Destiny 2’sSeason of Arrivalsis in full swing and players are certainly finding their favorite weapon loadouts. Here are the best weapon types to bring into PvE activities in season 11.
What weapons stand out in a given season definitely depends on balance changes and new loot added to the pool. However, since the introduction of artifact and seasonal mods, certain weapons have risen above the rest.
S tier
Swords finally made a comeback withSeason of the Worthy’s buffsand they are just as good, if not better, now.Season of Arrivalsessentially saw the return of two fan-favorite exoticDestinyswords, but in legendary form.Temptation’s HookandFalling Guillotineoperate the same as their counterparts all the way fromThe Taken King.
Falling Guillotine in particular is a top tier weapon right nowsince its special attack can burst out incredible damage in 1-2 seconds. The Sword Scavenger mod (which increases sword ammo) is also available in the artifact, like last season, and the Lucent Blade mod (which boosts sword damage) can be acquired from the Prismatic Recaster.
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Grenade launchers have been a great choice for many seasons.Anarchy and Mountaintop are go-to weaponsright now but withDestiny 2:Beyond Light, the latter will be sunset and the former may go away for a while before a new path to acquire it is implemented. Thus,Witherhoardhas become a substitute for Anarchyas a damage-over-time weapon. AndTruthtellerhas risen in popularity as the next best special ammo grenade launcher. Interference VI from last season is still competitive and easy to acquire and offers rare perks such as Clown Cartridge (boosts magazine size) and Full Court (increases damage over long distances).
A tier
Season of the Worthymade auto rifles very potent and they continue to be a strong, well-rounded option.Gnawing HungerandFalse Promisesare the highlights from this season. Gnawing Hunger comes almost exclusively with damage traits, which are the best type of trait for PvE activities, generally speaking. False Promises has unique utility perks that wereintroduced withSeason of Arrivalsand can be a great pick to revitalize a loadout.
For more aggressive and fast-paced playstyles, sidearms and submachine guns are good choices. Sidearms in particular have deceptively good range and are some of the highest damage-dealing primary weapons. They accept overload mods this season as well.Lonesome(sidearm) andDeath Adder(SMG) got reintroduced this season, which means they will not be sunset in the near future. And the latter can even be a substitute for the excellent butsoon to be outdated Recluse.
B tier
A year ago the best shotgun perks such as Trench Barrel and One-Two Punch were rare but nowadays they are available on so many more shotguns. With close range primary weapons being competitive, shotguns can slot easily into many loadouts. Slug shotguns in particular got a massive 30% damage buff this season which makes them viable at dealing with tanky enemies.Chaperonein particular is surprisingly goodat chaining kills and burst damage.
C Tier
Pulse rifles deserve a shout-out here since they are the first weapon type that can deal with champions without having a champion mod on the weapon itself. The"Unstoppable Pulse Rifle" artifact mod goes on the arms slotand grants any pulse rifle the player is holding Unstoppable bullets. This means the rifle’s mod slot isn’t occupied by a champion mod, and exotic pulses can be used to deal with Unstoppable Champions.Outbreak Perfectedis a standout due to the nanites it produces because the nanites themselves can stagger an enemy if the player is simply aimed down sights.
Hand cannons have traditionally been a safe pick, they are the bread and butter ofDestiny. In almost all of year 3’s seasons hand cannons were given not one but two champion mods and they are great in high-risk high reward situations since they deal damage in chunks.
Honorable mentions
Any weapon type not listed above isn’t necessarily bad but they don’t generally stand out over any other. However, some weapon types will always be good in niche situations since they fulfill a role no other can.Snipers, for example, were nerfed this yearbut they’re still the obvious choice in encounters where the boss is very far away or keeping a distance is crucial to a fight. Machine guns on the other hand are preferable to other heavy weapons at the start of every season when rank-and-file enemies are harder to kill. Lastly, rocket launchers are worth mentioning since they may someday return to player inventories thanks to the Argent Ordnance seasonal mod, which greatly increases rocket launcher damage.
Destiny 2is available now on PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.
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