The best Exotic weapons in Destiny 2 for PvE and PvP (2024)

Whether you're a new or returning player, keeping up with the meta and finding out what the Destiny 2 best Exotic weapons are can be rather confusing.

Finding the best Exotics becomes increasingly difficult if you're a solo player, as much of the best gear available in Destiny 2 is hiding behind raids, dungeons, and even the Dual Destiny exotic mission, which grants brand-new Exotic class items. Don't worry though, we've done the heavy lifting to figure out the best Exotic weapons in Destiny 2 and how to get them.

Best Exotic weapons in Destiny 2

The best Exotic weapons in Destiny 2 are:

  • Red Death Reformed - Solar pulse rifle
  • Graviton Lance - Void pulse rifle
  • Ace of Spades - Solar hand cannon
  • Khvostov 7G-0X - Kinetic auto rifle
  • Still Hunt - Solar sniper rifle
  • Sunshot - Solar hand cannon
  • Divinity - Arc trace rifle
  • Buried Bloodline - Void sidearm

For this selection of the best Exotics guns, we've taken into consideration the following factors:

  • Overall strength: The most important aspect. Is the weapon actually useful in high-end activities and does it have a place in the current meta?
  • Ease of access: Perhaps you're a solo player and don't have a team to try and pull off the Salvation's Edge raid to earn yourself the Euphony linear fusion rifle. Easier to get Exotics tend to get the job done if you choose the correct one.
  • Versatility: Since this is a broader look at how good Exotic weapons are, getting one that excels or performs relatively well in both PvP and PvE is a major plus.

Finally, this list is up to date as of Destiny 2 patch 8.0.0.6.

The best Exotic weapons in Destiny 2 for PvE and PvP (1)

Red Death Reformed is incredibly easy to obtain and a very good exotic to have

Red Death Reformed

Our first weapon on the list is the Red Death Reformed pulse rifle, possibly the most versatile primary Exotic in the entire game.

Firstly, it can heal both you and your allies as long as you land consistent final blows. This is an incredibly easy task thanks to one of its unique perks, Inverse Relationship, which grants the gun increased handling and reduced flinch upon dealing damage. It also gives you a boost to movement speed.

The Catalyst expands upon its healing capabilities, adding an extra burst of healing upon landing final blows while the weapon has a stored charge.

With all that taken into consideration, the fact that there's an anti-barrier pulse rifle mod in the Hunter's Journal only serves as the cherry on top of an already impressive and fun weapon to use in both PvE and PvP.

  • How to get: Red Death is unlocked immediately with the Episode 1: Echoes premium battle pass, or level 40 for the free pass.

Graviton Lance

A Warlock's best friend, the Graviton Lance came back in a big way in 2023 after Bungie decided to give this Exotic Void pulse rifle a 67% damage buff in PvE.

What makes this a perfect weapon for any Void builds is the fact that Graviton Lance has a unique perk called Cosmology, which spawns Void projectiles that track targets after successfully landing final blows.

It's also a really solid pick in PvP due to its amazing stability and decent range that gets upgraded once you acquire the catalyst. On top of the extra range, the Catalyst adds the Vorpal Weapon and Turnabout perks to the weapon, so it's definitely worth the grind.

  • How to get: Decrypt Exotic engrams, rare world drop, and sold by Xur on occasion.

The best Exotic weapons in Destiny 2 for PvE and PvP (3)

A tried and true PvP classic

Ace of Spades

An old-reliable for Crucible veterans, the Ace of Spades never goes out of style, even in PvE.

Cayde-6's iconic hand cannon packs a punch and features a simple design. You can trigger Firefly by getting precision kills, which will boost its reload speed and add a Solar explosion effect to the enemy you've defeated. This causes significant splash damage to nearby enemies.

The Memento Mori perk gives the weapon a damage boost after reloading following a kill, and if you add the catalyst's effect, which makes Firefly stronger while Memento Mori is active, you can see why Ace of Spades has never lost its place as a solid PvP exotic hand cannon with decent PvE capabilities due to its add-clear potential.

  • How to get: Retrieved via the Monument to Lost Lights (requires the Forsaken pack to unlock).

The best Exotic weapons in Destiny 2 for PvE and PvP (4)

An auto rifle so strong it's already been nerfed

Khvostov 7G-0X

The Khvostov 7G-0X is so good it's already getting nerfed by Bungie.

The nerf to The Right Choice, the gun's unique trait which works as an amplified Ricochet Rounds (every seventh bullet bounces and deals additional damage to nearby enemies) only impacts PvP and it will remain to be seen how much of a dent it does on the auto rifle's dominance of Crucible.

