25 Destiny 2 weapons worth getting now

Destiny 2: Shadowkeep is here, kicking off a new year of Destiny 2 content alongside the free-to-play New Light.

While Shadowkeep and Season of the Undying have plenty of new weapons to offer, Destiny 2 still has years of weapons locked behind various activities and quests. If you’ve missed the last couple years, your arsenal will look a little light. That’s where we come in.

To help you keep track of what you’re missing, we’ve compiled a list of 25 Destiny 2 weapons that are worth getting from old content.

We chose a mix of weapons that round out your loadouts and are relatively easy to acquire. Some are more difficult or random than others — and you may still want to collect other weapons — but everything below is worth your time and effort.

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Table of contents

1. Ikelos shotgun
2. Imperial Decree
3. Izanagi’s Burden
4. Ace of Spades
5. Rose
6. The Recluse
7. Whisper of the Worm
8. Outbreak Perfected
9. Midnight Coup
10. Blast Furnace
11. Loaded Question
12. Hammerhead
13. One Thousand Voices
14. Anarchy
15. Austringer
16. Bad Juju
17. Le Monarque
18. Jotunn
19. Oxygen SR3
20. Polaris Lance
21. Wendigo GL3
22. Breakneck
23. Sole Survivor
24. The Mountaintop
25. Outrageous Fortune

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Ikelos shotgun

Bungie via Polygon

What makes it good?

The Ike shotty is a fan-favorite Destiny 2 weapon from Warmind. It fires very quickly and deals bonus damage after a melee hit with the Trenched Barrel perk. This gun isn’t as good as it used to be, and there are better Energy shotguns. But the Ikelos shotgun is easy to farm for, and you’re guaranteed to get a good roll — the perks never change on the Ikelos, so you’ll get Trench Barrel and Moving Target/Threat Detector on every one that drops for you.

How do I get it?

The Ikelos shotgun is a random drop from the final boss in the Escalation Protocol activity. However, it’s only available some weeks. Use this schedule to figure out which weapon drops when. If you kill a boss and it doesn’t drop, you can instantly start the wave over again by reactivating the pillar.

Imperial Decree

Bungie via Polygon

What makes it good?

Imperial Decree is a great shotgun with tons of different perk combinations. It also sits in your Kinetic slot, which lets you use some powerful Energy weapons as well. It’s also really easy to farm for, making a good roll readily accessible for all.

How do I get it?

You can get as many Imperial Decrees as you want through the Menagerie from Season of Opulence. You’ll need a Rune of Wealth and any green rune to make this.

Izanagi’s Burden

Bungie via Polygon

What makes it good?

Izanagi’s Burden has a powerful perk that just got a lot better for PvE. It can sandwich four bullets into one to make a super powerful shot. This is great for boss or Major damage.

How do I get it?

You’ll need to complete a long quest from Black Armory to pick this gun up.

Ace of Spades

Bungie via Polygon

What makes it good?

Ace of Spades is one of the most perk-packed weapons we’ve ever seen in Destiny. It reloads quickly after a headshot, it deals bonus damage after you get a kill, and headshots make enemies explode. It has so many different perks that it’s worth using in almost any situation.

How do I get it?

After the Forsaken campaign, you’ll need to complete a lengthy quest for Banshee-44 before you pick up the Ace.

Rose

Bungie via Polygon

What makes it good?

The Rose is one of the smoothest feeling weapons in Destiny 2. The perks are boring, and having no damage-dealing perk like Rampage makes Rose a hard sell in PvE activities. But for PvP, Rose just feels great to use. It’s the perfect weapon to pick up if you’re new to PvP and battling other players.

How do I get it?

You actually get Rose as part of the Lumina Exotic quest. If you feel like continuing the quest, Lumina is a very interesting gun to use, and heals allies.

The Recluse

Bungie via Polygon

What makes it good?

The Recluse deals bonus damage after you get a kill with another weapon and switch to The Recluse. However, it also does bonus damage if you kill an enemy with The Recluse itself. This is one of the highest non-special damage weapons in the game. You can burn through low and high-level enemies alike with this thing. It’s basically the perfect gun, which is why we couldn’t ignore it on this list.

How do I get it?

This is one of the most difficult weapons on our list to get. You need to pick up a quest from Shaxx’s inventory. All you need to do is win Crucible matches and reach the Competitive playlist rank of Fabled (easier said than done). If you’re not great at PvP, it’s a long grind. But we assure you that the weapon is worth the time it takes to pick up.

Whisper of the Worm

Bungie via Polygon

What makes it good?

