Weapon sunsetting in Destiny 2 may as well go down as one of the most bizarre decision-making by Bungie.
Weapon sunsetting was effectively introduced with the released of Beyond Light and impacted hundreds of weapons, including some of the best weapons at the time. By giving those weapons a limited Max Power Level, it made them instantly irrelevant for the majority of the game. I.E. no longer viable for endgame content.
But in an unexpected turn of events, Bungie changed its mind and has now removed Weapon and Armor sunsetting from the game! Starting season 13, all weapons that are still viable (with a Power Level matching this season’s Power Level or more) will remain viable until the end of Destiny 2.
Unfortunately, all the weapons that were retired, will remain retired. This includes some of your all-time favorite weapons… This post covers every weapon that was retired and is not coming back.
Destiny 2 sunsetting list: Weapons impacted [per Season]
The following chart should help you better visualize what weapons were affected by sunsetting. For Season 9 weapons, the list is exhaustive and includes every Season of Dawn weapon lost to sunsetting. For Seasons 1 through 8, the list focuses on all the Pinnacle weapons, Rituals, and the most popular weapons overall.
PS: If you’re interested in the Legendary weapons that are not sunset and therefore still viable this Season, this guide is for you.
Destiny 2 sunsetting chart
| - | Weapon | Type | Source | Retired | Date | Max Power | -- | Alternative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Exit Strategy | Submachine Gun | Gambit Pinnacle | Season 12 | November 10, 2020 | 1060 |   | IKELOS_SMG_v1.0.2 |
  | Hush | Combat Bow | Gambit Pinnacle | Season 12 | November 10, 2020 | 1060 |   | Point of the Stag |
  | 21% Delirium | Machine Gun | Gambit Pinnacle | Season 12 | November 10, 2020 | 1060 |  | Thunderlord |
  | Breakneck | Auto Rifle | Gambit Pinnacle | Season 12 | November 10, 2020 | 1060 |   | The Forward Path |
  | Stryker's Sure-Hand | Sword | Black Armory | Season 12 | November 10, 2020 | 1060 |   | Falling Guillotine |
  | Galliard-42 XN7568 | Auto Rifle | Black Armory | Season 12 | November 10, 2020 | 1060 |   | The Summoner |
  | Blast Furnace | Pulse Rifle | Black Armory | Season 12 | November 10, 2020 | 1060 |   | Sacred Provenance |
  | Hammerhead | Machine Gun | Black Armory | Season 12 | November 10, 2020 | 1060 |   | Seventh Seraph SAW |
  | Kindled Orchid | Hand Cannon | Black Armory | Season 12 | November 10, 2020 | 1060 |   | Nation of Beasts |
  | Loaded Question | Fusion Rifle | Vanguard Pinnacle | Season 12 | November 10, 2020 | 1060 |   | Elatha FR4 |
  | Edgewise | Machine Gun | Vanguard Pinnacle | Season 12 | November 10, 2020 | 1060 | | Seventh Seraph SAW |
  | Wendigo GL3 | Grenade Launcher | Vanguard Pinnacle | Season 12 | November 10, 2020 | 1060 |   | Interference VI |
  | Oxygen SR3 | Scout Rifle | Vanguard Pinnacle | Season 12 | November 10, 2020 | 1060 |   | The Scholar |
  | Revoker | Sniper Rifle | Crucible Pinnacle | Season 12 | November 10, 2020 | 1060 |   | Eye of Sol |
  | Not Forgotten | Hand Cannon | Crucible Pinnacle | Season 12 | November 10, 2020 | 1060 |   | Dire Promise |
  | Redrix's Broadsword | Pulse Rifle | Crucible Pinnacle | Season 12 | November 10, 2020 | 1060 |   | Cold Denial |
  | Luna's Howl | Hand Cannon | Crucible Pinnacle | Season 12 | November 10, 2020 | 1060 | | Dire Promise |
  | Randy's Throwing Knive | Scout Rifle | Crucible Pinnacle | Season 12 | November 10, 2020 | 1060 |   | Night Watch |
  | The Mountaintop | Grenade Launcher | Crucible Pinnacle | Season 12 | November 10, 2020 | 1060 |   | Truthteller |
  | Recluse | Submachine Gun | Crucible Pinnacle | Season 12 | November 10, 2020 | 1060 | | IKELOS_SMG_v1.0.2 |
  | Spare Rations | Hand Cannon | Reckoning | Season 12 | November 10, 2020 | 1060 | | Dire Promise |
 | Bygones | Pulse Rifle | Reckoning | Season 12 | November 10, 2020 | 1060 |   | The Third Axiom |
 | Trust | Pulse Rifle | Reckoning | Season 12 | November 10, 2020 | 1060 |   | Posterity |
