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How to get weapons in Destiny 2

[toc] Let’s be honest. Destiny 2 is all about the weapons.

It’s about feeling powerful while wielding the many excellent weapons the game has to offer. But it’s also about challenging you and making you want to grind until you have the best weapons in the game.

Bottom line: Getting the best weapons is a major part of the Destiny 2 experience. And if you’re looking for the next best thing to grind, the guide below is for you.

Checkmark icon V3 Lists updated as of Bungie’s 30th Anniversary event.

Destiny 2 weapon sources

There are 11 different ways to get weapons in Destiny 2:

1. Raids & Dungeons

Home to some of the most sought-after weapons in the game, raids and dungeons are some of the most straightforward methods to acquire top-tier weapons in Destiny 2.

Each encounter of each dungeon and raid has a chance to drop specific loot. This makes it possible to actively farm for the weapon you’re looking for. Be aware that raids are locked to one clear per week per character, giving you a maximum of three chances to get what you want per week. Prophecy and Grasp of Avarice are the two exceptions to this rule: They can both be farmed indefinitely.

In any case, these loot tables for Grasp of Avarice, Prophecy, Vault of Glass, and Deep Stone Crypt will show you exactly what weapon drops from where.

Trials of the Nine weapons return Destiny 2 1080p

Prophecy dungeon’s weapons

2. Trials of Osiris

Trials of Osiris has gone through many ups and downs. Mostly downs if we’re being honest. But the one thing it has always gotten right is the loot, namely its weapons. Trials of Osiris weapons are notoriously good. Often best in class.

As the ultimate endgame PVP activity in Destiny 2, Trials of Osiris has excellent weapons to offer. And since the start of Season of the Lost (this season), the system to earn loot and target farm rewards has been greatly improved. In fact, Trials features perhaps the best system to target farm exactly the weapons you want.

Even if you hate Trials, its weapons are well worth it. Trust me, your time will be well spent, especially when Trials: Freelance is available. This guide covers every Trials weapon, including Adept versions and their rotation.

3. Nightfall: The Ordeals

Bungie has made a lot of efforts to improve Destiny 2’s loot this past year. And they’ve vastly improved the associated grind too. Nightfall weapons are perhaps one of the best examples.

One one of the most challenging activities in the game (when playing on Master and Grandmaster difficulty), Nightfalls finally have the loot to properly reward you for your efforts. Nightfalls now reward unique weapons that can’t be found elsewhere, and some of them are real bangers.

Farming them is straightforward but the drop rates are rough and you’ll want to only play Master and Grandmaster Nightfalls if you want to efficiently farm for weapons. This guide covers every Nightfall weapon, their weekly rotation, and more.

Nightfall weapons this week Destiny 2 900p

4. Exotic Quests (and Kiosk)

Some of the best weapons in the game are Exotics. These being special items, they often require you to complete cool and unique missions to acquire them. This guide includes every Exotic quest in the game and provides you with their requirements and video guides to help you complete them.

Unfortunately, many Exotic quests have been removed from the game and put into the Destiny Content Vault. Those weapons can still be acquired but they now have to be purchased for a hefty price at the Monument to Lost Lights in the Tower, also referred to as the Exotics kiosk. This resource page includes every Exotic Kiosk weapon and cost.

5. Exotic engrams

Most of the Exotic weapons from Year 1 can only drop from Exotic engrams. These are unique engrams that randomly drop when playing the game, which means it is technically impossible to target farm these weapons…

That said, there are methods to significantly increase the number of Exotic engrams you can find in any given week. You should visit Xur every weekend and Nightfall: The Ordeals at the highest difficulties can also easily reward you with Exotic engrams.

You won’t be able to target specific weapons, but be aware that Exotic engrams will always reward you with armor and weapons you don’t already have. Once every weapon and armor from the Exotic engram pool has been added to your Collection, Exotic engrams will reward you exclusively with high stat Exotic armor.

