[Top 15] Destiny 2 Best Monument Exotics That Are Excellent

Updated:

20 Oct 2022

The Monument to Lost Light Exotic Kiosk is a great place to obtain exotic weapons within Destiny 2. These weapons no longer have an associated activity or mission that drops them, so they are now available to be purchased. Different weapons require different materials, and not every gun is necessary to pick up right away. This list will go over the best PvE and PvP weapons that players should get their hands on or try out when they can.

15: Bad Juju (Best for PvE)

Destiny 2: Bad Juju

See Bad Juju in action:

The Bad Juju is a classic weapon in the Destiny series. It emphasizes regaining super energy faster. Its exotic perk, String of Curses, has an escalating super regeneration bonus based on enemy kills. The weapon also auto-reloads itself after getting kills, which helps with keeping the String of Curses exotic perk active and increasing. Although its exotic perk is nothing too flashy, it's worth picking up if you want to have a higher uptime on your super.

Weapon Stats

Impact - 27
Range - 40
Stability - 77
Handling - 56
Reload Speed - 47
Aim Assistance - 60
Inventory Size - 15
Zoom - 17
Airborne Effectiveness - 35
Recoil - 85
Rounds Per Minute - 450
Magazine - 27

What makes Bad Juju Awesome

Super Regen - Primary weapons already help generate super energy, but the Bad Juju increases that and helps regain supers faster.
Exotic Catalyst - Bad Juju has an exotic catalyst that drops from Playlist activities (Strikes, Gambit, Crucible) which increases the duration of the Sting of Curses.
Unstoppable Pulse Rifle - In Season of the Plunder, Pulse Rifles are capable of stunning unstoppable champions.

Bad Juju Full Details: https://www.light.gg/db/items/2816212794/bad-juju/?p=,,,,c

14: Tarrabah (Best for PvP)

Destiny 2: Tarrabah

See Tarrabah in action:

The Tarrabah has had a bit of a resurgence in Destiny 2 lately. The gun was relatively underpowered upon its initial release and thus gathered dust in the vaults of most players. However, The weapon has received multiple buffs that turned it into an absolute monster in PvP. Its Ravenous Beast perk massively increases damage after charging up the weapon by damaging or killing opponents. Take this weapon into the Crucible and tear through your opponents with a staggering time to kill.

Weapon Stats

Impact - 23
Range - 58
Stability - 30
Handling - 40
Reload Speed - 35
Aim Assistance - 40
Inventory Size - 100
Zoom - 16
Airborne Effectiveness - 23
Recoil - 100
Rounds Per Minute - 750
Magazine - 31

What makes Tarrabah Awesome

Ravenous Beast Exotic perk - The weapon stores power after the player takes or deals damage. After storing enough power, activate the secondary weapon mode by holding the reload button to deal extra damage
Bottomless Appetite - Getting Kills increases the duration of Ravenous Beast. This helps uptime on the higher damage and allows for crazy chains of guardian kills.
Strong Stats - As listed above, the recoil and range of this SMG are high, making it a very lethal option in PvP.

Tarrabah Full Details: https://www.light.gg/db/items/3110698812/tarrabah/?p=,,,,c

13: The Last Word (Best for PvP)

Destiny 2: The Last Word

See The Last Word in action:

Destiny 2: Here is exactly what the Last Word nerf did. (It's basically fine)

The cowboy hand canon has always been a strong option in PvP but has recently been brought back into good graces on Mouse and Keyboard. This weapon is the fastest-firing hand cannon in the game, with lots of forgiveness on crit shots when aiming from the hip. This is a great weapon for newer guardians that are looking for a lethal weapon without a steep learning curve.

Weapon Stats

Impact - 78
Range - 35
Stability - 40
Handling - 40
Reload Speed - 80
Aim Assistance - 40
Inventory Size - 40
Zoom - 11
Airborne Effectiveness - 19
Recoil - 100
Rounds Per Minute - 225
Magazine - 8

What makes The Last Word Awesome

Fan Fire Exotic Perk - This allows the weapon to fire in full auto (the guardian fans the hammer of the hand canon which is unique).
Hip fire weapon - This is one of the only weapons that is meant to be fired from the hip. The unfortunate downside is that this weapon is inferior when aiming down sights.
Ye Haw - It's a cowboy hand canon. Its unique appearance and functionality make it a go-to for anyone looking to live out their inner space cowboy.

