Destiny Rising Weapons Tier List – Best Exotics, Mythics, and Guns Ranked
Destiny Rising Weapons Tier List
Hunting for the strongest guns in Destiny Rising? This complete weapons tier list ranks Exotics, Mythics, and standout Legendaries by real in-game performance. Because each Lightbearer is locked to specific weapon classes, synergy matters as much as stats. We break down DPS, burst, range, ammo economy, perks, catalysts, and hero compatibility so you know what to chase for PvE clears and PvP duels. With 96 weapons at launch, this guide highlights the true meta and what to skip.
How We Rank Weapons
We evaluated all available data across PvE and PvP:
Core Criteria
Damage profile: DPS, burst, precision multiplier.
Uptime: rate of fire, reload speed, ammo economy.
Control: range, stability, recoil, handling.
AoE & utility: blast radius, crowd control, shield break.
Perks & catalysts: Exotic traits, Foundry/Origin bonuses.
Archetype fit: Impact, Rapid-Fire, Piercing, Spread, etc.
Hero synergy: who can equip it and how it complements kits.
Tier Meanings
S-Tier: Meta-defining, build-around picks for PvE & PvP.
A-Tier: Reliable top choices with broad versatility.
B-Tier: Situational but viable with the right hero/activity.
C-Tier: Underwhelming or outclassed; filler while leveling.
D-Tier: Bottom performers with poor stat/perk value.
Full Destiny Rising Weapons Tier List
Tier | Weapons |
|---|---|
S | Graviton Lance, Bad Juju, Polaris Lance, Jade Rabbit, Crimson, The Old Prefect, Riskrunner, The Huckleberry, Partridge Sky, Octant Riot Disperser, Lord of Wolves, The Chaperone, Jötunn, Merciless, Borealis |
A | Wrongful Ingress, Wolfpack, DEL5 Kulfi, P31 Armadillo, Type 7 Moonshot EMR, Cognitum Carbine, P22 Tamarin, DEL3 Lassi, P267 Right Whale, K18 Coelops, Autoshear, AOCS R1 Revolver, P6 Somniosus, Parole, Eternal Retribution, IST1 Parantha, Magoichi, IST3 Zico’Oclac, Izanagi’s Burden, Truth, SatiyaalikSni Smart Bomb, HON1 Khanom Khrok, Nobunaga, Makeshift Ending, Regolith Piton |
B | Sweet Business, Brotherhood’s Banner, Present Fleet, Mutineer’s Torch, The Monolith, Gunpowder Duster, K205 Lemming, The Accelerator, Overseer, A19 Argali |
C | Reverse Equilibrium, Amatoxin, Sandan-54 Fieldhand, Nightfall Banner, Prompt Satellite Dispenser, 6G76 Self-Rescue, Always Going Home, Lotus, Dancing Bees, Type 5 Stratoshot SRM |
D | Type 301-1 SRI |
S-Tier is dominated by Exotic pulses, hand cannons, and heavy burst specialists that excel at both shield-breaking and TTK. A-Tier includes Mythics and premium Legendaries with strong perk pools. B/C fill niche roles or suffer from uptime issues. D-Tier falls off quickly past early game.
Best Weapons to Build Around
Graviton Lance – Void Pulse Rifle (Exotic)
Who uses: Kabr, Estela
Why it’s S: Cosmology detonations plus a boss/vehicle/Super damage Catalyst turn add-clear into chain explosions and elevate boss DPS. Great stability, reliable range, effortless value in both modes.
Bad Juju – Kinetic Pulse Rifle (Exotic)
Who uses: Kabr, Estela
Why it’s S: Mag refills on kill and explosive follow-ups enable endless chaining. Sky-high stability and handling make it the safest primary for sustained encounters and arena PvP.
Polaris Lance – Solar Scout Rifle (Exotic)
Who uses: Tan-2, Umeko
Why it’s S: Perfect Fifth rewards precision with explosive Solar rounds. Long-range shield break, elite boss damage from safety, and excellent consistency.
Jade Rabbit – Kinetic Scout Rifle (Exotic)
Who uses: Tan-2, Umeko
Why it’s S: Massive 2.4x precision bonus and body-to-head stacking perk punish peeks. Top-tier lane control, premier accuracy pick for PvE/PvP.
Crimson – Kinetic Hand Cannon (Exotic)
Who uses: Attal
Why it’s S: Burst-hand-cannon identity gives pulse-like TTK; heals on precision kills. Max stability and lethal dueling define PvP meta while staying PvE-capable.
The Old Prefect – Solar Hand Cannon (Exotic)
Who uses: Attal, Finnala
Why it’s S: Scorch stacking into Ignitions via Catalyst brings explosive crowd clear and close-quarters pressure. Aggro-friendly Solar detonations.
