Best Destiny 2 Exotic weapons for PvE & PvP

Connor Knudsen
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Destiny 2’s Exotics are some of the most impactful weapons in the game, but just because they’re unique doesn’t make them all good. To help narrow down which are worth using we’ve made an in-depth list of the best Exotic weapons in Destiny 2 for both PvE & PvP.

Destiny’s Exotic weapons have always stood out as some of the most coveted items in the looter shooter, dating back to the very start of the original game. These exotic weapons can be collected by purchasing them from Xur, completing Exotic missions, or even as rare World Loot Pool drops.

Players can only equip one Exotic gun at a time, so it’s important to know which are meta to make the best use of your limited slot. To see what to partner your Exotic with check out our dedicated guides on the best PvE and PvP Weapons in Destiny 2.

Below are our choices for the best exotic weapons in Destiny 2 PvE & PvP, and how to acquire them as of Season of the Wish.


Contents


Best Destiny 2 Exotic Kinetic Weapons

Conditional Finality

conditional finality exotic shotgun from destiny 2.

Best use: PvE/PvP

Conditional Finality is an unusual shotgun as it’s surprisingly versatile and has plenty of use across all of Destiny’s core playlists. That’s thanks to this Exotic’s ability to deal both Stasis and Solar damage, igniting and freezing targets with each shot.

This makes it particularly useful against champions in higher-level content where it can reliably stun them in a way that’s just not possible with any other weapon. If we get a Shotgun anti-Champion Artifact in the future expect this to be in every meta loadout.

Conditional Finality can be acquired as a rare drop after completing the Root of Nightmares raid.

Quicksilver Storm

Quicksilver Storm Exotic Auto Rifle from Destiny 2.

Best use: PvE

With the rise of Exotic primary weapons in recent seasons, Quicksilver Storm has become a popular pick thanks to its huge upsides. This Strand Auto Rifle has 100 Stability making it extremely easy to control, but it’s the unique underbarrel grenade launcher that truly stands out.

Shooting enemies charges up the Storm’s grenade launcher which can then be fired at no additional cost. These explosive shots deal fantastic damage comparable to that of the meta Special weapons. Throw in the obvious Strand synergy this AR also has and you’re left with an Exotic weapon for all occasions.

Quicksilver Storm can be acquired by speaking to the Cryptarch at The Tower after purchasing Lightfall.

Thorn

The Thorn Exotic Hand Cannon in Destiny 2.

Best use: PvE/PvP

The arrival of the Thorn catalyst has been more than enough for the iconic Hand Cannon to not only rise again but even become one of the best PvP weapons in Destiny. This is largely thanks to its incredible range and stability which lets it outgun its direct competitors in most gunfights.

However, this Exotic is not limited to the Crucible with the Season 22 Hand Cannon buff and Remnant’s new ability to overflow the magazine making it a really solid option in PvE. It might not be absolute top-tier but you can certainly beat Destiny’s hardest PvE content using Thorn these days.

The Witherhoard can be acquired by purchasing it from the Exotic Archive for x1 Exotic Cipher, x125,000 Glimmer, and x1 Ascendant Shard.

Wish-Ender

wish ender exotic bow from destiny 2.

Best use: PvE

Wish-Ender has been a powerful option for some time thanks to its great damage for a Primary weapon and intrinsic anti-Barrier shots. Its slow draw rate can take some getting used to but it’s a fair trade-off given its potency.

Season of the Deep’s Oathkeeper rework didn’t hurt either with the once niche PvP Exotic armor becoming a fan favorite amongst Hunter players. You don’t need to be a Hunter to justify using Wish-Ender though as it excels regardless.

Wish-Ender can be acquired by completing the ‘Wish-Ender’ Exotic quest obtained in the Shattered Throne dungeon.

Witherhoard

witherhoard exotic grenade launcher from destiny 2.

Best use: PvE/PvP

Witherhoard is one of the best Kinetic weapons in the game, especially when it comes to PvE. It also happens to be arguably the best Grenade Launcher in Destiny 2 which is saying a lot given Forbearance and Undercurrent exist.

