Destiny 2's newest weapon type is the Glaive, a Special weapon that can melee targets and fire energy projectiles. They fit a role similar to Swords, capable of absorbing enemy fire before laying out a few powerful melee strikes. Unlike Swords, Glaives can also deal damage from afar, making them a jack of all trades weapon type.
Similar to Bows when Forsaken was released, there aren't many Glaives to choose from currently. Yet the Glaive you use will have a large impact on your playstyle and overall opinion on this weapon type. Today, we'll be looking at all Glaives in Destiny 2 and ranking them from worst to best.
Updated June 14, 2023, by Charles Burgar: Glaives saw some amazing additions in Season of the Deep, notably the Unexpected Resurgence Glaive found in the Trials of Osiris. We've updated this list to include both the new Trials Glaive and Greasy Luck from the Ghosts of the Deep dungeon. We cover optimal perk combinations, synergies, and explain what makes these Glaives worth chasing.
10 Edge Of Concurrence
How to obtain: "The Evidence Board" Exotic quest or The Wellspring activity.
Edge of Concurrence saw a massive buff with Season of the Haunted. Its projectiles are faster, you can use its alt-fire more freely, and the alt-fire itself now deals triple damage. Hunter mains can use this Glaive as a sort of Sword and Trinity Ghoul hybrid, accumulating energy to release a devastating lightning blast with an overcharged shot.
The damage from this lightning strike is fantastic, far more than it was at launch. With that said, this is still a straight downgrade to the likes of Trinity Ghoul or any Special weapon with Voltshot. And considering this weapon requires full shield energy to release this lightning round, you're giving up survivability for a short burst of damage. It's just not worth it in most situations. Legendary Glaives will typically serve you better.
9 Greasy Luck
How to obtain: Ghosts of the Deep dungeon.
Greasy Luck is a Legendary Rapid-Fire Glaive that deals Solar damage, capable of rolling the fantastic Incandescent perk. While it also benefits from the instant-reload provided from its origin trait, that's really all Greasy Luck has going for it. You can pair this with Replenishing Aegis for partial reloads on block or Disruption Break to make this a true utility weapon. Close to Melee is also an option if you want to use the melee portion of the Glaive. It's a solid choice for any Glaive fan out there, but it doesn't bring much new to the table either. If you already own a Glaive, only chase this for Incandescent.
Recommended Traits
- Column One: Replenishing Aegis, Disruption Break
- Column Two: Incandescent, Close to Melee
8 The Enigma
How to obtain: Crafted at The Enclave.
Destiny 2's first Glaive is also one of its best. The Enigma is the first Glaive you'll acquire during The Witch Queen campaign, crafted at The Enclave after the first mission. This weapon serves the traditional role of a Glaive quite nicely, in part due to the perks it can be crafted with.
Grave Robber and Frenzy is a fantastic combo, allowing you to reload your Glaive with each melee kill while gaining a noticeable boost to damage, reload speed, and handling. The damage boost only affects the projectile portion of this weapon, but the other stats make using the Glaive so much easier. If you want to tank projectiles, you can make a roll with Subsistence and Unstoppable Force. Projectile kills will refill part of your magazine, allowing you to keep your shield up for longer. It's easy to make, deals good damage, synergizes with Void 3.0, and is just fun to use in both PvE and PvP.
Recommended Traits
- Column One: Grave Robber, Subsistence
- Column Two: Frenzy, Unstoppable Force
7 Nezarec's Whisper
How to obtain: No longer obtainable; craftable at the Enclave.
Despite having Nezarec in the name, Nezarec's Whisper is an Arc Glaive that focuses on utility. This weapon can roll with Impulse Amplifier and Frenzy if you just want to slay out, yet that disregards some of this weapon's more interesting perk combinations that make it stand out from its competition.
Genesis and Adaptive Munitions is quite the combo, allowing you to cleave through shields with your Glaive with ease while auto-reloading it. If you're looking for a block-focused playstyle, Tilting at Windmills and Unstoppable Force can be used together. Finally, if you want to go all-in on abilities, you can get Demolitionist and Adrenaline Junkie on this Glaive. You have tons of options, it's craftable, and it works with just about every build you can think of. It might not top Lubrae's Ruin, but it comes close.
Recommended Traits
- Column One: Impulse Amplifier, Demolitionist, Genesis
- Column Two: Frenzy, Adrenaline Junkie, Adaptive Munitions
6 Lubrae's Ruin
How to obtain: Vow of the Disciple raid; can also be crafted.
Lubrae's Ruin looks and feels like an Exotic Glaive disguised as a Legendary. If you only care about looks, this might be your new favorite weapon in Destiny. And if you're someone who just wants a good Special weapon, Lubrae's Ruin might surprise you.
This Glaive can roll with a plethora of useful perks. Grave Robber and Swashbuckler is a great combo that means you never have to reload and deal 33% more damage with your projectiles—it doesn't impact your melee damage. For more utility, you can get Steady Hands and Wellspring. Immovable Object and Unstoppable Force make this the ultimate weapon for tanking, even in PvP. There are a ton of options here, and just about all of them are good. Lubrae's Ruin deals good damage, can tank incoming damage, and looks incredible.
