[Top 10] Destiny 2 Best Crucible Weapons That Are Most Powerful (And How To Get Them)

Updated:

28 May 2022

PVP is an often overwhelming aspect of gaming that tends to intimidate new players. There’s a good reason for that, as it can be frustrating to jump into PVP, only to get constantly domed by what you feel are OP weapons. PVP Vets run the show and can sometimes make the idea of practicing less than stellar. Destiny 2 offers two types of PVP modes, which can feel daunting for newbies.

One is Crucible, an in-canon place for Guardians to practice against each other to hone their skills. Iron Banner is part of the Crucible and is similar, but with a different loot pool and a slightly higher challenge. Trials of Osiris are for higher-level PVP vets as they fight each other to take the top spot in the ranks. Don’t worry about Trials, for now, that’s for much later when you had a chance to get more practice. To begin with, we will start with the entry-level PVP mode, Crucible.

For this article, I will be talking about the meta of Crucible and how you can quickly obtain weapons that will give you an edge over your competition. Keeping this in mind, I will only include weapons that are either 1. Available for Free to Play players, 2. Don’t require a raid or master level activity to get, and 3. Are readily available either as frequent drops or obtainable from vendors. So knowing that let's jump right on in to give you the leg up you need for one of the more punishing aspects of Destiny 2.

10. Ace of Spades (Best for PvP and PvE)

“Folding was never an option." —Cayde-6”

Ace of Spade originally came out during the Forsaken DLC, a campaign that broke a lot of hearts with the death of a fan-favorite character. As a result, many people tend to carry this hand cannon around as a memento to keep said character’s spirit alive. Despite the legacy it carries, it is still the best hand canon you can take to any type of play, Crucible included.

The firefly effect alone is good, letting precision kills explode your enemies, but paired with its other traits, it goes beyond just that. With Memento Mori, making one kill will give the rest of your bullets increased damage. It’s enough to headshot a Guardian with one bullet and body-shot kill another with two. If you regularly make precision kills, this is the hand cannon for you.

Weapon Stats:

Damage type: Kinetic
Intrinsic Perk: Firefly — Precision kills with this weapon increase reload speed and cause the target to explode, dealing Solar damage to nearby enemies.
Exotic Perk: Memento Mori: Reloading after a kill loads magazine with a few extra-damage bullets. Grants radar when aiming down sights.
Catalyst completion trait: Funeral Pyre: Firefly deals more damage while Memento Mori is active.
Impact: 84
Range: 78
Stability: 46
Handling: 46
Reload Speed: 48
Rounds/Min: 140
Magazine: 13

What makes Ace of Spades Great for Crucible:

Kinetic so does not require special or heavy ammo.
The currently most powerful hand cannon in the game.
Rewards precision-based players with great traits.
Able to damage Guardians around your target with firefly.
Can be used by any class.

How to Get Ace of Spades:

Head to the Tower and visit the Monument to Lost Lights
Go to the “Forsaken” section to find the Ace of Spades.
Ace of Spades costs One Exotic Cipher, 125,000 Glimmer, 200 Microphasic Datalattices (the Planetary Material from Nessus), and One Ascendant Shard.

9. Piece of Mind (Best for PvP and PvE)

“With words or weapons, inaccuracy can be fatal.”

One of the great new weapons to drop with Season of the Risen, Peace of Mind is a surprisingly good pulse rifle that’s reliable and fun to use. It’s faster than most other pulse rifles and paired with good perks it has become a standard in the current Crucible meta. For one, it’s a more forgiving weapon to use, meaning that new players can pick it up and practice with ease.

In PVP, it deals great damage and reloads fast, something extremely important when having a gun battle with someone. Its decent range means you don’t have to get within the blade of a sword or a punch, leaving you free to mow down whatever and whoever gets in your way. In terms of perks, many good ones fit different styles of play. I do recommend either Perpetual Motion or Heating up as the first trait and Moving Target as the second for PVP. This combo helps you aim and deal damage in the chaos of combat and will more than help you climb up a few Crucible ranks.

