[Top 15] Destiny 2 Best Non Exotic Weapons That Are Excellent

Updated:

20 Oct 2022

15: Lunulata-4b (Best for PvE)

Destiny 2: Lunulata-4b

See Lunulata-4b in action:

The Lunulata-4b is a unique weapon because, at the time of writing, it is the only Stasis bow in the game. Since bows live and die by their ability to get headshot kills, this weapon is arguably the best weapon to make use of Headstone in the entire game. Most headshots will kill red bar enemies and spawn a stasis crystal at their bodies. The weapon can also roll with Golden Tricorn, which increases weapon damage after a grenade or powered melee kill. All in all, it's a very unique weapon that any guardian running Stasis should have on hand.

Weapon Stats

Impact - 68
Accuracy - 25
Stability - 74
Handling - 82
Reload Speed - 60
Aim Assistance - 82
Inventory Size - 64
Zoom - 18
Airborne Effectiveness - 7
Recoil - 49
Draw Time - 580
Frame - Lightweight

What makes Lunulata-4b Awesome

Great weapon for Headstone - Constantly spawn Stasis crystals with precision damage. Allows the bow to become one of the few, non-exotic, bows capable of contributing to crowd control.
Veist Stinger/Lightweight bow - The origin trait of this weapon, combined with being a Lightweight Frame bow, allow for speedy draw times and faster movement when aiming down sights (which you’ll be doing a lot when using a bow)
Overload Bow in Season of the Plunder

How to Get Lunulata-4b

Check with Banshee-44 in the Tower Each day, he sometimes will sell it.
Focus Umbral engrams at either the Crown of Sorrow or Captain’s Atlas in the Helm
Hope for a drop when picking up engrams in the wild.

Lunulata-4b Full Details: https://www.light.gg/db/items/2513965917/lunulata-4b/?p=,,,,,c

14: Krait (Best for PvE)

Destiny 2: Krait

See Krait in action:

Destiny 2 | You NEED This NEW INSANE Auto! New Krait GOD ROLLS (Full Weapon Breakdown)

Krait is a wonderful auto rife for players who wish to unload on their enemies. Its high RPM, strong origin trait, ammo-based perk options, and hefty magazine size all combine to make an absolute shredder of an auto rife. Throw in its ability to roll Headstone for occasional stasis crystals and you have a very versatile option for PvE.

Weapon Stats

Impact - 18
Range - 33
Stability - 68
Handling - 39
Reload Speed - 53
Aim Assistance - 78
Inventory Size - 45
Zoom - 16
Airborne Effectiveness - 15
Recoil - 66
Rounds Per Minute - 720
Magazine - 53
Frame - Rapid-Fire

What makes Krait Awesome

Bullethose - Overflow, (picking up special or heavy ammo overfills the magazine) Subsistence, (kills partially refill the magazine), and the Veist Stinger Origin Trait (damaging enemies has a chance to refill the magazine) all contribute to neverending bullets.
Stasis Synergy - Headstone perk available on the gun.
Anti-Barrier Auto Rife in Season of the Plunder

How to Get Krait

Check with Banshee-44 in the Tower each day, he sometimes will sell it.
Focus Umbral engrams at either the Crown of Sorrow or Captain’s Atlas in the Helm
Hope for a drop when picking up engrams in the wild.

Krait Full Details: https://www.light.gg/db/items/2852052802/krait/?p=,,,,,c

13: Out of Bounds (Best for PvP)

Destiny 2: Out of Bounds

See Out of Bounds in action:

The Out of Bounds has quickly risen into the top tier of weapons within PvP in Season of the Plunder. The Out of Bounds synergizes with the newly released Arc 3.0 subclass to create insane time to kill in the Crucible. Pretty much every perk in the fourth column is going to be viable in PvP due to lots of damage and range-increasing options. This is a great option to shred through other guardians while maintaining the speed and lethality necessary to make Arc 3.0 shine.

