With gear sunsetting on the horizon when Destiny 2: Beyond Light launches this fall, many players are looking for new weapons to replace their current arsenal. A plethora of weapons have been added and reintroduced in Season of Arrivals, with most granting unique rolls and new perks.
Even with all of the new weapons introduced, there are some that rise above the rest. Weapons such as Falling Guillotine and Witherhoard have carved a new meta in Destiny 2's sandbox this season. With the introduction of Umbral Engrams, it's easier than ever to obtain god rolls for weapons. From Swords to Blight launchers, here are 10 must-have weapons players should grind for in Destiny 2's Season of Arrivals.
10 Gnawing Hunger
Gnawing Hunger is technically not a new weapon. It was originally introduced in Season of the Drifter as a reward from Reckoning and Gambit Prime. This season has reintroduced this weapon with a higher Power cap and a much easier acquisition method.
As far as 600 RPM Auto Rifles go, Gnawing Hunger is hard to beat. It features a high aim assist value, solid recoil pattern for console and PC users, and a fantastic selection of perks to help with stability and damage output. Considering the prevalence of Adaptive Frame Auto Rifles in Destiny 2's PvP meta currently, there is little reason to not farm for a good Gnawing Hunger. Players can obtain Gnawing Hunger from Gambit Prime, Reckoning, or Umbral Engrams.
9 Witherhoard
Scourge of the Past introduced Anarchy, a Grenade Launcher that did damage passively to targets instead of all at once. While Anarchy takes the Heavy weapon slot, Witherhoard does effectively the same thing in the Kinetic Slot.
This breach-loaded Grenade Launcher fires a blight that damages targets in the radius. The blight persists for a few seconds before dissipation, and the blight can stick onto targets. Players can stick blight onto a target then fire one on the ground before swapping to another weapon to deal massive amounts of damage per second, rivaling and sometimes exceeding what Anarchy could provide. Combined with its Masterwork that grants it Auto-Loading Holdster, this is a weapon that virtually every player can take advantage of. Witherhoard is a rank 35 reward on the season pass or a rank 1 reward for Season of Arrivals owners.
8 Cold Denial
After High-Impact Pulse Rifles were buffed in Season of Arrivals, many players have gravitated towards Vigilance Wing and the newly-released Cold Denial.
Cold Denial is a Legendary Pulse Rifle rewarded at rank 45 in the season pass. Capable of killing Guardians with 5 headshots, this weapon has a quick time-to-kill compared to most Primaries. What makes this Pulse so good is its ability to roll Killing Wind and Headseeker, a combination that gives the gun dramatically more range along with more leniency with landing headshots. PvP enthusiasts should farm for this weapon before it becomes unobtainable.
7 Whispering Slab
Bows are an overlooked weapon category among most of the Destiny community. Their damage output is solid when players land precision hits, but they lack any utility to make them stand out from the rest.
That is where Whispering Slab comes in. This Bow can roll with the powerful Killing Wind perk as well as Sympathetic Arsenal, a perk that automatically reloads all stowed weapons when the currently-equipped weapon is reloaded. Considering all Bows reload after every shot, players simply need to swap to the Whispering Slab and fire a single arrow to reload every stowed weapon. This synergy is insane for any activity, particularly Gambit, where kill efficiency is paramount of success. Whispering Slab drops from Umbral Engrams.
6 Falling Guillotine
Dark-Drinker is back and stronger than ever. Falling Guillotine takes the powerful heavy attack that Dark-Drinker had in the original Destiny and turns it into a Legendary weapon with even more perks.
Tireless Blade and Whirlwind Blade is the best combination on this Sword, significantly increasing both its ammo and killing efficiency. However, nearly every perk on Falling Guillotine is good. There is not a single roll that makes this weapon bad. If there's one weapon players should get before the season ends, its Falling Guillotine. Grab one after reaching rank 30 in the season pass.
5 IKELOS_SR_v1.0.2
Many Guardians are looking to replace their Beloved when Beyond Light launches this fall. Thankfully, Bungie brought back the Ikelos Sniper Rifle from Year 1 with random rolls.
The IKELOS_SR_v1.0.2 can come with a fantastic selection of perks. Seraph Rounds allow this weapon to get ricochet kills while granting more range than Accurized Rounds. Better yet, this weapon can roll with Moving Target and Quickdraw to mimic Beloved. For those who miss the days of two-tapping Guardians to the chest with Rapid-Fire Frames, they can replace Quickdraw with High-Impact Reserves to mimic the behavior of pre-nerf Rapid-Fire Snipers. Decrypt Umbral Engrams to obtain this beast of a weapon.
4 First In, Last Out
First In, Last Out is a Precision Frame Shotgun that just recently received a buff to its archetype in Season of Arrivals. These weapons can dish out insane amounts of damage to Majors in PvE, and that's without considering damage perks.
Fortunately, First In, Last Out can roll with Vorpal Weapon or Surrounded to melt tougher enemies even faster than most Slug Shotguns. Combined with Outlaw of Auto-Loading Holster, First In, Last Out is a fantastic counter to Majors or aggressive Guardians in PvE or PvP. This weapon comes from Umbral Engrams.
3 IKELOS_SMG_v1.0.2
Recluse might be getting retired in the fall, but there have been a few weapons introduced in Season of Arrivals to take its place. One such weapon is the IKELOS_SMG_v1.0.2, a rendition of the Year 1 variant with a great selection of perks.
PvE players should know that this Submachine Gun can spawn Warmind Cells, allowing Season of Worthy mods to shine once more. A roll with Threat Detector and Surrounded is best for taking down hordes of enemies. In PvP, this weapon also excels when rolled with Dynamic Sway Reduction and Tap the Trigger. This perk combination turns the weapon into a recoil-less laser that can take enemies out from medium range when coupled with Seraph Rounds. Players can obtain this weapon from Umbral Engrams.
2 The Forward Path
PC players will see The Forward Path as a Kinetic replacement for Gnawing Hunger, but console players should seriously consider grinding this weapon thanks to its hilariously high aim assist stat.
When rolled with the newly introduced Iron Gaze perk and Dynamic Sway Reduction, The Forward Path aims itself for controller users. The aim assist lets the bullets curve towards a target's head from their upper chest region. For PC players or controller users with good aim, Dynamic Sway Reduction and Tap the Trigger is the best combination for a stable Auto Rifle in PvP. Iron Grip is also an option for console players that find the gun a little too unstable. The Forward Path is rewarded from Iron Banner engrams and matches.
1 Ruinous Effigy
While players might not have gotten Touch of Malice back yet, it seems Bungie imbued part of that weapon's properties into the new Ruinous Effigy Exotic Trace Rifle. Acquired from an Exotic Quest, this weapon is as unique as it is deadly.
Enemies that die to this weapon will leave behind an orb that players can wield as a weapon. When equipped, the orb can deal light attack swings, a heavy attack dunk that deals massive damage in an area while consuming all of its ammo, or project a defensive sphere that absorbs enemy fire and damages targets within. While blocking, the weapon will damage the player once its ammo reaches 1 similar to Touch of Malice, but players with Devour or similar healing effects can keep this block up near indefinitely. This is one of the most unique weapons in Destiny's history that no one should miss out on.