Weapon Stats:

Damage type: Kinetic
Intrinsic Perk: Rapid-Fire Frame - Deeper ammo reserves. Slightly faster reload when the magazine is empty.
Impact: 23
Range: 38
Stability: 51
Handling: 34
Reload Speed: 39
Rounds/Min: 540
Magazine: 35

What makes Peace of Mind Great for Crucible:

Many perks allow for customized ‘god’ rolls, as they can be crafted after unlocking their pattern and visiting the Relic.
Fast and reliable.
Kinetic so does not require special or heavy ammo.
Easy to pick up and easy to use.
Deals great mid-range damage.
Does not take up an exotic slot.

How to Get Peace of Mind:

Drops from world activities and chests.
Drops from Umbral, Prime, and Legendary Engrams.
Sometimes sold by Banshee-44 And Xur.
Unlock the pattern to be able to craft a custom version at the Relic on Mars.

8. Funnelweb (Best for PvP and PvE)

“I penetrate all defenses.”

Quite possibly the best legendary SMG to drop in a long time, Funnelweb is rapidly becoming a favorite of many Guardians. It’s fast, it does great damage, and most importantly…it deals void damage. With this season focused on Void 3.0, there are a lot of mods and content designed around void damage. Most of the seasonal mods grant you buffs or enhance your void damage, so it’s no wonder why people are bringing this DMG into the Crucible.

I have seen quite a few void hunters under invisibility jump up to surprise people with this gun…and it rarely leaves you time to defend yourself. One second you see them pop up and another second you are waiting to respawn. To be extra mean, get the Steady Hands and Rangefinder traits to make sure your prey doesn’t get away. It’s quite frightening actually, to know that there is at least one hunter out there stalking you with Funnelweb and it’s quite effective psychological warfare.

Weapon Stats:

Damage type: Void
Intrinsic Perk: Lightweight Frame - Superb Handling. Move faster with this weapon equipped.
Impact: 15
Range: 45
Stability: 50
Handling: 73
Reload Speed: 38
Rounds/Min: 900
Magazine: 37

What makes Funnelweb Great for Crucible:

Void damage pairs well with Void 3.0.
Quick on the draw and fast to fire.
Just plain fun to use.
Easy to pick up and learn.
Does not take up an exotic slot.

How to Get Funnelweb:

Drops from world activities and chests.
Drops from Umbral, Prime, and Legendary Engrams.
Sometimes sold by Banshee-44 And Xur.

7. Gjallarhorn (Best for PvP and PvE)

“If there is beauty in destruction, why not also in its delivery?” — Feizel Crux

I know I keep talking about Gjallarhorn all the time. It keeps showing up on all my lists for top-tier guns, and that is for a very good reason. Gjallarhorn is amazing and for those that are not the best at aiming, Gjallarhorn does all the work for you. The only negative thing is the need for heavy ammo, which is few and far between in Crucible. You will need to know where the timed drops are and get to them first before your enemies can scoop them up. Once you learn ammo management, Gjallarhorn opens up a whole new world of pain for you to deal out.

One thing is that you don’t have to hit a player directly. You can fire at their feet or just next to them and the seeking missiles will take care of them. One shot is all you need and I have never seen a Guardian get up after a point-blank Gjallarhorn shot to the face. You don’t even need a whole lot of skill besides ammo management. Just point and click, and you’ll be racking up kills in no time.

Weapon Stats:

Damage type: Solar
Intrinsic Perk: Pack Hunter - Gain increased handling and reload speed when standing near allies. Firing this weapon also grants Wolfpack Rounds to nearby allies wielding non-Exotic Rocket Launchers.
Exotic Perk: Wolfpack Rounds - Rounds fired split into tracking cluster missiles upon detonation.
Catalyst completion trait: More Wolves - Increases magazine size. Final blows with Wolfpack Rounds spawn a faster, more powerful missile at the target's location.
Blast Radius: 95
Velocity: 51
Stability: 68
Handling: 69
Reload Speed: 43
Rounds Per Minute: 15
Magazine: 1

What makes Gjallarhorn Great for Crucible:

No skill is needed, just point and click.
No aiming skills are required, just shoot in the general direction of a foe and you’ll be fine.
Is powerful enough to take out a group of Guardians at once.
Most Guardians will run away from you when they see you with a Gjallarhorn, letting you hunt them down.
You only need one shot to clear out a capture point.

