PvE in Destiny 2 is what it is all about, and having the best weapons in your arsenal is super important. If you want to start turning the crowds into dust, then these are the weapons I think you should be looking out for.
My top 10 weapons for PvE
Of course, as always, this list is subjective. I have found I enjoy using these weapons in PvE more than any other. They work with my playstyle and builds. You should give them a try and see how they work for you.
Thunderlord
This weapon is an absolute master of crowd control. It’ll take up your exotic slot, but there aren’t many better weapons you could choose in Destiny 2 PvE. The gun itself is designed to clear out crowds with its various bonuses.
Final kills with this weapon will bring down a bolt from above, wreaking havoc on all below it. This exotic also becomes more effective the longer it is used. The longer the trigger is held, the more accurate it becomes. This also pairs with the Feeding Frenzy perk, which increases reload speed for every rapid kill. In a room full of enemies, Thunderlord reigns supreme.
Quicksilver Storm
This PvE weapon was released with the Destiny 2: Lightfall campaign, and it took the game by *Ahem* storm. With multiple successful hits, Quicksilver Storm makes the next bullet into a homing rocket. Land enough of these bad boys, and the gun starts loading up grenades. It then becomes possible to switch ammo types and blast away with those.
The nature of the rockets and the grenades gives the Quicksilver Storm excellent crowd-control capabilities in PvE. However, the homing nature of the rockets also makes it very helpful against big heavy enemies.
Ace of Spades
If you have played PvP enough, you’ll come to know the Ace of Spades and probably dread it. This gun comes with some perks that set it far above the rest of the Hand Cannons out there. Although it is great in PvP, it also shines in Destiny 2’s PvE.
What really makes this gun great is the Memento Mori intrinsic perk. Not only does reloading after a kill load up extra damage bullets, but you also get a radar while aiming down the sights. When fighting in PvE, you will almost always be reloading after a kill, meaning the high-damage bullets never stop coming.
The second intrinsic perk, Firefly, makes the Ace of Spades great in a crowd. Nailing those precision shots causes the enemy to explode, dealing solar damage. Not only that, but your reload speed also increases, further buffing the first perk.
Witherhoard
When you whip out a grenade launcher in Destiny 2 PvE, you’re making a statement. You’re there to cause damage and a lot of it. Witherhoard is one of the best ways to do it if you ask me.
What makes this one of the best weapons for PvE is its ability to absolutely cover an area in Blight.
The perks on Witherhoard spread Blight like no other. With Primevil’s Torment, the target and surrounding area become infected with Blight. Furthermore, any target with Blight takes damage and, on death, spreads it to nearby enemies and areas. You can become a walking plague.
Arbalest
Arbalest in a Kinetic weapon that hits like a freight train. While a lot of the previous weapons for PvE have been about crowd control in Detiny 2, Arablet is all about turning champions into colanders.
The first intrinsic perk, Compounding Force, causes massive damage to the shield, making it excellent against shielded enemies. Furthermore, Disruption Break causes projectiles to do even more kinetic damage once the gun has broken a shield. This combo makes for a serious treat to shielded champions.
Izanagi’s Burden
Similar to the last PvE weapon, Izanagi’s Burden is a master of damage when it comes to champions. It focuses less on crowd control and more on having the last word.
The perks of this already highly powerful and effective Sniper Rifle can turn four bullets into a single earth-shattering shot. Using the alternate fire mode will activate Honed Edge. This turns all four bullets in the magazine into one and subsequently delivers a devastating payload equal to more than the 4 bullets individually. If you use this weapon during a damage phase and after a shield has been dropped, you’re going to make a real statement.
Riskrunner
Akin to Thunderlord, this is a PvE weapon in Destiny 2 that uses lightning from the gods to obliterate crowds. The exotic perks mean that when arc damage is taken, Risk Runner then raises arc damage resistance. This is only the beginning. Once arc damage is taken, the gun becomes overcharged and delivers more damage; a state that continues the more kills you get.
Just to top all this off, the second perk teams up with the first perk and creates the chance to not only cause chain lightning but also return ammo to the magazine. This weapon can become an endless stream of overpowered lightning death.
The best thing is the arc damage doesn’t even have to come from an enemy. You could just pop an arc grenade on your own forehead.
Calus Mini-Tool
This one isn’t exotic, and it doesn’t come with a crazy intrinsic that can split the very reality of the world, but it still holds its own in a Destiny 2 PvE list. It is a new addition to the Season of The Haunted, and it is making waves.
This handy little SMG sprays bullets at a disgusting 900 RPM and still maintains incredible accuracy. It is basically a laser pointer of death. The handling is high, the recoil is low, and the accuracy is amazing. However, it only has 37 bullets in a magazine, so it will empty a clip quicker than you can blink. You’re going to spend more time on the 2.27 seconds of reload time than the emptying of the clip.
The Lament
Devil May Cry, Gears Of War, Doom. All these games have something in common, and it is a chainsaw. Destiny 2’s addition to the chainsaw category makes for a fantastic PvE weapon.
The Lament comes with Banshees Wail, an absolutely overpowered intrinsic that obliterates enemies’ shields and then the juicy flesh beneath. While blocking, the blade is revved up. Subsequently, attacks gain stacking damage and shield damage. Once these stacks build up, they not only cause more damage but also add damage resistance.
As the final icing on the cake, the blade also heals the wielder when damage is dealt. You couldn’t choose a better sword for your PvE arsenal than this monster.
Riptide
Riptide is another new addition to the game with Season of The Haunted and has rapidly become a fan favourite. It is a rapid-fire Fusion Rifle that can deliver huge damage with a very short charge time.
Despite not coming with a huge array of amazing intrinsics, this gun is able to hold its own in Destiny 2 PvE with just its perks alone. For a good god roll, you’ll want to grab Riptide with the Chill Clip. This perk creates an explosion that slows nearby enemies when you get direct hits with the first half of the clip. This perk is handy for everyone on your squad.
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