Destiny 2 Exotic Engram

One of the best sights in the entire game…

6. Seasonal activities

Taking into account that every new Season costs $10, Bungie will obviously spend a lot of time creating exciting activities and enticing weapons to convince you to buy the season. Therefore, you can expect seasonal weapons to be above average. In fact, every season will come with a handful of top-tier weapons to keep you grinding.

Now that Seasonal content lasts for an entire year, there are too many activities to list here. You can refer to the two tables below for a complete view of every Seasonal activity currently available and what weapons they each offer.

7. Iron Banner

There’s a lot to be said about Iron Banner. The game mode feels stale and outdated and it features perhaps the worst farming system in the entire game.

Indeed, whereas Trials of Osiris now lets you target-farm specific weapons, Iron Banner still uses the same archaic tokens system it has for years. Turn in tokens to get an Iron Banner reward. With 18 weapons and an armor set in the loot pool, getting the weapon you want is extremely difficult… And that’s a shame because some of the newer Iron Banner weapons are very good.

Destiny 2 Iron Banner Season 14 weapons

A taste of Iron Banner’s weapons

8. Playlist activities

Playlist activities used to be the less rewarding activities in the entire game. Nowadays, they all offer unique weapons to each mode, and some of them are actually quite good.

Bungie usually adds 2 new weapons for each activity per season. With currently 6 weapons available per mode, it isn’t easy to target-farm these. Plus, each weapon has an enormous perk pool, which makes finding a god roll nearly impossible… On the flip side, drop rates are slightly higher than before, and if you use the right Ghost mod, you’ll be surprised by the quantity of Playlist weapons you’ll amass over time.

9. Events

There are four events in Destiny 2 in any given year: The Dawning for Christmas, Festival of the Lost for Halloween, Guardian Games, and Solstice of Heroes.

Limited in time by nature, this means you have only a couple of weeks to farm these event-specific weapons per year. The good news is that farming these is quite easy: The loot pools are very small and the drop rates are decent enough to guarantee a few good rolls if you take the time to participate.

Destiny 2 Glacioclasm

The Dawning’s Glaciocasm

10. Destination weapons

Some weapons can only be found on specific planets. These are reserved to only Europa, the Moon, and the Dreaming City and drop from completing specific bounties, missions, and events occurring within those planets.

There isn’t much more to say about these. For the most part, they are average, but some of them could be considered best-in-class. For farm those, each planet offers straightforward methods to farm them. For example, completing bounties on the Moon or quests from Variks on Europa.

11. World loot pool and Gunsmith

Finally, there are many weapons that can only drop randomly while playing the game or by visiting the Gunsmith in the Tower. As you’ll see in the weapons list below, the World loot pool is enormous, which means that farming them will be extremely difficult…

But on the flip side, most of those weapons are pretty average, giving little reason to want to farm them at all. Some of those weapons are fine, and you should always think twice before dismantling them, but you will be better of target farming weapons from other sources.

Destiny 2 weapon farming: All sources

While the list above covers the main methods to get weapons in Destiny 2, the list below covers absolutely every weapon source in the game:

Content TypeSourceLocationFarmingFireteam needed?Fireteam neededRequiresRequirements
EndgameDeep Stone Crypt raidEuropaWeekly

Yes

YesDestiny 2 Beyond Light logo 1Beyond Light
EndgameGrasp of Avarice dungeonCosmodromeRepeatable

Yes

YesDestiny 2 30th anniversary logo30th Anniversary
EndgameProphecy dungeonTowerRepeatable

Yes

YesDestiny 2 Free to Play logo 1Free-to-Play
EndgamePit of Heresy dungeonMoonWeekly

Yes

YesDestiny 2 Free to Play logo 1Free-to-Play
EndgameVault of Glass raidDirectorWeekly

Yes

YesDestiny 2 Free to Play logo 1Free-to-Play
EndgameLast Wish raidDreaming CityWeekly

Yes

YesDestiny 2 Free to Play logo 1Free-to-Play
EndgameGarden of Salvation raidMoonWeekly

Yes

YesDestiny 2 Free to Play logo 1Free-to-Play
EndgameNightfall: The OrdealPlaylist: VanguardRepeatable