The Last Word Full Details: https://www.light.gg/db/items/1364093401/the-last-word/?p=,,,,c

12: Thorn (Best for PvP)

Destiny 2: Thorn

See Thorn in action:

Although Thorn may not be nearly as oppressive as it once was, this 140 RPM hand canon is still a scourge in the Crucible with the right player wielding it. Its poison rounds can keep guardians from recovering from shots in the middle of a fight, and can also be nifty trackers to help find enemies that are running away. This is one of the more “evil” weapons in Destiny, but sometimes being evil can be the most fun.

Weapon Stats

Impact - 84
Range - 49
Stability - 55
Handling - 85
Reload Speed - 40
Aim Assistance - 85
Inventory Size - 60
Zoom - 14
Airborne Effectiveness - 21
Recoil - 100
Rounds Per Minute - 140
Magazine - 11

What makes Thorn Awesome

Poison rounds - This weapon's exotic perk allows the weapon to deal poison damage to targets.
Necrotic Grips - This weapon synergizes with the warlock gauntlets Necrotic Grips to enable poison damage to more than one target at a time.
Mark of the Devourer - This weapon's secondary perk spawns an orb on the body of a defeated opponent. Picking up this orb increases poison damage for a short time.

Thorn Full Details: https://www.light.gg/db/items/3973202132/thorn/?p=,,,,c

11: Ace of Spades (Best for PvP)

Destiny 2: Ace of Spades

See Ace of Spades in action:

The Ace of Spades has been a strong PvP option since its introduction into Destiny 2. Its Exotic perk allows the weapon to load 6 high damage bullets into the magazine after a kill, and these shots remain in the chamber until the weapon is stowed. This weapon also comes with the perk Firefly, causing targets to explode after they have been killed with precision damage. This Handcanon requires a little less work from the user than some of the others on this list, and as such, I feel that it is a strong option that all players should pick up at the Kiosk as soon as possible.

Weapon Stats

Impact - 84
Range - 85
Stability - 50
Handling - 50
Reload Speed - 42
Aim Assistance - 70
Inventory Size - 56
Zoom - 14
Airborne Effectiveness - 14
Recoil - 100
Rounds Per Minute - 140
Magazine - 13

What makes Ace of Spades Awesome

Momento Mori - Unlike most damage perks within Destiny 2, Memento Mori is based on bullets fired rather than a timed duration. This allows for higher uptime on bonus damage, as well as a higher likelihood of starting encounters with extra damage rounds.
Firefly - This weapon is also able to deal some additional splash damage to targets in PvP due to the Firefly perk. This won’t kill other guardians often but can save you when outnumbered by clumped-up guardians
Catalyst - The Ace of Spade's exotic catalyst causes Firefly to do increased damage when enemies are killed by Memento Mori shots. This further increases the lethality of both elements of the gun.

Ace of Spades Full Details: https://www.light.gg/db/items/347366834/ace-of-spades/?p=,,,,c

10: Le Monarque (Best for PvE)

Destiny 2: Le Monarque

See Le Monarque in action:

Le Monarque is very similar to the Thorn hand canon but edges it out in PvE due it its Champion stunning capabilities and uses at farther ranges. The catch is that the poison perk only activates when the weapon is in “Perfect Draw” mode. Make sure to time your draws well to achieve this weapon's full capabilities. Something important to note, this may well be the best weapon to use against overload champions in the entire game. Not only does the weapon have an intrinsic overload perk, but the poison cloud lasts long enough to restun champions, making them weaker to damage for a much longer time.

Weapon Stats

Impact - 76
Accuracy - 78
Stability - 51
Handling - 69
Reload Speed - 50
Aim Assistance - 70
Inventory Size - 56
Zoom - 18
Airborne Effectiveness - 18
Recoil - 78
Draw Time - 684

What makes Le Monarque Awesome

Intrinsic Overload - This weapon naturally has overload arrows built into it. This allows the weapon to stun Overload champions without needing an overload bow mod equipped.
Poison arrows - Much like Thorn, this weapon deals poison damage to targets. This is highly effective in PvE given the range that bows
Exotic Catalyst - Le Monarque’s Exotic catalyst grants stat boosts as well as the perk Unrelenting, which heals the user slightly after kills.

Le Monarque Full Details: https://www.light.gg/db/items/3588934839/le-monarque/?p=,,,c

9: Izanagi’s Burden (Best for PvE)

Destiny 2: Izanagi’s Burden

See Izanagi’s Burden in action:

The Izanagi’s Burden has fallen slightly out of grace due to the increased viability of Linear Fusion rifles in the heavy slot but is nonetheless a great damage option against champions or bosses in PvE. Its Exotic perks allow the weapon to transform any remaining shots in the magazine into a single, high-damage shot. This high-damage shot is great for dealing large damage to boss targets, or for obliterating champions within endgame content. In Season of the Plunder, sniper rifles can also be equipped with Anti-Barrier rounds to further increase their lethality against champions.