Weapon Stats

Impact - 15
Range - 44
Stability - 60
Handling - 67
Reload Speed - 28
Aim Assistance - 55
Inventory Size - 47
Zoom - 14
Airborne Effectiveness - 23
Recoil - 95
Rounds Per Minute - 900
Magazine - 36
Frame - Lightweight

What makes Out of Bounds Awesome

“Now that's a lotta damage” - There are 8 different perks that all grant bonus damage to the weapon, making it highly likely that you’ll get at least one of them to drop for you.
Crucible Playlist reward - Crucible guns seem to drop at the end of activities fairly regularly now. Grinding for an Out of Bounds should be relatively easy given its drop chance.

How to Get Out of Bounds

End of Match reward from Crucible matches
Rank up a reward from Crucible
Possible Engram reward from Shaxx

Out of Bounds Full Details: https://www.light.gg/db/items/2988121501/out-of-bounds/?p=,,,,,c

12: Calus Mini-Tool (Best for PvE)

Destiny 2: Calus Mini-Tool

See Calus Mini-Tool in action:

It’s back. The Calus Mini-Tool is one that I have written about before, and not much has changed since the last time I wrote about it. It's still a great option for chewing through red health bar enemies in PvE, and with the incandescent perk allowing it to spread scorch stacks to other opponents, it's highly effective with Solar 3.0 builds. The Calus Mini-Tool can be crafted, making an already great weapon even better. It can be a slog to get some of the returning opulent weapons (a trend that will continue on this list) but it's worth the time investment in the long run.

Weapon Stats

Impact - 15
Range - 35
Stability - 54
Handling - 80
Reload Speed - 41
Aim Assistance - 49
Inventory Size - 70
Zoom - 14
Airborne Effectiveness - 28
Recoil - 80
Rounds Per Minute - 900
Magazine - 37
Frame - Lightweight

What makes Calus Mini-Tool Awesome

Solar 3.0 Synergy - Incandescent spreads scorch stacks to nearby opponents

Craftable weapon - Craft your desired god roll after obtaining 5 deep sight versions of the weapon

How to Get Calus Mini-Tool

Acquire opulent keys from Nightmare containment activity or after-activity chests to loot opulent chests on the derelict Leviathan
Focus umbral engrams after acquiring
Craft at the enclave after acquiring 5 deep sight versions of the weapon

Calus Mini-Tool Full Details: https://www.light.gg/db/items/2490988246/calus-mini-tool/?p=,,,,,c

11: Zaouli’s Bane (Best for PvE)

Destiny 2: Zaouli’s Bane

See Zaouli’s Bane in action:

This “new” raid hand canon has arrived to shake up the meta in PvE. This solar hand canon is the first in the game to be able to roll the highly desired Incandescent perk, and it also can roll with Firefly to make even larger explosions. Think of this gun as a legendary variant of the Sunshot when equipped with the right perks. This weapon drops from the reprised King’s Fall raid, meaning that it can be crafted and will eventually drop an adept variant as well.

Weapon Stats

Impact - 84
Range - 38
Stability - 72
Handling - 61
Reload Speed - 43
Aim Assistance - 77
Inventory Size - 50
Zoom - 14
Airborne Effectiveness - 26
Recoil - 89
Rounds Per Minute - 140
Magazine - 10
Frame - Adaptive

What makes Zaouli’s Bane Awesome

Explosions, lots of Explosions - Perk combination of Firefly and Incandescent causes massive explosions that spread scorch stacks to enemies.
Runneth Over Origin Trait - Overfills the magazine when reloaded near teammates. This is great since the standard magazine is only 10

How to Get Zaouli’s Bane

Complete the Golgoroth, Daughters of Oryx, or Oryx encounters and hope for a drop.
Loot secret chests in the raid after acquiring

Zaouli’s Bane Full Details: https://www.light.gg/db/items/431721920/zaoulis-bane/?p=,,,,,c

10: Brigand’s Law (Best for PvE)

