Destiny 2: Shadowkeep - Ranking Every Exotic Weapon #20 - #1
Ranking Every Exotic Weapon in Destiny 2
#20 - #1
Between the launch of Shadowkeep, the newest expansion, and going to free-to-play, Destiny 2 has seen a vast increase in its player count. New players intrigued by the radical changes at Bungie and old, disenchanted guardians alike are logging in to check out the current PvP and PvE sandboxes. And whether they're engaging with the insidious forces of darkness or duking it out in the Crucible, some of the best tools of destruction to utilize are the exotic weapons. With the ever evolving meta and a vast collection of exotic specific quests, it can be tough to decide which weapons are worth pursuing and which ones are better off vaulted.
With that in mind I've put together a complete list of all sixty-one exotic weapons in the game and ranked them based on a variety of criteria. The categories within which I ranked each weapon are as follows: Player vs. Environment, Player vs. Player, Gambit, Power Fantasy, Endgame, and Fun Factor. Each individual ranking is out of ten points and each score will accompany the weapon descriptions below along with a brief summary of my thoughts. While most of these are self-explanatory, the 'Power Fantasy' category judges how well a weapon performs its intended action. For example, if a gun is supposed shoot grenades that crawl on walls and seek out enemies, does it do that well or not? Furthermore, this category will rank if an exotic's unique ability is interesting or not. Finally, the 'Endgame' category simply determines how useful the weapon is in either endgame PvE or PvP activities such as raids or competitive crucible.
Now, without further adieu, thank you for reading and please enjoy the ranking!
Want to check out the full list? Click the links below!
20. Lumina
PvE - 8.0 * PvP - 6.0 * Gambit - 6.0 * Power Fantasy - 8.0 * Endgame - 4.5 * Fun Factor - 7.0
Total - 39.5/60.0
Lumina single-handedly allows you to be a full-on healer class in Destiny 2. If you want to be the guy that runs around keeping your teammates alive while buffing them at the same time, then Lumina is the gun for you. While the process of killing an enemy, picking up the remnant that they leave behind, and then hip firing a tracking 'Noble Round' at your teammate can be a bit convoluted, the payoff is worth it, instantly healing them and buffing you and your teammate with a damage increase. Destiny luminaries agree that the whole play pattern here is something that we've never seen in the series before and it's a blast to mess around with it in practically every activity. Clearly, this feels the best in PvE content but you can succeed with it in Crucible as well, especially considering that Lumina falls into the coveted 150 RPM hand cannon archetype. Since the buff doesn't stack with other damage buffs, it's hard to recommend this for too many endgame activities but even if you take it to a raid or a nightfall, your teammates will be grateful for the assistance.
19. Tractor Cannon
PvE - 8.5 * PvP - 4.5 * Gambit - 7.0 * Power Fantasy - 6.0 * Endgame - 4.5 * Fun Factor - 10.0
Total - 40.5/60.0
There is just something inherently satisfying about concussive blasting enemies off of a cliff. Granted you'll usually end up instantly killing whatever you hit with it but every now and again, you'll be able to knock a major into a pit of death and watch as they sail away. Now, beyond the obvious fun factor, Tractor Cannon is actually great all on its own since whatever you hit with it will become weakened allowing you and your team to pile on extra damage for a short time. With that being said, there are numerous abilities that grant the same debuff and they don't stack with each other so in endgame content, you'll probably want to stick with alternate weakening effects. Regardless, in average PvE gameplay, it's great to have a debuff ready to go on to an already powerful weapon that commonly takes out multiple enemies in a single shot. In Gambit, it's a great choice as well, since it grants your whole team extra damage on the primeval and hits like you just shot a tractor out of a cannon.
18. Monte Carlo
PvE - 8.0 * PvP - 6.5 * Gambit - 7.5 * Power Fantasy - 6.5 * Endgame - 5.5 * Fun Factor - 7.0
Total - 41.0/60.0
As one of the most surprisingly versatile exotics to return from the original Destiny, Monte Carlo has a lot going for it aside from its association with toasted ham and cheese. First and foremost, it's just fun to shoot. It has great range, respectable damage, and is one of the most stable auto-rifles in the game. Secondly, the exotic perk works consistently well, returning your melee ability extremely quickly, which is relevant to a wide-variety of builds whether you're going for a one-two punch shotgun build, a hammer strike Titan, or even a invisibility hunter. Finally, it performs shockingly well in the Crucible, bursting down enemies at nearly pulse rifle ranges with a magazine size that actually lets you take on two or more guardians. While it won't be outperforming the absolute highest tier of weapons in any activity, Monte Carlo is a terrific tool for a host of builds and activities.