How to Get Gjallarhorn:

Download the 30th Anniversary update and play a round of Dares of Eternity.
Go to Xur's Treasure Hoard and talk to Xur to get the ‘And Out Fly The Wolves’ quest.
Go to the Cosmodrome and speak to Shaw Han, he will point you to the Grasp of Avarice dungeon.
Complete Grasp of Avarice dungeon to get one Wolfpack Round. Return to Shaw.
Kill high level fallen to get seven more Wolfpack Rounds. Return to Shaw.
Go to Banshee in the Tower. He will send you to complete the Exodus Garden 2A Lost Sector in the Cosmodrome.
Return to Shaw. There is a workbench across from him that will prompt you to assemble all the pieces you have together.
You now have the Gjallarhorn! The catalyst can be found in chests in the Grasp of Avarice dungeon.

6. Felwinter’s Lie (Best for PvP)

“I just like the name. Doesn't mean anything.” - Lord Felwinter to Lord Timur

I’ve talked about Felwinter’s Lie before in my shotgun article as one of the best shotguns in the game. It’s one of the few shotguns that can fire at longer ranges and has a tight pellet spread to cause some damage as well. It’s perhaps, the best of the pellet shotguns and those that know how to take advantage of its spread rate will have the best time with this monster.

For rolls you will want one with both Surplus and Opening Shot, letting you offshoot the long reload speed of a shotgun and letting you one-shot a foe. With better flexibility compared to other shotguns, Felwinter’s Lie offers better maneuverability and lets you stay out of the reach of a counter-attack. For all of these reasons, I recommend picking up Felwinter’s Lie as soon as you are able and giving this great shotgun a spin.

Weapon stats: (Base)

Damage type: Solar
Impact: 80
Range: 47
Stability: 27
Handling: 33
Reload Speed: 41
Rounds Per Minute: 55
Magazine: 4

What makes Felwinter’s Lie Great for Crucible:

Does not take up an exotic slot.
Tighter pellet spread compared to other shotguns.
Can deal damage at longer ranges compared to other shotguns.
Can be used by any class or subclass.
Offers flexibility in movement and positioning.

How to get Felwinter's Lie:

Found under the ‘Legacy Gear’ tab in the Exotic Kiosk in Tower.
Purchase for 75,000 Glimmer, 100 Legendary Shards, 2 Enhancement Prisms, and 1 Ascendant Shard.

5. Jotunn (Best for PvP and PvE)

“Untamed. Destructive. As forceful and chaotic as Ymir himself." —Ada-1”

Also known as the ‘Toaster of Death’, there’s no better way to make people hate you in Crucible besides pulling out Jotunn. You can be killed by a player across the map because you made the mistake of existing at the same time someone was shooting a Jotunn. For one, it fires trackings shots that explode and burn when they hit you…as well as anyone else unfortunate enough to be around you.

Said bullet keeps burning for a short amount of time, meaning you take even more damage if you are clumsy enough to fall into the spread for a second time. If you are running Jotunn, you can set up shop in a nice covered spot and then just keep firing your tracking shots. No real skill needed, no hours of experience, just hold down and shoot and let Jotunn do the rest. For this reason, I recommend this rage-inducing, but fun little fusion rifle to new players.

Weapon Stats:

Damage type: Solar
Intrinsic Perk: Charge Shot — Hold to charge up a tracking shot that explodes and burns on impact.
Impact: 95
Range: 52
Stability: 31
Handling: 33
Reload Speed: 31
Charge Time: 780
Magazine: 5

What makes Jotunn Great for Crucible:

Shots track enemies, which then explode and burn.
Requires little experience or skill to use.
Extremely fun, it is a toaster you brought into Crucible.
Can be used to set traps and ambush groups with practice.
People will hide from you if you run Jotunn, thus you lose very few points by simply not dying.

How to Get Jotunn:

Head to the Tower and visit the Monument to Lost Lights
Go to the “Forsaken” section to find the Jotunn.
Jotunnt costs One Exotic Cipher, 125,000 Glimmer, 200 Microphasic Datalattices (the Planetary Material from Nessus), and One Ascendant Shard.

4. Palmyra-B (Best for PvP and PvE)

“The vengeful get their prize.”

