by Owl Guy

June 22, 2024

Best PvP weapons Destiny 2: The Final Shape edition

15 min read 5 comments 15 likes

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Almost everyone wants to know the current gun meta and we know the best PvP Weapons in Destiny 2: The Final Shape! 

The Final Shape came out not so long ago in Destiny 2, making it unlikely that the game’s meta will turn upside down during Echoes Episode. Our top PvP weapons in Destiny 2 have changed significantly over several seasons, so we decided to compile it from scratch with the latest information of the current season. Here, you’ll find what can be equipped in the Primary or Special slot, as well as some of our opinions on heavy weapons in PvP.

Sit back comfortably, get ready to make some precision Final Blows, and take out your pen and paper as we begin the breakdown of everything that will make you unstoppable in Crucible and Trials of Osiris.

Best PvP Primary Weapons in Destiny 2

Let’s start with what’s always at hand, namely Primary weapons. You always have ammo for these weapons and will spend most of your time in PvP with them.

Thorn, Hand Cannon

How to Get: Monument to Lost Light

After receiving its Catalyst, Thorn Exotic Hand Cannon became one of the strongest, if not the strongest, Primary Weapon in Destiny 2. With its Poison debuff, this Handcannon can destroy some Guardians with less than 60 Resilience with two crits, one body shot without enhancement, and two crits with enhanced poison. Additionally, Thorn has a good Range that can be increased with a Final Blow or picking up Remnants. If you still need to unlock the Catalyst, go fix that now with how to get the Thorn Catalyst guide!

Ace of Spades, Hand Cannon

How to Get: Monument to Lost Light

As an alternative to Thorn, you can use the old, reliable Ace of Spades, which has never let anyone down. The main feature of this Hand Cannon is the unique Memento Mori buff. It can be considered a counterpart to Kill Clip, but it disappears after six shots instead of after some time. Of course, like any of the best PvP weapons in D2, it has excellent Stats, making Ace of Spades a joy to use.

Even after being nerfed, Le Monarque remains relevant and annoys Guardians in Crucible. This bow stands out primarily because of two things: great Stats and the Poison effect. The Poison Arrows delay enemy health regeneration, allowing you or your teammate to finish them easily. So, do not hesitate to use it and show what the best PvP weapon in Destiny 2 Season 23 is able to do!

Red Death Reformed, Pulse Rifle

How to Get: Episode Echoes Season Pass

Red Death has finally returned to us from Destiny 1, and it is now much better than the original. The first thing you’ll notice when playing with this Exotic is its extremely low recoil, making it very easy to hit targets. Another important factor is receiving Cure x2 on Final Blows, which makes getting Kill Streaks much easier. All of this makes Red Death Reformed one of the best PvP Exotics in Destiny 2, but you should also not forget about the Inverse Relationship trait. This trait increases handling and movement speed, as well as reduces flinch when dealing damage with Red Death Reformed.

The Messenger, Pulse Rifle

How to Get: Trials of Osiris

Must-Have Roll:

• Rapid Hit / Moving Target
• Headseeker / Kill Clip / Keep Away

Pulse Rifles are a good mid-range choice, especially since they are easy to use. That’s why The Messenger made our list, being the best Pulse Rifle in the game. A combination of good stats, excellent perks, and a great archetype with a TtK of 0.67 seconds makes this gun special. If you’re lucky enough to get Rapid Hit and Headseeker perks, you’ll understand why everyone loves The Messenger.

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Elsie’s Rifle, Pulse Rifle

How to Get: Onslaught

Must-Have Roll:

• Zen Moment / Keep Away
• Headseeker / Kill Clip

An excellent alternative to The Messenger in the second slot could be Elsie’s Rifle from Into the Light Weaponry. This Pulse Rifle replicates the famous No Time to Explain, but only has Legendary Equality and Random Rolls, which does not prevent it from becoming the best PvP weapon in Destiny 2 Season 23.

