There are several weapon archetypes in Destiny 2, and when discussing PvP, we cannot miss the shotguns. Shotguns are one of the game's most influential and enjoyable weapons, with the ability to one-shot enemies from close quarters or a bit of range. This weapon type has undergone many changes as it kept breaking the game, yet it is still the core of PvP.
Destiny 2 has a wide range of shotguns, from slug weapons to fully automatic Shotguns. In the Lightfall expansion, we also have several craftable shotguns that allow players to take advantage of their desirable perks.
What are the best shotguns in Destiny 2?
Destiny 2 weapons meta changes a lot with the release of every Season. In the Season of the Witch, shotguns are very powerful in PvP, but they are not a great choice in PvE activities. Here is the list of best shotguns that you can use in PvP.
12. Imperial Decree
Imperial Decree is one of the best aggressive frame shotguns in the game. This frame is extremely powerful for close-range combat due to its pellet spread and high damage. A kinetic slot weapon allows you to pair it with any other elemental secondary weapon.
The stats of this weapon are not extraordinary compared to the other shotguns in this list; however, what makes it a good choice is that it is a craftable weapon. You can craft this weapon with the combination of Threat Detector and Opening Shot, which is considered the PvP god roll of shotguns.
Imperial Decree Stats
- Impact: 80
- Range: 29
- Stability: 29
- Handling: 31
- Reload Speed: 34
- Aim Assistance: 35
- Inventory Size: 39
- Zoom: 12
- Airborne Effectiveness: 5
- Recoil: 80
- Rounds Per Minute: 55
- Magazine: 4
God roll:
- Barrel: Rifled Barrel
- Magazine: Accurized Rounds
- Perk 1: Threat Detector
- Perk 2: Opening Shot
How to get Imperial Decree
If you have the Season of Defiance pass (season 20), you can still grab the Ascendant Scepter quest item from the Wartable, letting you get defiance engrams from ritual activities. Those engrams can be used at the Wartable to try and get the shotgun (possibly Deepsight versions) from the “recovered leviathan weapons” focusing.
11. Duality
The name of Duality explains the working of this weapon. It is a very unique weapon that comes with two shooting modes. It can fire a blast of pellets when using hip fire and a longer-ranged slug shotgun when you aim down its sight. This exotic perk lets you easily handle all the situations during a PvP match.
The stats of this weapon are excellent, and the exotic catalyst makes it even more lethal as it improves the weapon's range.
Exotic Perk:
"Fires a pellet spread in hip-fire or a single high-damage slug while aiming. Pellet final blows grant a stacking precision damage and reload speed buff. Precision hits with slugs extend the duration."
Duality Stats
- Impact: 80
- Range: 70
- Stability: 45
- Handling: 60
- Reload Speed: 1
- Aim Assistance: 65
- Inventory Size: 70
- Zoom: 12
- Airborne Effectiveness: 6
- Recoil: 78
- Rounds Per Minute: 65
- Magazine: 6
How to get Duality
You can buy this weapon from the Exotic Kiosk at the tower if they already have the Beyond Light Expansion Pack. It costs
- 1 Exotic Cipher
- 100,000 Glimmer
- 150 Glacial Starwort
- 1 Ascendant Shard.
10. Astral Horizon (Adept)
The Trials of Osiris offers the best weapons in the game for the PvP. One of them is Astral Horizon, and it never disappoints. There are few options for the kinetic slot; therefore, the astral horizon is a great choice. The perk pool of the gun was changed recently, removing one of the most sought-after perks on this weapon, Quickdraw.
The overall stats of the weapon are average, and it suffers in handling. However, you can improve the weapon's handling by several perks like Surplus and Opening Shot. Surplus mostly depends on the side abilities, so you need to watch for the cooldown of abilities.
Astral Horizon Stats
- Impact: 80
- Range: 24
- Stability: 27
- Handling: 28
- Reload Speed: 33
- Aim Assistance: 34
- Inventory Size: 40
- Zoom: 12
- Airborne Effectiveness: 5
- Recoil: 62
- Rounds Per Minute: 55
- Magazine: 4
God roll:
- Barrel: Rifled Barrel
- Magazine: Accurized Rounds
- Perk 1: Surplus
- Perk 2: Opening Shot
How to get Astral Horizon (Adept)
Players can obtain the weapons of the Osiris Trials in 2 ways.