17. Legend of Acrius
PvE - 9.5 * PvP - 4.0 * Gambit - 5.0 * Power Fantasy - 8.0 * Endgame - 7.0 * Fun Factor - 8.0
Total - 41.5/60.0
As the very first raid exotic in Destiny 2, Legend of Acrius has held up surprisingly well over the years with its massive damage and a terrific catalyst that increases your magazine from two to six. The resounding blast that emits from this shotgun evaporates anything in its path and will one-shot basically everything in PvE. Even against bosses, having six shots in your magazine allows you to pump out massive DPS numbers against anything you can get close enough to shoot. This weapon is top tier choice in a number of raid encounters including the majority of Leviathan, the first section of Scourge of the Past, and every encounter save for Riven in Last Wish. The only shortcoming of Legend is its range which negates its usefulness if you need to deal big damage from a distance, a surprisingly rare occurrence in PvE. Furthermore, this gun isn't great in any sort of player vs. player encounter, forcing you to get within typical shotgun range to be effective, and in Gambit, having something with a little range is definitely a bonus. Still, this shotgun's legendary reputation is not over exaggerated and absolutely worth getting your hands on.
16. The Last Word
PvE - 1.0 * PvP - 10.0 * Gambit - 1.0 * Power Fantasy - 10.0 * Endgame - 10.0 * Fun Factor - 10.0
Total - 42.0/60.0
Built from the ground up for use in the Crucible exclusively, The Last Word is and always has been a staple of the Destiny PvP landscape and nothing has changed. The fact that we had to wait for the release of Joker's Wild to get our hands on this fan-firing revolver was a travesty but now that it's here, it's here to stay. With an unrivaled time to kill for a primary weapon that doesn't require any sort of perk activation to be good, The Last Word is simply the best exotic primary weapon for the Crucible, bar none, giving you the last word in any gunfight. The learning curve of controlling the ADS recoil is a necessary evil to master the weapon but once you do, it will demolish anything within medium to close range. Bursting down a slide-shotgunner in less than a second is one of the best feelings in the entire game and the exotic perk that makes it highly accurate from the hip helps you hit your shots while sailing through the air. Just never, and I mean never, bring this to any PvE activity whatsoever.
15. Sleeper Simulant
PvE - 8.0 * PvP - 3.5 * Gambit - 8.5 * Power Fantasy - 8.5 * Endgame - 5.0 * Fun Factor - 9.0
Total - 42.5/60.0
After returning in the Warmind DLC, Sleeper Simulant was the go to weapon for boss damage for a long time. While some of its luster has faded with nerfs, don't sleep on this exotic as it still dishes out incredible damage at any range. Nuking any sort of PvE bosses is still well within the Sleeper's power along with simply erasing any aggravating majors that are impeding your progress. While bringing this to Crucible is also a viable tactic, with the nerf to aim assist, it can be more of a challenge to pin down an agile guardian, especially with the delayed fuse. However, in Gambit, this weapons still shines as a one-shot killer from any range, additionally offering heavy DPS on the primeval. This is all not to mention just how fun it is to charge up a massive beam of death and watch it annihilate basically anything.
14. Mida Multi-Tool
PvE - 5.0 * PvP - 9.5 * Gambit - 7.0 * Power Fantasy - 4.0 * Endgame - 8.5 * Fun Factor - 9.0
Total - 43.0/60.0
Talk about a gun that feels simply great to use, the Mida Multi-Tool seems designed to benefit its user in all the right ways. From the fact that your radar doesn't disappear when you ADS to the agility boost you get by simply wielding it, this is the scout rifle to end all other scout rifles in PvP. And since the launch of Shadowkeep and the general nerf to hand cannons' range, scout rifles are rejoining the Crucible meta in a big way. With that being said, scout rifles are still fairly out of fashion in PvE and while this is an incredibly reliable scout, it's hard to justify your exotic slot for something like Mida Multi-Tool. Not to mention that the exotic perks here are less than exciting, offering nothing game changing to the mix. Regardless, for PvP and even Gambit, all of the little things that this gun offers adds up to an excellent primary weapon that mida just carry you to victory.