Destiny 2: Brigand’s Law

See Brigand’s Law in action:

Brigand’s Law is our first new weapon from the Season of the Plunder weapon set. Much like weapons from the previous two seasons, this weapon drops with a new perk designed to synergize with the most recent subclass update. For Brigand’s Law, that would be Arc 3.0 The new perk, Voltshot, enables the first shot after a reloads to Jolt targets. Given that this weapon is a full-auto sidearm, you’ll be reloading (and then Jolting) enemies quite a lot. It's super fun and every player is guaranteed to get the Voltshot roll just by progressing through the free track of the season pass.

Weapon Stats

Impact - 35
Range - 20
Stability - 73
Handling - 46
Reload Speed - 41
Aim Assistance - 59
Inventory Size - 67
Zoom - 12
Airborne Effectiveness - 14
Recoil - 100
Rounds Per Minute - 450
Magazine - 18
Frame - Rapid-Fire

What makes Brigand’s Law Awesome

Voltshot - As mentioned before, the new perk Voltshot allows the gun to Jolt targets after reloading. This effect is very powerful and can help fuel other parts of an Arc 3.0 build.
Right Hook - The new origin trait Right Hook grants increased range and target acquisition after causing melee damage.

How to Get Brigand’s Law

Complete Ketchcrash or Treasure Expeditions - Both playlists are found in the H.E.L.M. tab of the Director
Earn rank-up rewards from the Starchart - Each engram has a chance to drop Brigand’s Law.
Unlock the Focused Weapon Spoils upgrade at the Starchart - Allows for umbral engrams to focus into Season of the Plunder weapons.
Reach rank 30 in the season pass

Brigand’s Law Full Details: https://www.light.gg/db/items/1298815317/brigands-law/?p=,,,,,c

9: BXR-55 Battler (Good in PvE and PvP)

Destiny 2: BXR-55 Battler

See BXR-55 Battler in action:

The BXR-55 Battler has gotten somewhat of an overhaul during the Season of the Plunder. Its perk pool has been updated to include the ever-so-popular Incandescent, while also adding a new origin trait and craftable version. These additions have elevated an already good gun to an incredible one.

Weapon Stats

Impact - 23
Range - 50
Stability - 74
Handling - 71
Reload Speed - 78
Aim Assistance - 85
Inventory Size - 60
Zoom - 20
Airborne Effectiveness - 10
Recoil - 70
Rounds Per Minute - 450
Magazine - 35
Frame - Legacy PR-55

What makes BXR-55 Battler Awesome

“I need a weapon” - The BXR-55 Battler is meant to be a homage to the Battle Rifle from Halo. This alone makes the gun pretty awesome.
Legacy PR-55 Frame - This unique frame of pulse rifle allows the BXR-55 Battler to be more accurate when firing from the hip (again paying homage to Battle Rifle)
Incandescent and craftable upgrade - As mentioned above, the weapon can now roll with incandescent and can be crafted after acquiring 5 deep-sight versions of the weapon.

How to Get BXR-55 Battler

Complete the Dares of Eternity activity and hope for a drop from the final chest
Use Treasure Keys at Xur’s Treasure Hoard and hope for a drop.
Open Paraversal Haul packages and hope for a drop
Rank up reward from Xur

BXR-55 Battler Full Details: https://www.light.gg/db/items/2708806099/bxr-55-battler/?p=,,,,,c

8: Lingering Dread

Destiny 2: Lingering Dread

See Lingering Dread in action:

Much like the Lunulata-4b before, this weapon benefits from currently being the only Stasis grenade launcher in the game. This simple fact also allows this weapon to become the best grenade launcher for crowd control in all of Destiny 2. The Lingering Dread can roll with Blinding Grenades (Which will blind and keep low-tier enemies from being able to shoot or use abilities) and Chill Clip (Which slows enemies and can eventually lead to freezing with enough stacks of slow) together. This combo not only incapacitates enemies but slows them and makes them primed for even more damage.

