Weapons are an important inclusion in any guardian’s arsenal in Destiny 2, but Exotics are, for the most part, the most desired of all. Some are acquired through simple quests, but most are rewards for completing the highest-difficulty activities.
Exotic weapons come in all shapes and sizes and have unique effects that can define a player and their build. But, in any large collection of options, some will shine brighter than others—so which Exotics should you hunt for first?
We’ve compiled a full tier list of every Exotic weapon in Destiny 2 to give you an idea of which you should pursue adding to your collection first. Let’s dive in.
Contents
Destiny 2 Exotic weapon tier list
With so many Exotic weapons in Destiny 2, we’ve split them into their own lists depending on which slot they fall within—Primary (Kinetic, Stasis, and Strand weapons), Energy (Arc, Solar, and Void weapons), and Heavy (all Power weapons).
Within each list, we’ve split them into four tiers, as differentiated below:
- S-Tier: A must-get weapon, extremely powerful and well-rounded or incredibly useful in certain scenarios. Generally consistent across multiple activities and potent in Destiny‘s endgame.
- A-Tier: Commonly seen Exotics that excel in a particular field (PvP, pure boss damage, add clear) but don’t quite cut the mustard to be used across multiple activities.
- B-Tier: Niche Exotics that require particular builds or playstyles to function as an effective weapon, or aren’t quite strong enough to warrant their longer acquisition methods.
- C-Tier: Underpowered or outmoded Exotics that need help from Bungie to crack the higher tiers. There is almost always a better substitute.
We’ll also go in-depth into our S-Tier picks so you know just why we’ve got them up top. It’s important to know you should never let a tier list dictate your Exotic weapon choice. You only get to use one Exotic weapon at a time; if you enjoy one of our C-Tier Exotics or have developed a build based on one, don’t let us stop you!
Here’s our updated Exotic weapon tier list for Destiny 2.
Primary
S-Tier Weapons:
- Witherhoard (Kinetic Special Grenade Launcher)
- Fire and forget. Incredibly versatile weapon useful for additional boss damage while using another weapon, decent AoE add clear, auto-reloading with catalyst.
- Quicksilver Storm (Strand Auto Rifle)
- Highly versatile and accurate Strand auto. Secondary attached grenade launcher incredibly effective and can double as a boss damage choice if out of ammo elsewhere.
- Khvostov 7G-0X (Kinetic Auto Rifle)
- One of the most comfortable autos. Ricochet bullets deal extra damage, great for add clear and Orb of Power generation. Shoot to Loot a massive bonus.
- Osteo Striga (Strand SMG)
- Highly accurate SMG with tracking rounds. Great at dealing with packs of enemies thanks to its poison-like Exotic Trait.
- Izanagi’s Burden (Kinetic Sniper Rifle)
- The perfect compliment to a boss damage build. The Honed Shot does significant burst damage and can be held while using a power weapon.
- Final Warning (Strand Sidearm)
- Incredibly potent sidearm with tracking rounds and high burst damage. Catalyst further boosts this damage output.
- Outbreak Perfected (Kinetic Pulse Rifle)
- Stacking bursts increases the damage dealt, ideal for long boss damage phases. Nanite Swarm helps deal with smaller groups of adds.
- Arbalest (Kinetic Linear Fusion Rifle)
- Very powerful linear fusion ideal for taking down enemies with any shield. Intrinsic anti-barrier makes it really handy for endgame activities like Grandmaster Nightfalls.
- Monte Carlo (Kinetic Auto Rifle)
- A little more niche than the above weapons but in a melee recharge build, this weapon is a must. Stacks damage over time with kills, refills melee energy.
Energy
S-Tier Weapons:
- Ergo Sum (Prismatic Sword)
- Multiple great rolls and perks are available on Ergo Sum. Packs an extra punch when running a Prismatic subclass. Gains ammo back from other weapon kills.
- Ticcu’s Divination (Solar Bow)
- Fantastic for add clear with solar explosions after hipfiring and attaching arrow bolts to enemies. Solid draw time, decent in PvP too.
- Red Death Reformed (Solar Pulse Rifle)
- Kills heal you, reloading after kills heal nearby allies. Reload speed boosted after landing a kill, deals extra damage when you are at low life. A true all-rounder.
- Polaris Lance (Solar Scout Rifle)
- Solar explosions on every fifth headshot in quick succession. Handy as a backup boss damage weapon when out of ammo.
- Sunshot (Solar Hand Cannon)
- An add clearing beast. Massive solar explosions on kill, explosive rounds hit multiple enemies when grouped together.
- Eriana’s Vow (Solar Hand Cannon)
- Powerful Special ammo hand cannon, great at dealing with shielded enemies and champions.
- Still Hunt (Solar Sniper Rifle)
- Grants access to Golden Gun for other subclasses. Amazingly high burst damage, synergizes with Hunter Exotics like Celestial Nighthawk for single-shot mega burst. Easy to use, highly rewarding.
- Divinity (Arc Trace Rifle)
- An important tool in particular boss fights: Generates a custom crit spot for allies and enhances damage dealt. Only one needed per fireteam, but always handy to have in case.
- Graviton Lance (Void Pulse Rifle)
- The best add clear primary in the game. Void explosions create more explosions resulting in a battlefield covered in Void energy. Vorpal Weapon from Catalyst makes it decent at boss damage, too.
- Buried Bloodline (Void Sidearm)
- Void rocket sidearm that deals solid damage to majors and champions and weakens enemies, meaning they take additional damage.
- Riskrunner (Arc SMG)
- One of the first Exotics players receives and it’s a beast. Taking arc damage creates a protective barrier and chains lightning while shooting.
Heavy
S-Tier Weapons:
- Tractor Cannon (Void Shotgun)
- Similar to Divinity, support tool to help weaken enemies. Knocks back enemies, great for Champions (although you don’t want to get too close!)
- Dragon’s Breath (Solar Rocket Launcher)
- Fire and forget. Auto reloads when creating ignitions, great with solar builds. One of the best rocket launchers outside of Legendary options, but be sure to only run one in fireteams.
- Gjallarhorn (Solar Rocket Launcher)
- Support type launcher that enhances other fireteam members using Legendary rockets. One per firetime limit but adds extra punch to total damage.
- Xenophage (Solar Heavy Machine Gun)
- Incredibly easy to use. Large explosive bolts, perfect for majors, Champions, and bosses. Can hang with the other weapons in the slot.
- Whisper of the Worm (Solar Sniper Rifle)
- A sniper with the potential to top damage charts, but requires accuracy. Hitting headshots refils the magazine, and keeping ammo coming is important—stopping to reload kills the weapon’s potential.
- Leviathan’s Breath (Void Bow)
- Similar to Xenophage—incredibly easy to use, powerful against both bosses and smaller enemies. Catalyst recommended for faster draw time after landing crits.
We’ll be sure to update our lists whenever new Exotics are released!