As one of the few year one guns to make it this high on the list, Riskrunner still performs incredibly well throughout Destiny 2. Aside from being a satisfying submachine gun to use, it's exotic perk turns it into an absolute monster, wiping out whole rooms of enemies with a single mag. Taking any arc damage (even from your own grenade) activates the exotic perk Arc Conductor for five seconds allowing your shots to chain electricity to nearby enemies. Watching this chain of lightning eradicate groups of enemies is both powerful and hilarious. Taking arc damage is fairly commonplace throughout PvE activities and you'll be shredding groups of enemies in no time. For PvP, the weapon feels consistent and has a better range than any other submachine gun allowing you to hit shots from distances usually relegated to auto-rifles and beyond. Not to mention those rare moments when you get the perk active and you accidentally kill three guardians without running any serious risk.
From this point forward on this list, all of the following weapons are ones that I will unquestioningly recommend for every Destiny player to actively seek out. With the recent decrease in damage values for perks such as Rampage and Swashbuckler and the fact those nerfs didn't affect Huckleberry, this submachine gun is utterly unrivaled at annihilating minor enemies. With the maximum stack of Huckleberry's exotic perk active, you're getting a nearly 75% increase in damage. Combine that with the fact that you reload your entire magazine on every kill means that you're practically unstoppable in basic PvE activities. Adding this to your loadout allows you to completely focus your other two slots on boss and ultra damage, making it a terrific addition to any build. In PvP, this can be fun, especially if you stack kills but it doesn't stand out from the other legendary submachine gun selections due to its bouncy recoil and limited range. Regardless, it'll always be my huckleberry in PvE.
13. Riskrunner
PvE - 9.0 * PvP - 6.5 * Gambit - 6.0 * Power Fantasy - 9.0 * Endgame - 6.0 * Fun Factor - 9.0
Total - 45.5/60.0
12. Huckleberry
PvE - 10.0 * PvP - 5.5 * Gambit - 7.5 * Power Fantasy - 8.5 * Endgame - 6.0 * Fun Factor - 9.0
Total - 46.5/60.0
11. Bad Juju
PvE - 9.5 * PvP - 7.5 * Gambit - 7.5 * Power Fantasy - 8.0 * Endgame - 6.0 * Fun Factor - 7.5
Total - 47.0/60.0
There is so much to say about Bad Juju, the minor eating, super recharging, auto-loading pulse rifle that is available from Calus' Tribute Hall. Whenever you get any kill with Bad Juju, three different benefits trigger immediately: first off, you get a damage buff that stacks up to five times; secondly, you reduce the cooldown on your super; and finally, you reload your entire magazine. Bringing this to any PvE activity in the entire game is a terrific decision, massacring red bars and majors alike while getting your super back faster than normal. Even in PvP, this stands out with high stability, decent range and, again, getting your super faster, which, if I haven't made this clear yet, is incredibly powerful. Honestly, there's not an activity in Destiny 2 where Bad Juju isn't a great choice and its simply bad juju to ignore such a powerhouse.
10. Anarchy
PvE - 9.0 * PvP - 3.5 * Gambit - 8.0 * Power Fantasy - 10.0 * Endgame - 7.0 * Fun Factor - 10.0
Total - 47.5/60.0
God, I love this sort of exotic weapon design: an individually powerful weapon that fundamentally changes the way that you approach encounters in a dynamic and fun way. Anarchy lets you fire multiple grenades that connect to each other with stream of devastating electricity. After learning the spawn points in any PvE encounter for either bosses or adds, you can set up a volatile, electrified minefield causing anarchy on the battlefield. Or you can just directly pelt multiple targets and, as long as they're close enough, they'll just die by sparking electricity between them. Anarchy stands as one of the best designed exotics that Bungie has ever produced and I hope that they continue to make weapons of such a high caliber. In PvP, this tactic is far less practical but can lead to some hilarious kills, especially in the control playlist, where you lock down a point with a bunch of grenades.
