Best Destiny 2 Weapons for Any Activity

What the Final Patch Changed and Why to Rebuild Your Loadout

Monument of Triumph (patch 9.7.0, released June 9, 2026) is the last major Destiny 2 update, so, by community estimates, the weapon meta should stay largely put. Bungie raised overall PvE damage for Primary weapons, buffed most Special weapons, and boosted many Exotics, including Vex Mythoclast, Anarchy, Complaint and The Lament. The update also adds 25 new Exotic catalysts and improves 9 more.

Older crafted weapons got a second chance too: they can be upgraded to Tier 5 through relic level advancements, and more than 200 existing weapons were reworked for the tier system. Some forgotten guns are viable again, so check your vault before farming something new.

The rankings below follow community tier lists rather than official numbers. Players put Choir of One, The Queenbreaker and Tractor Cannon on top. Treat the lists as a starting point for testing, not a verdict.

Building a Set: Slot Roles and Ammo

The easiest way to build a loadout is to start from what each slot does. Primary weapons keep your pace and never burn rare ammo, Special weapons handle burst damage and control, and Heavy weapons cover bosses and team damage windows.

Primary weapons remain the safest everyday choice: their ammo never runs out, so they suit long fights and farming alike. Special weapons shine where timing matters, and Heavy is best saved for the boss.

If your build needs a neutral slot, take a Kinetic weapon, since it will not break subclass synergy. For Stasis and Strand control builds, matching the weapon element to the subclass lets both sets of perks work together.

Best Weapons for Each Activity

In raids, team value matters more than personal damage. The most common recommendations are Divinity, Tractor Cannon, Gjallarhorn, Apex Predator and Cataclysmic. Divinity (an Exotic from a quest) helps the fireteam open clean damage windows, while Tractor Cannon, a Void shotgun with strong knockback, works as a tool for the whole team. If you would rather skip the group search, the Raids bundle covers it. Apex Predator drops in Last Wish and Cataclysmic in Vow of the Disciple.

In dungeons, Conditional Finality, Sunshot, Choir of One, Parasite and Commemoration do well. The Dungeons bundle clears several runs in a row, and for Conspiracy Honed it is worth visiting the Equilibrium dungeon.

In Grandmaster Nightfalls, safe ranged damage is the priority: Graviton Lance, Outbreak Perfected, The Queenbreaker, Riptide and Succession. Practice with the Grandmaster Nightfall Ordeal and the Weekly Grandmaster.

In the Pantheon, community lists favor Tractor Cannon, Divinity, Gjallarhorn, Apex Predator and Cataclysmic. For individual bosses, there is Calus Resplendent, Morgeth Surpassing and Insurrection Prime Revolutionary.

For solo play and crowd clearing, Sunshot, Khvostov 7G-0X, CALUS Mini-Tool, Ergo Sum and Microcosm help. Solo boss damage usually comes from Apex Predator, Cataclysmic, Parasite, The Queenbreaker and Cold Comfort.

What to Farm First

Start with weapons that work in several activities at once and leave niche guns for specific builds until later.

1. Choir of One. A Void auto rifle from an Exotic quest and the community's top-ranked pick.

2. Tractor Cannon. Strong knockback and real value for the team.

3. Outbreak Perfected. A pulse rifle for long fights and safe boss damage.

4. Sunshot. Easy Solar add clear for farming, missions and seasonal content.

5. Gjallarhorn. The classic rocket launcher for team damage windows, found in the Grasp of Avarice dungeon.

6. Graviton Lance and Khvostov 7G-0X. Everyday Void and Kinetic options that fit almost anything.

Next come The Queenbreaker, Divinity and Conditional Finality (Root of Nightmares raid), then Apex Predator and Cataclysmic for bosses.

Weapons by Element

Element matters when your build leans on subclass perks, damage surges or artifact bonuses.

• Solar: Sunshot and Gjallarhorn for add clear and burst, Hierarchy of Needs for bow fans.

• Arc: The Queenbreaker and Divinity in team damage and support setups.

• Void: Graviton Lance, Choir of One and Tractor Cannon fit almost any endgame loadout.

• Stasis: Conditional Finality, Riptide and Cold Comfort for freezing and control.

• Strand: Accelerando-42 and Scatter Signal for active play in PvE and PvP.

• Kinetic: Ergo Sum and Hawkmoon when you need a neutral slot.

For PvP, the community most often names Hawkmoon, MIDA Multi-Tool and The Chaperone, while Khvostov 7G-0X and Conditional Finality are seen as picks that work in both modes.

Read community rankings with your own role in mind. A top-group weapon wins on average, but you may have a different perk set, subclass or group. If a gun sits lower on the list yet works better in your hands, keep it: the result depends on the build, not on a line in a table.

Also check crafted weapons with good perks. After the move to the tier system they suit many jobs, and you will not need to hunt for a new roll.

Exotic or Legendary: How to Choose

An Exotic is not always better than a Legendary. Exotics bring unique perks, but strong Legendaries like Apex Predator, Cataclysmic and Commemoration carry many endgame builds without using the Exotic slot. That matters, because you only get one Exotic weapon at a time.

A practical approach: give the Exotic slot to your main job, whether that is team value, solo play or boss damage. Fill the rest with Legendaries that match your element and build. Solo players lean on Sunshot and Khvostov 7G-0X, while fireteams lean on Divinity and Tractor Cannon.

For long runs it helps to keep a spare set, for example Sunshot and Graviton Lance for clearing, plus a separate Heavy that you bring out only before the final phase. That way you do not waste ammo and see faster where the build falls short.

First check that your Power level fits the activity. If the gap is large, Power leveling closes it, because even the best gun cannot deliver without it.

Your Plan for Today

Pick one weapon per slot from the table and test the combination in two or three activities. If the results disappoint, change one element at a time so you know what made the difference.

Add Divinity and Tractor Cannon for raids, Sunshot and Graviton Lance for solo play, and Apex Predator and Cataclysmic for bosses. For the toughest tests, try The Desert Perpetual epic and the standard Desert Perpetual raid, where community lists mention Antedate and Lance Ephemeral.