Yes

YesDestiny 2 Free to Play logo 1Free-to-Play
CrucibleTrials of OsirisPlaylist: CrucibleRepeatable

No

NoDestiny 2 Beyond Light logo 1Beyond Light
CrucibleIron BannerPlaylist: CrucibleRepeatable

No

NoDestiny 2 Free to Play logo 1Free-to-Play
ExoticsExotic QuestsVariousSpot

No

NoDestiny 2 Beyond Light logo 1Beyond Light
ExoticsExotic EngramsWorld dropsRepeatable

No

NoDestiny 2 Free to Play logo 1Free-to-Play
ExoticsMonument to Lost LightsTowerRepeatable

No

NoVariousVarious
DestinationsEuropaEuropaRepeatable

No

NoDestiny 2 Beyond Light logo 1Beyond Light
DestinationsMoonEuropaRepeatable

No

NoDestiny 2 Beyond Light logo 1Beyond Light
DestinationsDreaming CityEuropaRepeatable

No

NoDestiny 2 Beyond Light logo 1Beyond Light
EventsDawningTowerRepeatable

No

NoDestiny 2 Free to Play logo 1Free-to-Play
EventsFestival of the LostTowerRepeatable

No

NoDestiny 2 Free to Play logo 1Free-to-Play
EventsGuardian GamesTowerRepeatable

No

NoDestiny 2 Free to Play logo 1Free-to-Play
EventsSolstice of HeroesTowerRepeatable

No

NoDestiny 2 Free to Play logo 1Free-to-Play
PlaylistPursuit weaponsTowerSpot

No

NoDestiny 2 Free to Play logo 1Free-to-Play
PlaylistPlaylist: CrucibleTowerRepeatable

No

NoDestiny 2 Free to Play logo 1Free-to-Play
PlaylistPlaylist: GambitTowerRepeatable

No

NoDestiny 2 Free to Play logo 1Free-to-Play
PlaylistPlaylist: StrikesPlaylist: VanguardRepeatable

No

NoDestiny 2 Free to Play logo 1Free-to-Play
SeasonalShattered RealmDreaming CityRepeatable

No

NoDestiny 2 Season 15 logoSeason 15
SeasonalAstral AlignmentDreaming CityRepeatable

No

NoDestiny 2 Deluxe Edition logoDeluxe Edition
SeasonalOverride MissionsH.E.L.MRepeatable

No

NoDestiny 2 Deluxe Edition logoDeluxe Edition
SeasonalBattlegroundsPlaylist: VanguardRepeatable

No

NoDestiny 2 Deluxe Edition logoDeluxe Edition
SeasonalWrathborn HuntsTangled ShoreRepeatable

No

NoDestiny 2 Deluxe Edition logoDeluxe Edition
SeasonalDares of EternityEternityRepeatable

No

NoDestiny 2 Free to Play logo 1Free-to-Play
World LootGunsmithTowerRepeatable

No

NoDestiny 2 Free to Play logo 1Free-to-Play
World LootWorld Loot PoolVariousRepeatable

No

NoDestiny 2 Free to Play logo 1Free-to-Play

Destiny 2 best weapons and how to get them

Finally, the table below shows you exactly what weapons drop from each source. If you ever wondered how to get a specific weapon in Destiny 2, you only need to search for it below:

