Shotguns are one of the strongest weapon categories for PvP in Destiny 2. These weapons pack a serious punch and can kill targets from surprisingly long distances with the right perks.

Each Shotgun in Destiny 2 can hold its own in Crucible, but there are a few that easily stand above the rest. This is thanks to their great perk pool, high base stats, or ease of use. Finding the right perk combination on a Shotgun can be the difference between a subpar Special weapon and a game-changing weapon. Whether a Crucible veteran or primarily a PvE player, here are ten Shotguns that will help you dominate in Destiny 2's Crucible.

Updated October 14, 2023, by Charles Burgar: Season of the Witch has made some massive PvP balance changes, notably the decoupling of range and zoom. This has affected Shotguns slightly, although meta Shotgun options remain on top for most game types. We've updated this list to better represent the current PvP sandbox, adding Conditional Finality and Imperial Decree to the tier list while removing some outdated weapons. Some perk recommendations were also updated to reflect recent meta shifts.

Shotgun Archetypes Explained

Before we get on with listing the best PvP Shotguns, it's important to understand how Shotguns were reworked in Season of the Seraph. The biggest change is that Shotguns now have consistent spread patterns. Your pellets will no longer deviate with each shot, making Shotguns much more consistent across the board. Each archetype has a unique spread pattern (as shown above):

• Aggressive Frame: Fixed, evenly distributed cone.
• Precision Frame: Vertical oval shape.
• Pinpoint Slug: No changes; circle shape.
• Lightweight Frame: Diamond shape.
• Rapid-Fire Frame: Square shape.

This has drastically shifted the Shotgun meta. Precision Frames are now the most consistent, followed by Aggressive Frames. Lightweight Frames struggle to one-tap Guardians at five meters and are poor cleanup weapons, and Rapid-Fire Frames are still intended for cleanups. Slugs, Precisions, and Aggressive Frames are your best options for the Crucible. If you're wondering why no Lightweights or Rapid-Fire Frames made it to our list, that's why. For a more thorough breakdown on Shotgun OHKO ranges and other discoveries, check out YouTuber Gjerda's video on the subject.

10 Ragnhild-D

How to obtain: Crafted at The Enclave.

Aggressive Frames are fantastic for shutting down Guardians up-close or getting easy cleanups. If you're just breaking into PvP or need a reliable Shotgun in the Kinetic slot, look no further than Ragnhild-D. While it doesn't have the sheer range of Found Verdict, this gun has one massive advantage: it's craftable.

Unlocking Ragnhild-D's crafting blueprint is fairly straightforward and allows you to make the exact roll you want. Perpetual Motion and Elemental Capacitor is a fantastic combo, allowing you to reach 100 handling if you're on an Arc subclass. Spec the other perks for range, and you'll have yourself a solid Kinetic Shotgun for all PvP content. It's not the best, but it's consistent. Sometimes that's all you need.

Recommended Traits:

• Column One: Perpetual Motion
• Column Two: Elemental Capacitor, Frenzy

9 The Chaperone

How to obtain: Complete the "Blast from a Past" Exotic quest. It can be obtained from Shaw Han in the Cosmodrome.

Chaperone has seen repeated nerfs throughout the past few seasons. While it can't cross-map people anymore, this is still one of the strongest Shotguns you can use in the Crucible right now.

Even after a range nerf, Chaperone still comes on top of nearly every other Shotgun in Destiny 2. Chaperone can headshot targets from close range to proc Roadborn, giving it yet another range bump. Landing headshots is a breeze with Chaperone thanks to its rather high aim assist value and great range. Don't use this weapon in the air, remember to respect the distance of Fusion Rifles, and you'll be surprised just how strong this weapon can be.

8 Astral Horizon

How to obtain: Trials of Osiris matches and Engrams.

Back during Season of the Worthy, Astral Horizon and Felwinter's Lie dominated the PvP space with their excellent one-hit kill ranges. While Aggressives aren't quite as strong as in Year 3, Astral Horizon's return couldn't have been timed better. With the major changes to Shotguns in Season of the Seraph, Astral Horizon is a powerhouse in this current sandbox.

As with its last iteration, Astral Horizon shines when you get a roll that focuses on handling and range. Surplus and Opening Shot is a great pick for players that tend to hold onto their abilities. If you're someone who doesn't mind throwing the occasional grenade, we recommend going for Threat Detector over Surplus. Get the right roll, and this weapon can reliably one-tap Guardians and get easy cleanups. There's not much you can ask of a Shotgun.

Recommended Traits:

• Column One: Threat Detector, Surplus
• Column Two: Opening Shot

7 Gunnora's Axe

How to obtain: Iron Banner matches and Engrams.

If you're not up to farming the Trials of Osiris for a good Inquisitor, try your hand at Iron Banner. Gunnora's Axe has returned from previous years, complete with a fantastic perk refresh and origin traits. This weapon is a stat monster than can match most meta slug Shotguns. More importantly, this weapon has some S-tier perk combinations that can suit any playstyle.

Most players will want Threat Detector with Opening Shot, improving the gun's handling while near enemies and drastically buffing your first shot. Hitting the range and handling caps on this gun is fairly easy with the right roll, leading to consistent shots across the board. If you want a somewhat cheesy setup, look out for Hip-Fire Grip and Opening Shot. Both perks synergize exceptionally well and make landing hip-fire headshots surprisingly trivial.

Recommended Traits:

• Column One: Threat Detector, Hip-Fire Grip, Surplus
• Column Two: Opening Shot

6 Fractethyst

How to obtain: Dares of Eternity (Week 4 Loot Pool).