  | Drang (Baroque) | Sidearm | Menagerie | Season 12 | November 10, 2020 | 1060 |   | Buzzard |
  | Beloved | Sniper Rifle | Menagerie | Season 12 | November 10, 2020 | 1060 |   | Omniscient Eye |
  | Austringer | Hand Cannon | Menagerie | Season 12 | November 10, 2020 | 1060 |   | The Old Fashioned |
 | Mindbender's Ambition | Shotgun | Nightfall | Season 12 | November 10, 2020 | 1060 |   | Felwinter's Lie |
  | Last Hope | Sidearm | World Loot Pool | Season 13 | February 9, 2021 | 1260 |  | Brass Attacks |
  | Elatha FR4 | Fusion Rifle | World Loot Pool | Season 13 | February 9, 2021 | 1260 |   | Hollow Words |
  | Mos Epoch III | Rocket Launcher | World Loot Pool | Season 13 | February 9, 2021 | 1260 |   | Code Duello |
  | Hawthorne's Field-Forged Shotgun | Shotgun | World Loot Pool | Season 13 | February 9, 2021 | 1260 |   | Heritage |
  | Uriel's Gift | Auto Rifle | World Loot Pool | Season 13 | February 9, 2021 | 1260 | | Gnawing Hunger |
| | The Old Fashioned | Hand Cannon | World Loot Pool | Season 13 | February 9, 2021 | 1260 |   | The Steady Hand |
  | Infinite Paths 8 | Pulse Rifle | Season of Dawn | Season 13 | February 9, 2021 | 1260 | | The Third Axiom |
  | Line in the Sand | Linear Fusion Rifle | Season of Dawn | Season 13 | February 9, 2021 | 1260 |   | Threaded Needle |
  | Patron of Lost Causes | Scout Rifle | Season of Dawn | Season 13 | February 9, 2021 | 1260 |   | The Guiding Sight |
  | Trophy Hunter | Sniper Rifle | Season of Dawn | Season 13 | February 9, 2021 | 1260 |   | Succession |
  | Martyr's Retribution | Grenade Launcher | Season of Dawn | Season 13 | February 9, 2021 | 1260 |  | Deafening Whisper |
  | Jack Queen King 3 | Hand Cannon | Season of Dawn | Season 13 | February 9, 2021 | 1260 |   | Bottom Dollar |
  | Pyroclastic Flow | Rocket Launcher | Season of Dawn | Season 13 | February 9, 2021 | 1260 | | Code Duello |
  | Breachlight | Sidearm | Season of Dawn | Season 13 | February 9, 2021 | 1260 |   | High Albedo |
  | Traveler's Judgment 5 | Sidearm | Season of Dawn | Season 13 | February 9, 2021 | 1260 |   | The Keening |
  | Steelfeather Repeater | Auto Rifle | Season of Dawn | Season 13 | February 9, 2021 | 1260 |   | The Forward Path |
  | Gallant Charge | Fusion Rifle | Season of Dawn | Season 13 | February 9, 2021 | 1260 | | Hollow Words |
  | Perfect Paradox | Shotgun | Season of Dawn | Season 13 | February 9, 2021 | 1260 |   | Seventh Seraph CQC-12 |
  | Komodo-4FR | Linear Fusion Rifle | Crucible Ritual | Season 13 | February 9, 2021 | 1260 | | Threaded Needle |
| | Buzzard | Sidearm | Vanguard Ritual | Season 13 | February 9, 2021 | 1260 | | High Albedo |
  | Python | Shotgun | Gambit Ritual | Season 13 | February 9, 2021 | 1260 | | Felwinter's Lie |
It is worth noting that weapon retirement only affects endgame content where Power Level matters. This means you can still take out your old friend The Recluse and use it in Control for PVP and Strikes for PVE. Basically, content where Power Level doesn’t matter at all.
Unsurprisingly, weapon sunsetting did what it was supposed to and significantly shifted the game’s meta. The current top PVE and PVP weapons are very different from what they were just a few months ago. If you’re serious about endgame content, replacing your retired gear should be your top priority.
About re-issued weapons…
Re-issued Weapons: Some weapons in the list above have been re-issued. Re-issued weapons remain exactly the same as before but have a higher Power level cap. However, whatever god roll you already had will keep the same old Power Level Cap, not the new re-issued one.
Pinnacle weapons: The ones we will miss the most…
Bungie did re-issue weapons in less than ideal ways in the past (keeping the exact same perks as before), but moving forward, we expect re-issued weapons to come with exciting new perk combinations.
Destiny 2 Sunsetting: Exotics remain untouched
Some of our favorite Legendary weapons were retired, but fortunately, Exotic weapons were not subject to sunsetting.