Weapon Stats

Impact - 70
Range - 58
Stability - 56
Handling - 47
Reload Speed - 40
Aim Assistance - 62
Inventory Size - 60
Zoom - 45
Airborne Effectiveness - 6
Recoil - 83
Rounds Per Minute - 90
Magazine - 4

What makes Izanagi’s Burden Awesome

Honed Edge Exotic Perk - Single high-damage shot is loaded into the magazine, consuming any remaining ammo but boosting range and damage.
No Distractions - This weapon has the perk No Distractions, which decreases flinch after aiming for a short time. This is helpful against bosses that attack during the DPS phase or when taking fire from additional enemies
Exotic Catalyst - The exotic catalyst for this weapon further increases the damage of Honed Edge when all 4 shots of the magazine are consumed.

Izanagi’s Burden Full Details: https://www.light.gg/db/items/3211806999/izanagis-burden/?p=,,,,c

8: Devils Ruin (Best for PvP)

Destiny 2: Devil’s Ruin

See Devil’s Ruin in action:

The Devil’s Ruin is somewhat of a sleeper pick for PvP due to its high skill ceiling. Once mastered though, the Devil’s Ruin can be an absolute monster in PvP. The charged shot is capable of killing almost all guardians while they are in their super, a titan with a full juggernaut shield, or any enemy with the bonus from an over shield. Mastering the timing of the weapon can take some time, but can be a strong addition to your PvP loadout once you do.

Weapon Stats

Impact - 49
Range - 60
Stability - 65
Handling - 39
Reload Speed - 15
Aim Assistance - 56
Inventory Size - 64
Zoom - 12
Airborne Effectiveness - 23
Recoil - 100
Rounds Per Minute - 300
Charge Time - 1000
Magazine - 15

What makes Devil’s Ruin Awesome

Close the Gap - This weapon has a chargeable laser shot that empties the remaining magazine, but can tear through targets in both PvP and PvE.
Intrinsic Unstoppable - The charged shot from this weapon can stun Unstoppable champions in PvE (Although this is less effective than other means of stunning Champions).
Pyrogensis - The charged weapon can be used at any point in the magazine due to the Pyrogenesis perk refilling the magazine for the charged shot.

Devil’s Ruin Full Details: https://www.light.gg/db/items/3824106094/devils-ruin/?p=,,,,c

7: Eriana’s Vow (Best for PvE)

Destiny 2: Eriana’s Vow

See Eriana’s Vow in action:

Eriana’s Vow was one of the first weapons to have intrinsic anti-champion capabilities. It has a high ammo economy, which is wonderful for almost all endgame-level content and is the only special ammo hand canon in the game. Despite having a high amount of kickback, the sight on the weapon allows for precise follow-up shots that deal strong damage. It is still one of the strongest anti-barrier weapons to have, even though it has become slightly outclassed by the Arbalest.

Weapon Stats

Impact - 100
Range - 100
Stability - 30
Handling - 23
Reload Speed - 24
Aim Assistance - 80
Inventory Size - 0
Zoom - 24
Airborne Effectiveness - 9
Recoil - 100
Rounds Per Minute - 90
Magazine - 6

What makes Eriana’s Vow Awesome

It’s a special hand canon - The hand canon weapon type has always been limited to the primary slot. The Eriana’s Vow is the first (and only) hand cannon to break that mold and use special ammo instead. This allows the weapon to function almost like a pocket sniper rifle inside of PvE.
Death at First Glance - This weapon deal bonus damage on the opening shot of an attack, and keeps this damage if it pierces a shield or deals precision damage.
Exotic Catalyst - Eriana’s Vow has an exotic catalyst that increases the magazine size and auto-reloads the weapon after being holstered for a short time
Intrinsic Anti-Barrier - This weapon can pierce the shields of Anti-barrier champions without having to slot an associated mod.

Eriana’s Vow Full Details: https://www.light.gg/db/items/3524313097/erianas-vow/?p=,,,,c

6: Traveler’s Chosen (Best for PvE)

Destiny 2: Traveler’s Chosen

See Traveler’s Chosen in action:

The Traveler’s Chosen is a great weapon for players looking to have high-ability uptime. The weapon’s Exotic Perk enables an additional reload function that consumes stacks of “Gathering Light” and distributes these stacks amongst any unused abilities (melee, grenade, and class). When paired with specific mods, this can grant almost indefinite uptime on these abilities. This weapon is also incredibly versatile, as every class and subclass in the game benefits from having a higher uptime on their abilities.

