BungieUsing the best PvE weapons makes beating Destiny 2’s most challenging content much easier. To help you overcome what lies ahead, you’ll want to be using these recommended meta guns in The Edge of Fate.
Although off-meta weapons can be fun, it’s best to stick to the best Exotics and Legendary weapons when tackling harder content. The difference between an okay gun and a meta gun is huge, with your choice of loadout often being the lone reason why you clear a Raid & Dungeon or a GM Nightfall.
A weapon might excel because of its raw damage, incredible utility, or even a game-breaking exploit. Regardless, using the best PvE weapons possible is going to make your life much easier, and these are the guns we recommend.
Best PvE weapons we’d recommend right now
Scout Rifles, Hand Cannons, Pulse Rifles, and Rocket Sidearms/Pulse Rifles are the strongest weapons in the current meta. All of these either benefit from new archetypes added in The Edge of Fate, synergize with the current artifact, or remain powerful from buffs in previous seasons.
These are the absolute best PvE weapons we’d recommend using in the current meta, with each being the strongest of the meta weapon types:
- Auto Rifle: Giver’s Blessing & Ahab Char
- Grenade Launcher: Lost Signal
- Heavy GL: VS Chill Inhibitor
- Linear Fusion Rifle: Queenbreaker & Finality’s Auger
- Pulse Rifle: Mint Retrograde & Outbreak Perfected
- Rocket Sidearm: Tinasha’s Mastery & Returned Memory
- Machine Gun: Ulterior Observation & Thunderlord
- Scout Rifle: Third Iteration
- Hand Cannon: Agape & Solemn Remembrance
DexertoThe guns listed above are the best you can use, with all of them being among the most effectuve weapons in the current sandbox. They are the meta-defining guns that will serve you well regardless of whether you need to complete entry-level content or overcome the latest GM Nightfall.
Keep in mind, not all of these weapons are equally effective with all classes and loadouts. For example, a meta shotgun like Perfect Paradox is better suited to a melee-focused Titan build, while Vantage Point becomes especially powerful when partnered with an Arc Exotic like Fallen Sunstar. We recommend farming god rolls for all of these weapons to make sure you have covered all bases.
Best Top Slot Weapons for PvE (Kinetic, Stasis, Strand)
Primary Kinetic Weapons
Giver’s Blessing
- Archetype: Kinetic Auto Rifle
- Weapon Frame: Rapid-Fire
- Debut Season: Season 27
- God Roll: Rewind Rounds + Kinetic Tremors
Say hello to your new Kinetic best friend. Giver’s Blessing is one of the best weapons added in The Edge of Fate due to its fantastic perk combo of Rewind Rounds and Kinetic Tremors. With a respectable clip size of 46 out of the box, Rewind Rounds means you’ll rarely have to reload, providing near-constant uptime on Kinetic Tremors and granting some of the best add-clear of any non-Exotic primary weapon.
Solemn Remembrance
- Archetype: Stasis Hand Cannon
- Weapon Frame: Precision
- Debut Season: Season 27
- God Roll: Headstone + Firefly
Solemn Remembrance marks the first instance of being able to roll Headstone and Firefly on a weapon, and it works exactly as you’d hope. Well, sometimes, at least. In first-hand testing, Stasis crystals produced by Headstone will often be shattered by the explosion caused by Firefly on precision kills, but not always.
Whether this behaviour is intended or otherwise remains to be seen, but regardless of the inconsistency in one perk procing the other, Solemn Remembrance is another fantastic add-clear primary weapon.
Adamantite
Dexerto- Archetype: Strand Auto Rifle
- Weapon Frame: Support Frame
- Debut Season: Season 26
- God Roll: Reciprocity + Circle of Life
Building on the success of No Hesitation, Adamantite is the game’s second Support Frame AR, this time filling the top slot as a Strand weapon. It is similar in many ways but switches out Physic for Reciprocity, which is preferred as its self-healing effect doesn’t require rapid kills.
Fatebringer
Dexerto- Archetype: Kinetic Hand Cannon
- Weapon Frame: Adaptive
- Debut Season: Season 26 (Reprised)
- God Roll: Explosive Payload + Firefly
Episode Heresy finally introduced weapon crafting for weapons obtained exclusively from Vault of Glass. Fatebringer was already a potent primary for everyday PvE. Now, it’s even better, thanks to a refreshed perk pool and brand-new Origin Trait in the form of Timelost Magazine. The latter overloads the magazine after using a Super, drastically cutting down on reloads. That, combined with the tried and true combo of Explosive Payload and Firefly – now enhanceable, to boot – makes Fatebringer a true workhorse.
