Swords were originally introduced as a new category of Heavy Weapons in Destiny's DLC The Taken King. At that point they could only be earned as rewards for completing quests, as opposed to the more common methods of loot generation: drops and activities. However, the release of Destiny 2 saw a big change to the kinds of weapons a player can wield. Swords, now a kind of Power Weapon, were accessible through normal means.
Power Weapons, as the name implies, are the heavy hitters in Destiny 2. They deal large amounts of damage, but require Power Ammo to use. The major benefit of swords is that not only can they deal massive damage to a single enemy, but they can also be used to block incoming damage. Here are some of the best swords you can pick up in Destiny 2.
10 10. Unspoken Promise
A fairly well-rounded legendary sword, Unspoken Promise has a high base Impact stat, meaning it does more damage. It trades this off for having lower Range and Defense, so you probably won't be using this blade to soak up enemy damage. In fact, despite that being one of the core design elements of swords as Power Weapons, many players forgo the Defense stat altogether.
To that end, Unspoken Promise can be equipped with the perk Honed Edge, that boosts its already formidable damage. In addition, it has the perk Relentless Strikes, which rewards extra sword ammo for landing three light attacks in quick succession.
9 9. Double-Edged Answer
This is a long range legendary sword. It also has a good Impact stat and is one of the few swords that deals Void damage, which is useful if you're going up against enemies with purple shields. It starts with a low ammo capacity, but luckily has the option of Hungry Edge, which boosts ammo. Plus it also has Relentless Strikes, giving players another way to earn back their spent strikes.
8 8. Complex Solution
A high-Impact, low-Defense sword, Complex Solution doesn't look like anything special at first glance. However, it has the big bonus of the perk Tireless Blade. This perk grants you extra sword ammo on kills, setting you up for the perfect opportunity to keep on killing. Power Weapon Ammo is understandably the rarest kind, so any reliable way to get it back is a massive boon. It also has two good balancing perks, Tempered Edge and Balanced Guard, that boost all four stats without lowering any.
7 7. Future Safe 10
Future Safe 10 is an interesting sword. It already has a high Impact stat for good damage output, and it also has one of the highest ammo capacities of any of the swords. It sports a whopping 40 when most swords don't break 30 at their base level. Then it has the perk option of Jagged Edge, which increases damage at the cost of ammo, which it has in abundance. Then it has the perk En Garde, which boosts damage again immediately after swapping to this weapon.
If you're willing to trade out some of your extra ammo capacity (and why wouldn't you?) this sword can really pack a punch. It doesn't have great Range or Defense, but you don't have to guard if there's no one left alive to hit you.
6 6. Negative Space
This is another sword with very high ammo capacity, matching Future Safe 10's stat of 40. In fact, it has the exact same base stats as Future Safe 10. What sets Negative Space apart is its Column 3 perk, Whirlwind Blade. This perk increases the sword's damage output as you make consecutive rapid strikes. So the more you hit, the more damage you deal. So that's great for a sword with so much ammo, right?
Negative Space also affords players some flexibility. You can choose between two Column 1 perks. The first is Jagged Edge, which as above increases your damage at the cost of ammo. The second is Enduring Edge, which does exactly the opposite; more ammo at the cost of damage. So you can decide whether you want to be a one-and-done heavy hitter, or a death by a thousand cuts kind of guy.
5 5. Honor's Edge
A good balanced blade, Honor's Edge also high Impact and good ammo capacity, and the ability to increase both with the Tempered Edge perk. It starts with high Efficiency, or the rate the sword consumes ammo while its guard is up, and low Defense. It's guard perks either let you lean into that, or balance it out if you prefer using your guard precisely to soak more damage. Burst Guard boosts Defense at the cost of Efficiency, and Enduring Guard does the reverse. This sword also has the perk En Garde, for that little extra surprise bit of damage when you whip it out.
4 4. Steel Sybil Z-14
Now we're starting to get into some of the most interesting swords. Steel Sybil Z-14 isn't as difficult to obtain as the top 3, making it a viable choice for more players. It also has some good points of its own that make it stand out among the sometimes same-y pack of blades on offer. First of all, its two Column 1 perks offer you different options to boost your sword's power. Honed Edge just increases sword damage straight up, with no drawbacks. Jagged Edge increases the damage even more, but does so at the cost of ammo.
Finally, Steel Sybil Z-14 has the perk Assassin's Blade. This is an extremely useful perk that boosts both speed and damage on a kill. An extremely useful blade if you want to ping-pong between enemies leaving only death in your wake.
3 3. It Stared Back
It Stared Back can only be obtained from completing activities and looting chests in the Leviathan raid. Just looking at it's stats, it doesn't seem like anything special. It looks like almost any other legendary sword. It's real benefit comes from the fact that it has a whole extra perk column, making it one of the most versatile swords in the game.
It has both Whirlwind Blade, where consecutive strikes boost damage, and Relentless Strikes, where the same grants extra ammo. In fact, before the Relentless Strike perk was nerfed, you could use It Stared Back to chain uppercuts for boosted damage and literally infinite sword ammo. Unfortunately now only light attacks grant this bonus, but it still has the extra perk going for it.
2 2. Quickfang
Quickfang is the blade of choice for PvP. It's the only sword with a Lightweight Frame (most have an Adaptive Frame) which means that it increases your movement speed and almost guarantees you the first strike. It has the lowest Impact stat of any legendary blade, but you can boost its damage with the En Garde perk.
This sword is only available to Hunters. It's designed for you to move fast, strike hard with surprise, and keeping moving. Constantly switching to this weapon to make use of the damage boost won't win you any friends among rival players, but hey, you're not here to make friends.
1 1. Crown-Splitter
Here it is. The heavy hitter, most powerful of the powerful swords. And it's only available to Titans after completing the campaign. You have to work for this baby. It's the only sword with an Aggressive Frame, good for heavy, powerful swings. It has an Impact stat of 84 and a Range of 64. Make no mistake. This is a big sword.
And it doesn't just have damage going for it either. It's got the Heavy Guard perk which increases both Defense and Efficiency, so you can use it to block a lot of damage. Not to mention it has the incredibly useful Tireless Blade, which grants ammo on kills. You can mow down a whole field of enemies with this thing and come out fully loaded, ready for more.