Weapon Stats

Impact - 49
Range - 85
Stability - 70
Handling - 84
Reload Speed - 40
Aim Assistance - 85
Inventory Size - 44
Zoom - 12
Airborne Effectiveness - 35
Recoil - 85
Rounds Per Minute - 300
Magazine - 15

What makes Traveler’s Chosen Awesome

Gathering Light Exotic Perk - Consuming stacks of Gathering Light replenishes grenade, melee, and class ability based on the number of stacks consumed.
High Ability Use Builds - This weapon makes builds based around ability use highly potent, as the player will be able to use their abilities much more often.
Exotic Catalyst - The exotic catalyst of this weapon grants the perk Osmosis, which causes the weapon to change into the element of the player-equipped subclass after throwing a grenade. This makes the weapon effective in Match Game content (Where damage to shields has to match the shield type to be effective) or in builds that spawn elemental wells (which will further reduce cooldowns).

Traveler’s Chosen Full Details: https://www.light.gg/db/items/1853180924/travelers-chosen/?p=,,,,c

5: Lorentz Driver (Best for PvP)

Destiny 2: Lorentz Driver

See Lorentz Driver in action:

The Lorentz Driver is no longer the scourge upon the Crucible that it once was, but it is still a highly annoying weapon to try and combat. Lorentz Driver is one of only two Special ammo Linear Fusion Rifles in the game. This means that it has the versatility of a sniper rifle, with less difficulty and tunnel vision when aiming down sights. Kills with this weapon also create an implosion that draws in nearby opponents, allowing for crazy multi-kills or pulling enemies out of cover. It is a strong option for those who wish to snipe, but struggle to combat the higher levels of flinch on the current Crucible Sandbox.

Weapon Stats

Impact - 41
Range - 38
Stability - 52
Handling - 40
Reload Speed - 28
Aim Assistance - 22
Inventory Size - 35
Zoom - 25
Airborne Effectiveness - 1
Recoil - 100
Charge Time - 533
Magazine - 6

What makes Lorentz Driver Awesome

Special Linear Fusion Rifle - This is the only linear fusion that is present in the energy slot, and is only one of two that use special ammo within the entire game.
One-shot kill potential - Its ability to one-shot headshot guardians with ease due to its clean and open sight makes it a great option for wannabe snipers. The weapon has had its aim assist reduced massively though, so you will need to be accurate for those headshots to land.
Exotic catalyst - The exotic catalyst for this weapon grants the gun enhanced radar and allows the Em anomaly perk to activate on all types of kills, not just headshots. (This benefit is only active after picking up 3 weapon telemetries, which drop at the bodies of enemies killed with this weapon. This is more effective in PvE than it is in PvP).

Lorentz Driver Full Details: https://www.light.gg/db/items/3761898871/lorentz-driver/?p=,,,,c

4: Ager’s Scepter (Best for PvE)

Destiny 2: Ager’s Scepter

See Ager’s Scepter in action:

So I’ll be honest. The Aegr’s Scepter is my favorite exotic weapon in the history of Destiny. This exotic trace rifle freezes nearby opponents after getting a kill, and kills with stasis (Either from the weapon or abilities) will add ammo back into the magazine. It is one of the only Exotic weapons that synergizes with the Stasis subclass and has huge crowd control potential due to its freezing abilities. Although it somewhat suffers in Endgame content due to ammo economy and enemies having increased health, I still cannot recommend it enough based on its synergy with the Stasis Subclass.

Weapon Stats

Impact - 6
Range - 69
Stability - 99
Handling - 62
Reload Speed - 55
Aim Assistance - 100
Inventory Size - 44
Zoom - 16
Airborne Effectiveness - 15
Recoil - 100
Rounds Per Minute - 1000
Magazine - 97

What makes Ager’s Scepter Awesome

Freeze Ray - This weapon freezes enemies that are close to enemies killed by the weapon. This is one of the only ways to freeze combatants without using a Stasis ability or Super.
Exotic Catalyst - The catalyst for this weapon grants the weapon an alternate firing mode that deals massively increased damage, but drains the super of the user. This drain occurs until the mode is turned off, or the weapon runs out of ammo and is reloaded.
Stasis Synergy - This weapon synergizes with the Stasis subclass (Ex: shattering enemies that are frozen by this weapon can spawn a Stasis Lance on the Titan class)

Ager’s Scepter Full Details: https://www.light.gg/db/items/1833195496/agers-scepter/?p=,,,,c

3: Outbreak Perfected (Best for PvE)

Destiny 2: Outbreak Perfected

See Outbreak Perfected in action:

The Outbreak Perfected is a returning raid exotic from Destiny 1, that has been reworked and turned into primary ammo and DPS beast. This weapon’s Exotic perk, The Corruption Spreads, causes nanite swarms to spawn after a combatant has been killed or after a target has sustained continuous damage from the weapon. The nanite swarms deal little damage by themselves, but when stacked with other players using the weapon and all dealing damage to a boss, the damage begins to escalate quickly. Many fireteams keep this weapon on standby in Day 1 raids, as it can be a huge help when ammo begins to run low and you need a dependable damage option for final stands.