We dislike placing unobtainable weapons on our lists, but we had to make an exception with Fractethyst. Originally released in Season of the Lost, this Precision Frame Shotgun features excellent base stats and a great perk pool. Anyone who held on to a good roll of this gun should take it out of the Vault. It's now a competitive option that acts as a Stasis version of Matador 64.

Since you can't farm for this gun, use any roll you can get your hands on. Slideshot and Quickdraw are great first column traits, and the second column can get Opening Shot. A good roll of this gun can land one-taps from solid distances and cleanup weaker foes with ease. Keep an eye out for Fractethyst if it ever returns.

Recommended Traits:

• Column One: Quickdraw, Slideshot
• Column Two: Opening Shot

5 Heritage

How to obtain: Deep Stone Crypt raid; craftable at the Enclave.

Heritage is the king of Legendary slugs in Destiny 2. This weapon's stat package is absurd, featuring better stats than Blasphemer. That alone makes this weapon worth chasing, yet it's the perks Heritage can roll with that make it comparable with the likes of Chaperone.

If you solely care about range, a roll with Slideshot and range-boosting perks will give Heritage 100 range, making it just under Duality's effective slug range. However, you can hit this range cap with the right barrels, mag perks, and Masterwork. Should you be lucky enough to get range on all three, you'll want a roll with Hip-Fire Grip and either Offhand Strike Moving Target. Hip-Fire Grip seems strange for a gun like this, but Heritage's stats are so absurd that Hip-Fire Grip makes hip-firing this gun extremely consistent, even if you're in the air. And if you proc Offhand Strike by landing a kill, this weapon effectively turns into a hip-fire railgun that can one-tap Guardians from 12+ meters.

Recommended Traits:

• Column One: Hip-Fire Grip, Slideshot, Auto-Loading Holster
• Column Two: Offhand Strike, Moving Target

4 Found Verdict

How to obtain: Vault of Glass raid (Conflux, Oracle, and Gatekeeper encounters).

Vault of Glass' Found Verdict is part of the Aggressive Frame archetype featuring above average base range and handling. With the right perks, Found Verdict can one-tap Guardians from surprising distances and reach a fairly high handling stat, making this the perfect Shotgun for aggressive players.

The real power of Found Verdict lies in its Timelost (Adept) version, allowing it to equip Adept mods for enhanced stats. A roll with Surplus and Opening Shot is solid on its own, but when you equip Adept Handling and get a handling-focused roll, you'll be able to swap and ADS just a little slower than slugs and Lightweight Frames.

Recommended Traits:

• Column One: Slideshot, Surplus
• Column Two: Opening Shot, Killing Wind

3 Imperial Decree

How to obtain: Season of Defiance Engram focusing; craftable at the Enclave.

The Imperial Decree is an Aggressive Frame Shotgun that resides in the Kinetic slot. While its base stats don't beat out the likes of Found Verdict or Conditional Finality, Imperial Decree is craftable and fairly easy to obtain. Using the Recovered Leviathan Weapons option at the War Table will allow you to focus your Defiant Engrams into Imperial Decree Shotguns, each with a slim chance of dropping as a red border variant.

As for perks, the classic combination of Threat Detector and Opening Shot is present here, both of which may be enhanced if you level the weapon. These perks greatly buff the consistency of Imperial Decree without any playstyle changes. Simply equip the Shotgun when someone gets near and pull the trigger; Imperial Decree will most likely kill them in a single blast. Spec the weapon for range and handling stats to get the most out of it. It's slightly worse than a god roll Found Verdict, yet Imperial Decree is far easier to obtain and fully craftable.

Recommended Traits:

• Column One: Threat Detector, Slideshot
• Column Two: Opening Shot

2 Matador 64

How to obtain: Grasp of Avarice dungeon.

Matador 64 was a meta-defining weapon in the original Destiny but sadly failed to make an impact when it returned to Destiny 2, mostly due to the inconsistent nature of Precision Frames. That's changed with Season of the Seraph, and now Matador 64 is easily one of Destiny 2's best PvP Shotguns.

It's mostly due to the weapon's vertical oval spread, ensuring that most of your pellets will land if you aim center mass. Matador's excellent base range, aim assist, and perks further help with this. Opening Shot and Threat Detector are great perks here, allowing this Shotgun to reach 100 range and 85 aim assist on your first shot. So long as you're within seven meters of the target, there's a good chance they're not getting back up. Slap on some Airborne Effectiveness, and now you have a Special weapon that can reliably one-tap from the air. Matador 64 has never been better, at least in Destiny 2.

Recommended Traits:

• Column One: Threat Detector, Perpetual Motion
• Column Two: Opening Shot

1 Conditional Finality

How to obtain: Root of Nightmares raid.

Conditional Finality is a skeleton key to PvP buildcrafting. This Shotgun can counter just about every meta loadout and Super in the game thanks to its Exotic perk. This double-barreled Shotgun loads a Stasis and Solar shot, one for each barrel. The Stasis shot is fired first and can freeze targets if most pellets land. Follow it up with a swift melee punch to kill any enemy in PvP, including Guardians inside a Well of Radiance or Ward of Dawn.

The second shot loads a Solar payload that ignites the target if most pellets land, leading to easy cleanups against tight groups of enemies. The Stasis shot counters Supers, and the Solar shot is perfect for landing multikills. Pair all of this with Conditional's absurd 95 base handling and deceptively high effective range, and you have the strongest PvP Shotgun in the game. If you're capable of raiding, farming the Root of Nightmares raid for Conditional Finality is absolutely worth doing, even if you only play PvP.

Next: Destiny 2: A Complete Guide To The Trials Of Osiris