Content typeSourceRequires?Weapons
EndgameGrasp of Avarice DungeonDestiny 2 30th anniversary logo1000 Yard Stare, Eyasluna, Hero of Ages, Matador 64
EndgameVault of Glass RaidDestiny 2 Free to Play logo 1Corrective Measure, Fatebringer, Found Verdict, Hezen Vengeance, Praedyth's Revenge, Vex Mythoclast, Vision of Confluence
EndgameProphecy DungeonDestiny 2 Free to Play logo 1A Sudden Death, A Swift Verdict, Darkest Before, Judgment, The Last Breath, The Long Walk
EndgameDeep Stone Crypt RaidDestiny 2 Beyond Light logo 1Bequest, Commemoration, Eyes of Tomorrow, Heritage, Posterity, Succession, Trustee
EndgameGarden of Salvation RaidDestiny 2 Shadowkeep logo 3Accrued Redemption, Ancient Gospel, Divinity, Omniscient Eye, Prophet of Doom, Reckless Oracle, Sacred Provenance, Zealot's Reward
EndgameLast Wish RaidDestiny 2 Forsaken logo 1Age-Old Bond, Apex Predator, Chattering Bone, Nation of Beasts, One Thousand Voices, Techeun Force, The Supremacy, Transfiguration, Tyranny of Heaven
EndgameNightfall: The OrdealsDestiny 2 Free to Play logo 1Hung Jury SR4, PLUG ONE.1, Shadow Price, The Comedian, The Hothead, The Palindrome, THE SWARM, Uzume RR4
EndgamePit of Heresy DungeonDestiny 2 Shadowkeep logo 3Premonition
CrucibleTrials of OsirisDestiny 2 Beyond Light logo 1Astral Horizon, Exile's Curse, Eye of Sol, Igneous Hammer, Reed's Regret, Shayura's Wrath, Sola's Scar, The Messenger, The Scholar, The Summoner, Tomorrow's Answer
CrucibleIron BannerDestiny 2 Free to Play logo 1Archon's Thunder, Bite of the Fox, Crimil’s Dagger, Finite Impactor, Forge's Pledge, Multimach CCX, Occluded Finality, Orewing's Maul, Peacebond, Riiswalker, Shining Sphere, Swarm of the Raven, Talons of the Eagle, The Fool's Remedy, The Forward Path, The Guiding Sight, The Steady Hand, The Time-Worn Spire
ExoticsExotic QuestVariesAger's Scepter, Cloudstrike, Dead Man's Tale, Deathbringer, Forerunner, Gjallarhorn, Hawkmoon, Malfeasance, No Time to Explain, Riskrunner, Salvation's Grip, The Chaperone, The Lament, Wish-Ender, Xenophage
ExoticsExotic EngramsDestiny 2 Free to Play logo 1Arbalest, Black Talon, Borealis, Cerberus+1, Coldheart, Crimson, D.A.R.C.I., Fighting Lion, Graviton Lance, Hard Light, Lord of Wolves, Merciless, Monte Carlo, Prometheus Lens, Skyburner's Oath, Sunshot, SUROS Regime, Sweet Business, Telesto, The Colony, The Huckleberry, The Jade Rabbit, The Prospector, The Queenbreaker, The Wardcliff Coil, Thunderlord, Tractor Cannon, Trinity Ghoul, Two-Tailed Fox, Vigilance Wing, Wavesplitter
Content VaultMonument to Lost LightsVariesAce of Spades, Anarchy, Bad Juju, Bastion, Cryosthesia 77K, Devil's Ruin, Duality, Eriana's Vow, Felwinter's Lie, Izanagi's Burden, Jötunn, Le Monarque, Legend of Acrius, Leviathan's Breath, Lumina, MIDA Multi-Tool, Outbreak Perfected, Point of the Stag, Polaris Lance, Rat King, Ruinous Effigy, Sleeper Simulant, Sturm, Symmetry, Tarrabah, The Fourth Horseman, The Last Word, Thorn, Ticuu's Divination, Tommy's Matchbook, Traveler's Chosen, Truth, Whisper of the Worm, Witherhoard, Worldline Zero
DestinationMoon DestinationDestiny 2 Free to Play logo 1A Fine Memorial, Apostate, Arc Logic, Blasphemer, Dream Breaker, Every Waking Moment, Heretic, Loud Lullaby, Love and Death, Night Terror, One Small Step, Tranquility
DestinationEuropa DestinationDestiny 2 Free to Play logo 1Arctic Haze, Bonechiller, Hailing Confusion, High Albedo, Subzero Salvo, Biting Winds, Coriolis Force, Thermal Erosion