Multimach CCX
Dexerto- Archetype: Kinetic SMG
- Weapon Frame: Lightweight
- Debut Season: Season 23 (Reprised)
- God Roll: Attrition Orbs + Kinetic Tremors
Multimach CCX is the best primary weapon for producing Orbs of Power in the game. The combination of Attrition Orbs + Kinetic Tremors is incredible, with both perks synergizing with each other extremely well. If nothing else, this gun gives you a reason to farm Iron Banner when it is around, or you can give Banshee a visit who is giving away the god roll as compensation for Weight Gate.
Special Kinetic Weapons
Mint Retrograde
- Archetype: Strand Pulse Rifle
- Weapon Frame: Rocket-Assisted
- Debut Season: Season 27
- God Roll: Rewind Rounds + Chain Reaction
Considering the massive popularity of Rocket Sidearms, it was only a matter of time until Bungie gave other weapon types the same treatment. Enter Mint Retrograde, the first Rocket Pulse Rifle. This weapon of mass destruction is arguably the strongest introduced in Edge of Fate, able to dish out persistent single-target damage through Rewind Rounds as well as wipe entire packs of enemies by double-dipping on AoE damage with Chain Reaction and its in-built explosive ordnance.
Lost Signal
Dexerto- Archetype: Stasis Grenade Launcher
- Weapon Frame: Area Denial Frame
- Debut Season: Season 24
- God Roll: Lead From Gold/Stats For All + One For All
Lost Signal was Destiny’s first Area Denial Frame GL, bringing a new add-clear option to the ever-growing sandbox. This is effectively a legendary Witherhoard, leaving behind damaging pools that take out enemies who step in them.
Praedyth’s Revenge
Dexerto- Archetype: Kinetic Sniper Rifle
- Weapon Frame: Rapid-Fire Frame
- Debut Season: Season 26 (Reprised)
- God Roll: Envious Arsenal/Rewind Rounds + Bait and Switch
For all intents and purposes, this reprised Sniper Rifle is essentially just a better version of The Supremacy. Not a million times better by any means, but better nonetheless. The main advantages it has are that it can roll Envious Arsenal for some tasty DPS rotations, and it gets access to Timelost Magazine, a powerful origin trait that doubles your magazine size after using a Super.
Tinasha’s Mastery
Dexerto- Archetype: Stasis Sidearm
- Weapon Frame: Rocket-Assisted Frame
- Debut Season: Season 25
- God Roll: Air Trigger/Loose Change + Chill Clip
The Rocket Sidearm craze continues, with Tinasha’s Mastery giving Stasis mains the chance to use this archetype. To be honest, this incredible weapon works with just about every build, as Chill Clip allows you to stun Unstoppable Champions without any mods.
Exotic Kinetic Weapons
Ager’s Sceptre
Dexerto- Archetype: Stasis Trace Rifle
- Exotic Perks: Ager’s Call, Rega’s Refrain
- Catalyst: Will Given Form
- Debut Season: Season 15
Ager’s Sceptre isn’t quite as effective as it was during Episode Revenant, but this meta Exotic is still well worth using for Stasis builds. The ability to easily Slow and Freeze enemy combatants by beaming them makes this a great add-clear weapon, as the resulting Shatter damage will wipe out anything nearby, even in endgame content.
For Warlocks especially, this is a great pick, as the weapon’s Catalyst provides more damage by consuming Super energy. Considering Shadebinder is one of the weakest Supers in Destiny 2 right now, Ager’s Scepter puts that resource to better use.
Bad Juju
Dexerto- Archetype: Kinetic Pulse Rifle
- Exotic Perks: String of Curses, Hip-Fire Grip
- Catalyst: Unending Curse
- Debut Season: Season 7
The Bad Juju buff at the start of Episode Revenant took it from a solid but niche Exotic to one of the best in the game. It now deals high damage, produces a ton of Super energy, and is a devastating add-clear weapon that can hold its own in any content. Also, Pulse Rifles are performing very well in the current sandbox, allowing them to outdamage most other primary weapons.
Outbreak Perfected
Dexerto- Archetype: Kinetic Pulse Rifle
- Exotic Perks: The Corruption Spreads, Parasitism
- Catalyst: Headseeker, Rewind Rounds, Rapid Hit, Outlaw
- Debut Season: Season 23 (Reprised)
Statistically speaking, Outbreak Perfected is the best DPS primary weapon in Destiny 2, at least not including Lucky Pants. The sheer damage that this Exotic’s parasites deal was always impressive, but the huge Pulse Rifle buffs in The Final Shape and the addition of Rewind Rounds with its craftable variant have elevated this gun to S-tier status.