Whisper of the Worm is a complex gun. It used to be the best gun in Destiny 2 by a mile, but Bungie hit it pretty hard with nerfs. With the changes to instant reloads in Shadowkeep, Whisper of the Worm is viable again, and very powerful for distant boss enemies. When you hit three headshots in a row, the gun reloads itself from your reserves.

How do I get it?

You get Whisper of the Worm by completing the fantastic Whisper secret mission on Io.

Outbreak Perfected

Bungie via Polygon

What makes it good?

While only a primary weapon, Outbreak Perfected can dish out serious damage in the right circumstances. Rapid hits or precision kills with Outbreak Perfected generate damaging SIVA swarms that attack the target. If an entire fireteam uses Outbreak, they can melt a boss in no time at all.

How do I get it?

Like Whisper of the Worm, Outbreak Perfected comes from a secret mission called Zero Hour.

Midnight Coup

Bungie via Polygon

What makes it good?

Midnight Coup has the perfect perks for a hand cannon (Outlaw, Rampage) and the preferred rate of fire of 150 rounds per minute (RPM). Despite losing out on damage because it doesn’t have a mod socket, Midnight Coup is still one of the best feeling and performing weapons in Destiny history.

How do I get it?

Midnight Coup is a random drop from Calus, the final boss in the Leviathan raid. Instead of banging your head against Calus every week, we suggest you look into Benedict’s — the sweeper robot — inventory. Each week, he’ll sell a new raid item from Leviathan to players who’ve completed the raid that week, including the Midnight Coup. If you wait until he’s selling it, you can save yourself some runs by only doing the raid once or twice.

Blast Furnace

Bungie via Polygon

What makes it good?

Blast Furnace is a powerful and smooth-feeling pulse rifle from Black Armory. It has a great potential perk selection and is super easy to acquire.

How do I get it?

Like all Black Armory weapons, you just need to unlock the Forges and pick up a weapon frame from Ada-1 in the tower. Then complete the Izanami or Bergusia Forges to create your new Blast Furnace.

Loaded Question

Bungie via Polygon

What makes it good?

The Loaded Question is a great fusion rifle, with a fantastic unique perk. When Loaded Question has all seven rounds loaded, the first shot deals extra damage and defeated enemies explode. It’s great for taking out bigger enemies in a single shot or a tightly packed mob.

How do I get it?

Loaded Question is a Pinnacle weapon from Strikes. You need to get a bunch of specific kills and complete a load of Strikes. But this is a gun you can work on getting over time, rather than devoting specific time to farming it. Pick up the quest from Zavala, and keep it in mind when playing Strikes.

Hammerhead

Bungie via Polygon

What makes it good?

Hammerhead is a slow firing, hard hitting machine gun. It can roll some excellent perks, and it’s easy to pick up a new one at any time. If you’re going to roll with a Legendary machine gun, go with Hammerhead.

How do I get it?

Like all Black Armory weapons, you just need to unlock the Forges and pick up a weapon frame from Ada-1 in the tower. Then complete the Volundr or Bergusia Forges to create your new Hammerhead.

One Thousand Voices

Bungie via Polygon

What makes it good?

One Thousand Voices is a very high-damage weapon in PvE, and it’s almost impossible to deal with in PvP or Gambit. It’s a great option for a Solar Heavy weapon, and other than the high possibility of accidentally killing yourself, it’s really easy to use.

How do I get it?

This weapon is all up to luck, sadly. It’s a random, rare drop from the final chest in the Last Wish raid.

Anarchy

Bungie via Polygon

What makes it good?

Anarchy is one of the most unique weapon in Destiny 2. Instead of firing normal grenades, you fire Arc mines that tether together and deal damage. This is great for locking down an area, but far from the weapon’s main purpose. With Anarchy, you can tag a boss with two mines and switch to another weapon while the mines continue to do damage. It’s a great way to increase your damage over a long period of time.

How do I get it?

Anarchy is a random drop from the final boss in the Scourge of the Past raid.

Austringer

Bungie via Polygon

What makes it good?

Austringer is slower firing than Midnight Coup or Rose, but it hits like a truck and has some incredible perk combinations (like the fabled Outlaw, Rampage combo). Because it’s a Menagerie weapon, it’s also extremely easy to get the roll you want, making it a perfect choice if you don’t want to spend much time in old content but want a good hand cannon.

How do I get it?

You can get as many Austringers as you want through the Menagerie from Season of Opulence. You’ll need a Rune of Desire and any red rune to make this.

Bad Juju

Bungie via Polygon

What makes it good?

Bad Juju deals bonus damage after a few kills, which is great. But the main benefit of this gun comes from its ability to charge your Super when you get kills with high bonus damage stacks.

How do I get it?