Still, if you manage to complete The Final Shape campaign and tackle the post-game content of Destiny 2's latest expansion, dedicating the time to get the Khvostov 7G-0X is worth it in the long run.

We say long run because, sadly, the Hunter's Journal won't feature any auto rifle champion mods during Act 2, so its potential on GM Nightfalls will be severely neutered in the coming weeks.

  • How to get: Finish The Final Shape campaign and complete post-game content.

The best Exotic weapons in Destiny 2 for PvE and PvP (5)

Enjoy it before it gets nerfed, Hunters

Still Hunt

Yet another new The Final Shape exotic that will get hit by nerfs in the near future, the Still Hunt is an incredible sniper. Thankfully, this nerf will only affect Hunters who pair the gun with the Celestial Nighthawk Exotic helmet, reducing its Golden Shot damage by 25%.

Regardless of the nerf, you should prioritize getting the Still Hunt sniper rifle as soon as you can for a variety of reasons. Its Exotic perk, Cayde's Retribution, allows this sniper to fire Golden Gun shots. To fill the weapon's super bar, you can either get six precision hits or collect 12 Orbs of Power, making it one of the best weapons in terms of raw DPS in the entire game.

In Act 2 of Episode Echoes, there are new mods including anti-barrier sniper rifle champion mods, as well as other mods that work well with Still Hunt. These include Incendiary Rifle Rounds (where solar sniper rifle precision hits will scorch targets) and Sniper’s Meditation (which grants stacking bonuses for a short time when a sniper hits, including increased damage, stability, and reload speed. Heavy ammo hits count as multiple hits).

Of course, there's another sniper that could pose a potential threat to Still Hunt's recent dominance: Whisper of the Worm. It could be a solid alternative for those who don't own The Final Shape. However, at the moment, Still Hunt is poised to dominate GM Nightfalls for the foreseeable future.

  • How to get: Complete The Final Shape campaign and the Wild Card exotic quest.

Sunshot

The best Exotic weapons in Destiny 2 for PvE and PvP (6)

Sunshot is one of the original Destiny 2 exotics

One of the most iconic exotics in Destiny 2, Sunshot remains a solid pick for its ease of use, fun factor, and ability to make any Guardian feel like they have the power of the sun in the palm of their hands.

Sunshot excels particularly at add clearing due to its Exotic trait, Sun Blast, which sees targets defeated by this weapon turn into mini supernovas, applying scorch to surrounding enemies.

If you're looking at a decent Exotic in PvP, then Sunshot can definitely do the job, but you might need to grind the catalyst. Being a vanilla Destiny 2 weapon, the catalyst doesn't add any crazy buffs, but rather a much-needed +30 range and +20 stability, which gives this hand cannon the ability to hang at mid-range.

  • How to get: Decrypt Exotic engrams, rare world drop, and sold by Xur on occasion.

Divinity

The best Exotic weapons in Destiny 2 for PvE and PvP (7)

Divinity is the ultimate raid exotic

What would a raid team be without Divinity? Despite Bungie constantly nerfing the trace rifle, its uniqueness has kept it at the top of the list of must-have for high-end content.

Divinity comes with anti-Overload champions capabilities by default, plus its Exotic trait, Judgement, wraps an enemy in a field that weakens them after taking sustained damage from the trace rifle, a particularly effective way to ramp up the DPS of a fireteam against big raid bosses.

The only downside of Divinity is that getting it can be cumbersome, requiring players to complete an Exotic quest that might not be easily accessible. Other than that, no nerfs will be able to make Divinity a bad pick.

  • How to get: Complete the Exotic quest tied to the Garden of Salvation raid

Buried Bloodline

The best Exotic weapons in Destiny 2 for PvE and PvP (8)

Who doesn't love an amazing sidearm?

The final weapon on this list is the relatively new Buried Bloodline. This exotic sidearm was introduced during Season 23, and quickly rose as a fan-favorite for PvE activities.

What makes the Buried Bloodline incredibly powerful is that on top of being a rocket sidearm, it has the Violent Reanimation Exotic trait, which procs Devour after getting four kills with this gun.

If you want to take it one step further, the catalyst actually adds an extra trait: Splitvein Lineage, which weakens targets hit by Buried Bloodline while Devour is active.

  • How to get: Warlord's Ruin dungeon random drop

And those are our picks for Exotic weapons you should get as soon as you can in Destiny 2. Don't forget the best armor either, though you'll want to get Strange Coins and visit Xur for that.