- You can earn trials weapons from the lighthouse chest, which you can only unlock by going flawless in trials.
- You will receive trial weapons and engrams as your Saint-14 reputation rises.
- These engrams have two options: you can focus the engrams on a particular weapon or open them for RNG rewards. It will cost you some resources to focus on weapons like 100 legendary shards.
(Note: The adept versions of the weapons and adept mods can only be obtained by going flawless and opening the chest on the lighthouse.)
9. Felwinter’s Lie
Felwinter’s Lie ruled the PvP in the Season of the Worthy, as it was the best legendary shotgun in the game. It has a unique frame shot-package renowned for its impact and one-shot kill potential. The gun has gone through many ups and downs, but it is still an excellent choice for PvP in the season of the wish.
Felwinter’s Lie has very balanced weapon stats, and the perk combination of Surplus and Opening Shot is very lethal in PvP. The only gun that could compete with it during its peak was Astral Horizon.
Felwinter’s Lie Stats
- Impact: 80
- Range: 21
- Stability: 19
- Handling: 26
- Reload Speed: 34
- Aim Assistance: 33
- Inventory Size: 34
- Zoom: 12
- Airborne Effectiveness: 2
- Recoil: 62
- Rounds Per Minute: 55
- Magazine: 4
God roll:
- Barrel: Full Choke
- Magazine: Accurized Rounds
- Perk 1: Sliedeshot
- Perk 2: Opening Shot
How to get Felwinter’s Lie
You can only get Felwinter’s Lie from the Monument to Lost Lights weapon vault in the Tower. To craft the weapon, you’ll need to bring a hefty list of materials:
- 100 Legendary Shards
- 75000 Glimmer
- 2 Enhancement Prisms
- 1x Ascendant Shard
8. Riiswalker
Riiswalker is one of the most popular weapons of the Iron Banner, announced in the season of the Splicer. It has been out from the loot pool of Iron Banner for a while but came back in the season of the Wish, and you can farm it right away. This weapon has a unique perk combination and origin perk, Skulking Wolf, which is helpful only in the Iron Banner activity.
Riiswalker has average stats, but the perk pool of this gun offers excellent agility. The Iron Banner weapons roll with unique perks like iron reach and iron grip that can increase the weapon's stats immensely. With the right perks, you can get this weapon with maximum range.
Riiswalker Stats
- Impact: 65
- Range: 45
- Stability: 43
- Handling: 71
- Reload Speed: 62
- Aim Assistance: 52
- Inventory Size: 25
- Zoom: 12
- Airborne Effectiveness: 2
- Recoil: 54
- Rounds Per Minute: 80
- Magazine: 6
God roll:
- Barrel: Rifled Barrel
- Magazine: Accurized Rounds
- Perk 1: Slideshot
- Perk 2: Opening Shot
How to get Riiswalker
The best way to get this weapon is from Saladin via Iron Engrams. It also drops randomly after Iron Banner matches. You can also focus Iron Engrams on Riiswalker to farm your favorite role.
7. Wastelander M5
Tex Mechanica is known for making the best-looking weapons in the game, and Wastelander is one of them. It is a lightweight frame machine gun with a unique hip-fire reticle. This weapon has fantastic handling and feels much snappier thanks to its light frame and origin trait, Hot Swap.
This weapon offers impressive stats as well as an excellent perk pool. This weapon was made craftable in the Season of the Plunder, and you can craft it now with your choice of perks. The Perpetual Motion is the most sought perk for this weapon, and you can combine it with the Opening Shot and never miss your first shot.