9. Divinity
PvE - 10.0 * PvP - 3.0 * Gambit - 8.5 * Power Fantasy - 9.0 * Endgame - 10.0 * Fun Factor - 8.5
Total - 49.0/60.0
Talk about a game changing raid exotic, Divinity completely morphed Destiny by giving players access to a portable debuff machine that actually stacked with other weaken effects such as hammer strike and oppressive darkness. While it has been announced that this will be changed in an upcoming patch, for the time being, Divinity is almost a necessity for every endgame activity in the game. However, even when the patch goes live, it will still be a welcome addition to basically any PvE team giving everyone access to a huge critical spot like some sort of divine intervention. In PvP, this is easily the worst trace rifle in the game for some reason, not dealing anywhere near the damage that the others can produce. I'm also a huge fan of the fact that there was a quest to acquire this exotic rather than a random drop chance, giving more people an opportunity to enjoy it.
8. Outbreak Perfected
PvE - 10.0 * PvP - 8.0 * Gambit - 7.5 * Power Fantasy - 9.0 * Endgame - 8.5 * Fun Factor - 9.0
Total - 52.0/60.0
As the only primary weapon in the game that inflicts acceptable damage to bosses, especially if there are multiple members of fireteam wielding it, Outbreak Perfected brings a lot to the table. Not only does it feel great to shoot with minimal recoil and clean sights but it also generates a swarm of nanites on every head shot kill that will seek out any nearby enemies. And, since when those nanites attach to an enemy and Outbreak Perfected will do more damage to that enemy, it generates a satisfying play pattern of eliminating smaller threats before focusing on majors and ultras. Combine that with the fact that bringing a full squad of guardians wielding Outbreak is a perfectly valid tactic for most raid encounters and you have one of the most versatile and dangerous weapons in the game. In Crucible, Outbreak performs well and is capable of three bursting down opposing guardians while leaving behind swarms of zone-denying nanites. These sort of little advantages in PvP will let you and your team break out perfectly.
7. Wardcliff Coil
PvE - 9.5 * PvP - 8.0 * Gambit - 7.0 * Power Fantasy - 10.0 * Endgame - 8.0 * Fun Factor - 10.0
Total - 52.5/60.0
As the highest rated exotic weapon from Destiny 2's first year, its apparent that Bungie got everything just right on their first attempt with Wardcliff Coil. It's one of the most empowering feelings in the game when you shoot of full volley of rockets at a group of enemies and watch them disintegrate. Boasting solid boss damage and incredible crowd control in an exciting and unique package, Wardcliff Coil can do whatever you need it to do in any PvE content. Even within the Crucible, this has become a major force to be reckoned with, obliterating groups of guardians with a single trigger pull. The fact that it only grants a single shot when you pick up heavy is the only thing that limits this launcher but since your probably going to get multiple kills with it, it sort of evens out in the end.
6. Thorn
PvE - 8.5 * PvP - 10.0 * Gambit - 8.0 * Power Fantasy - 9.0 * Endgame - 8.5 * Fun Factor - 9.0
Total - 53.0/60.0
One of the most infamous weapons in Destiny history, Thorn has returned to the fold in glorious fashion. A true beast in PvP, Thorn can out range most other hand cannons, it poisons on every successful hit letting you follow targets through walls, and activating the perk can lead to some absolutely silly two shot kills. Once you kill an enemy, they leaving behind a remnant and if you pick it up, not only does it reload your gun but the poison damage more than triples, going from two to seven for each tick, making you the biggest thorn in your opponent's side. Unbelievably, bringing this to PvE is nearly as good as it is in the Crucible. Picking up remnants allows you to stack kills, keep your buff rolling and reload your gun all at the same time. With the buff active, it rarely takes more than two or three shots to bring down anything less than an ultra. If you don't have your Thorn yet, take the time to pick it up and it will serve you well throughout the entirety of Destiny 2.
Do you have a problem in Destiny 2? The answer is always Thunderlord. Annoying group of enemies? Thunderlord. Guardians in the Crucible? Thunderlord. Literally anything that moves in Gambit? Thunderlord. Its got range, its got power, its got crowd control, its got it all. It is even the best in class for single target DPS with the exotic perk giving you several additional lightning strikes directly on said target. Despite the fact that machine guns aren't typically the first choice for endgame activities, if they were and you could spare an exotic slot, Thunderlord would always be the answer. Mowing down hordes of enemies in electifying fashion will always put a grin on your face and this was undoubtedly an excellent import from the original Destiny.