Anarchy shall remain one of the best PVE weapons for a little longer
This means you can continue to use your favorite Exotic weapons in end-game content and challenging activities. This is why chasing the Top Tier Exotics should be a priority, if you don’t have them yet.
The state of Combat bows is a great example. Most of the best bows in Destiny 2 were retired with the release of Beyond Light, and that makes the Exotics, such as Trinity Ghoul, even more appealing.
The same goes for hand cannons. The most popular hand cannon for PVP, Spare Rations, was sunset with Beyond Light. Granted, other legendary hand cannons have appeared, but the best alternatives are, for the most part, exotic hand cannons.
The way Weapon Sunsetting was implemented was a fiasco. But by excluding Exotics, Bungie showed respect to player’s time and dedication. After all, some of the best Exotic weapons and Catalysts are locked behind difficult quests that can take several hours to complete.
Armor sunsetting in Destiny 2: The exceptions
Sunsetting also impacted armor. This means many of the armor pieces you spent massive resources to Masterwork are gone.
But fortunately, Armor sunsetting is gone too, meaning everything that was not sunset should remain viable for the foreseeable future.
A Masterworked piece of armor down the drain
Also, from a pure cosmetics perspective, the effects of armor sunsetting should be somewhat limited by the upcoming ability to transmog the looks of your favorite armor pieces into newer gear.
Frequently Asked Questions
At this point we’ve covered everything there is to know about sunset in Destiny 2. That said, I’ve been asked the following questions so many times, they deserve a dedicated section:
Can I still use gear that has reached its Max Power Level?
Yes. You will always be able to equip and use any piece of gear. Reaching the player Power Cap is beneficial, but not strictly required, for most activities in Destiny. You can continue to equip and use all gear in these activities.
did this apply to armor as well as weapons?
Yes – all Legendary gear that provides Power will have a Max Power Level.
When gear drops after its debut Season, what will its Max Power Level be? It will have the same Max Power Level as it did in its initial release Season.
Is Drang getting Sunset?
We thought it would, but Bungie just revealed that Gunsmith will begin selling a version of Drang on November 10 with no infusion cap. Same for MIDA Mini-Tool.
Is Revoker getting Sunset?
Yes, it was sunset on November 10, 2020, with the release of Beyond Light.
Is Redrix’s Broadsword getting Sunset?
Yes, it was sunset on November 10, 2020, with the release of Beyond Light.
Is Spare Rations getting Sunset?
Yes, it was sunset on November 10, 2020, with the release of Beyond Light.
Your turn
You now know everything there is to know about weapons and armor sunsetting in D2.
The weapon list above is my take on how sunsetting impacted the most popular (and some of my favorites) weapons in Destiny 2.
But perhaps I missed some. If I did miss your favorites or weapons you consider S Tier, let me know in the comments section below.
waking vigil
Agreed, great choice too.
Great Article, thanks
Thank you for the kind comment, always great to hear from you guys!
I think they’re sunsetting armor simply to lock players out of the new content. Forcing people to buy the new expansion to raise their light cap..
You can still do Powerful and Pinnacle activities to get armor with higher power level. There are more sources if you have the expansions but do not need them to get to Max power level.
I think its so they can get away with adding 6 hours of content and marketing it as a new game….
I loved Gambit…much to most of the playerbase having a different say, when i saw there was a pinnacle shotgun for it, i HAULED ass to get it, 2 days later i had it, kept it on all 3 classes, im sad to see its getting sunsetted- but it will never leave my inventory…
Loved the MoonFang-X7 as well… that armor looks kick-ass…
I dont care much about the sunsetting on my favorite weapons, im 143,926 kills deep for my Python, and you can bet imma still make memories with it in future seasons…
for those who wanna make some memories,
Xbox 1
Shadowette8262
Mine is Gr8Achilles
I might take you up on that.
Personally I truly hope they come out with weapons worth grinding for. I busted my butt to get some truly awesome weapons only to have them go extinct. If they don’t come through with this in an truly epic way it could really hurt them in the end.
Lets make memories
Gr8Achilles if you want to
Great article thanks for the insight into how sun setting works and the list of things going by the side of the road.
I’m not excited to see armor getting sunset. It takes 500 enhancement cores to masterwork an armor set. That’s a lot of grinding. The masterwork progression has to change. They need to remember what they said about valuing players time. For us to invest so much time to masterwork an armor set just to have it get left behind..smh. Bungie if you’re listening make it easier to masterwork armor so we don’t feel so wronged when this armor is obsolete.
With all this going on then why are we still having weapons dropping that are sunsetting? (March 2021) Amongst other weapons I have received weapons’ recently playing Nightfall on Hero where I had Warden’s Law Hand Cannon drop 3 times … 2 being masterworks … Max power level is 1000 Season 11 weapon.
Misfit??