Another little number that dropped along with the Witch Queen, Palmyra-B has shot up to the top of PVE and PVP lists for many reasons. One is that it deals stasis damage, something that is rather rare on weapons, and the fact it can be customized with the new crafting system, allowing for many combinations of traits that will suit anyone’s need.

In PVP, you will want to get traits that will increase the blast radius, that way if you merely clip another Guardian, you are still going to deal enough damage to either kill them outright or leave them open for a well-placed killing punch. I recommend starting with Impulse Amplifier and Chill Clip as a starting God Roll. After unlocking the pattern, you have many traits to choose from to customize this nice rocket to your heart’s content.

Weapon Stats:

Damage type: Stasis
Blast Radius: 65
Velocity: 54
Stability: 51
Handling: 49
Reload Speed: 30
Rounds/Min: 15
Magazine: 1

What makes Palmyra-B Great for Crucible:

Does not take up an exotic slot.
Many perks allow for customized ‘god’ rolls, as they can be crafted after unlocking its pattern and visiting the Relic.
Perfect for stasis builds.
Can be used in conjunction with other weapons.

How to get Palmyra-B:

Drops from world activities and chests.
Drops from Umbral, Prime, and Legendary Engrams.
Sometimes sold by Banshee-44 And Xur.
Unlock the pattern to be able to craft a custom version at the Relic on Mars.

3. Dead Man's Tale (Best for PvP and PvE)

"Long, short, they all end the same way." —Katabasis

I mentioned Dead Man’s Tale before in my article about scout rifles, and it is still the best scout rifle for PVP. It’s a monster with the ability to kill someone across the map, and I have run into the barrel of a Dead Man’s Tale more times than I can count. It’s been in the meta for so long that I sometimes get surprised to not see it in a match, but in the back of my head, I am always alert for it. In the hands of the skilled, you are not going to be able to go toe to toe with a Dead Man’s Tale user unless you can sneak up on them, a task that’s harder than you think.

Being an exotic with random rolls, you are going to have to wait for weeks to get the rolls you want from Xur, and there are many great traits to choose from. Vorpal Weapon is the most recommended because it shuts down supers, a real threat in PVP. High-Caliber Rounds are also great as it punches through armor and deals great headshot damage. Whatever you choose, be sure it suits you and your playstyle.

Weapon stats: (Base)

Damage type: Kinetic
Intrinsic Perk: Cranial Spike: Precision hits grant bonus damage.
Exotic perk: Chaining precision hits grants bonus damage and quickens reload speed. Future drops of this weapon will have random rolls.
Catalyst completion trait: Dark-Forged Trigger: Increased hip fire rate of fire and removes hip-fire accuracy penalties.
Impact: 67
Range: 73
Stability: 51
Handling: 69
Reload Speed: 55
Rounds Per Minute: 120
Magazine: 14

What makes weapon name Great for Crucible:

Incredible range for a scout rifle.
Kinetic, so does not need special or heavy ammo.
In the hands of the skilled can fell any Guardian.
Hard to escape.
Racks up bonus damage on precision hits.

How to get Dead Man's Tale:

Purchase from Xur using Legendary Shards and an Exotic Cypher.
For help finding Xur, use WhereisXur.com

2. Black Talon (Best for PvP and PvE)

“His life brought peace to the Reef. His death brings a sword." —Crows of the Black Hull”

One of my favorite weapons in the game, Black Talon is a sword that can do ranged damage. It eats up ammo, but boy, does it kill people fast, and speed is what matters in the fast-paced world of Crucible. Both its regular light attack, which is just the blade, and its heavy attack, the ranged projectile, are enough to kill most Guardians with one hit.

What makes it worse (or better) is its synergy with the Void 3.0 update and the subsequent void-based seasonal mods. This only makes the damage of Black Talon go even higher and makes most of the heavy ammo scarcity in PVP. You don’t need a lot of heavy ammo, just one drop, and you are going to kill someone with it. For those that prefer the elegance of a sword that also shoots people, I recommend giving this sword a try to find out for yourself just how much fun it is.