Wastelander M5 Stats
- Impact: 65
- Range: 44
- Stability: 40
- Handling: 66
- Reload Speed: 59
- Aim Assistance: 49
- Inventory Size: 26
- Zoom: 12
- Airborne Effectiveness: 2
- Recoil: 51
- Rounds Per Minute: 80
- Magazine: 6
God roll:
- Barrel: Rifled Barrel
- Magazine: Assault Mag
- Perk 1: Perpetual Motion
- Perk 2: Opening Shot
How to get Wastelander M5
You can farm Wastelander by completing the Dares of Enternity activity. It is a craftable weapon, and you will need five patterns of this weapon to craft it at the Enclave on Mars.
6. The Chaperone
Chaperone has seen repeated nerfs throughout the game because of its game-breaking exotic perk and amazing stats. Yet, it is still one of the best slug shotguns in the game. It has a fantastic aim assist and an exotic perk that boosts the weapon's range, making it the gun with the longest one-hit kill distance.
Chaperone is a precision-slug frame with excellent stats. It has a maximum range with great handling. Although it requires more skill than any average pellet shotgun in the game, in the right hands, it can be one of the deadliest weapons in the game.
Exotic Perk:
"Fires a single-slug precision round. Precision kills briefly grant bonus handling, range, and precision damage with this weapon."
Chaperone Stats
- Impact: 75
- Range: 100
- Stability: 20
- Handling: 80
- Reload Speed: 30
- Aim Assistance: 70
- Inventory Size: 45
- Zoom: 12
- Airborne Effectiveness: 1
- Recoil: 85
- Rounds Per Minute: 50
- Magazine: 6
How to get The Chaperone
You can only get Chaperone from the Monument to Lost Lights weapon vault in the Tower. To craft the weapon, you’ll need to bring a hefty list of materials:
- 1x Exotic Cipher
- 125,000 Glimmer
- 200 Etheric Spiral
- 1x Ascendant Shard
5. Gunnora's Axe
If you love playing with slug shotguns, then you will love Gunora’s Axe. It is another amazing weapon from the Iron Banner activity that fires pinpoint slugs, dealing massive damage to the guardians. No matter what the meta is, slug shotguns are always a great pick thanks to their pinpoint accuracy and one-shot killing ability,
Gunnora’s Axe is a great alternative to the Inquisitor, and you can farm it if you are not interested in playing Trials of Osiris. It has incredible stats division as well as S-tier perk combinations. If you are lucky enough to get this gun with the perk combination of Threat detector and Opening shot, this gun becomes a monster.
Gunnora's Axe Stats
- Impact: 70
- Range: 67
- Stability: 49
- Handling: 65
- Reload Speed: 48
- Aim Assistance: 34
- Inventory Size: 42
- Zoom: 12
- Airborne Effectiveness: 2
- Recoil: 51
- Rounds Per Minute: 65
- Magazine: 6
God roll:
- Barrel: Arrowhead Brake
- Magazine: Assault Mag
- Perk 1: Moving Target
- Perk 2: Iron Reach
How to get Gunnora's Axe
This weapon drops randomly on completion of iron banner matches but, unfortunately, is not available in the weapon pool this season. The iron banner weapons reappear in the collection, and we hope this machine gun reappears.
4. Matador 64
Matador did not make that much impact on the release of Destiny 2 compared to the OG Destiny 1, but it is still one of the game's strongest and most consistent shotguns. It was released with the 30th Anniversary bundle as an activity reward for the Grasp of Avarice dungeon. It is a precision frame shotgun and reasonably easy to farm.
Matador has excellent base stats with great perk combinations. It offers perks for both mobility and handling. You can also boost the range of this weapon to maximum capacity with perks like Threat Detector and Opening Shot.
Matador 64 Stats
- Impact: 70
- Range: 65
- Stability: 48
- Handling: 43
- Reload Speed: 48
- Aim Assistance: 65
- Inventory Size: 45
- Zoom: 12
- Airborne Effectiveness: 2
- Recoil: 77
- Rounds Per Minute: 65
- Magazine: 5
God roll:
- Barrel: Fullchoke
- Magazine: Accurized Rounds
- Perk 1: Perpetual Motion
- Perk 2: Opening Shot
How to get Gunnora's Axe
You can grab Matador by completing encounters of the Grasp of Avarice dungeon. This weapon can drop from all three encounters, but we highly suggest you farm the first encounter as it is the fastest to finish. The loot pool of the first encounter is also small, increasing this weapon's drop chances.