Bad Juju is one of the more passive Exotic quests on this list. You’ll need place Tributes in the Tribute Hall before Calus will grant you access to the very short mission. You can complete these by playing other activities in Destiny 2 or dumping currency into the Calus robot.

Le Monarque

Bungie via Polygon

What makes it good?

Bows aren’t really known for their hard-hitting capabilities in Destiny 2. But Le Monarque packs a punch in nearly any scenario. If you fire at the perfect moment, you’ll poison your target. If you get a headshot with your poison arrow, you’ll poison everyone nearby. It’s great for bosses or a group of small enemies.

How do I get it?

Le Monarque is a random drop from either of the Nessus Forges (Izanami and Gofannon) or the Bergusia Forge. Note that you need to be creating a powerful weapon frame to get it, not just a regular one.

Jotunn

Bungie via Polygon

What makes it good?

Jotunn is a monster in any activity. It deals very high damage to single targets, great splash damage to groups, and can kill an enemy Guardian in a single shot. It also tracks targets and has seemingly endless range.

How do I get it?

Jotunn is a random drop from the Bergusia Forge. Note that you need to be creating a powerful weapon frame to get it, not just a regular one.

Oxygen SR3

Bungie via Polygon

What makes it good?

The Oxygen SR3 has a powerful addition to the Firefly perk. Depending on how many precision hits players make with the weapon before a kill, the Oxygen SR3 will create an even bigger Firefly explosion when the target dies. Scouts aren’t known for their ability to deal with groups, but this one is great at it.

How do I get it?

The Oxygen SR3 is a Pinnacle weapon from Strikes. You need to get precision kills, generate Orbs of Light, and finish a bunch of Strikes. Just pick up the quest from Zavala and work on it over time.

Polaris Lance

Bungie via Polygon

What makes it good?

The Polaris Lance rewards accuracy. After four precision hits, the fifth shot fires an incendiary bullet that explodes shortly after impact and lights the enemy on fire. It’s a great weapon for dealing bonus damage to big enemies.

How do I get it?

Getting the Polaris Lance involves completing the Nascent Dawn quest from Ana on Mars.

Wendigo GL3

Bungie via Polygon

What makes it good?

The Wendigo GL3 does very high damage per shot after picking up Orbs of Light. The grenades also blind targets, which is great if you’re doing difficult content.

How do I get it?

The Wendigo GL3 is another Strike Pinnacle weapon. You need to complete Strikes and get grenade launcher kills. Pick it up from Zavala and work on it over time.

Breakneck

Bungie via Polygon

What makes it good?

Breakneck is a unique auto rifle. It starts out firing very slowly, but each stack of the Rampage perk increases the weapon’s fire rate. Breakneck is a weird gun to get used to, but it deals some serious damage if you can fully stack the Onslaught perk.

How do I get it?

Breakneck is a Pinnacle weapon from Gambit. Like all the other Pinnacles, pick up the quest from The Drifter and work on it while you play Gambit rather than farming for it specifically.

Sole Survivor

Bungie via Polygon

What makes it good?

The Sole Survivor is a great sniper rifle with the potential to roll Firing Line, a powerful perk that increases the weapon’s damage when firing near allies. Sole Survivor with Firing Line has some serious potential to deal a lot of boss damage in Shadowkeep.

How do I get it?

The Sole Survivor is a random drop from Gambit Prime or The Reckoning.

The Mountaintop

Bungie via Polygon

What makes it good?

The Mountaintop is a tube-fed grenade launcher, meaning it fires slowly and only has one weapon in the chamber. But The Mountaintop fires a miniature rocket instead of a grenade. And since Mountaintop comes with the Spike Grenades perk, those rockets deal very high damage when they hit a target straight on. While the lack of instant-reloads certainly hurts Mountaintop, it’ll still be great for taking out bigger enemies.

How do I get it?

This is easily the hardest weapon to get on the entire list. It’s a Pinnacle Crucible weapon, and you need to reach Fabled in the Competitive playlist while also getting a bunch of PvP grenade kills. But it’s well worth the effort.

Outrageous Fortune

Bungie via Polygon

What makes it good?

The Outrageous Fortune is a slow-firing, hard-hitting grenade launcher that’s relatively easy to acquire. It’s decent on its own, but if you can manage to get the Spike Grenades perk on it, Outrageous Fortune becomes one of the highest damage weapon in Destiny 2. Just remember that without Spike Grenades, is’t not much better than an average grenade launcher.

How do I get it?

Outrageous Fortune is a random drop from Vanguard activities like Strikes or Nightfalls. Zavala can also drop one if you hand in enough tokens. Just know that the right roll can take thousands of tokens to get.