include Surplus and Under Pressure. Seeing as you will be operating with a small amount of ammo in The Crucible, Under Pressure should kick in, upping your stability and accuracy. These are the top Commemoration God Rolls:

• PvE God roll: Reconstruction + Killing Tally
• PvP God roll: Surplus + Under Pressure

How to get it: Commemoration can be acquired by completing the Deep Stone Crypt Raid.

Name: Commemoration

Type: Machine Gun Archetype: Adaptive

Ammo: Heavy Element: Void

Craftable: Yes Released: Season 12

Source: Deep Stone Crypt Raid Requires: Beyond Light Pack

 

1. Hammerhead

Excels in PvE and PvP

Hammerhead was reintroduced ahead of The Final Shape as a part of the Onslaught activity.

Starting in PvE, the roll you want is Rampage and Killing Tally. This perk combo will allow you to stack the damage buffs provided by each perk and make your damage output immense as you take out minor enemies and shift your gaze to major enemies or bosses. The perks Rewind Rounds and Onslaught may also prove powerful alternatives.

In PvP, viable perks include Rampage and Tap the Trigger. Rampage will moderately boost your damage output as you shift from defeating your first opposing guardian and onto the next, while Tap the Trigger will maximize your stability. These are the top Hammerhead God Rolls:

• PvE God roll: Rewind Rounds or Rampage + Killing Tally (also good: Onslaught)
• PvP God roll: Under-Over (also good: Rampage) + Tap the Trigger

How to get it: Hammerhead is a Brave weapon that can be acquired from the Onslaught Playlist.

Name: Hammerhead

Type: Machine Gun Archetype: Adaptive

Ammo: Heavy Element: Void

Craftable: No Released: Into the Light

Source: Onslaught Activity Requires: Free-to-Play

Machine Guns and the PvP Meta: TTK

We covered which Machine guns are considered top-tier (and should be farmed) and which ones can be safely ignored. But how do they compare to other Heavy 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. This TTK guide includes the TTK figures for every weapon in Destiny 2.

Machine guns and the PvE Meta: DPS

How do Machine guns compare to other Heavy weapons in PvE?

Weapon Type	Rank	Tier	Trend	Role ❘ Current State	Category
Exotic Sniper Rifles	S › Best	Best ❘ S		► Main role: Single Target damage ► The recent buffs to certain Snipers, like Whisper of the Worm, and the Sniper's Meditation artifact mod make Exotic Sniper Rifles an easy, accessible, and powerful DPS option on bosses like The Witness in particular. Any boss that has a reasonable crit spot and a decently lengthed damage phase can be destroyed by Whisper right now, and you should definitely take advantage of it. ► Best Archetype: Aggressive (72 RPM) - Example: Whisper of the Worm	PVE Heavies
Grenade Launchers	S › Best	Best ❘ S		► Main role: Add Clear (Secondary role: Single Target Damage). ► Grenade Launchers have finally reached the apex of the DPS meta. Grenade Launchers like Edge Transit and Cataphract GL3 with Envious Assassin and Bait and Switch are incredibly powerful thanks to the amount of burst damage they can put out. Because of this, it's safe to say that Grenade Launchers belong in the top tier of PvE Heavies. ► Best Archetype: Adaptive (120 RPM) - Example: Edge Transit	PVE Heavies
Machine Guns	A › Strong	Strong ❘ A		► Main role: Add Clear ► With the nerf to double-special loadouts, players can't mindlessly spam Machine Guns at enemies anymore and be rewarded for it. However, Machine guns are still excellent at ad clear and remain decent for DPS. That said, for DPS, they are massively outclassed by Rocket Launchers. ► Best Archetype: Rapid-Fire (900 RPM) - Example: Retrofit Escapade	PVE Heavies
Swords	A › Strong	Strong ❘ A		► Main roles: Add Clear & Single Target damage (i.e. Boss damage). ► Swords are pretty decent right now. In fact, they are the go-to option for Crota in Crota's End and for the Herald of Finality in Salvation's Edge. However, this is only because of the design of the boss fight and a specific buff to Sword damage against Crota. Outside of these bosses, Swords are a decent but mediocre option as they are simply out-damaged by other heavy weapons. ► Best Archetype: Whirlwind - Example: Falling Guillotine	PVE Heavies
Rocket Launchers	A › Strong	Strong ❘ A		► Main role: Burst Damage (Secondary role: Add Clear) ► Rockets aren't as good as they used to be, but they are still definitely usable. In most relevant content such as the most recent raid, Salvation's Edge, Rockets aren't too popular (outside of Still Hunt rotations). Despite this Rockets are still a competitive option, and they do some solid burst damage. ► Best Archetype: Adaptive (20 RPM) - Example: Apex Predator	PVE Heavies
Linear Fusion Rifles	A › Strong	Strong ❘ A		► Main role: Single Target damage (Secondary role: Burst Damage) ► Linear Fusion Rifles might not be the top dogs anymore, but they are still serious contenders when it comes to total damage. Options like Cataclysmic and Briar's Contempt can still see some use in today's meta. However, despite their strengths, most situations do not require the amount of total damage that Linear Fusions offer, and if they do, options like Leviathan's Breath can fill that void very easily. ► Best Archetype: Precision (533 RPM) - Example: Reed's Regret	PVE Heavies

According to Bungie, these are the different roles for Heavy weapons:

Role	Explanation	Target Weapon types
Add Clear	Clearing weaker enemies faster than you could with a primary ammo weapon. For most content, primaries do the add clear job perfectly well, so this is most useful in high-difficulty PvE.	Main: Machine Guns, Grenade Launchers, Swords Secondary: Rocket Launchers
Single Target Damage	Burning down a boss.	Main: Linear Fusion Rifles, Exotic Snipers, Swords Secondary: Grenade Launchers, Machine Guns
Burst Damage	Burning down a champion quickly, or for bosses with multiple damage phases, clearing a phase quickly.	Main: Rocket Launchers Secondary: Linear Fusion Rifles

Remember that DPS is one of the most important factors when it comes to PvE. As you know, the higher the DPS, the more damage you can deal to a Boss or Major. This DPS chart includes the DPS numbers for every weapon in Destiny 2. When it comes to actual DPS, Machine guns are much more capable these days:

Before you go…

Are you looking for a top-tier Primary and Special weapon to round out your loadout? We cover the Best Destiny 2 Auto Rifles and Best Destiny 2 Trace Rifles, too.

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