Trace Rifles are a unique weapon archetype introduced in Destiny 2. These weapons fire continuous beams of energy with near-perfect accuracy. Every Trace Rifle, save one, is in the Exotic category, which means you'll need to give up your Exotic slot to see everything this archetype has to offer.

Is it worth the cost? In most situations, it isn't worth it. With that said, the Exotic perks on these Trace Rifles can prove to be a large boon in certain activities, and the Legendary Trace Rifle currently in Destiny 2 is solid for PvE content. Most players use this weapon archetype in PvE content, although some Trace Rifles do surprisingly well in Gambit and even Crucible. Ranging from Coldheart to Divinity, here are all seven of Destiny 2's Trace Rifles ranked from worst to best.

Updated January 7, 2024, by Charles Burgar: Season of the Wish added the first Legendary Trace Rifles to go in the Kinetic slot, greatly expanding loadout options for PvE and PvP players alike. We've updated this list to include the Appetence Trace Rifle from this season, the first Legendary Trace Rifle to deal Stasis damage. We've also updated a few entries to reflect general sandbox changes and perk tweaks.

10 Ruinous Effigy

How to obtain: Purchased from the Exotic Kiosk in the Tower. Costs 1 Exotic Cipher, 125,000 Glimmer, 200 Legendary Shards, and 1 Ascendant Shard.

Ruinous Effigy is a surprisingly good option for PvE content. With Void 3.0 keywords like Volatile Rounds, Ruinous Effigy can dish out some solid damage to fodder enemies, disintegrate majors with its Transmutation Orbs, and its incredibly ammo efficient.

Unlike other Trace Rifles, Ruinous Effigy is focused more on spawning weapons than dealing damage itself. Defeating a target will spawn a Transmutation Sphere which can be used to melee targets or drain their life essence. That drain attack is especially powerful, capable of proccing effects like Volatile if Volatile Rounds are equipped.

This combo is especially deadly on Nightstalker Hunters using the Stylish Executioner Aspect, allowing them to stay permanently invisible while dealing solid damage to fodder enemies.

Ruinous Effigy is downright awful in PvP, yet its buildcrafting potential in PvE makes it a great weapon for buildcrafters and casuals alike.

9 Coldheart

How to obtain: Exotic Engrams and Xur.

Coldheart is a versatile Special weapon that works in most situations. Its Exotic perk ramps up Coldheart's damage as you deal damage, similar to Target Lock. That makes it a great weapon for slaying fodder units and majors alike.

This is also the only Exotic Trace Rifle in Destiny 2 that doesn't rely on a gimmick, opting to spawn Ionic Traces that boost your ability energy instead of raw damage output. It can deal solid boss damage in PvE and Gambit, and can down Guardians in an instant if you don't miss. Other Exotic weapons excel at killing bosses or dealing with rank and file enemies, yet Coldheart's versatility can't be ignored.

8 The Navigator

How to obtain: Ghosts of the Deep dungeon.

The Navigator sits firmly in the support category of Exotics, similar to the likes of Lumina and Divinity. This Strand Trace Rifle fires a beam of energy that severs targets, lowering their damage output. That alone isn't great, but The Navigator's Exotic perk allows you to empower your teammates with this gun, granting both you and your ally Woven Mail upon landing a few hits.

The Navigator also has a hidden perk where Severing targets gives the user Woven Mail, and its Catalyst lets you create a Grapple point.

While the weapon itself is somewhat mediocre and doesn't output a ton of damage, the ability to gain Woven Mail on any subclass makes this gun immensely useful for solo flawless dungeon runs, GM Nightfalls, and Master raids. Builds that have an open Exotic slot can make a strong case for using the Navigator to greatly improve their survivability.

7 Divinity

How to obtain: Complete the Divinity Exotic quest. Requires Shadowkeep ownership.

Obtained from the Garden of Salvation raid, Divinity is the ultiamte utility weapon for endgame PvE content. While its Exotic perk doesn't boost Divinity's add-clearing potential, it will greatly buff your team's overall DPS.

Divinity's beam will create a Vex cage around a target if it makes contact for a few seconds. Any allies that shoot in the cage deal precision damage. Better yet, the cage inflicts Weaken, a 15% debuff. It can also disrupt Overload Champions, making it a staple for Grandmaster Nightfall runs.

Nearly every fireteam uses this weapon in pinnacle PvE content, as it dramatically increases the damage output of your fireteam. It might not debuff enemies quite as effectively as the Nightstalker's Shadowshot Super or Tractor Cannon, yet Divinity's ease of use and crit bubble make it a fantastic weapon for endgame raiding and a solid option for GM Nightfalls.

6 Retraced Path

How to obtain: Xur's Treasure Trove

The Focus Rifle from Halo: Reach has made its way to Destiny 2, complete with random rolls. It had its perk pool refreshed in Season of the Plunder this year, granting it an origin trait and some more Solar-themed perks to roll from.

This Trace Rifle can pack a serious punch with the right rolls, and it's fairly easy to use. Subsistence and Golden Tricorn is a standout on this weapon, granting a 50% damage buff if you land a kill with your weapon and subsequent Solar ability. Adds simply melt under the sheer power of this gun, and it can deal solid damage to majors if a Solar burn is active.

