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Exotic items are typically what players think of when they imagine powerful items in Destiny. These weapons come with unique properties that can enable certain playstyles or enhance others.

Related: Destiny 2: The Best Warlock Builds For PvP And PvE

Due to their innate power, you can only wield one Exotic weapon at a time, meaning you'll need to use two Legendary weapons to supplement that choice. The good news is some Legendary weapons in Destiny 2 are so powerful that they can rival Exotics themselves. Whether it's a Primary or Heavy, Legendary weapons can deal some serious damage with the right perks. Here are the best Legendary weapons in Destiny 2.

Updated April 17, 2023, by Charles Burgar: Lightfall has some fantastic new weapons for players to chase, but its thanks to Artifact mods that past seasonal weapons are really starting to shine. We've updated this list to include last season's Retrofit Escapade, a Void MG that's redefining the Heavy weapon meta for endgame PvE content. We've also updated a few entries to reflect accusation method changes that occurred with the launch of Lightfall.

List entries are in no particular order.

10 Half-Truths

Destiny 2 Half-Truths

How to obtain: Xur's Treasure Hoard.

The Other Half is just as good, arguably better than Half-Truths. We're including Half-Truths since it's much easier to farm for.

If there's one Sword you need to have in your inventory, it's Half-Truths. This is one of two Swords in the game that can roll with Eager Edge, a perk that allows you to lunge at incredible speeds when switching to this weapon. It's an S-tier perk for navigating jumping puzzles and closing the gap in Gambit and PvP. If nothing else, keep one of these handy for when you get stuck in a jumping puzzle. It's not a bad Sword for DPS either, although there are better options.

Recommended Traits:

  • Column One: Preference
  • Column Two: Eager Edge

9 Fatebringer

Destiny 2 Fatebringer Hand Cannon

How to obtain: Vault of Glass raid (Gatekeeper encounter)

The king of Hand Cannons has returned. Fatebringer still stands as one of the best Hand Cannons in Destiny 2, both in PvE and PvP.

Explosive Payload and Firefly mimic how this weapon behaved in the original Destiny, dealing incredible AoE damage on a precision kill while each bullet packs an explosive punch. If you enjoy buildcrafting, this is also a Kinetic weapon that can roll Osmosis and a damage perk like Kill Clip, allowing you to take full advantage of Elemental Wells. Crucible players can also get some use out of Fatebringer, utilizing Explosive Payload and Eye of the Storm to make an incredibly consistent 140 RPM Hand Cannon. If you love Hand Cannons at all, you'll want a Fatebringer in your inventory at all times.

Recommended Traits:

  • Column One: Explosive Payload, Tunnel Vision (PvP), Osmosis (PvE)
  • Column Two: Firefly, Kill Clip (PvE), Eye of the Storm (PvP), Frenzy

8 Heritage

Destiny 2 Heritage

How to obtain: Deep Stone Crypt raid.

If you're looking for a good Shotgun, you can't go wrong with Heritage. Slug Shotguns deal excellent damage in PvE, have great one-shot ranges in PvP, and they're fairly easy to use. A roll with Hip-Fire Grip and Moving Target gives Heritage some of the most consistency out of any Legendary PvP Shotgun. For PvE, Reconstruction and Recombination is great for boss DPS phases and damaging Champions.

Recommended Traits:

  • Column One: Reconstruction, Hip-Fire Grip (PvP)
  • Column Two: Moving Target, Killing Wind, Recombination

Related: Destiny 2: The Best Shotguns For PvP

7 The Hothead

Destiny 2 The Hothead

How to obtain: Nightfall reward (obtainable starting in Lightfall)

Ever since its release in Season of the Lost, Hothead has dominated the Rocket Launcher DPS charts with its excellent perk pool. This weapon can deal absurd DPS thanks to Clown Cartridge and its wide range of utility perks in the first column. Clown Cartridge makes this weapon shine, allowing you to fire two rockets between every reload.

For first column picks, Demolitionist is amazing for burst DPS. Fire two rockets, chuck a grenade, then fire a third rocket for some truly absurd burst damage. If you prefer using your Rocket Launcher for an entire DPS phase, consider Field Prep for its larger ammo reserves and faster reloads. And for players that use Rocket Launchers for solo content, don't sleep on Auto-Loading Holster with Explosive Light.

Recommended Traits:

  • Column One: Demolitionist, Field Prep, Auto-Loading Holster
  • Column Two: Clown Cartridge, Explosive Light, Lasting Impression

6 Deliverance

Destiny 2 Deliverance

How to obtain: Vow of the Disciple raid.

Deliverance is nothing short of a PvE monster. This Fusion Rifle deals Stasis damage and can roll with some fantastic perk combinations, notably Demolitionist with either Successful Warm-Up or Chill Clip. Demolitionist is an amazing perk for most builds in Destiny 2, both for PvE and PvP. Chill Clip gives this weapon great utility for slowing targets, freezing them outright, and activating various Stasis Aspects and Fragments. It hits hard, is easy to use, and gives you virtually infinite grenades in PvE. If you're able to raid, farm for the crafting blueprint for Deliverance. It's an S-tier pick for virtually all Destiny 2 builds and especially useful for Stasis subclasses.

Recommended Traits:

  • Column One: Demolitionist, Perpetual Motion
  • Column Two: Successful Warm-Up, Chill Clip, Tap the Trigger (PvP)

5 Taipan-4FR

Destiny 2 Taipan-4FR

How to obtain: Complete a short quest at the Enclave.