3. Heritage
No one can disagree that The Deep Stone Crypt raid offered the most futuristic-looking weapons in the game. Heritage is one of the most sought-after slug shotguns in the game, featuring the fantastic perk Reconstruction. The weapon's damage is insane; with this perk, you can double the magazine size.
Heritage offers a great stats package and amazing perks. This gun was made craftable in the Season of the Seraph, so you can also craft it with enhanced perks, increasing the stats further. You can pair Reconstruction with the offhand strike to make it a nightmare for your enemies.
Heritage Stats
- Impact: 70
- Range: 68
- Stability: 43
- Handling: 70
- Reload Speed: 45
- Aim Assistance: 68
- Inventory Size: 49
- Zoom: 12
- Airborne Effectiveness: 5
- Recoil: 60
- Rounds Per Minute: 65
- Magazine: 6
God roll:
- Barrel: Hammer-Forged Rifling
- Magazine: Accurized Target
- Perk 1: Reconstruction
- Perk 2: Snapshot Sights
How to get Heritage
You can get this weapon from the Deep Stone Crypt Raid, specifically the raid's second (Replication) and third (Disarmament) encounters. Once the weapon drops, it can appear in secret chests hidden throughout the activity. You can easily farm the red borders of this weapon once this raid is the featured raid of the week.
2. Found Verdict (Timelost)
Vault of Glass raid made a massive comeback in Destiny 2, loaded with the fantastic old weapons from the last game. Found Verdict and Fatebringer are, without a doubt, the best weapons the raid offers. The grind of this weapon is a bit time-consuming, but the fact that you can get the best legendary shotgun in the game after that makes it completely worth it.
It is an aggressive frame shotgun with good handling and range. You can add adept mods to this weapon after getting the Timelost version, which can improve the stats further. It rolls with the legendary perk combination Surplus and Opening Shot, which uses the side abilities to enhance the weapon's stats.
Found Verdict Stats
- Impact: 80
- Range: 31
- Stability: 22
- Handling: 39
- Reload Speed: 33
- Aim Assistance: 37
- Inventory Size: 34
- Zoom: 12
- Airborne Effectiveness: 2
- Recoil: 75
- Rounds Per Minute: 55
- Magazine: 4
God roll:
- Barrel: Rifled Barrel
- Magazine: Accurized Rounds
- Perk 1: Sliedeshot
- Perk 2: Opening Shot
How to get Found Verdict (Timelost)
You can only obtain the Found Verdict (Timelost) in the Vault of Glass raid by completing the Maestro Glasser triumph. This triumph requires you to finish all Vault of Glass challenges on Master. You can also buy it from the chest after completing the final encounter using spoils of conquest.
1. Conditional Finality
Conditional Finality is, without a doubt, the best shotgun in the game right now. It is the first double-barreled shotgun of the game. This demon-looking exotic loads stasis pellets in the first barrel and solar pellets in the second. This weapon can take down supers in the blink of an eye with its Freeze-ignite effect.
The stats of this gun are insane, and the fact that it can freeze or ignite your enemies based on the landing of your pellets makes it the go-to weapon for PvP. It has terrific handling, and the range is also good. If you master the skill of using the perks of this gun, you will be invincible in the PvP.
Exotic Perk:
"Dual barrels split into Stasis and Solar damage. Landing nearly all Stasis pellets will freeze targets; landing nearly all Solar pellets will ignite targets."
Conditional Finality Stats
- Impact: 80
- Range: 35
- Stability: 20
- Handling: 60
- Reload Speed: 66
- Aim Assistance: 56
- Inventory Size: 51
- Zoom: 12
- Airborne Effectiveness: 4
- Recoil: 70
- Rounds Per Minute: 55
- Magazine: 2
How to get Conditional Finality
You can only get Conditional Finality from the final chest of Root of The Nightmare raid. You have three chances of dropping it in a week by completing the raid on three different characters. You can also farm this weapon when this raid is the featured raid of the week.
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