Weapon Stats

Blast Radius - 100
Velocity - 78
Stability - 24
Handling - 65
Reload Speed - 80
Aim Assistance - 75
Inventory Size - 66
Zoom - 13
Airborne Effectiveness - 3
Recoil - 63
Rounds Per Minute - 90
Magazine - 1
Frame - Lightweight

What makes Lingering Dread Awesome

Wombo Combo - As mentioned above, the combination of Blinding Grenades and Chill Clip provides multiple debilitating effects on enemies
2 in the Chamber - The Lingering Dread can also roll with great reload perks for grenade launchers, mainly Ambitious Assassin to overflow the magazine after a kill, or Auto-Loading-Holster to reload the weapon while it is stowed.

How to Get Lingering Dread

Complete the Galhran and Caital encounters in the Duality Dungeon for a chance to drop
Loot hidden chests after acquiring.

Lingering Dread Full Details: https://www.light.gg/db/items/2026087437/lingering-dread/?p=,,,,,c

7: Beloved (Best for PvP)

Destiny 2: Beloved

See Beloved in action:

The Beloved is a wonderful sniper that has returned to rain terror upon the crucible within the last few seasons. While Sniper Rifles as a whole have seen a slight decrease in usage due to the airborne effectiveness and flinch changes, Beloved has still managed to perform well in the current sandbox. Its ability to be crafted adds to its desirability, but much like the Calus Mini-Tool, it’s going to take a long time to unlock the pattern for it.

Weapon Stats

Impact - 70
Range - 60
Stability - 56
Handling - 42
Reload Speed - 38
Aim Assistance - 68
Inventory Size - 36
Zoom - 40
Airborne Effectiveness - 3
Recoil - 87
Rounds Per Minute - 90
Magazine - 4
Frame - Adaptive

What makes Beloved Awesome

Strong PvP Perks - Snapshot, Surplus, or Quickdraw all help to make this sniper seem snappy and fluid.
Craftable version - Enhanced versions of traits further increase their effectiveness

How to Get Beloved

Acquire opulent keys from Nightmare containment activity or after-activity chests to loot opulent chests on the derelict Leviathan
Focus umbral engrams after acquiring
Craft at the enclave after acquiring 5 deep sight versions of the weapon

Beloved Full Details: https://www.light.gg/db/items/3107853529/beloved/?p=,,,,,c

6: Doom of Chelchis (Best for PvE)

Destiny 2: Doom of Chelchis

See Doom of Chelchis in action:

The Doom of Chelchis is another “new” raid weapon in Destiny 2. This scout rifle has quickly risen in popularity due to a great selection of perks. Just like the Zaouli’s Bane, this weapon can roll with two explosion-based perks. This is the first weapon to be able to roll with both Dragonfly and Firefly at the same time. Doom of Chelchis can also roll with Repulser Brace (which grants overshield after killing a void debuffed enemy) giving it some additional synergy with Void 3.0 builds. Scout rifles are great options for endgame-level content since you rarely want to be close to enemies in those activities.

Weapon Stats

Impact - 62
Range - 64
Stability - 30
Handling - 34
Reload Speed - 24
Aim Assistance - 64
Inventory Size - 54
Zoom - 20
Airborne Effectiveness - 27
Recoil - 76
Rounds Per Minute - 180
Magazine - 19
Frame - Precision

What makes Doom of Chelchis Awesome

Big explosions - As mentioned above, the combination of Firefly and Dragonfly is very intriguing. These perks can also be enhanced with the crafted version of the weapon.
Crafted and Adept version - This weapon can be crafted, and an adept version will be available from the master version of the King’s Fall raid.
Runneth Over Origin Trait - Overflows the magazine based on how many teammates are nearby when you reload

How to Get Doom of Chelchis

Complete the Totems, Golgoroth, Daughters of Oryx, or Oryx encounters and hope for a drop.
Loot secret chests in the raid after acquiring