Barrow-Dyad
Dexerto- Archetype: Strand SMG
- Weapon Frame: N/A
- Debut Season: Season 26
- Catalyst: High-Impact Reserves, One for All, Target Lock, Hatchling
Submachine Guns made a comeback in Epiosde Heresy and Barrow-Dyad leads the charge with its fantastic Exotic perks and Catalysts. Barrow-Dyad’s gimmick enables it to reload its standard magazine automatically.
Dealing damage with normal rounds builds the Panic Response gauge which, when manually reloading, imbues your next magazine with a varying number of hard-hitting Blighted Seekers. Primary weapons that deal damage beyond their means are often considered top-tier in the meta, and Barrow-Dyad is a prime example.
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Best Energy Weapons for PvE (Arc, Solar, Void)
Primary Energy Weapons
Agape
- Archetype: Solar Hand Cannon
- Weapon Frame: Heavy Burst
- Debut Season: Season 27
- God Roll: Heal Clip + Incandescent
Agape joined the small pool of existing heavy burst Hand Cannons in Edge of Fate is undoubtedly the archetype’s best one yet. Especially during a season that’s Solar-focused, Agape’s access to the reliably excellent Heal Clip + Incandescent combo makes it adept at clearing waves of enemies while keeping your health topped off. A workhorse well worth farming for.
Ahab Char
- Archetype: Solar Auto Rifle
- Weapon Frame: Rapid-Fire
- Debut Season: Season 27
- God Roll: Heal Clip + Burning Ambition
In testing, Burning Ambition doesn’t quite match Incandescent as a meta perk, but it is a solid pick for automatic weapons. Ahab Char isn’t meta-defining, but it’s certainly worth consideration for any Solar builds, able to chew through most rank-and-file enemies while providing sustain in Heal Clip.
Zaouli’s Bane
Dexerto- Archetype: Solar Hand Cannon
- Weapon Frame: Adaptive
- Debut Season: Season 18
- God Roll: Explosive Payload + Incandescent
Zaouli’s Bane remains one of the best PvE weapons. While several Hand Cannons are great in the current meta, Zaouli’s Bane is the best all-purpose option, as Explosive Payload lets it deal with tankier enemies in a way its competitors can’t, while Incandescent gives this Hand Cannon serious add clear potential.
Special Energy Weapons
Lotus-Eater
Dexerto- Archetype: Void Sidearm
- Weapon Frame: Rocket-Assisted
- Debut Season: Season 26
- God Roll: Reconstruction/Repulsor Brace + Destabilizing Rounds
With The Edge of Fate, Bungie reined in the power of Destabilizing Rounds. Still, Lotus-Eater remains the only Void-element Rocket Sidearm and is worth hunting down from Nightfalls when available for that reason alone.
VS Velocity Baton
Dexerto- Archetype: Void Grenade Launcher
- Weapon Frame: Area Denial Frame
- Debut Season: Season 25
- God Roll: Demolitionist/Repulsor Brace + Attrition Orbs
Of all the weapons added in Vesper’s Host, VS Velocity Baron is the best, with this Void GL producing more Orbs of Power than any other weapon in the game. The combination of Attrition Orbs and an Area Denial Frame is incredible, making this gun the perfect choice for building ability energy and upkeeping buffs using Orbs.
Exotic Energy Weapons
Third Iteration
- Archetype: Void Scout Rifle
- Exotic Perks: Tri-Planar Mass Driver, Amalgamation Rounds
- Catalyst: Aberrant Combustion
- Debut Season: Season 27
Granted, it’s due to a bug, but Third Iteration is currently one of the strongest weapons in Edge of Fate’s sandbox. Whether its popularity will remain after balancing remains to be seen, but for now, it’s deserving of a spot here due to the absurd damage its able to churn out.
Buried Bloodline
Dexerto- Archetype: Void Sidearm
- Exotic Perks: Hungering Quarrel, Violent Reanimation
- Catalyst: Splitvein Lineage
- Debut Season: Season 23
Rocket Pistols are cool and all, but this Exotic takes things a step further by offering Devour and life steal on demand. With its catalyst equipped, Buried Bloodline can even weaken enemies too, giving it fantastic utility. This is a workhorse Exotic that works well with just about any build, but especially well with a dedicated Void loadout.