For 3v3 games, the best combo would be Zen Moment and Headseeker, providing you with Flinch Resistance, reduced Visual Recoil, and also bonus Aim Assistance with Critical Damage for body hits. For 6v6 games, Kill Clip might be more interesting as the improved damage upon reloading after a Final Blow allows you to take out one opponent after another.

Igneous Hammer, Hand Cannon

How to Get: Trials of Osiris

Must-Have Roll:

• Keep Away / Fragile Focus
• Eye of the Storm / Opening Shot

120 RPM Hand Cannons are always distinguished by their Forgiveness and huge damage, allowing you to defeat Guardians with 2 Crit Hits if you have a Damage buff. Igneous Hammer is considered the strongest among this archetype. With Keep Away or Fragile Focus, you can easily achieve 100 Range, annihilating enemies across the map. Eye of the Storm will be a good fit to have precise shots, while Precision Instrument will help return 2 crit 1 body final blows. If you’re looking for an alternative to Igneous Hammer in the primary slot, consider Round Robin or Sturm, which didn’t make this list due to huge competition.

Unending Tempest, Submachine Gun

How to Get: Crucible

Must-Have Roll:

• Dynamic Sway Reduction / Moving Target / Perpetual Motion
• Fragile Focus / Tap the Trigger

After the nerf to the Target Lock, this perk has become quite mediocre for SMGs, causing the popularity of The Immortal to start approaching zero. Fortunately, Lord Shaxx is ready to offer an excellent replacement in the form of Unending Tempest, which any player can easily obtain by playing PvP.

The best perks for the third column would be Dynamic Sway Reduction and Perpetual Motion, which would help improve low Stability. Additionally, Moving Target would be beneficial for increased Strafe Speed and Aim Assistance. 

In the fourth column, you have a choice between two perks. The first perk, Fragile Focus, gives you a +20 Range. However, this perk stops working when your shield is destroyed. The second perk, Tap the Trigger, provides Accuracy and Stability for 0.6 seconds every time you fire from the Unending Tempest. As you can see, the choices are quite extensive. Achieving the 100 Range or Stability won’t be a problem with these perks.

Rose, Hand Cannon

How to Get: Legacy Competitive Focusing

Must-Have Roll: Slideshot/Quickdraw/Rapid Hit, Explosive Payload/Eye of the Storm

In Season 23, developers added Legacy Competitive Focusing, making the beautiful Rose available again! It has so many good perks that it’s hard to choose, making it the best PvP Hand Cannon in Destiny 2. Explosive Payload will make everyone hate you because it increases the Flinch received by enemies. Quickdraw is suitable for those who like to switch between weapons quickly, and Slideshot helps increase Rose’s Range and Stability after sliding.

Heliocentric QSc, Sidearm

How to Get: Legendary Engrams or Legend and Master Lost Sectors

Must-Have Roll: 

• Moving Target / Perpetual Motion / Heal Clip
• Kill Clip / Precision Instrument

Sidearms are extremely risky weapons, as they require very close proximity to the opponent, but in return, they provide extremely fast and optimal TtK. Heliocentric QSc is one of the strongest representatives of this type of weapon, as it has decent stats and excellent perks. Most importantly, it is easily obtainable. In order to get it, you will either have to rely on luck or farm for it in the Lost Sector during a specific period of time.

Let’s discuss the gun’s perks, each of which is unique and abundant in choice, making this Sidearm one of the best PvP Legendary weapons in Destiny 2:

• Moving Target will help you with Aim Assist and Strafe Speed 
• Perpetual Motion buffs your Stability, Handling, and Reload Speed up to +20 points 
• Heal Clip grants you 60 HP upon reloading after a Final Blow 
• With the previous perk, Kill Clip synergizes perfectly. It boosts damage by 25% upon reloading after a takedown, reducing TtK to 0.5 seconds 
• Precision Instrument reduces the number of needed hits in Crit, making the gun more Forgiving

As you can see, Heliocentric QSc can easily adapt to any play style, so be sure to try this Sidearm in practice.

