Best Destiny 2 PvE weapons: Ranked list & how to get them

The Destiny 2 PvE weapon meta has evolved considerably over the years. Here are some of the best weapons in the game that will help you dominate the PvE activities easily.

Destiny 2 Season of the Wish is the final season before Bungie releases The Final Shape on June 4, 2024. Over the course of this season, the weapon meta has changed considerably, given that the developers added a bunch of new weapons this season.

PVE, or Player Versus Environment/Everyone, is at the heart of these regular content drops and focuses on the player’s battle with AI instead of real-life players. While PVP, Player Versus Player, concentrates on the Crucible, PvE is the game’s core.

At the heart of a first-person shooter like Destiny 2, you need a bunch of tough, varied weaponry to be able to tackle any threat that comes your way. So here’s a list of some of the best weapons that you will come across in Destiny 2 Season of the Wish.

Top 10 weapons for Destiny 2 PvE activities

Given that there are a lot of weapon archetypes in the game, it’s rather difficult to rank the weapons themselves. That said, the following list of weapons is ranked based on how effectively they can help in combat.

10. Rufus’s Fury

When it comes to Auto Rifles, it’s safe to say that Rufus’s Fury is one of the best ones that you can get your hands on. This weapon drops with the Target Lock roll, which can help you shred through orange-bar enemies, without breaking into a sweat. It works well with almost every Strand build for Destiny 2 PvE activities.

How to get: Root of Nightmares Raid.

9. Osteo Striga

This SMG was a menace at a point in time in the Crucible. Added with The Witch Queen expansion, the Osteo Striga was one of the first craftable Exotic weapons in the game. Its continuous poison tick damage makes it a versatile weapon in end-game content like Grandmaster Nightfalls and Raids.

How to get: Crafting, unlocked in The Witch Queen campaign.

8. Commemoration

The Commemoration has maintained its fame as one of the best ad-clearing weapons in Destiny 2. Especially if you have rolls like Reconstruction and Killing Tally, you won’t have to look at any other weapon for your ad-clearing needs. It’s surprising that despite being introduced during Beyond Light, this weapon is still relevant for most PvE activities in Destiny 2.

How to get: Deep Stone Crypt Raid.

7. Calus Mini-Tool

The Calus Mini-Tool was introduced during the Season of the Haunted. It’s a nifty little Submachine Gun with a pretty decent rate of fire. What makes this stand apart is the fact that it drops with the Incandescent roll. Given that Bungie is focusing heavily on the Solar subclass now, it’s a good time for you to use this weapon.

How to get: Random world drop.

6. Tractor Cannon

When it comes to end-game PvE activities in Destiny 2, more often than not, you will come across bosses with a lot of health. It’s important that you debuff them in some way, but you can’t keep a debuffing super. In those situations, the Tractor Cannon comes handy. The only drawback is that it takes up the Heavy weapon slot, so it reduces your damage options.

How to get: Exotic Kiosk.

5. Sunshot

Yet another Exotic secures a spot on this list. Even if the Solar subclass wasn’t in focus right now, the Sunshot would still be on this list. You can set the entire battlefield on fire with this weapon. Even if you don’t masterwork the catalyst, you will still have a weapon that will help you melt through ads without much effort.

How to get: Exotic Kiosk.

4. Wish-Ender

The Wish-Ender Exotic bow is your best answer to any Anti-Barrier Champion that you come across in PvE activities in Destiny 2. Not only does it break Barrier Champion shields in one hit, it can also deal a considerable amount of damage as well. For the most part, if you’re heading into a Grandmaster Nightfall, you must keep the Wish-Ender in your Kinetic Slot, especially if you have Barrier Champions in the activity.

How to get: Shattered Throne – Hunter’s Remembrance questline.

3. Forbearance

Wave-frame Grenade Launchers have always occupied an important position in the weapon meta in Destiny 2. While there are a lot of good Wave-frame Grenade Launchers, none of them come close to the Forbearance because this weapon drops with the Ambitious Assassin and Chain Reaction rolls. You can wipe out hoards of enemies using a single grenade shot.

How to get: Vow of the Disciple Raid.

2. Scatter Signal

Introduced in the Season of the Wish, the Scatter Signal is fairly new to Destiny 2 when compared to some of the other weapons on this list. The Scatter Signal is a Strand Fusion Rifle that drops with rolls like Controlled Burst and Slice. While the latter isn’t that great a roll with other subclasses, it works wonders when paired with Strand.

How to get: The Coil (Season of the Wish seasonal activity).

1. Apex Predator

The Apex Predator is the only Rocket Launcher on this list. While there are a few other options in the game that tend to outdamage it by a bit, the Apex Predator is fairly easy to use. Furthermore, it’s a Solar weapon, so it benefits from all the attention that the Solar subclass is getting at this point in time. Lastly, this is one of the few rockets that drop with the Bait and Switch perk, making it a good choice of weapon, if you can keep up with the damage rotation.

How to get: Last Wish Raid.

That concludes our list of the best weapons in the game for now. For more information on Destiny 2, check out the following links:

Destiny 2 Wish-Keeper: All Catalysts & how to get them | Destiny 2 stat tracker: How to check your stats | Destiny 2 codes for free Emblems and Shaders | How to get Monte Carlo Catalyst in Destiny 2 | Best Destiny 2 PVP weapons | How to get the Destiny 2 Breakneck Auto Rifle | All Destiny 2 Expansions so far