Exotic Weapons are a crucial part of a Guardian’s arsenal, but you’d be wise not to sleep on your Legendaries. You can’t rely on your Exotics for everything, so here are my picks for the top 10 best Legendary weapons in Destiny 2.
Best Legendaries in Destiny 2
Before we begin, let me quickly explain a few choices in this list. Firstly, I’ve not included any Raid weapons. A lot of Raid exclusive gear is top-tier, but many players don’t engage with those activities, and they are out of reach for new players. With one exception, I’ve not added Brave weapons to the list either. The Brave arsenal is fantastic, and I highly recommend all players get comfortable in Onslaught, but I didn’t want this list just to be Brave gear.
Ammit AR2
- Type: Auto Rifle
- Element: Solar
- Where to obtain: Legendary Engrams
Auto Rifles get a bad wrap in Destiny 2. For every rare good one, there’s a pile of awful rifles that draw inexperienced players in with their ease of use. The Ammit AR2 is one of the absolute best and shines in both PVE and PVP.
This weapon is fine out of the box, but you’ll be laughing if you get the Dynamic Sway Reduction and Incandescent perks. With this combination, the Ammit AR2 is effortless to control, and Incandescent makes enemies explode.
If you don’t have the best aim or just want to play with a wonderfully easy weapon, you can’t go wrong with this phenomenal Ammit AR2.
Matador 64
- Type: Shotgun
- Element: Arc
- Where to obtain: Grasp of Avarice Dungeon
This is a PVP-focused choice, but the Matador 64 is an absolute terror in The Crucible. This dangerous Arc Shotgun is easy to use and deletes Guardians at ranges you shouldn’t be able to get away with.
The Opening Shot perk is the star of the show and gives additional range if you’ve not fired the weapon for a few seconds. If you like your battles up close, few Legendaries can keep up with the Matador 64, and it’s great for shutting down Guardians using their Super attacks.
The Conditional Finality or Chaperone Exotics may be Shotgun royalty in PVP, but only a fool would bet against the Matador 64.
Scatter Signal
- Type: Fusion Rifle
- Element: Strand
- Where to obtain: Season of the Wish activities
It’s a personal preference, but I’ve never liked using Fusion Rifles in Destiny 2, at least until I tried the Scatter Signal. This Strand Fusion Rifle deals a ton of damage and a short, manageable charge time. It can also roll with Controlled Burst, which deals additional damage if you’re accurate. You can also have the Overflow perk, which can ‘overload’ the magazine, giving more shots before a reload.
The best part is that the Scatter Signal is craftable and drops like candy in Season of the Wish activities. Even if you’re on the fence about Fusion Rifles like me, I urge you to try this one.
Indebted Kindness
- Type: Sidearm
- Element: Arc
- Where to obtain: Warlord’s Ruin Dungeon
The Indebted Kindness is a disgustingly powerful sidearm that feels like it belongs in its own unique category. Most sidearms are fully automatic or sport a decent fire rate. Compared to those, the Indebted Kindness shoots slowly, but each projectile does a ton of damage. With this weapon, you can lay waste to Champions and even put a dent in bosses.
As for Perks, the golden goose is Voltshot, arguably the best Arc perk in the game. Beacon Rounds is another popular perk, as it grants tracking if you score a kill.
You only have a small chance of getting the Indebted Kindness each time you beat the Warlord’s Ruin dungeon, but it’s well worth the effort.
The Other Half
- Type: Sword
- Element: Void
- Where to obtain: Dares of Eternity
If you’re a Halo player, you’ll instantly recognize where this weapon design draws inspiration. The Other Half is a fantastic sword and can roll with the desirable Eager Edge perk. You can lunge through the air multiple times with Eager Edge, and it opens up a ton of mobility options.
The Other Half can also roll with Vorpal Weapon, which deals additional damage to bosses. I don’t know the exact drop rates, but I farmed The Other Half for hours in the Dares of Eternity. The drop rate seems tremendously low, and while I firmly believe it’s worth it, strap in for a mighty grind.