5. Thunderlord
PvE - 9.5 * PvP - 8.0 * Gambit - 10.0 * Power Fantasy - 9.5 * Endgame - 7.0 * Fun Factor - 9.0
Total - 53.5/60.0
4. Izanagi's Burden
PvE - 10.0 * PvP - 5.0 * Gambit - 10.0 * Power Fantasy - 10.0 * Endgame - 10.0 * Fun Factor - 9.0
Total - 54.0/60.0
Izanagi's Burden has the best burst DPS in the entire game and it's not particularly close. The exotic perk allows you to load your full magazine of four bullets into a single shot. That shot will do damage equivalent to five individual bullets (or six if you have a completed catalyst). Essentially, it breaks down like this: provided that you have the catalyst, which is a breeze to get, and you have sniper reserves on your armor, you can fire at least five fully powered shots. Since each shot is worth six individual sniper rounds, you are essentially firing 30 sniper bullets in five pulls of the trigger. With this sort of damage output, it's easy to see why this is an essential part to any serious endgame build. Izanagi's Burden even shines in Gambit, giving you not only huge Primeval damage but a terrific answer to any pesky invaders. The only place where this doesn't excel is in the Crucible where it's just another clunky sniper with an occasional one-shot body shot potential if you happen to get four rounds. While the quest to get this sniper can be a burden, I highly recommend completing it as soon as possible.
3. One Thousand Voices
PvE - 10.0 * PvP - 7.0 * Gambit - 10.0 * Power Fantasy - 10.0 * Endgame - 8.5 * Fun Factor - 10.0
Total - 55.5/60.0
More than any other gun in the game, One Thousand Voices feels like it would be right at home in Borderlands. Literally, you're shooting a laser that explodes. I can almost hear Torgue cheering the background. This laser literally kills anything that's not a boss in one shot, it has a controllable AoE pattern, it has infinite range, and it dissolves bosses' health pools. There's literally nothing it can't do in PvE, endgame or not with the only limiting factor being its low ammo reserves. In PvP, it's still a great option as the explosion will kill any guardian but the delay can sometimes allow for people to escape the area. Unfortunately, this gem is locked behind a random drop from a raid limiting the number of people who can experience this monster. However, this alone should be a reason for new players to find a raid team among the thousand voices in the forums and run Last Wish.
2. Jotunn
PvE - 9.0 * PvP - 9.0 * Gambit - 10.0 * Power Fantasy - 9.5 * Endgame - 9.0 * Fun Factor - 10.0
Total - 56.5/60.0
The toaster of destruction has arrived my friends, glory be its cometh. Jotunn launchs tracking balls of fire over any range that one shot majors and guardians alike. Jotunn doesn't care about your feelings or dreams, it simply murders everything. In PvE, it slaughters minors, majors and even ultras, while offering decent damage to bosses. In the Crucible, it's still heavily used in every playlist thanks to the sheer range and guaranteed one-shot potential, even if some guardians have learned to avoid it's fiery death ball. During Nightfall strikes, it can be a great way to safely dish out significant damage and take care of pesky majors from across the map. Now that there is a simple quest to acquire Jotunn, every player should go out and pick up the one, the only, the toaster of destruction.
1. Ace of Spades
PvE - 10.0 * PvP - 10.0 * Gambit - 9.0 * Power Fantasy - 9.5 * Endgame - 9.0 * Fun Factor - 10.0
Total - 57.5/60.0
Finally, we reach the best exotic weapon in all of Destiny 2, the Ace of Spades. When creating this ranking, there were a lot of surprises along the way but having this perfect hand cannon at number one wasn't one of them. Bungie knew that they had to get this iconic weapon right and they knocked it out of the park. It dices through minors and majors, it slices through guardians, it does everything you could want and more, even before it got a significant upgrade with the brand new catalyst. Getting a kill and reloading triggers Memento Mori, it's exotic perk which gives you six incredibly powerful shots and sets your gun on fire. It has Outlaw, it has Firefly, it even lets you see your radar when aiming down sights and has some of the longest range in the entire game for a hand cannon. It's hard for me to find anything bad to say about this gun but I guess that in Gambit it doesn't hit invaders from a distance. I guess. Thank you Bungie for making this gun as good as it is and please, if you don't already have this, stop what you're doing and go get it.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete