Best Destiny 2 Rocket Launchers: PVE & PVP Tier List ranking

Rocket launchers in Destiny 2 used to be in a sorry state. In fact, they had been lacking for so long, many assumed they would never return to their former Gjallarhorn glory days.

But things can change quickly in Destiny, especially the Meta. Last season, they received a bump to their ammo capacity, and this season, they received a much-needed 30% increase in damage against Majors and Bosses.

These two buffs have catapulted Rocket launchers back to the forefront, making them some of the best weapons in the game.

In this guide, we’ll cover both Exotic and Rocket launchers (including their PVP and PVE god rolls) and rank them from best to worst. But more importantly, this guide will also go over the best perks and help you understand what makes a rocket launcher great.

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Destiny 2 Rocket Launchers Tier list

These are the different Tier levels used for this ranking:

• S Tier – Best: Highest ranking weapon types.
• A Tier – Strong: Very strong weapon types, 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 the S Tier and moves down from there. It also covers both PVE and PVP, with the “Excels in” column clearly identifying where each weapon shines.

Damage numbers: Damage figures come from Ehroar‘s excellent video analysis. In this guide, burst damage refers to the damage done by 2 rockets shot back to back.

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Destiny 2 Best Rocket Launcher Perks

Before we dive into the facts and figures that determine which are the top perks, you need to keep in mind one important thing:

Every legendary rocket launcher does the same damage per rocket.

This makes perks all the more important. When the base damage is technically the same for all Rocket Launchers, it’s the perks that will make or break them.

Among the many excellent rocket launcher perks available, the most popular are often the damage-dealing perks. Again, from Ehroar‘s videos, these are the damage increases you can expect from the most popular damage-dealing perks:

Perk	Increase	Damage
Base Damage	–	73,107
Cluster Bomb	6.1%	77,559
Frenzy	15%	84,073
Lasting Impression	19%	87,017

Do note that these figures include the Impact Casing perk, which grants 10% more impact.

Best Rocket Launcher Perks for PVE

The best PVE perks will depend on your expected usage. These are the most common situations you’d want to have a top-tier Rocket launcher for PVE for.

0. All-around perks

But before we start discussing specific scenarios and use cases, the following perks are always good to have, mainly because they will greatly improve your rocket launcher’s uptime:

• Auto-loading Holster: “The holstered weapon is automatically reloaded after a short period of time.”
• Field Prep: “Increased ammo reserves. Faster reload, stow, and ready when you’re crouching.”
• Impulse Amplifier: “Massively increases projectile velocity, increases reload speed.”

1. Boss DPS and/or Damage phases 

If you’re looking to deal the highest possible damage to a boss, a god roll will look something like this:

• Lasting Impression: “Rockets attach on impact and detonate after a delay. Increases blast radius and damage.”
• Frenzy: “Being in combat for an extended time increases damage, handling, and reload for this weapon until you are out of combat.”

Needless to say, combining a good uptime perk (such as Impulse Amplifier)  with a top tier damage perk (such as Lasting Impression) can result in one of the best PVE weapons in the game.

2. Crowd Control

Sometimes you just need to deal with a bunch of red bar enemies (ads). In those situations, you’ll need entirely different perks than before, something like these:

• Chain Reaction: “Each final blow with this weapon creates an elemental damage explosion.”
• Cluster Bomb: “Rockets spawn cluster bombs upon detonation.”

Finally, it is worth mentioning that Rocket launchers are not considered optimal for crowd control. A grenade launcher or machine gun will probably better serve you. In the current meta, you’ll want to use a rocket launcher for damage phases against bosses and majors (and benefit from that juicy +30% damage buff they just received).

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Best Destiny 2 Exotic Rocket Launchers for PVP

When it comes to PVP, you can of course find suitable rocket launchers with the right perks (Quickdraw and Tracking Module come to mind). But truth is, the top Exotic rocket launchers are vastly superior to any god-rolled legendary.

We covered all the exotics in the tier list above, but if you’re looking for the quick and dirty conclusion, these are the exotics you’d want to bring to the Crucible:

The Wardcliff Coil

Weapon Type:	Rocket Launcher	Slot:	Heavy
Ammo:	Heavy	Source:	Final Encounter

Considered one of the best PVP weapons in the game, this is an easy-to-use weapon that basically guarantees at least one kill per shot.

 

Eyes of Tomorrow

Weapon Type:	Rocket Launcher	Slot:	Heavy
Ammo:	Heavy	Source:	Final Encounter

The new rocket launcher from the Deep Stone Crypt is one of the most sought-after weapons right now. With its tracking capabilities, this thing is extremely lethal in both PVP and Gambit.

If you’re convinced and eager to hear how to get these top-tier weapons, read on.

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Destiny 2 Rocket Launchers sources: How to get them

The table above includes a column titled “Drops from  ❘ Requirements“. This section goes deeper and includes more detailed steps on how to acquire all the shotguns still viable in Destiny 2:

Destiny 2 Exotic Rocket Launchers sources

This is how you can obtain the several Exotic shotguns in our Tier list:

• Exotic Quest: Some Exotics, such as Deadbringer, require you to complete a dedicated Exotic quest. For more information, check out our Exotic Quests hub.
• Raid: Eyes of Tomorrow is the latest raid weapon to be added to the game, as it can only drop from the Deep Stone Crypt‘s final boss.
• Exotics Kiosk: Many Exotics, such as Truth, can be acquired via the Exotics Kiosk in the tower, officially called the Monument to Lost Lights. You can read all about it, including costs and requirements, here.
• Random Engrams: Finally, some Exotics, such as The Wardcliff Coil or Two-Tailed Fox can only randomly drop while playing the game or by acquiring Exotic engrams (most notably from the Season Pass or from Xur).

If you’re interested in the Legendary options, read on.

Destiny 2 Legendary Rocket launchers sources

This is how you can obtain the several Legendary shotguns in our Tier list:

• Playlist weapons: Some weapons, such as Royal Entry, can only drop from specific Playlist activities, in this case, Strikes.
• Trials of Osiris: Tomorrow’s Answer can only drop while getting wins in the endgame PVP mode Trials of Osiris, Destiny 2’s endgame (and brutal) PVP mode. Beware that drops rotate weekly, so you’ll have to patient and wait until Astral Horizon becomes part of the weekly drops.
• World Loot Pool: Some Legendaries can only randomly drop while playing the game, either as end-of-match rewards or when finding Legendary engrams.

Finally, several sources are self-explanatory, but in doubt, you can always leave a comment below with your question or ask away on our Discord.

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Ranking criteria

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

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!

If you strongly disagree with some of the rankings here, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section. By the way, what is your personal favorite?