Destiny 2’s sandbox focuses on two components when it comes to dealing damage: your abilities, and your weapons. Each weapon archetype has its own strengths and weaknesses, and often the weaknesses of a few result in the dismissal of an entire archetype, which leads to players leaving perfectly good, and sometimes great weapon archetypes behind.

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For Destiny 2’s PvP or player vs. player sandbox, some archetypes shine brighter than others. But which ones? What situations are they good for? Which ones potentially fit your play style, or even start spinning your gears for crafting a build? There’s guaranteed to be at least one archetype that meets your desires.

10 Auto Rifles

Auto Rifles, Chroma Rush an auto rifle from Destiny 2's Season of the Splicer

Auto Rifles. Spray and pray machines meant to deal continuous damage, if not a lot of damage. This archetype is very useful when it comes to mid-range engagements, with varying fall-off ranges as your target gets further away.

Slower firing autos are going to be 360 rounds per minute, and they’re going to feel a lot heavier to fire, packing a big punch. Faster firing 600 and 720 rpm autos aren’t going to hit as hard, but if you have trouble landing shots, more shots fired means a higher number of shots hit. Just watch out for the recoil.

9 Rocket Launchers

Rocket Launchers, Palmyra-B a rocket launcher from Destiny 2

Heavy weapons in general don’t have too much of a place in the crucible, as heavy ammo doesn’t spawn too often. However, when it does spawn, a rocket launcher is going to be your best friend. Dealing area of effect damage and requiring little aim, they easily shut down opponents even in their super.

Rounds-per-minute doesn’t matter too much with launchers. It’s recommended to find one with perks that increase your blast radius, or even one with a tracking perk in the rare instance you do aim down sights.

8 Pulse Rifles

Pulse Rifles, Piece of Mind a pulse rifle from Destiny 2's Season of the Risen

With a little more range, pulse rifles are a mix between mid-range autos and long-range scouts. Pulse rifles can be used to challenge most lanes, and are more forgiving than scout rifles, especially when receiving flinch while aiming down sights.

If you’re still needing more bullets down range, 540 rpm pulses are the fit for you. However, if landing shots is no problem, the slower 390s pack a mighty punch, with no problem dealing with opponents in three bursts or less.

7 Shotguns

Shotguns, Retrofuturist a shotgun from Destiny 2's Crucible

If you run around in Destiny 2’s crucible, you’ve been subjected to shotguns, and for good reason, too. Destiny 2 is a fast-paced game, and shotguns allow you to run and gun while dealing with surprise opponents around tight corners.

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If you’re great at flicking your aim and hitting quick headshots, precision frame slug shotguns are going to be your desired shotgun, giving you a bit more range than other pellet spread options. Regardless of your preference, slide shot or slide ways are going to be the perks to look out for.

6 Submachine Guns

Submachine Gun, Borrowed Time a submachine gun from Destiny 2's Season of the Splicer

Meant for closer range than auto rifles, submachine guns are great primary weapons to deal with opponents who are getting a little too close for comfort. 900 rpm options are great for lots of quick damage, while 600s are better for hard-hitting options.

The sweet middle of these options are 750s, which include some of the best submachine guns in the game for both PvP and PvE. Regardless of your choice, however, be mindful of damage fall-off at longer ranges. When they fall-off, they fall-off fast.

5 Sniper Rifles

Sniper Rifles, The Long Walk a sniper rifle from Destiny 2

Imagine the one-shot potential of a shotgun, but at any range. Behold, the sniper rifle! Rpms on a sniper don’t matter too much, though the faster firing 140s take three shots to the body to down an opponent compared to 90 or 72s only taking two shots.

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The power of a sniper rifle relies on, of course, your ability to hit your shots. Headshots are what count here. Regardless of the sniper rifle, quick draw and snapshot sights are great perk options to shoot for, and hip-fire grip isn’t too bad either for those no-scope moments.

4 Fusion Rifles

Fusion Rifles, Null Composure a fusion rifle from Destiny 2

Fusions are the middle ground between shotguns and sniper rifles. More range than a shotgun, and you won’t have to worry about headshots with them because fusions can’t deal crit damage on their own.

Rpm is replaced by charge time, as you’ll have to charge the gun before it fires. Charge time is in milliseconds, so a fusion with 1000 charge time takes one full second to charge. Slower charge times deal higher damage, and for PvP, getting a slower charge time fusion with a backup plan perk lets you deal that damage while charging much faster.

3 Bows

Bows,Under Your Skin from Destiny 2's Season of the Risen

Bows are a specific weapon for PvP. If they fit your play style, then they fit great, and if they don’t, you’ll wonder how anyone can use them at all. You should be on the lookout for bows with shorter draw times, giving you the most out of the bow in as short a time as possible.

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Bows have infinite range, so damage fall-off isn’t a problem, but you’ll need to be quick since they can’t be held drawn forever. Follow a bow shot with a quick shot from your hand cannon, and your opponent won’t know what hit them.

2 Hand Cannons

Hand Cannons, Nation of Beasts a hand cannon from Destiny 2's Last Wish Raid

Often considered the best weapon archetype in Destiny history, hand cannons are the game’s bread and butter. If you enjoy strafe shooting and burst damage, then this is the archetype for you.

While all hand cannons are good, generally 140s shine brightest, feeling like a solid mix between faster firing and heavy damage. 120s are good, too, forgiving players whose shots aren’t always on point. 180s require precision and a quick trigger finger, but offer a unique perk pool compared to some of the other rpms in this archetype.

1 Glaives

Glaives, The Enigma a glaive from Destiny 2

Glaives weren’t the best when they first came out, but after a quick tweak, they are extremely deadly. The lunge distance on glaive melees is extremely long, allowing you to close some serious distance before wailing on your opponent.

However, a glaive's true strength in the crucible comes from their ability to block damage when aiming down sights, and firing projectiles safe from harm. Mostly. A weapon that can shoot like a gun, protect you with a shield, and lay down some serious melee damage is definitely worth a spot in your arsenal.

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