Witherhoard is a single-shot Grenade Launcher that specializes in AOE damage. It’s one of the best tools for clearing adds while also dealing some solid damage to bosses, especially once its catalyst is unlocked which gives it Auto-Loading Holster allowing for some tasty DPS rotations.

The Witherhoard can be acquired by purchasing it from the Exotic Archive for x1 Exotic Cipher, x100,000 Glimmer, and x1 Ascendant Shard.

Best Destiny 2 Exotic Energy Weapons

Cloudstrike

cloudstrike exotic sniper from destiny 2.

Best use: PvP

The Cloudstrike is an iconic Exotic sniper rifle introduced in Season 12. It offers a lot that Crucible players would want including consistent one-shot kills, good handling, and the potential for some crazy montage clips.

Its unique trait – Mortal Polarity – creates a lightning strike whenever you land a precision final blow. This spreads lightning to nearby enemies, giving the Cloudstrike AOE capabilities and even the ability to take out multiple Guardians in one shot.

The Cloudstrike can be acquired as a rare drop from completing higher-difficulty Empire Hunts obtained from Varik on Europa.

Divinity

Divinity exotic trace rifle from destiny 2.

Best use: PvE

Divinity has always been a strong choice as it’s one of the very few guns in Destiny 2 that can debuff enemies, making them take more damage. More specifically, all targets enveloped by Divinity take 15% more damage. That includes regular enemies, champions, and even bosses.

What makes Divinity even better is its synergy with Cenotaph Mask, a Warlock Exotic added in Season 21. This Exotic helmet reloads the Divinity from reserves, gives it the ability to mark targets, and will cause enemies to produce ammo for your team.

Divinity can be acquired by completing the ‘Divinity’ Exotic quest which requires a completion of the Garden of Salvation raid.

Le Monarque

Le Monarque exotic bow from Destiny 2.

Best use: PvE/PvP

Le Monarque is a versatile Energy slot Exotic Bow that can be used with just about any build. It offers great damage and AOE capabilities thanks to its Intrinsic Trait, Poison Arrows.

A bow with good add clear isn’t overly common but that isn’t the only reason Le Monarque is strong. It also has intrinsic Overload stun making it a great weapon for dealing with champions. As an added bonus it’s one of the best options to use with the reworked Oathkeeper Exotic armor.

Le Monarque can be acquired from the Exotic Archive for x1 Exotic Cipher, x125,000 Glimmer, and x1 Ascendant Shard.

Polaris Lance

The Polaris Lance Exotic Scout Rifle in Destiny 2.

Best Use: PvE

Polaris Lance saw a surge in popularity at the beginning of Season of the Wish before later falling out of favor. It has once again risen to the top as further testing has confirmed that this Solar Scout Rifle is still one of the best Exotic weapons in Destiny 2.

Despite a hefty nerf to its Ignition damage, Polaris Lance still benefits a lot from this season’s artifact, especially Flint Striker as you will be trying to land precision shots regardless so receiving the Radiant buff for doing is a free and massive bonus.

Polaris Lance can be acquired from the Exotic Archive for x1 Exotic Ciphers, x125,000 Glimmer, and x1 Ascendant Shard.

Sunshot

Sunshot exotic solar hand cannon in destiny 2.

Best Use: PvE

Polaris Lance is a great option in high-level content but it isn’t an all-purpose weapon. In low to mid-level content where survival is less of a concern, players will want to use Sunshot which is a superior all-round weapon.

Sunshot not only has incredible synergy with this season’s Solar-centric Artifact, but also offers great add clear, and incredible damage thanks to the Hand Cannon buff back in Season 22. It is a genuine workhorse Exotic weapon that does so much, so well.

Sunshot can be acquired as a rare random drop from world drop Exotic engrams.

Best Destiny 2 Exotic Power Weapons

Dragon’s Breath

The Dragon's Breath exotic rocket launcher in Destiny 2.

Best use: PvE

Outside of Machine Guns, it is generally not advised to use Heavy weapons to clear adds. The sad truth is that most Heavy guns just don’t have the ammo capacity to justify dumping shots into regular enemies. However, Dragon’s Breath is a big exception to that rule.