Choir of One
Dexerto- Archetype: Void Auto Rifle
- Exotic Perks: Command Frame, Fanatical Lance
- Catalyst: Onslaught/Destabilizing Rounds/Subsistence.
- Debut Season: Season 24
Destiny’s first Auto Rifle to use Special ammo did not disappoint, serving as a far superior alternative to the long-forgotten Cerberus+1. Like Cerberus, Choir of One can either be used as both an Auto Rifle and Shotgun. Unlike Cerberus, this gun hits incredibly hard, being capable of dealing over 3 million damage in a single phase against Phry’zhia, which rivals some of the best Heavy weapons in the sandbox.
Lodestar
Dexerto- Archetype: Arc Trace Rifle
- Exotic Perks: Starlight Beam, Arc Alignment
- Catalyst: Supercharged Matrix
- Debut Season: Season 26
Destiny 2’s first-ever primary ammo Trace Rifle has not disappointed. Lodestar has immediately become one of the best add-clear weapons in the game, with its spectacular ability to Jolt enemies with ease making it a force to be reckoned with. If you are playing an Arc build, this is currently the standout primary, so we highly recommend giving it a go.
Lord of Wolves
Dexerto- Archetype: Solar Shotgun
- Exotic Perks: Shrapnel Launcher, Release the Wolves
- Catalyst: Fang and Claw
- Debut Season: Season 4
In what might be the most incredible glow-up in Destiny history, Lord of Wolves has gone from a bottom-tier Exotic to a meta-defining weapon with unrivaled DPS potential. Sadly, Bungie has acknowledged this is overperforming and not intended, but at least until they nerf it, you may as well take advantage of this comically powerful Shotgun that can take down just about anything.
Sunshot
Dexerto- Archetype: Solar Hand Cannon
- Exotic Perks: Sunburn, Sun Blast
- Catalyst: +27 Range, +18 Stability
- Debut Season: Season 1
Not quite the natural first pick for the special slot as it was at the height of Prismatic’s popularity for in The Final Shape for its wild Transcendence generation, Sunshot still remains one of the absolute best add-clear weapons in the entirety of Destiny 2. With access to what’s essentially a superior version of Firefly – all kills, not just precision, trigger an explosion – the vanilla Hand Cannon remains a worthwhile consideration for any enemy-dense scenario.
Best Heavy Weapons for PvE
DPS Heavy Weapons
Hezen Vengeance
Dexerto- Archetype: Solar Rocket Launcher
- Weapon Frame: Aggressive
- Debut Season: Season 26 (Reprised)
- God Roll: Envious Arsenal + Bait and Switch
It took some time, but Apex Predator has finally been dethroned as the best Rocket Launcher in Destiny 2. Taking its place, Hezen Vengeance is much the same, but it replaces Reconstruction with Envious Arsenal and has a significantly better origin trait. Simply use your Super, and this meta weapon will now fire two rockets before reloading, giving it DPS potential that nothing else in this archetype can match.
VS Chill Inhibitor
Dexerto- Archetype: Stasis Heavy GL
- Weapon Frame: Rapid-Fire
- Debut Season: Season 25
- God Roll: Cascade Point/Envious Arsenal + Bait and Switch
If absolute DPS is your goal, you can’t do better than VS Chill Inhibitor. This Heavy GL rolls both Cascade Point & Bait and Switch, making it just the second weapon to do so after Edge Transit. However, this has two big advantages over its Void counterpart – it is a better archetype and you can claim it from Banshee for free as long as you have finished Vesper’s Host at least once.
Add-clear Heavy Weapons
Ulterior Observation
- Archetype: Stasis Machine Gun
- Weapon Frame: Aggressive
- Debut Season: Season 27
- God Roll: Subsistence/Headstone + Killing Tally/Rimestealer
The beauty of Ulterior Observation is its versatile perk pool. If you’re running Stasis, the combination of Headstone and Rimestealer provides perfect synergy with Edge of Fate’s Artifact. If, on the other hand, you’re in the market for a more versatile crowd-killing monster, Subsistence + Killing Tally is an equally worthwhile option.
Commemoration
Dexerto- Archetype: Void Machine Gun
- Weapon Frame: Adaptive
- Debut Season: Season 12
- God Roll: Reconstruction + Killing Tally
While it’s no longer the undisputed best Machine Gun, Commemoration remains a fantastic PvE weapon for add-clear. Watch any high-level player in Raids who is on add-clear duty, and they will probably be using this. Being able to procc Killing Tally, and retain stacks thanks to Reconstruction, makes this an easy S-tier weapon.