Doom of Chelchis Full Details: https://www.light.gg/db/items/1937552980/doom-of-chelchis/?p=,,,,,c

5: Austringer (Best for PvP)

Destiny 2: Austringer

See Austringer in action:

On a previous list, I had listed the Austringer below the Beloved, which I am here to rectify with this new ranking. Snipers have taken a hit somewhat recently, but hand canons have stayed as relevant as ever. As such, the Austringer is currently the best legendary weapon for PvP. Its ability to put out strong damage and its ability to be crafted make the weapon into an absolute monster within PvP. There is no other hand canon that has the level of reliability that the Austringer does.

Weapon Stats

Impact - 84
Range - 51
Stability - 69
Handling - 52
Reload Speed - 56
Aim Assistance - 75
Inventory Size - 53
Zoom - 14
Airborne Effectiveness - 13
Recoil - 95
Rounds Per Minute - 140
Magazine - 12
Frame - Adaptive

What makes Austringer Awesome

3-tap King - The 140 archetype of hand cannon is strong, but the Austringer seems to be able to land the perfect 3-tap headshot kill more consistently than most hand canons.
This is one of only 2 hand cannons in the game that can be crafted, meaning that anyone can get a perfect god roll with enough time and luck.

How to Get Austringer

Acquire opulent keys from Nightmare containment activity or after-activity chests to loot opulent chests on the derelict Leviathan
Focus umbral engrams after acquiring
Craft at the enclave after acquiring 5 deep sight versions of the weapon

Austringer Full Details: https://www.light.gg/db/items/3055790362/austringer/?p=,,,,,c

4: Qullim’s Terminus (Best for PvE)

Destiny 2: Qullim’s Terminus

See Qullim’s Terminus in action:

As mentioned in a previous article, Qullim’s Terminus is a strong machine gun with great Stasis synergy and general use lethality. Great perks like Headstone and Killing Tally make the weapon stand out from other machine guns, making it the king of ad-clearing in the heavy slot. Much like the Doom of Chelchis and Zaouli’s Bane, The Qullim’s Terminus has a craftable version available now, and an adept version to become available shortly.

Weapon Stats

Impact - 70
Range - 73
Stability - 25
Handling - 35
Reload Speed - 16
Aim Assistance - 32
Inventory Size - 46
Zoom - 16
Airborne Effectiveness - 25
Recoil - 80
Rounds Per Minute - 360
Magazine - 57
Frame - High-Impact

What makes Qullim’s Terminus Awesome

Stasis Weapon - able to roll with Headstone for increased ad clear potential
Craftable - Able to be crafted and make use of enhanced perks after obtaining 5 deep-sight versions of the weapon.
Killing Tally - The Killing Tally Perk also returns on this machine gun, allowing the gun to increase its damage substantially by just killing targets.

How to Get Qullim’s Terminus

Complete the Totems or Golgoroth encounters for a chance to drop.
Loot hidden chests in the King’s Fall raid after acquiring them.

Qullim’s Terminus Full Details: https://www.light.gg/db/items/1321506184/qullims-terminus/?p=,,,,,c

3: Ammit AR2 (Best for PvE)

Destiny 2: Ammit AR2

See Ammit AR 2 in action:

The Ammit AR2 is a new Omolon foundry weapon that was added to the loot pool with the Season of the Plunder. It is the first auto rifle in the game to be able to roll with Incandescent, making it a top pick for most players. This weapon also has a craftable version, which is easy to obtain through the new quest at the Enclave. Any auto rifle fans should grab this weapon ASAP, it’ll be a great option for any Solar-based build going forward.

Weapon Stats

Impact - 29
Range - 71
Stability - 50
Handling - 46
Reload Speed - 53
Aim Assistance - 44
Inventory Size - 48
Zoom - 17
Airborne Effectiveness - 20
Recoil - 71
Rounds Per Minute - 450
Magazine - 32
Frame - Precision

What makes Ammit AR2 Awesome

Incandescent - Once again, Incandescent alone makes this weapon highly desirable in any PvE content.
Low Barrier of Entry - The crafted version of this gun is one of the easiest weapons in the game to obtain, and is available to all players.