Linear Fusion Rifles are currently the meta DPS pick for PvE content, notably raids and dungeons. If you plan to take down any endgame bosses, you're going to want a good Linear Fusion Rifle in your loadout. Taipan-4FR fits the bill perfectly. It's a Veist LFR that can roll with Triple Tap and Firing Line, a perk combination that's only topped by Cataclysmic—a raid weapon that can get Fourth Time's the Charm and Bait and Switch.

If Cataclysmic deals more damage, why are we recommending Taipan? Two reasons:

  1. Its origin trait, Veist Stinger, makes this weapon forgiving and easy to use.
  2. Taipan's crafting blueprint is easy to get.

You just need to visit the Enclave and complete a short quest to unlock the ability to craft Taipan. That means every Destiny 2 player can make a god roll LFR if they're willing to level the gun itself. As for performance, this weapon rivals all other LFRs for its great perks and usability. Veist Stinger lets this weapon auto-reload a portion of its magazine as you hit targets, synergizing nicely with Triple Tap. Pair that with a damage perk, you have an S-tier Heavy weapon for all Destiny 2 PvE content.

Recommend Traits:

  • Column One: Triple Tap
  • Column Two: Firing Line, Frenzy

Related: Destiny 2: Top Linear Fusion Rifles, Ranked

4 Retrofit Escapade

Destiny 2 Retrofit Escapade

How to obtain: Occasionally sold by Xur.

Machine Guns have become substantially stronger with recent seasonal buffs, greatly improving their damage and ammo reserves. Retrofit Escapade takes these buffs and combines them with an S-tier perk pool. The star of the show is Target Lock, a perk that increases damage the longer you damage a target. Paired with Fourth Times the Charm, you'll be firing hundreds of high-powered bullets before needing to reload. You can even use Volatile Rounds through a Void subclass or Exotic to further boost this weapon's DPS. It deals great damage against red bars, majors, Champions, and even deals solid damage against raid bosses. Retrofit Escapade does it all.

Recommended Traits:

  • Column One: Fourth Time's the Charm
  • Column Two: Target Lock

3 Salvager's Salvo

Destiny 2 Salvager's Salvo Ritual Grenade Launcher

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

You're not going to find a better PvE workhorse weapon than Salvager's Salvo, a ritual weapon you can purchase from the Exotic Kiosk in the Tower. Each shot from this Grenade Launcher will cause a chain explosion when it kills something, potentially activating multiple times if the explosion itself kills someone. Each of these kills will activate the grenade energy from Demolitionist, making this one of the best add-clearing weapons in Destiny history.

Salvager's Salvo also has a massive ammo reserve that allows you to forgo using a Primary entirely. Just be sure to equip some finder and scavenger mods on your armor to keep the carnage going. For PvP, Salvager's can be used for blinting—damaging a target before immediately switching to your Primary—but doesn't have perks like Disruption Break to beat the likes of Empty Vessel or Truthteller. But for PvE, Salvager's Salvo is nothing short of an S-tier weapon.

Recommended Traits:

  • Column One: Demolitionist
  • Column Two: Chain Reaction

2 IKELOS_SMG_v1.0.3

Destiny 2 IKELOS SMG v1.0.3

How to obtain: Occasionally sold by Xur.

We've seen a lot of great SMGs this year in Destiny 2. Funnelweb shook up the meta back in Witch Queen, CALUS Mini-Tool is a powerhouse thanks to Incandescent, yet none of those guns match the power of the IKELOS SMG. Brought back yet again in Season of the Seraph, this variant has the best perk pool yet and a fantastic origin trait.

Most of the IKELOS SMG's strength comes from Voltshot, allowing this weapon to inflict Jolt on targets after a reload kill. Since this is a 750 RPM SMG, it hits quite hard, ramping up Jolt's damage quite significantly. Pair that with a reload perk like Feeding Frenzy, few enemies can survive the flurry of chain lightning this gun shoots out. If you want a hard-hitting SMG, Threat Detector and Surrounded is a great pick. And if you want a good PvP SMG, IKELOS has you covered there with perks like Dynamic Sway Reduction and Tap the Trigger. Be sure to grab this gun before the season ends.

Recommended Traits:

  • Column One: Threat Detector, Feeding Frenzy, Dynamic Sway Reduction (PvP)
  • Column Two: Voltshot, Surrounded, Rangefinder (PvP), Tap the Trigger (PvP)

1 Riptide

Destiny 2 Riptide

How to obtain: Crucible matches and Engrams.

Deliverance might be a build-defining weapon for Stasis builds, but what if you want to use a Fusion Rifle that's more focused on utility? Meet Riptide, a Rapid-Fire Fusion Rifle with some fantastic perks. The must-have perk here is Chill Clip, slowing targets with each burst when your magazine is more than half full. Since this gun charges absurdly fast, it's easy to land two bursts on a target to freeze them. Slowed targets stop attacking you, and frozen targets can be shattered for solid AoE damage. In terms of raw utility, it's tough to beat Riptide.

This gun's true strength lies in countering Champions. If you're Radiant, Riptide can counter all three Champion types. If you don't have a good roll on this gun, now's the time to go grab one. And if you're a PvP player that doesn't care about PvE content, Riptide has some solid consistency perks if you want to counter Shotgun or SMG players. There's no reason not to chase this gun.

Recommended Traits:

  • Column One: Auto-Loading Holster, Under Pressure (PvP)
  • Column Two: Chill Clip, Demolitionist, Successful Warm-Up

Next: Destiny 2: Every New Weapon In Lightfall