Weapon Stats

Impact - 27
Range - 64
Stability - 40
Handling - 35
Reload Speed - 45
Aim Assistance - 65
Inventory Size - 54
Zoom - 17
Airborne Effectiveness - 29
Recoil - 90
Rounds Per Minute - 450
Magazine - 35

What makes Outbreak Perfected Awesome

Exotic Perk “The Corruption Spreads” - As mentioned above, this weapon's exotic perk spawns nanites that deal additional damage to opponents after either killing an opponent or causing sustained damage.
Secondary Exotic Perk - This weapon deals increased damage to enemies affected by nanite swarms.
Exotic Catalyst - The exotic catalyst for this weapon increases the damage of the nanite swarms, and foes finished off by nanite swarms spawn additional nanites.

Outbreak Perfected Full Details: https://www.light.gg/db/items/400096939/outbreak-perfected/?p=,,,,c

2: Sleeper Simulant (Best for PvE)

Destiny 2: Sleeper Simulant

See Sleeper Simulant in action:

In terms of the Monument to Lost Lights Exotic Kiosk, there is no better DPS weapon to obtain than the Sleeper Simulant. Linear fusions rifles are very strong right now, and even though Sleeper can be somewhat outclassed by the legendary options that are in the game, it is still an amazing option for those looking to deal high damage to bosses. The weapon fires a strong high damage laser that ricochets off of surfaces, allowing the weapon to sometimes deal additional damage to targets. The weapon also has a strong catalyst that makes the weapon charge faster and hold more rounds in the magazine, both of which increase its damage output.

Weapon Stats

Impact - 41
Range - 59
Stability - 54
Handling - 40
Reload Speed - 44
Aim Assistance - 57
Inventory Size - 10
Zoom - 25
Airborne Effectiveness - 9
Recoil - 65
Charge Time - 1024
Magazine - 4

What makes Sleeper Simulant Awesome

Dornröschen Exotic Perk - The laser shot from this weapon over penetrates targets and reflects off of surfaces, causing additional damage to anything hit.
Exotic Catalyst - One of the best catalysts in the game. Decreases charge time allowing for faster shots, as well as increases the magazine size for more shots before reloading.
High, Precise Damage - Sleeper Simulant deals high damage to crit spots, making it an ideal choice to pair with weapons like Divinity, or to use against bosses with large crit spots.

Sleeper Simulant Full Details: https://www.light.gg/db/items/4036115577/sleeper-simulant/?p=,,,,c

1: Witherhoard (Best for PvE)

Destiny 2: Witherhoard

See Witherhoard in action:

The Witherhoard is, by far, the best weapon to grab from the Monument to Lost Light Exotic Kiosk. This weapon is one of only 2 in the game that can deal damage while stowed, making it a great option for DPS phases. Its catalyst only increases its effectiveness by auto-reloading the weapon when stowed, meaning that you will never have to worry about the slow reload speed again. Throw in its ability to create damaging fields on the ground, and you have a weapon that is useful in almost all aspects of PvE. Its versatility and functionality are too good to pass up. This gun should be the top priority for any player who hasn’t yet unlocked it.

Weapon Stats

Impact - 60
Blast Radius - 5
Velocity - 12
Stability - 68
Handling - 63
Reload Speed - 33
Aim Assistance - 84
Inventory Size - 46
Zoom - 12
Airborne Effectiveness - 6
Recoil - 100
Rounds Per Minute - 90
Magazine - 6

What makes Witherhoard Awesome

Primevil’s Torment Exotic perk - replaces traditional grenade rounds with launchable blights that either deal tick damage to opponents or spawn a damaging field on the ground.
Quick Swap Weapon - Switching to this weapon to fire quickly allows players to keep up high DPS and deal additional damage with either a heavy or primary weapon.
Exotic Catalyst - This weapon has an exotic catalyst that adds the perk Auto-Loading-Holster to the weapon. This causes the gun to reload its magazine when it is stowed.

Witherhoard Full Details: https://www.light.gg/db/items/2357297366/witherhoard/?p=,,,,c

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