The best Exotic weapons in Destiny 2 for PvE and PvP (2024)

FAQs

What is the best exotic weapon in Destiny 2 PvE? ›

After many years, Khvostov 7g-0x is back in the hands of Guardians, and this time, you won't want to put it down. Khvostov is the best primary weapon in this Destiny 2 PvE weapon guide and Its Exotic Perk makes every seventh bullet ricochet, dealing 250% more damage.

What is the best PvP Exotic Destiny 2? ›

The best Exotic weapons in Destiny 2 are:
  • Red Death Reformed - Solar pulse rifle.
  • Graviton Lance - Void pulse rifle.
  • Ace of Spades - Solar hand cannon.
  • Khvostov 7G-0X - Kinetic auto rifle.
  • Still Hunt - Solar sniper rifle.
  • Sunshot - Solar hand cannon.
  • Divinity - Arc trace rifle.
  • Buried Bloodline - Void sidearm.
Jul 14, 2024

What is the best exotic hand cannon for PvE Destiny 2? ›

The Sunshot is a very strong hand cannon for PVE activities, if not the best Exotic choice now that hand cannons are so powerful. It fires solar explosive rounds that pack a punch and highlight enemies for the player. When enemies are killed with these rounds they explode in a blast of solar energy.

What is meta in Destiny 2 PvE? ›

In the context of Destiny 2, the meta refers to the most effective and popular strategies, weapons, armor, and character builds for both Player vs. Environment (PvE) and Player vs. Player (PvP) game modes.

What is the strongest class in Destiny 2 PvP? ›

What Is The Strongest Class In Destiny 2? The strongest class in Destiny 2 is subjective and context-dependent. Striker, Dawnblade, and Gunslinger are often considered strong due to their versatile abilities, effective supers, and solid neutral game, making them popular choices across various game modes.

What is the best exotic weapon for a warlock in Destiny 2? ›

Transversive Steps is one of the best Warlock PvP Exotics Destiny 2 ever had because Transversive Steps provide increased sprint speed and slide distance as a passive bonus. In addition, after a 1.5-second sprint, the readied weapon is reloaded, which is a useful feature.

What is the god roll igneous hammer? ›

Igneous Hammer PvE God Roll

Overall, there is really only one perk combination that you should be striving for and that's Heal Clip and Frenzy. This combo boosts your stats making the weapon feel significantly better and a perk that heals you on reloading after a kill.

What to pair with sunshot? ›

Bakusatrium suggested pairing Sunshot with Mountaintop for quick buff stacking and efficient elimination of big targets, enhancing your combat prowess.

What is the strongest exotic weapon in Destiny 2? ›

Gjallarhorn, Rocket Launcher

This best Exotic weapon in Destiny 2 The Final Shape buffs other Legendary Rockets upon firing, significantly increasing their damage. Even if you're a Solo Guardian, Gjallarhorn will still be beneficial for you.

Are exotic weapons better than legendary Destiny 2? ›

Exotic weapons offer unique perks and advantages, but some players opt for legendary weapons for specific builds. Most players agree that while exotic weapons can greatly enhance gameplay, there are situations where legendary weapons can be just as effective.

What is the best PvE build in Destiny 2? ›

Top Titan PvE Builds
NameSubclassRank
Berserker of WarStrand1 🥇
Undying FlameSolar2 🥈
Point-Contact AssassinPrismatic3 🥉
Jul 16, 2024

What is the best PvE exotic bow in Destiny 2? ›

Destiny 2 Best Bows: Top-tier Options
ItemWeaponsTier rank
Trinity GhoulTrinity Ghoul Combat BowBest ❘ S Excels in: PvE
Wish-EnderWish-Ender Combat BowBest ❘ S Excels in: PvE
Under Your SkinUnder Your Skin Combat BowBest ❘ S Excels in: PvE
Wolftone DrawWolftone Draw Combat BowStrong ❘ A Excels in: PvE + PvP
13 more rows
Jun 11, 2024

What is the best warlock exotic for PvE? ›

The must-have pick for PvE is Sunbracers because of unlimited grenades! The perfect PvP choice is Ophidian Aspect because of great weapon buffs!

What is the best legendary PvE sword in Destiny 2? ›

Destiny 2 Best Swords: Top-tier Options
ItemWeaponsTier rank
Double-Edged AnswerDouble-Edged Answer SwordStrong ❘ A Excels in: PvE
The SlammerThe Slammer SwordStrong ❘ A Excels in: PvE
Falling GuillotineFalling Guillotine SwordStrong ❘ A Excels in: PvE
Ill OmenIll Omen SwordStrong ❘ A Excels in: PvP
10 more rows
Mar 18, 2024

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