Kinetic weapons in Destiny 2 have more or less been tossed to the side in the wake of elemental builds’ surge in power over the years, but there are still a few diamonds in the rough that claw their way into player’s loadouts. With that in mind, it’s time to go over the top 10 Kinetic weapons in Destiny 2 as of the Lightfall DLC and Season of the Witch.
10. Fatebringer
Kicking off the list is arguably one of the most iconic weapons in the franchise, the Fatebringer Hand Cannon from the Vault of Glass Raid.
Fatebringer is undeniably one of the most well-balanced Hand Cannons in the game, being a fantastic option for both PvP and PvE activities. Whether it’s the ‘ol reliable roll for Explosive Payload and Firefly for PvE, or an Explosive Payload and Opening Shot roll for PvP, this weapons all around usage is nearly unmatched.
Overall, the Fatebringer is one of the few guns in the game, and it doesn’t matter which activity you bring it in; the gun will perform adamantly for you.
9. Necrochasm
With the return of the Crota’s End Raid, players were eagerly looking forward to the return of the Exotic weapon tied to the Raid, the Necrochasm Auto Rifle. Unfortunately, the gun didn’t receive any major upgrades in its reprisal, but it’s still a very powerful gun to have in your arsenal.
Upon every precision kill, a Cursed Thrall explosion will follow, making it a great choice for ad-clear capabilities. On top of that, it also has hidden combos like with the Warlock Exotic Necrotic Grips, which triggers a poison effect to nearby enemies on every kill. Its stats also make it a pretty solid Auto Rifle to use in the Crucible, though in the current sandbox it may be a little lackluster with 120 RPM Hand Cannons running amok.
While the Necrochasm didn’t make a huge splash like the previous Raid Exotic, Conditional Finality, the gun is an overall solid and powerful option to have in your vault.
8. Dead Man’s Tale
Older Exotic missions have been brought back during Season of the Witch in a new Exotic mission rotator, and the Exotic weapons featured in them can now be crafted. The Dead Man’s Tale Exotic Scout Rifle is no exception.
Getting an updated perk pool means it now has access to Rapid Hit, arguably the strongest perk it could have gotten access too. Rapid Hit increases the reload speed of the gun upon every precision hit and stacks up to five times, and for a gun like DMT, this perk is essential for almost all of its builds.
Whether its endgame PvP matches like Iron Banner or Trials of Osiris or high-end PvE content like Nightfalls or Raids, DMT has quickly risen the ranks once more to become one of the best Scout Rifles and Kinetic Weapons in the game, and is a fantastic option no matter which activity you partake in.
7. Monte Carlo
The Exotic Kinetic Auto Rifle, Monte Carlo, was already a pretty powerful gun going into Season of the Witch. It even got a brand new Exotic Catalyst, where you can transform the gun into a glaive and poke an enemy with it, dealing massive damage.
However, what really puts this weapon above the rest is its Melee-energy-generating capabilities. Essentially, this weapon has built in Pugilist, which generates Melee-energy on every kill, but instead dealing damage is what generates the energy.
This is so powerful in the current sandbox for one big reason: Banner of War Titans. The new Strand Aspect for Titans increases their Melee damage output tenfold, allowing them to easily one-shot most enemies in the game with ease. If you pair this weapon with such an Aspect, you’ll have near-infinite uptime on generating your Charged Melee abilities, allowing you to continuously one-shot enemies and more.
In short, the Monte Carlo has become a must-run gun for Season of the Witch, and will likely remain viable for future Seasons depending on what Bungie does to Banner of War in future updates.
6. The Messenger
Brought back for Trials of Osiris last Season, The Messenger Pulse Rifle returned with a vengeance and some sweet new perks.
In the past, this Pulse Rifle was a powerhouse weapon for PvP and teared away at Guardians with ease thanks to its two-burst capabilities. However, it was removed from the loot pool last year with the arrival of the Witch Queen DLC. Now, with updated perks, the gun has come back to decimate PvP once more.
In particular, you’re going to want one with a Rapid Hit and Headseeker Roll. Rapid Hit increases the reload speed of the gun for every precision hit, while Headseeker increases your precision damage when you land multiple body shots. This combo allows the user to very easily two-burst opposing Guardians, making it a dominant weapon to use in the Crucible.