The Summoner, Auto Rifle

How to Get: Trials of Osiris

Must-Have Roll:

• Zen Moment / Dynamic Sway Reduction
• Tap the Trigger / Kill Clip / Onslaught / Golden Tricorn

After the nerf to Precision Auto Rifles, the leader among this type of weapon is The Summoner, which has returned to us in Season 23. This gun’s combination of perks, such as Zen Moment and Dynamic Sway Reduction, with Tap the Trigger, makes it highly accurate and stable. For reducing Time to Kill in 6v6 modes, Kill Clip, Onslaught, or Golden Tricorn are the most promising options.

A distinctive feature of The Summoner is its fully vertical recoil, without additional Recoil Direction adjustment. This means that holding The Summoner will always be a pleasure, and it can easily be the best PvP Auto Rifle in Destiny 2. Remember that you can get it from Trials, and we recommend to check out Trials of Osiris Adept weapon this week to stay up to date!

Best PvP Special Weapons in Destiny 2

Moving on to Special weaponry, which stand out in PvP because they can one-shot enemies or deal great damage, allowing you to get instant melee takedowns. Either way, Special guns are called special for a reason, and our Destiny 2 PvP weapon tier list will explain why!

Conditional Finality, Shotgun

How to Get: Root of Nightmares Raid

For four seasons straight, Conditional Finality has been topping the charts in Top Trials loadouts and is called one of Destiny 2 best PVP weapons in 2023, and it’s no surprise. Not only is this Shotgun extremely pleasant to use due to its high Handling and good Bullet Spread, but it can also quickly destroy enemies in Well of Radiance or Ward of Dawn thanks to Frozen and Ignite Debuffs. If you haven’t gotten Conditional Finality yet, wait for Root of Nightmares in rotation and farm Nezarec until you earn it.

Cloudstrike, Sniper Rifle

How to Get: Empire Hunts

Even after the nerf, Cloudstrike hasn’t lost its position and continues to be one of the most popular Sniper Rifles. Why, when it doesn’t even have the best Archetype for PvP? The answer lies in its high Handling and unique Exotic Perk, which creates an AoE explosion upon doing precision hits to enemy. If your opponents like to group up, Cloudstrike will easily convince them otherwise.

Duality, Scout Rifle

How to Get: Monument to Lost Light

After changing the shotgun’s shot spread, Duality sparkled with new colors. It’ll satisfy any Shotguns fan. It’s all about the Compression Chamber, due to which Duality fires a pellet spread in hip-fire or a single high-damage slug while aiming. Catalyst would also come in handy, as it raises Range by 20 points, which is very important for Duality.

Matador 64, Shotgun

How to Get: Grasp of Avarice Dungeon

Must-Have Roll: Threat Detector/Perpetual Motion, Opening Shot

Matador 64 was a true legend in Destiny 1, and it became even better when it returned, easily making it to the Destiny 2 best PvP weapons list. Like any good Shotgun, it has an Opening Shot, the most useful perk for many Special Weapons. Few would refuse free Range and Aim Assist, right? Even its relatively low Handling isn’t a problem for Matador 64, as Threat Detector and Perpetual Motion can help. If we had to choose one of the two perks, we’d go for Threat Detector, as it only requires an enemy nearby.

Found Verdict, Shotgun

How to Get: Vault of Glass Raid

Must-Have Roll: Surplus/Slideshot, Opening Shot

A good alternative to Matador 64 is Found Verdict, which has also returned from Destiny 1. Here, you’ll notice completely different perks in the third column, namely Surplus and Slideshot. The former increases Handling for each Charged Ability, while the latter increases Range after sliding. As you can see, the two perks are radically different, so choose according to your preference.

Someday, Shotgun

How to Get: Pale Heart

Must-Have Roll: Threat Detector, Opening Shot

Someday can be considered the Matador 64 in the first slot, as this shotgun has the same archetype and perks. As we mentioned earlier, Threat Detector with Opening Shot is an excellent choice due to the bonus handling and range, which are essential for this type of weapon. Unlike Matador 64, you can craft Someday and give it Enhanced Perks, making it even better.