This new Exotic inflicts Scorch and constantly triggers Ignitions making it incredible for add clear. Plus it is fairly ammo efficient and even offers good boss DPS as long as you use it appropriately. Against bosses, Dragon’s Breath should be weaved into a rotation and used for a utility like Witherhoard or Anarchy.

Dragon’s Breath can be acquired by reaching either Rank 1 (Premium) or 35 (Free) of the Season 23 Season Pass.

Legend of Acrius

Legend of Acrius exotic shotgun from destiny 2.

Best use: PvE

Sometimes all a gun needs to be meta is for it to pump out an absurd amount of damage. The Legend of Acrius isn’t a versatile weapon by any means and it doesn’t have much range. However, barrel-stuffing this Exotic shotgun into an enemy is bound to kill them quickly.

It was always a good albeit situational choice but a damage range buff in Season 21 combined with the reworked No Backup Plans turned this shottie into an absolute monster. If used in the right encounter this will prove itself as one of the best Exotic weapons in Destiny 2.

Legend of Acrius can be acquired from the Exotic Archive for x1 Exotic Cipher, x150,000 Glimmer,  x2 Ascendant Shard, and x240 Spoils of Conquest.

Sleeper Simulant

Sleeper Simulant exotic linear fusion rifle from Destiny 2.

Best Use: PvE

A gun doesn’t necessarily have to be well-rounded to be worth using. No weapon proves that more than the Sleeper Simulant, an Exotic Linear Fusion Rifle that excels at one thing and one thing only. It deals a ton of damage to bosses by hitting precision hits over and over.

This exotic is essentially just a Linear Fusion Rifle taken to the next level. It hits very hard, it’s easy to use, it has a fast fire rate, and it even pairs well with certain Solar 3.0 builds. If you’ve got the aim to hit shots consistently the Sleeper Simulant is one of the best damage dealers in Destiny 2.

Sleeper Simulant can be acquired from the Exotic Archive for x1 Exotic Cipher, x125,000 Glimmer, x200 Legendary Shards, and x1 Ascendant Shard.

Thunderlord

Thunderlord exotic machine gun from Destiny 2.

Best use: PvE/PvP

Ah, the Thunderlord. This is the first Exotic ever shown off in Destiny 1, so it has a place in history.  However, it was pretty useless for most of that history but Machine Guns got buffed in Season 20 and it became the most dominant PvE weapon in Destiny 2.

It has declined slightly since then but Thunderlord is still a top-tier choice thanks to its constantly reloading magazine and more than respectable damage output. It can clear adds, deal boss damage, and even stun Overload Champions.

The Thunderlord can be acquired as a rare random drop from world drop Exotic engrams.

Whisper of the Worm

The Whisper of the Worm Exotic sniper rifle in Destiny 2.

Best Use: PvE

To be clear, this is far from an all-purpose Exotic and no one should be claiming that Whisper of the Worm is king again. However, in the right encounter, this sniper will out-damage every other weapon in Destiny making it a worthwhile mention.

The sniper damage buff introduced in Season 23 means that if you are facing an enemy where hitting constant criticals isn’t a problem, Worm is seriously impressive. That includes the likes of Riven, Eye of Xivu Arath, and Consecrated Mind.

Whisper of the Worm can be acquired from the Exotic Archive for x1 Exotic Cipher, x150,000 Glimmer, and x2 Ascendant Shard.


Be sure to check out our other Destiny 2 content to stay ahead:

Deepsight Harmonizers: How to farm, use, and what weapons to convert | Destiny 2 Season of the Wish: Release date, dungeon, ritual weapon, more | Exotic Mission RotatorBest PvP Weapons | Best PvE Weapons | Best Titan Builds | Best Warlock Builds | Best Hunter Builds | Trials of Osiris map & rewards this week | Xur location today | How to claim Destiny 2 Prime Gaming rewards | Destiny 2 promo codes

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About The Author

Connor is a former writer at Dexerto based in Oklahoma City who covered Overwatch, New World and more. A lifetime gamer, he has been covering gaming and esports since 2018, and has competed since 2010. Yet, despite all of that, he still can't aim.