Hammerhead
Dexerto- Archetype: Void Machine Gun
- Weapon Frame: Adaptive
- Debut Season: Season 23 (Reprised)
- God Roll: Rampage/Rewind Rounds + Killing Tally
Commemoration dominated the Machine Gun meta for eleven seasons. However, Hammerhead’s return has seen it compete head-to-head. It’s a close call as which is better, with both Machine Guns being incredibly strong at what they do. Commemoration probably just about wins, but Hammerhead is a fine alternative that delivers in everything from Vanguard Ops to Contest Mode raids.
Pro Memoria
Dexerto- Archetype: Strand Machine Gun
- Weapon Frame: Aggressive
- Debut Season: Season 24
- God Roll: Reconstruction + Firefly
This was Destiny 2’s first-ever Aggressive Frame Machine Gun, and its 600 RPM fire rate feels really strong at medium range, especially with Firefly. Will it replace Commemoration as the go-to LMG? Probably not, but Pro Memoria is still a superb option for those who don’t enjoy raiding but still want make meaningful contributions to their team.
Song of Ir Yût
Dexerto- Archetype: Arc Machine Gun
- Weapon Frame: Adaptive
- Debut Season: Season 22
- God Roll: Reconstruction/Rewind Rounds + Sword Logic
Available as a craftable weapon from Crota’s End, this Machine Gun is damn ugly. Even though it’s not exactly a looker, Song of Ir Yût’s effectiveness cannot be disputed. In many ways, this is the Arc version of Commemoration, with Sword Logic taking the place of Killing Tally. It’s not quite as good as the Void Machine Guns on this list, but during an Arc Surge, this LMG becomes an add-clear monster.
Exotic Heavy Weapons
Dragon’s Breath
Dexerto- Archetype: Solar Rocket Launcher
- Exotic Perks: Composite Propellant, High Octane
- Catalyst: Pyromancer
- Debut Season: Season 23
From Anarchy to Witherhoard, weapons that deal overtime damage have always featured in Destiny’s meta. Given this, it’s no surprise that Dragon’s Breath is so popular. Fire a shot, switch to a Special DPS weapon, switch back, and shoot again. All you have to do is follow this simple rotation to output some of the best DPS possible.
Finality’s Auger
Bungie / Dexerto- Archetype: Solar Linear Fusion Rifle
- Exotic Perks: Ruinscribe’s Forge, Ruinscribe’s Beacon
- Catalyst: Bait and Switch
- Debut Season: Season 26
While Sleeper Simulant won’t be making a return to the meta anytime soon, that doesn’t mean you can’t use a Solar Linear Fusion Rifle. The Sundered Doctrine dungeon introduced Finality’s Auger, an impressive LFR that fires off a devastating turret that deletes both adds and bosses alike. Once you unlock its catalyst, this damage is boosted by a further 30%, allowing it to outdamage almost every other Exotic.
Thunderlord
Dexerto- Archetype: Arc Machine Gun
- Exotic Perks: Reign Havoc, Feeding Frenzy
- Catalyst: Return Stroke
- Debut Season: Season 4
No, Thunderlord is not a good DPS weapon. Whoever is telling you otherwise is trolling or ill-informed. However, it is a genuine jack-of-all-trades Exotic with no real downside. From taking out champions to mowing down hundreds of combatants, there’s not too much that this lightning-spewing Machine Gun can’t do.
Tractor Cannon
Dexerto- Archetype: Void Shotgun
- Exotic Perks: Repulsor Force, The Scientific Method
- Catalyst: Deeper Pockets
- Debut Season: Season 1
Similar to Divinity, Tractor Cannon is a utility weapon that debuffs enemies. After being shot by this bizarre-looking Exotic, combatants take 30% more damage from all sources. That makes Tractor Cannon a fantastic option to suppress bosses and let your team deal a lot more damage. It can even be partnered with another shotgun with One-Two Punch and Synthoceps for some substantial DPS.
The Queenbreaker
- Archetype: Arc Linear Fusion Rifle
- Exotic Perks: Wire Rifle
- Catalyst: Rewind Rounds
- Debut Season: Season 4
After languishing in mediocrity for years, The Queenbreaker finally made its triumphant return to relevance in Heresy thanks to a reworked Exotic perk and Catalyst. The latter, which now gives the weapon Rewind Rounds, makes Queenbreaker a top-tier boss DPS weapon in its own right.
That’s everything you need to know about the best PvE weapons in Destiny 2. For more meta breakdowns, check out the Best PvP Weapons.