Weapon Stats:

Damage type: Void
Intrinsic Perk: Tireless Blade - Sword ammo granted for every other powered sword kill.
Exotic Perk: Crow's Wings [Heavy Attack]: Fire a heavy projectile attack. Heavy attacks are stronger with full energy.
Catalyst completion trait: Reversal - Shots blocked immediately after guarding increase the damage of Crow's Wings for a very short duration.
Swing Speed: 46
Impact: 60
Range: 40
Guard Efficiency: 10
Guard Resistance: 60
Ammo Capacity: 60

What makes Black Talon Great for Crucible:

Works with void builds.
Is powerful enough on its own to only need a small amount of heavy ammo to be effective.
Great for players that like to get into people’s faces.
It’s a sword you can shoot people with.
Any class can use it.
Easy to learn and use.

How to Get Black Talon:

Drops from exotic engrams.
Sometimes sold by Xur for Legendary shards.
For help finding Xur, use WhereisXur.com

1. The Chaperone (Best for PvP and PvE)

"My mother had a shotgun we called the Chaperone. Kept us alive out there before we got to the City." —Amanda Holliday

Yet another favorite, The Chaperone is parallel to Felwinter’s Lie in that they are both great shotguns, but have different bullet types. The Chaperone is a slug shotgun, which means it fires a single heavy round and not pellets. This makes for precision kills that are frankly quite annoying. There’s no bigger shame than getting sniped with a shotgun and it happens more often than you think. Worse is with every precision kill, it boosts its stats to do even more damage.

Thus it is fun to use, but not so fun to fight against. For that reason, I do recommend using it as it will give you an edge that most other close-range weapons cannot give you. In the hands of a skilled user with a lot of practice, you can make most shotguns deadly. But if you are just jumping into Crucible, you aren’t going to have the practice or the skill right off the bat. The Chaperone is quite friendly with new users and will help keep you alive long enough to actually enjoy the game-mode.

Weapon Stats:

Damage type: Kinetic
Intrinsic Perk: Precision Slug: Single-slug precision round.
Exotic Perk: The Roadborn: Precision kills briefly grant bonus handling, range, and precision damage with this weapon.
Catalyst completion trait: Masterworks the weapon.
Impact: 75
Range: 100
Stability: 37
Handling: 82
Reload Speed: 37
Rounds Per Minute: 70
Magazine: 6

What makes The Chaperone Great for Crucible:

Kinetic, so does not need special or heavy ammo.
Deals consistent precision damage.
Can be used for limited sniping, even though it is a shogun.
Traits turn it into a powerhouse after precision kills.
Great for new and older players.
Goes well with any class and sub-class.

How to get The Chaperone:

Own the Beyond Light DLC.
Go visit Shaw Han in the Cosmodrome. Talk to him and he will have the ‘Blast from the Past’ exotic quest available to take from his inventory.
Defeat 100 combatants. Stronger combatants give more progress.
Defeat combatants with your Super and abilities: Supers give more progress. Once done, talk to Shaw Han in the Cosmodrome.
Speak with Amanda Holliday in the Tower.
Defeat 100 enemy combatants and complete three public events on Europa. Once done, Talk to Amanda Holliday in the Tower.
Defeat 150 enemies with Precision damage, and 100 with Shotguns in either Gambit or Crucible. Guardian kills give more progress.
Speak with Amanda Holliday and she will give you The Chaperone.

Lord Shaxx wants you to use more grenades.

Now you have a bit of an idea of what to expect in Crucible. You may see people with very rare weapons that require nigh inhuman feats of gaming to obtain. This is not the list for them. This is the list for those with no time or clan to go after raid exotics, or even grind Trials of Osiris. This is a list for those that want to have fun, but aren’t too sure how to go about it.

You don’t need a raid exotic to win in Crucible. You just need to know the weapons you do have inside and out, hence the list of easily obtainable weapons. Practice and don’t worry about being the best of the best. For now, your goal is to have fun and to learn, which is what the Crucible is all about. Laugh at yourself, and then pick yourself up and try again.

Crucible may be intimidating at first, but I promise after a while, you’ll start to see the good in it. One is the joy of seeing someone rage quit because you killed them with a toaster. Have fun, and you’ll always be a winner.

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April Dillman

A cryptid hailing from the Pennsylvanian countryside, April can be found in her cave playing various games from D&D to Fallout. Gifts of dice are needed to prevent attacks on livestock.

Gamer Since:

1995

Favorite Genre:

FPS

Currently Playing:

Destiny 2

Top 3 Favorite Games:

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, This War of Mine, DOOM

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