DestinationDreaming City DestinationDestiny 2 Free to Play logo 1Abide the Return, Retold Tale, Sleepless, Tigerspite, Twilight Oath, Vouchsafe, Waking Vigil
EventsSolstice of HeroesDestiny 2 Free to Play logo 1Compass Rose
EventsGuardian GamesDestiny 2 Free to Play logo 1Heir Apparent
EventsFestival of the LostDestiny 2 Free to Play logo 1Braytech Werewolf, Horror Story, Jurassic Green
EventsDawningDestiny 2 Free to Play logo 1Avalanche, Cold Front, Glacioclasm, Zephyr
PlaylistPursuit weaponsDestiny 2 Free to Play logo 1Adored, Ascendancy, Null Composure, Salvager's Salvo
PlaylistStrikesDestiny 2 Free to Play logo 1Empty Vessel, Punching Out, Royal Entry, The Third Axiom, Xenoclast IV
PlaylistGambitDestiny 2 Free to Play logo 1Borrowed Time, Bottom Dollar, Crowd Pleaser, Servant Leader, Trinary System
PlaylistCrucibleDestiny 2 Free to Play logo 1Frozen Orbit, Sorrow's Verse, Stars in Shadow, Survivor's Epitaph, The Keening, Wishbringer
SeasonalDares of EternityDestiny 2 Free to Play logo 1BxR-55 Battler, Half-Truths, Pardon Our Dust, Retraced Path, The Other Half, Wastelander M5
SeasonalShattered RealmDestiny 2 Season 15 logoCanis Major, Fractethyst, Iota Draconis, Vulpecula, Wolftone Draw
SeasonalSeason PassDestiny 2 Season 15 logoChrysura Melo, Lorentz Driver, Shattered Cipher, Sojourner's Tale
SeasonalOverrideDestiny 2 Deluxe Edition logoChroma Rush, Farewell, Gridskipper, Ignition Code
SeasonalBattlegroundsDestiny 2 Deluxe Edition logoCode Duello, Extraordinary Rendition, Far Future, Imperial Needle, Threaded Needle
SeasonalWrathborn HuntsDestiny 2 Deluxe Edition logoBlast Battue, Brass Attacks, Corsair's Wrath,
Deafening Whisper, Friction Fire, Royal Chase
World LootWorld Loot PoolDestiny 2 Deluxe Edition logoAnnual Skate, Arsenic Bite-4b, Bad Omens, Berenger's Memory, Cartesian Coordinate, Cold Denial,Contingency Plan, Crown-Splitter, Death Adder, Eternal Blazon, Eternity's Edge, Falling Guillotine, False Promises, First In, Last Out, Gnawing Hunger, Hollow Words, Hoosegow, IKELOS_HC_v1.0.2, IKELOS_SG_v1.0.2, IKELOS_SMG_v1.0.2, IKELOS_SR_v1.0.2, Last Dance, Last Perdition, Legal Action II, Lonesome, Long Shadow, Main Ingredient, Memory Interdict, Nature of the Beast, Negative Space, Night Watch, Outrageous Fortune, Pleiades Corrector, Quickfang, Retrofuturist, Scathelocke, Shepherd's Watch, Spoiler Alert, Steel Sybil Z-14, Stochastic Variable, Tarantula, Temptation's Hook, The Deicide, The Number, The Vision, Toil and Trouble, Truthteller, Whispering Slab, Widow's Bite,
World LootGunsmithDestiny 2 Free to Play logo 1Dire Promise, Distant Tumulus, Drang, Enigma's Draw, Escape Velocity, Honor's Edge, Interference VI, Jian 7 Rifle, MIDA Mini-Tool, Seventh Seraph Carbine, Seventh Seraph CQC-12, Seventh Seraph Officer Revolver, Seventh Seraph SAW, Seventh Seraph SI-2, Seventh Seraph VY-7, Timelines' Vertex, True Prophecy

You now know how to get every single weapon in Destiny 2!

About The Author

Ric Molina
Ric Molina
I've been covering gaming since 2012, and some of my work has been featured by large brands, including MSN.com, Forbes, Rock Paper Shotgun, and more. I've been obsessed with Destiny 2 for years now, and I hope to provide new and returning players with the guides and resources I wish I had when I first started.
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