How to Get Ammit AR2

Complete the new quest at the Enclave from Season of the Plunder
Check with Banshee-44 in the Tower Each day, he sometimes will sell it.
Focus Umbral engrams at either the Crown of Sorrow or Captain’s Atlas in the Helm
Hope for a drop when picking up engrams in the wild.

Ammit AR2 Full Details: https://www.light.gg/db/items/2119346509/ammit-ar2/?p=,,,,,c

2: Tarnished Mettle (Best for PvE)

Destiny 2: Tarnished Mettle

See Tarnished Mette in action:

Much like Brigand’s Law, the Tarnished Mettle is a new weapon in the Season of the Plunder that is capable of rolling with Voltshot. This perk allows the gun to jolt targets on the first shot after reloading. Voltshot is slightly more valuable on this weapon than on the Brigand’s Law because scout rifles can Jolt targets from farther ranges.

Weapon Stats

Impact - 60
Range - 32
Stability - 55
Handling - 66
Reload Speed - 53
Aim Assistance - 73
Inventory Size - 49
Zoom - 20
Airborne Effectiveness - 25
Recoil - 52
Rounds Per Minute - 200
Magazine - 16
Frame - Lightweight

What makes Tarnished Mettle Awesome

Voltshot - As mentioned before, the new perk Voltshot allows the gun to Jolt targets after reloading. This effect is very powerful and can help fuel other parts of an Arc 3.0 build
Right Hook - The new origin trait Right Hook grants increased range and target acquisition after causing melee damage.

How to Get Tarnished Mettle

Complete Ketchcrash or Treasure Expeditions - Both playlists are found in the H.E.L.M. tab of the Director
Earn rank-up rewards from the Starchart - Each engram has a chance to drop Tarnished Mettle.
Unlock the Focused Weapon Spoils upgrade at the Starchart - Allows for umbral engrams to focus into Season of the Plunder weapons.

Tarnished Mettle Full Details: https://www.light.gg/db/items/2218569744/tarnished-mettle/?p=,,,,,c

1: Taipan-4FR (Best for PvE)

Destiny 2: Taipan-4FR

See Taipan-4FR in action:

The Taipan-4FR is not only the best legendary weapon in the game at the moment, but it is also probably the easiest one to get. With the Season of the Plunder, a new quest was added to the weapon-crafting artifact at the enclave. This quest grants you two drops of deep-sight Taipan-4FRs, which is all you need to be able to craft this weapon. With highly sought-after perks like Triple Tap and Firing Line, this linear fusion rifle has quickly risen to the top of the PvE sandbox.

Weapon Stats

Impact - 38
Range - 48
Stability - 48
Handling - 51
Reload Speed - 29
Aim Assistance - 64
Inventory Size - 33
Zoom - 25
Airborne Effectiveness - 9
Recoil - 69
Charge Time - 533
Magazine - 5
Frame - Precision

What makes Taipan-4FR Awesome

Ease of access - The crafted version of this gun is one of the easiest weapons in the game to obtain, and is available to all players.
Boss Melter - Triple Tap and Firing line combine to make a high DPS weapon that occasionally generates additional ammo for the gun. While other DPS linears exist, this one has the best possible combo with the lowest barrier of entry to obtain.

How to Get Taipan-4FR

Complete the new quest at the Enclave from Season of the Plunder
Check with Banshee-44 in the Tower Each day, he sometimes will sell it.
Focus Umbral engrams at either the Crown of Sorrow or Captain’s Atlas in the Helm
Hope for a drop when picking up engrams in the wild.

Taipan-4FR Full Details: https://www.light.gg/db/items/1911060537/taipan-4fr/?p=,,,,,c

You may also be interested in: