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Destiny 2's Crucible sandbox contains hundreds of weapons for Guardians to use. SMGs serve as one of the better options for most game types, allowing you to punish Hand Cannon players with a flurry of bullets. A good SMG player is a nightmare to fight against, but a good SMG player can surely benefit from a good weapon.

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With SMG changes in Season of the Haunted, most SMGs are in a great spot for PvP. From farmable world drops to raid gear, we'll be covering ten devastating SMGs that excel at 6v6 playlists all the way to the Trials of Osiris. We'll also give perk recommendations for each weapon to showcase the weapon's true potential.

Updated March 26, 2024, by Charles Burgar: Season of the Wish released a mid-season update that has fundamentally changed the PvP sandbox. Precision hits are more important than ever, Target Lock was nerfed on SMGs, and certain SMG archetypes have been changed. As a result, we've updated this list to reflect these changes, placing less emphasis on Target Lock and more on consistency. We also added Adjudicator to the list, the first SMG to roll with the Onslaught perk.

10 Adjudicator

Destiny 2 Adjudicator

How to obtain: Prophecy dungeon.

Adjudicator is an older Trials of the Nine SMG that has been reissued with a mid-season content update for Season of the Wish. This weapon can now be farmed in the Prophecy dungeon, and it is part of the same 600 RPM archetype as Shayura's Wrath and Unending Tempest.

It doesn't live up to its 600 cousins, yet this weapon still packs a serious punch. Feeding Frenzy and Onslaught is a fun perk combination that slays in 6v6 playlists, buffing the weapon's reload speed and fire rate with each kill. If you care more about consistency, you can use Rangefinder and Fragile Focus to help offset the gun's low zoom value of 13. And if you play aggressively, swap Fragile Focus for Kinetic Tremors.

  • Column One: Rangefinder, Feeding Frenzy, Dynamic Sway Reduction
  • Column Two: Kinetic Tremors, Fragile Focus, Onslaught

9 The Hero's Burden

Destiny 2 The Hero's Burden

How to obtain: Iron Banner matches and Engrams.

Destiny 2's only Adaptive Frame SMG has returned in Season of the Haunted, complete with a new suite of perks. This weapon has the same fire rate as a Lightweight SMG but with a slightly more forgiving damage profile, allowing this weapon to shred Guardians with headshots and body shots alike.

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While the range stat on Hero's Burden isn't great—reaching just over 20 meters with a good roll—it has access to some amazing perks. Fragile Focus and Kill Clip are phenomenal for 6v6 modes and even 3v3 playlists for skilled players. Kill an enemy, reload, and enjoy an absurdly short TTK while Fragile Focus greatly boosts your range.

If you're looking for more consistency, this SMG can roll with Dynamic Sway Reduction, giving this weapon near-perfect accuracy after you fire ten shots. Pair that with Zen Moment to become virtually immune to flinch. Either way, Hero's Burden is a solid SMG that is quite forgiving but far from the best.

We don't recommend Iron Reach on this weapon. The lower stability makes this weapon flinch uncontrollably in combat.

  • Column One: Fragile Focus, Zen Moment
  • Column Two: Kill Clip, Dynamic Sway Reduction

8 Submission

Destiny 2 Submission

How to obtain: Vow of the Disciple raid; craftable at the Enclave.

Submission is a deceptive weapon. At first glance, this weapon's base range stat of 29 seems unsalvageable. However, dig a little deeper into this weapon's perk pool, and you'll soon realize that this weapon can match the likes of Shayura's Wrath while maintaining the excellent TTK that 900 RPMs are renowned for.

Besides getting perks that boost your range stat, Submission has an amazing perk combination that no other SMG can get: Encore and Killing Wind. A single precision kill will give you +30 range, extending your damage falloff by four meters. Get yourself an Adept variant, and you can throw on Adept Range to give this weapon close to 100 range after a single kill.

It has great base stability, handling, perfectly vertical recoil, one of the cleanest sights in the game, and it can kill Guardians from 24 meters away if you have Encore and Killing Wind active. Best of all, you can craft this weapon. If you're looking for a good Kinetic SMG, give Submission a try.

  • Column One: Encore, Perpetual Motion
  • Column Two: Killing Wind

7 The Showrunner

Destiny 2 The Showrunner

How to obtain: Season of the Witch Engram focusing.

Lightweight SMGs typically don't perform well in PvP due to their low range values, but The Showrunner's perk pool and origin trait allow this weapon to hang with the best. Every roll of this weapon comes with Nadir Focus, an origin trait that buffs your range and accuracy as you fire the weapon. It's effectively Dynamic Sway Reduction that trades stability for range, an excellent origin trait for an SMG like this.

As for perks, Kinetic Tremors is the standout pick here. Landing 14 shots on a target will cause them to violently explode with three back-to-back tremors. It's unlikely that you'll need 14 bullets to kill someone in a close-range fight, but this perk is excellent for countering Void Overshields, Solar users that run Healing Grenades, Warlock Rifts, and Strand players using Woven Mail.

This can get particularly strong if you run Thread of Transmutation on Strand, as this weapon will automatically detonate the Tangle you create from a kill.

Of course, you can always opt for Target Lock if you want to buff the gun's dueling performance. What you pair with these perks doesn't particularly matter since the third column doesn't have many great options. Dynamic Sway Reduction is a good pick for any SMG, but don't sleep on Well-Rounded if you're playing an ability-centric build like Strand Hunter. Heating Up is also a solid option for buffing the gun's accuracy and stability after a kill.

  • Column One: Dynamic Sway Reduction, Well-Rounded, Heating Up
  • Column Two: Kinetic Tremors, Target Lock

6 The Huckleberry

Destiny 2 Huckleberry

How to obtain: Exotic Engrams found through Xur or world drops.

Huckleberry saw a Zoom increase in Season of the Haunted, allowing this weapon to duel at greater distances. This makes it far easier to get a kill with Huckleberry to start ramping up its Exotic perk and Rampage effect. Continuous fire will ramp up Huckleberry's fire rate, and each kill fully reloads the magazine and grants a stack of Rampage.

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Going on a lengthy killing spree is quite easy with this gun, and Huckleberry's unrelenting storm of bullets will out flinch most weapons in a duel. If you can control this weapon's fire rate and recoil, you're left with one of the most lethal weapons in the Crucible.

5 IKELOS_SMG_V1.0.3

Destiny 2 IKELOS SMG v1.0.3

How to obtain: Operation: Seraph's Shield; craftable at the Enclave.

Season of the Seraph brought back the IKELOS weapons from Warmind and Season of Arrivals, complete with origin traits and new perks. This version of the IKELOS SMG is the strongest yet, featuring excellent neutral game perks for PvP and the ability to be crafted—assuming you got enough red border drops from the Seraph's Shield mission.

While most consider the IKELOS SMG to be a PvE weapon, this gun is shockingly strong in the Crucible. Dynamic Sway Reduction and Tap the Trigger make for an excellent dueling gun, granting 21 meters of range with the right perks.

If Dynamic Sway Reduction isn't your thing, Perpetual Motion and Killing Wind are solid alternatives. Paired with this gun's origin trait that partially reloads the magazine upon breaking someone's shield, you have a fantastic 750 SMG for dueling in 6v6 and 3v3 modes.

  • Column One: Dynamic Sway Reduction, Perpetual Motion, Killing Wind
  • Column Two: Tap the Trigger, Rangefinder

4 The Immortal

Destiny 2 The Immortal

How to obtain: Trials of Osiris matches and Engrams.

The Immortal has quickly shaped the PvP meta since it was introduced in Season of Defiance. Target Lock might not be an S-tier perk for PvP SMGs anymore, but this weapon still has a stacked perk pool to pull from. You can run Rangefinder or Dynamic Sway Reduction in the first column to greatly increase the weapon's consistency at longer ranges

You can pair either of those perks with Kill Clip for more damage, Hatchling to spawn Threadlings, or Tap the Trigger to give this weapon an absurd boost to its consistency. As for Rangefinder alternatives, you can't go wrong with Keep Away or Encore to increase your effective range. A good roll of The Immortal overshadows most SMGs in the PvP sandbox, but a god roll truly is worth the grind.

Recommended Perks:

  • Column One: Dynamic Sway Reduction, Rangefinder, Encore, Keep Away
  • Column Two: Kill Clip, Tap the Trigger

3 Tarrabah

Destiny 2 Tarrabah Hunter

How to obtain: Purchased from the Exotic Kiosk in the Tower.

Few SMGs can rival the sheer stopping power of Tarrabah. This 750 RPM SMG is mediocre on the surface, but this weapon's Exotic perk turns it into a Machine Gun with infinite ammo. Taking or receiving damage will slowly charge Tarrabah. Once the gun is charged, hold the reload key to activate Ravenous Beast.

When Bungie says this gun "unleashes the beast," they mean it. This gun fires faster, deals significantly more damage, makes you move faster, and increases Tarrabah's reload speed. Enemies drop in a quarter of a second, and kills extend the duration of this perk. And with the prevalence of Restoration and healing in today's meta, Tarrabah serves as an excellent counter that punishes passive play.

2 Unending Tempest

Destiny 2 Unending Tempest

How to obtain: Crucible matches and Engrams.

If you combine The Immortal and Shayura's Wrath, you'd get Unending Tempest. This is a Stasis 600 RPM SMG that has an absurdly good perk pool, solid base stats, and arguably the best origin trait out of any SMG for PvP. Nadir Focus increases this weapon's range and accuracy as you hold down the trigger. This makes Unending Tempest absurdly consistent at the back-half of a gunfight.

But what truly sets this weapon apart are its perks. Dynamic Sway Reduction and Target Lock is the ultimate dueling roll. Hitting an enemy will ramp up your accuracy, range, stability, and slightly buffs your damage. If you pair this with the Titan's Peacekeepers Exotic, you effectively have the perfect SMG for 1v1 duels. If you prefer to slay out in 6v6 modes, you can mimic Shayura's Wrath with Killing Wind and Multikill Clip.

It's not quite as lethal as Kill Clip, but a single kill will give this weapon a massive boost to your range and a 0.7s TTK against Guardians with T8 or more Resilience. It's a fantastic weapon that is easy to use and far easier to farm than other top-tier SMGs.

Recommended Perks:

  • Column One: Dynamic Sway Reduction, Killing Wind
  • Column Two: Target Lock, Multikill Clip

1 Shayura's Wrath

Destiny 2 Shayura's Wrath

How to obtain: Legacy Trials Focusing.

Shayura's Wrath set the bar for what SMGs can do inside the Crucible. This 600 RPM SMG comes with 59 range and 15 zoom by default. Without any perks, it can duel at 20 meters. That's on par with most good SMG rolls. Once you start accounting for perks and its Adept variant, it's clear that Shayura's Wrath is a trailblazer for SMGs as a whole.

It's possible to get 100 range on Shayura's Wrath with the right roll, causing damage falloff to begin at 25 meters. Few SMGs in Destiny 2 can compete with that. That isn't even accounting for its main traits. You can get Killing Wind or Tunnel Vision in the first column to bump its consistency after a kill. Paired with Kill Clip in the second column for a low 0.6s TTK, and you won't find a better feeling 600 RPM SMG.

For sheer consistency, Dynamic Sway Reduction and Tap The Trigger have great synergy, giving this weapon virtually no recoil and a nice boost to its accuracy. Overall, Shayura's Wrath is a fantastic weapon for aggressive playstyles and SMG fans alike.

Recommended Perks:

  • Column One: Killing Wind, Tunnel Vision, Dynamic Sway Reduction
  • Column Two: Kill Clip, Tap the Trigger, Elemental Capacitor (Arc)
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