Brigand’s Law
- Type: Sidearm
- Element: Arc
- Where to obtain: Xur may bring it on his weekly visits
The Brigand’s Law is a monster sidearm, and with the right perks, it almost feels like an Exotic. If you like weapons that are easy to control with a high rate of fire, you’ll love how Brigand’s Law feels.
A big reason this weapon is so sought after is its perks. Brigand’s Law can roll with Voltshot and Threat Detector. This combination is perfect for mob clearing and can destroy large groups within a few seconds. The Brigand’s Law is a little hard to get hold of nowadays, but Xur has sold a well-rolled one in the past and will hopefully do so again someday.
Calus Mini Tool
- Type: Submachine Gun
- Element: Solar
- Where to obtain: Presage Exotic Mission
The Calus Mini Tool is my favorite SMG in Destiny 2 and my go-to mob clearer. This weapon is so good that I bought five of them from Xur when he stocked them so I could craft my own. Mine has Unrelenting and Incandescent, which restores my health while my enemies explode.
This perk combination alone is enough for me to recommend the weapon, and it’s a dream to use with a quick reload and manageable recoil. The Calus Mini Tool is a little ugly but has everything you could want in a top-tier SMG. If you see Xur selling it in the future, I recommend stocking up so you can build your own.
Igneous Hammer
- Type: Hand Cannon
- Element: Solar
- Where to obtain: Trials of Osiris
There are plenty of incredible Hand Cannons in Destiny 2, but one of my favorites is the Igneous Hammer. This weapon has a low rate of fire but hits exceptionally hard and is incredible in The Crucible. The slow fire rate means you have to hit your shots, but if you’re accurate, you can crush Guardians before they can react.
Precision Instrument is an excellent perk for the Igneous Hammer as it increases precision damage. You can also use Keep Away, which improves range and accuracy when no enemies are nearby. I took a while to get used to this Hand Cannon, but you can challenge opponents who are miles away with it. If you’re aware of your surroundings, this is a force to be reckoned with in PVP.
The only downside is it’s an exclusive drop from the Trials of Osiris, Destiny 2’s sweatiest PVP mode. That said, if you want to take PVP seriously, it’s the mode for you and offers weapons best suited to the task.
Succession
- Type: Sniper
- Element: Kinetic
- Where to obtain: Brave Armory/Onslaught
Sniper Rifles are in an odd spot in Destiny 2. I adore sniping but rarely find a situation for it outside of The Crucible. For those who enjoy long-range combat in a PVE setting, the Succession is for you. This is the Brave weapon I mentioned earlier, and I think it’s one of the strongest PVE Sniper rifles in the game.
The Succession can roll with Reconstruction, which slowly fills your magazine up to double capacity over time. This perk dramatically increases your damage output as you don’t waste time reloading. You can also get a Vorpal Weapon for increased damage against bosses or Firing Line for extra damage when you’re near your allies.
This rifle hits like a truck and may just make you fall in love with sniping in Destiny 2 again.
Cold Comfort
- Type: Rocket Launcher
- Element: Stasis
- Where to obtain: Ghosts of the Deep Dungeon
Ghosts of the Deep is arguably the most challenging Dungeon in the game, but weapons like the Cold Comfort make it worth the effort. Cold Comfort is a superb Stasis Rocket Launcher, but its real power comes from its Perks.
Rocket Launchers often suffer from brutal reload times, which can almost be entirely negated with Envious Assassin. This perk reloads the Cold Comfort if you defeat targets with other weapons, and there are plenty of strong options for the other slot. I’m still chasing the Explosive Light perk, which increases damage after collecting an Orb of Power. Another popular choice is Bait and Switch, which does more damage if you shoot a target with all of your other weapons first.
The Cold Comfort has it all, and it’s worth slogging through the Dungeon to get your own.
I tried to keep the weapon types varied in this list, so don’t be offended if I didn’t mention your favorites. If you’re a new player, don’t forget to try out Onslaught to get your hands on the Brave weapons, as they are all exceptionally powerful.