For more general add-clearing options, you have Incandescent, One for All, and Frenzy. And for column one options, Subsistence is your main pick for general add clear. Adaptive Munitions is also an option if you buff this weapon with Radiant, allowing it to quickly melt Barrier Champion shields.

Recommended Traits

• Column One: Subsistence, Adaptive Munitions
• Column Two: Golden Tricorn, One for All, Incandescent, Frenzy

5 Acasia's Dejection

How to obtain: Root of Nightmares raid.

Acasia's Dejection is the latest Legendary Trace Rifle in Destiny 2, and it has quite the perk pool. Since this is a raid weapon, Bungie has given Acasia's Dejection a suite of perks that allow this gun to dish out some great damage against majors and red bars, although that comes at the cost of utility options like Shoot to Loot.

Tons of magazine perks roll in the first column. Envious Assassin, Reconstruction, and Rewind Rounds are all great options here and are mostly down to preference. The real star of the show is Target Lock, granting this weapon a massive 40% damage buff if you can keep your shots on target for the entire magazine.

Paired with the likes of Rewind Rounds or Envious Assassin, you're looking at a workhorse weapon that can melt majors with ease. If you need better add clear, consider using Incandescent instead.

Recommended Traits

• Column One: Rewind Rounds, Envious Assassin, Reconstruction
• Column Two: Target Lock, Incandescent

4 Wavesplitter

How to obtain: Exotic Engrams and Xur.

Originally a PlayStation exclusive during Forsaken, Wavesplitter is a Void Trace Rifle that deals an oscillating amount of damage. While the perk implies that the damage is random, Wavesplitter's damage output depends on how much ammo you've expended, allowing skilled players to maximize the damage of this weapon with some practice.

Wavesplitter saw new life with the release of The Witch Queen. It received a 40% damage buff versus red bars and can make great use of Volatile Rounds in PvE. While not the most ammo-efficient Exotic you can use, Wavesplitter is a great workhorse Exotic for players that want to melt red bars and majors alike with little issue, especially if you're using Gyrfalcon's Hauberk as a Hunter.

3 Path Of Least Resistance

How to obtain: Vox Obscura Exotic Mission.

Path of Least Resistance is the first Legendary Arc Trace Rifle in Destiny 2. Seeing as how powerful other Legendary Trace Rifles are, does Path of Least Resistance has some steep competition. Fortunately, this weapon doesn't disappoint.

Voltshot and Shoot to Loot is a great combo here, inflicting Jolt after a reload with the great utility of picking up ammo and Orbs of Power from a distant. Slaying adds and solid loadout utility is what Trace Rifles are good at, and Path of Least Resistance is no exception.

If you just want to slay adds in more casual content, Subsistence and One for All is also a potential combination—although we recommend using Retraced Path at that point since it rolls with Golden Tricorn.

As for PvP, Path of Least Resistance is a mediocre pick and will struggle to win against most weapons in the current sandbox. If you really want to use a Trace Rifle in PvP, go with an Exotic.

Recommended Traits

• Column One: Shoot to Loot, Stats for All, Subsistence
• Column Two: Voltshot, One for All

2 Appetence

How to obtain: Season of the Wish activities; craftable in the Enclave.

Appetence is the first Legendary Trace Rifle to reside in the Kinetic slot. It is a 1,000 RPM Stasis weapon that is fully craftable and has some amazing perk combinations, including the Stasis-exclusive Headstone perk in the fourth column.

For general add clear, Demolitionist and Killing Tally is an amazing combination. Landing kills will increase your damage and refund grenade energy. Throw a grenade, and your weapon will automatically reload from reserves without cancelling Killing Tally, allowing you to maintain your 30% damage buff.

If you aren't a fan of Killing Tally, Overflow and One for All are also great perks. Sweep your beam between three enemies, and you'll gain a 35% damage buff for ten seconds. Overflow will then automatically reload your magazine upon grabbing an ammo brick, making this an excellent option for double Special builds.

Recommended Traits

• Column One: Demolitionist, Overflow
• Column Two: Killing Tally, One For All

1 Ager's Scepter

How to obtain: Purchased from the Exotic Kiosk in the Tower. Costs 1 Exotic Cipher, 125,000 Glimmer, and 1 Ascendant Shard.

Ager's Scepter is the first Stasis Trace Rifle in Destiny 2. This weapon serves as an add-clearing machine, emitting a slowing pulse with every kill. This pulse freezes PvE enemies, allowing you to shatter them for immense damage. It has arguably better add-clear than Prometheus Lens and requires much less setup.

That alone makes Ager's Scepter great, but what makes this weapon truly amazing is its Catalyst. Masterworking Ager's Scepter allows you to consume Super energy to overcharge the weapon, granting an 80% damage boost and causing each hit to slow. You can also pair this weapon with Stasis Aspects and Fragments, allowing this weapon to spawn Stasis Shards and deal much more shatter damage.

For PvP, Ager's Scepter is somewhat disappointing. Most of its perks require either a kill or Super energy. It's a mediocre weapon on its own, lacking the bonus damage from Coldheart or the AoE of Prometheus Lens. If you want to use a Trace Rifle in PvP, you're better off with Wavesplitter.