Riskrunner – Arc SMG (Exotic)
Who uses: Ning Fei, Jolder
Why it’s S: Arc damage resistance and chain lightning shred hordes and Arc threats. High RoF plus reach make it a menace in both modes.
The Huckleberry – Kinetic SMG (Exotic)
Who uses: Ning Fei, Jolder
Why it’s S: Kill-triggered reload loops chain fights indefinitely. Perfect handling and blistering TTK reward aggressive pathing.
Partridge Sky – Solar Sword (Exotic)
Who uses: Finnala, Jolder
Why it’s S: Heavy-charge Catalyst spikes boss DPS; Solar-infused combos ignore many shield pain points. Melee option with real endgame damage.
Octant Riot Disperser – Kinetic Shotgun (Exotic)
Who uses: Xuan Wei, Gwynn
Why it’s S: Salvo of Artillery (hold reload) dumps the mag at once; Catalyst adds stuns for dual DPS and control value.
Lord of Wolves – Solar Shotgun (Exotic)
Who uses: Xuan Wei, Gwynn
Why it’s S: Semi-auto burst wall of Solar pellets erases elites up close; huge reserves sustain pressure. PvP terror.
The Chaperone – Kinetic Shotgun (Exotic)
Who uses: Xuan Wei, Gwynn
Why it’s S: Longest shotgun effective range, precision one-taps for skilled heads. Lane-duel specialist.
Jötunn – Solar Fusion Rifle (Exotic)
Who uses: Xuan Wei, Attal
Why it’s S: Tracking blasts with giant splash for oppressive PvP picks and effortless PvE add control. Enormous per-shot damage anchors boss phases.
Merciless – Solar Fusion Rifle (Exotic)
Who uses: Xuan Wei, Attal
Why it’s S: Charge time drops on non-lethal hits, ramping to extreme fire rate. One of the most dependable boss-DPS fusions.
Borealis – Element-Switching Sniper (Exotic)
Who uses: Tan-2, Umeko
Why it’s S: On-demand Arc/Solar/Void swapping answers any Shinka shield. High precision bonus and strong handling for endgame lanes.
A-Tier Highlights (Why They’re Great)
Wrongful Ingress / Wolfpack / Izanagi’s Burden
Consistent precision burst or single-shot spike damage; pair with heroes who amplify crit windows.
Truth / SatiyaalikSni Smart Bomb
Heavy shots with strong tracking or area denial; map control and boss burst without S-Tier overkill.
Cognitum Carbine / Autoshear / Parole
Stable primaries with perk pools that keep uptime high in longer PvE sequences.
(The rest of A-Tier follows similar logic: strong stats, good pools, fewer unique breakpoints than S-Tier.)
When to Use B–D Tier
B-Tier
Use for specific bosses, shield types, or when a hero’s kit uniquely elevates the gun (e.g., perk synergies that fix reload or stability).
C-Tier
Leveling fillers or collection pieces. Swap out once you secure an A/S alternative in the same class.
D-Tier
Early-game only. Replace ASAP.
Choosing by Hero Synergy
Precision Kits (Tan-2, Umeko)
Favor Jade Rabbit, Polaris Lance, Borealis for long-range control and shield answers.
Aggro Brawlers (Xuan Wei, Gwynn)
Prioritize Lord of Wolves, Chaperone, Octant Riot Disperser for point-blank burst and objective breaks.
AoE/Chain Specialists (Ning Fei, Jolder)
Riskrunner, Huckleberry keep momentum and wave-clear high.
Pulse Anchors (Kabr, Estela)
Graviton Lance, Bad Juju stabilize your primary slot with explosions and snowball uptime.
Solar Bruisers (Finnala, Jolder)
Partridge Sky, The Old Prefect amplify scorch, melee chains, and boss phase DPS.
Conclusion
With 96 weapons at launch, Destiny Rising’s arsenal is deep and varied—but hero lock-ins make synergy the real meta. Build around S-Tier Exotics for universal value, lean on A-Tier Mythics/Legendaries for consistency, and slot situational B-Tier picks to solve specific fights. Sync the weapon to your Lightbearer’s kit and you’ll crush both PvE challenges and PvP lanes.
F.A.Q.
What are the best all-around weapons right now?
Graviton Lance, Crimson, Riskrunner, The Old Prefect, Jötunn—they combine top stats, traits, and uptime.
What’s a strong two-gun combo?
Pair Jade Rabbit or Graviton Lance with a heavy burst/area option like Octant Riot Disperser or Truth for coverage.
Fastest TTK?
Crimson in PvP for precision burst; Lord of Wolves for brutal close-range DPS.
Most accurate long-range option?
Jade Rabbit thanks to its precision stacking and forgiving return on accuracy.
Highest per-shot damage?
Jötunn exceeds 2,000 per shot with tracking splash, topping launch burst benchmarks.