Mercurial Overreach, Sniper Rifle

How to Get: Legacy Competitive Focusing

Must-Have Roll: Snapshot Sights, Opening Shot

The first Legendary Sniper Rifle on our list, and we already can call it the best PvP Sniper Rifle in Destiny 2. Its only downside is the inability to craft. Nevertheless, Mercurial Overreach has two excellent perks that allow you to aim quickly and have improved aim assist with range on the first shot. If you get a godroll focusing on Handling Masterwork, Destiny 2 will turn into an exciting point-and-click adventure for you!

Beloved, Sniper Rifle

How to Get: Presage Exotic Mission or Xur

Must-Have Roll: Snapshot Sights, Moving Target/Quickdraw

Yet not everyone wants to farm engrams and focus, so Beloved enters the game, returning with the Presage mission and being craftable. It’s one of the best PvP Sniper Rifles in Destiny 2, easily eliminating opponents with precision shots and dealing with any enemies to this day. You can still equip Snapshot Sights in the third column, but the Opening Shot is missing, so you have to choose between Moving Target (+10 aim assist with reduced movement speed penalty) or Quickdraw (fast gun draw). In any case, Beloved has every chance to become the other half you were missing, becoming your one of the best weapons for PvE Destiny 2.

Techeun Force, Fusion Rifle

How to Get: Last Wish Raid

Must-Have Roll: Under Pressure, Rangefinder/High-Impact Reserves

When it comes to the best Crucible weapons in Destiny 2, many immediately think of the updated Techeun Force from Last Wish. This rifle has not only a suitable archetype with a relatively low charge time but also excellent perks to focus on effective aiming or instant enemy elimination.

Rangefinder handles the first task, increasing Effective Zoom by 10%, while High-Impact Reserves deal with the second, increasing damage when your magazine has fewer bullets. Under Pressure remains a top pick in the third column, as it makes it easier to shoot with each shot.

The Origin Trait isn’t as useful in PvP, but in certain situations, using a grenade can help improve stability and reload speed, saving your life. And yeah, you can, without a doubt, call Techeun Force one of the best PvP Craftable Weapons in Destiny 2.

Pressurized Precision, Fusion Rifle

How to Get: Iron Banner

Must-Have Roll: Firmly Planted/Moving Target, Rangefinder/High-Impact Reserves

Not many of us like to play Iron Banner, but those who do can take a closer look at Pressurized Precision, which may surprise you.

• Firstly, it has a Firmly Planted perk, which increases accuracy, stability, and handling in crouch mode. 
• Secondly, the fourth column has the same perks as the previous Fusion Rifle, which is pleasing. 
• Thirdly, the gun’s Origin Trait can turn gameplay in Crucible into real stealth action, where taking down a foe at low HP gives you enhanced radar and hides you from enemy radars. Shots will still reveal you, but you can have a lot of fun with it!

If you want to have in your hand the Destiny 2 PvP Meta weapon, then you need Pressurized Precision.

Thoughts on the Best PvP Heavy Weapons in Destiny 2

The situation with guns in the third slot is ambiguous here, mainly because you rarely use them in PvP and even more so in Ranked modes. Nonetheless, not having a good Heavy gun with you is also unacceptable. Regarding Exotics, we recommend any Rocket Launcher, like an amazing The Wardcliff Coil and a beatiful Deathbringer. In terms of Legendaries, it’s hard to give specific advice. Still, Grenade Launchers with Proximity Grenades, Machine Guns, and Rocket Launchers didn’t disappoint anyone.

Final Words

So, here are all the best PvP weapons in Episode Echoes. If you have a different opinion about guns or think our list is incorrect, we await your comments to discuss it with you there!

If you also need help choosing an endgame loadout, we recommend familiarizing yourself with the best PvE weapons in Destiny 2, where we describe all the best guns in the game currently.

Remember, you can always turn to professionals to get any desired guns within a few days. Just reach out to Destiny 2 Services, and your wish will be fulfilled!

Thanks for Reading! Owl is Flying Away.