Recommended Traits
- Column One: Grave Robber, Steady Hands, Immovable Object
- Column Two: Swashbuckler, Unstoppable Force, Wellspring
5 Ecliptic Distaff
How to obtain: Purchased from the Exotic Kiosk in the Tower.
Season of Defiance's ritual weapon is a powerful Glaive called Ecliptic Distaff. This is currently the only Glaive to roll with Destabilizing Rounds, and it's the only Void Glaive with Close to Melee. Both options are fantastic for most PvE content, notably Close to Melee to help scale this weapon's melee damage in harder activities.
For the first column, Replenishing Aegis is worth mentioning. Blocking damage will partially reload your Glaive from reserves, allowing you to continuously fire this gun if you block hits on occasion—something you should be doing with a Glaive regardless. It's a great weapon in PvE, solid for PvP, and has a deterministic farm. Get to Rank 16 with any ritual vendor to get your hands on this Glaive.
Recommended Traits
- Column One: Replenishing Aegis
- Column Two: Close to Melee
4 Vexcalibur
How to obtain: Avalon Exotic mission.
Vexcalibur is an Exotic Glaive that gives all classes access to Void Overshields. Blocking with Glaive energy will create a Void Overshield, buffing your melee damage in the process. This overshield works with any Void Aspects and Fragments you have equipped, and the weapon itself can synergize with Void buffs like Volatile Rounds.
Being able to gain Void Overshields on a Glaive is much stronger than one might think. The DR from the overshield coupled with the Glaive's frontal shield can let you tank nearly every attack in the game. Buff yourself, block some shots while closing the gap, land some melee hits, and repeat. Paired with its auto-reloading Catalyst options, Vexcalibur is a great utility weapon in PvE for staying alive and clearing out adds.
Recommended Trait
- Masterwork Trait: Replenishing Aegis, Grave Robber
3 Judgment Of Kelgorath
How to obtain: Occasionally sold by Xur.
Judgment of Kelgorath is the first Aggressive Frame Glaive in Destiny 2, reducing melee speed in exchange for harder-hitting projectiles and melee attacks. This weapon is a powerhouse with the right roll, capable of dishing out more damage than any other Special Glaive in Destiny 2. And for those looking for a good tanking weapon, this Glaive has you covered too.
This weapon can roll with the excellent Close to Melee perk, granting a 30% damage buff to your Glaive's melee attacks by damaging a target with your projectile. You can keep this perk active by meleeing targets, allowing you to get a proper damage buff for your melee attack. Pair this with a melee Exotic like Synthoceps for some massive damage. If you're more interested in the projectile portion of Glaives, don't sleep on Enhanced Surrounded. In PvP, this gives Judgment of Kelgoroth enough damage to one-tap Guardians at any Resilience tier.
Unstoppable Force and Immovable Object are also options if you just want to tank shots. You can even get Overflow and Incandescent if you want to build into the Glaive's projectile mode. This is hands-down the best Glaive in Destiny 2 currently and suits virtually every playstyle.
Recommended Traits
- Column One: Overflow, Immovable Object, Demolitionist, Shot Swap
- Column Two: Close to Melee, Unstoppable Force, Incandescent, Surrounded (PvP)
2 Unexpected Resurgence
How to obtain: Trials of Osiris matches and Engrams.
Bungie pitched Unexpected Resurgence as Destiny 2's first PvP-focused Glaive, but labeling it as such does this weapon a major disservice. Unexpected Resurgence has one of the best perk pools you'll find on a Glaive, perfect for both PvE and PvP players alike. It's also a stat monster for its archetype, featuring better stats in every category compared to all other Adaptive Glaives—excluding Nezarec Whisper's slightly larger magazine and Edge of Intent's higher base shield duration. That's not accounting for Adept mods either.
For perks, an immediate standout is Shot Swap with Rampage. Kill an enemy with the Glaive to increase its projectile damage and gain stacks of Shot Swap, allowing you to immediately swap between your weapons. If you want to slay out with your Glaive and nothing else, Subsistence paired with Close to Melee or Voltshot works great here. Surprisingly, most of the damage perks on offer are subpar in PvP environments, the best being Surrounded and Close to Melee—although Surrounded can't one-tap since this weapon isn't craftable. With that said, it can put in work with Tilting at Windmills and Unstoppable Force to heavily reward a block-heavy playstyle.
Recommended Traits
- Column One: Shot Swap, Subsistence, Auto-Loading Holster
- Column Two: Rampage/Swashbuckler, Close to Melee, Voltshot
1 Winterbite
How to obtain: Lightfall Exotic quest.
Damage bugs aside, Winterbite is the strongest Glaive in Destiny 2 currently. This Heavy Glaive fires Stasis projectiles with each shot, acting as a sort of 'Stasis Buddy' for all classes. This orb can freeze targets with ease, leading to powerful shatters if you follow up with a melee attack or ability.
That alone makes Winterbite solid for add clear, yet it's the weapon's enhanced melee damage that makes it truly amazing. Paired with melee-boosting Exotics like Synthoceps, you can deal some respectable damage with the melee attacks on this Glaive—assuming you have ammo. It hits hard, has excellent add-clearing potential, and is fairly ammo efficient. Winterbite has everything you'd want out of a Glaive.