Barring a scenario where Bungie nerfs it, or removes it from the loot pool again, it’s likely this gun will remain in our top 10 list for a long time.
5. Heritage
Re-imagined during Season of the Seraph, the Deep Stone Crypt Raid weapons were granted new perks and the ability to become crafted. Now gaining access to enhanced perks, the Heritage Kinetic Shotgun was undeniably the most-favored choice, as even before their re-work the Heritage was the most-used weapon of the bunch due to its amazing perk selection and overall usage as a Slug Shotgun.
This weapon became even stronger with the enhanced perks, like Reconstruction reloading the gun faster than before or Recombination now dealing more damage. While Slug Shotguns are in a solid spot right now, their aren’t many bosses in the game currently that give them a high usage rate.
Perhaps, with the inclusion of The Final Shape DLC Raid, there will be a new boss that falls victim to the power of the Heritage. In the meantime though, it’s still one of the best Kinetic Weapons you could hope to utilize.
4. Submission
SMGs are arguably the strongest primary weapon type in the game for PvE activities in the current sandbox and have been for quite some time. In particular, elemental SMGs like the Calus Mini-Tool, Unforgiven, or the Ikelos SMG have been the go-to options for most endgame builds, given their elemental capabilities. However, the shining glimmer of hope for Kinetic SMGs is undeniably the Submission from the Vow of the Disciple Raid.
Amongst all of the SMGs listed above and more, the Submission arguably has the best perk pool in the game. It boasts most of the best perks in the game you would want for PvE, like Demolitionist, Frenzy, Subsistence, and more. While it synergizes with most elemental-based builds, the weapon still holds great value as an all-around fantastic gun and solid secondary choice even if you aren’t running an elemental build.
Hopefully, when Kinetic weapons get their time to shine, the Submission will be leading the charge.
3. Arbalest
Arbalest has had an up-and-down history over the years. From starting as a niche Exotic to becoming a literal aim-bot gun in the Crucible to now being a must-run weapon for endgame content with Champions, it’s definitely a unique twist on most Exotic weapons.
Arbalest was already a solid Exotic upon release. It dealt substantial damage to enemies and could break any elemental shield with its Exotic perk, making it an excellent choice for PvE activities. However, what pushed it into the realm of top-tier was the inclusion of Anti-Barrier rounds to its kit, allowing it to easily one-shot Anti-Barrier shields.
Thus, it quickly replaced the Eriana’s Vow Exotic Hand Cannon as the most-used weapon in all endgame activities with Anti-Barrier Champions; which, to this day, consists of a majority of activities like Raids and Nightfalls.
Unless this gun is somehow nerfed — via removing its Anti-Barrier rounds, or overall damage — it will comfortably remain in the top three for the foreseeable future.
2. Witherhoard
Introduced as the first Exotic Kinetic Grenade Launcher in the franchise during the Season of Arrivals, the Witherhoard has been the “go-to” Exotic in the Kinetic slot for many years.
Unlike other Grenade Launchers, the shot fired from this weapon can either stick to an enemy and damage them over time or stick to the floor and leave an area-of-effect bubble that lasts for a few seconds. Whether its ad-clear, boss damage, or a unique method of dealing with Bubble Titans in PvP, this weapon quite literally does it all.
While its overall damage has been nerfed a few times over the years, it’s still one of the best Kinetic Exotic weapons in the game, and no gun in the title’s history has come close to replicating what it can do.
1. Wish-Ender
Coming in at the number one spot is arguably one of the most dominant weapons in the current sandbox, the Wish-Ender Exotic Bow. Receiving a massive damage increase this time last year and another buff with the arrival of the Lightfall DLC, this weapon has turned into a near must-run for both PvE and PvP activities.
In PvE, it’s now intrinsic Anti-Barrier Rounds allows it to very comfortably two-tap Anti-Barrier Champion shields, and even do solid damage to them afterward. On top of that, it also one-shots most red-bar enemies with ease, which is extremely beneficial in high-level content like Grandmaster Nightfalls.
In PvP, its see-through walls ability remains one of the strongest PvP abilities, as you can see opposing Guardians through any structure, allowing you to monitor what they do and anticipate their next move.
It’s safe to say there is no objection to the Wish-Ender being the current most potent Kinetic weapon in the game.
