Solar weapons in Destiny 2 have more or less taken a back seat in the recent power creep of Void and Arc weapons, but they’re still extremely potent in endgame activities. With that in mind, we’ve gathered up the top 10 Solar weapons in Destiny 2 as of the Lightfall DLC and Season of the Witch.
10. Without Remorse
Until now, the Without Remorse has always been a solid Shotgun to use but never got the big break it needed to stay relevant. However, with the arrival of the new Strand Titan Aspect Banner of War, the big break the gun needed has arrived.
The Without Remorse is one of the very few Shotguns in the game that has access to the One-Two Punch perk. One-Two Punch increases your outgoing Melee damage when you land every pellet in a shot against an enemy. How it works is as such: Shotgun, Melee, Shotgun, Melee, etc…
With the new Banner of War aspect though, a Titan’s outgoing Melee damage is increased tenfold and can be stacked with One-Two Punch. Simply put, you can quite literally “one punch” most enemies in the game including Champions, various bosses, and more. Thus, the Without Remorse got the break it needed to jump the ranks once more and become one of the most-used Solar weapons in the game.
You can acquire this gun by purchasing it from Banshee when he has it available or completing the Presage Exotic Mission when it is featured in a given week.
9. The Eremite
It isn’t common to see Seasonal weapons immediately jump the ranks upon release, but The Eremite Solar Fusion Rifle is definitely one of the exceptions.
There are three paths a Fusion Rifle can take: ad-clear, PvP, or DPS. For quite some time now, we’ve had a lack of good Fusion Rifles for boss DPS. That has now changed with the Eremite having access to Envious Assassin and Controlled Burst.
Envious Assassin will overflow the magazine from reserves by getting kills with other weapons and then switching to the one with Envious Assassin. Eventually, it will overflow the magazine until you have no more reserves, and in The Eremite’s case, that adds up to 13 rounds in a single magazine. Meanwhile, landing every single bolt in a shot will increase the gun’s damage by 20 percent.
This combo is amazing for boss DPS, and especially if the user is using Tractor Cannon and needs a good secondary weapon for DPS. The Eremite stepped up to the plate when DPS Fusion Rifles needed it most, and it’s here to stay unless it gets nerfed anytime soon.
You can get this gun by completing the new Season of the Witch activities.
8. Explosive Personality
Waveframe Grenade Launchers are easily the most potent Grenade Launchers thanks to their ease of use and overall power, and last year we got our first Solar Waveframe in the form of the Explosive Personality.
As one might expect, Waveframe Grenade Launchers excel in ad clear. Thanks to their shots in a singular wave, it makes them very easy to control ideal for clearing groups of enemies bundled together. The Explosive Personality makes this even better by including perks that increase the reload speed of the weapon such as Stats for All as well as One for All, which increases the weapons damage.
When hitting three separate enemies, you’ll gain increased handling, reload speed, range, and stability thanks to Stats for All, while One for All grants a 35 percent increase in damage.
This gun can be yours if you purchase it from Banshee when he has it available. Otherwise, you can get it by completing the Vox Obscura Exotic Mission when it is featured in a given week.
7. Acasia’s Dejection
Solar Trace Rifles were in a pretty rough spot going into the Lightfall DLC, but along came the Acasia’s Dejection from the Root of Nightmares Raid to solve that problem.
At this point in the sandbox, most Solar weapons need to synergize with our Solar builds to be considered “viable” in endgame content, and the Acasia’s Dejection fits right in with its fantastic perk pool. Incandescent will Scorch nearby enemies on every kill, which goes hand in hand with most Solar Fragments. Then, thanks to the Reconstruction perk, you can stow it and have it automatically reload itself.
It’s a special weapon that acts like a Primary gun, and is arguably stronger than most Primary Solar weapons currently in the game. You can add it to your arsenal by completing encounters in the Root of Nightmares Raid.
6. Ammit AR 2
Recently the hot topic of the community due to a weapon crafting glitch, the Ammit AR2 Auto Rifle is undeniably the heart and soul of Auto Rifles in the current sandbox.
Auto Rifles aren’t in a great spot in PvE or PvP, but the Ammit is the exception for both. For PvE, you can rock a setup utilizing the Incandescent perk while also taking advantage of the Anti-Barrier Auto Rifle mod, which is fantastic for endgame content with Champions. In PvP, Dynamic Sway Reduction and Tap the Trigger — along with the gun’s amazing stats — allow the Ammit to compete in the Hand Cannon-dominant meta and survive.
Overall, this weapon is the shining hope of all Legendary Auto Rifles. Unfortunately, it may receive some nerfs in Season 23 due to its high-usage and power. In the mean time, you can get this gun by completing the Throne World Introduction to Crafting quest.
5. Apex Predator
During the Season of the Deep, the Last Wish weapons were updated with new perks; including the ability to become crafted. This granted an opportunity for the Apex Predator Rocket Launcher, previously one of the worst Raid weapons in the franchise’s history, to become viable, and boy did it do just that.
Having gained access to the Reconstruction and Bait & Switch perks, this weapon quite literally became the definition of “Zero to Hero.” Reconstruction will automatically reload and overflow the weapon from reserves when stowed. Bait & Switch, meanwhile, grants a whopping 35 percent increase in damage when you deal damage with your weapons prior.
This is one of the best pairings currently in the game for DPS against bosses, and big bads like Nezarec, Oryx, Rhulk, and Taniks all fall victim to the power of the Apex Predator.
You can acquire this gun by completing encounters in the Last Wish Raid.
4. Lament
Lament has had an up-and-down history in terms of it’s viability in a given Season. Most importantly, it depends on what bosses currently in the game are excellent targets for it. For Season of the Witch, the newly reprised Crota’s End Riad is a fantastic option, as the final boss of the Raid, Crota, the Son of Oryx, can’t be damaged by conventional means.
Of course, you could use weapons like Divinity to give him a crit spot, but since Crota moves around so much during the damage phase, Swords have become the best option to deal with him, and the Lament is easily the best choice amongst them. On top of that, it’s also the best Sword to pair with the new Banner of War Titan Aspect, as the Aspect boosts Sword damage, making it the most potent weapon to mix with the build.
You can add this blade to your collection via the Exotic quest from The Stranger on Europa.
3. Calus Mini Tool
The Calus SMG has been the light of hope for Solar SMGs since its reprisal last year during Season of the Haunted. With amazing stats and a fantastic perk pool, it’s undeniably the best Solar primary weapon in the game for PvE activities and has been for over a year.
In particular, having access to the Incandescent perk allows it to be matched with almost any Scorch-based build, as Incandescent Scorches nearby enemies on every kill. When enough stacks of Scorch are applied, enemies will combust and explode in a beautiful chain reaction. Unlike other entries on this list, the Calus Mini-Tool doesn’t need a drawn out explanation, it’s just THAT good.
This gun is obtained by waiting until Banshee sells it during a given week, or by completing the Exotic mission, Presage, which drops Season of the Haunted weapons.
2. Gjallarhorn
Gjallarhorn saw some heavy nerfs going into Season of the Witch, and while it isn’t as potent as it once was, its utility in boss DPS remains unrivaled against most Exotic weapons.
The main nerfs received involve its damage output and the damage from its intrinsic Wolf-Pack rounds. However, the ability to buff and increase the damage output of other Legendary Rocket Launchers is too strong, and is a must-have for almost every boss in the game. While one person on the fireteam wields Gjallarhorn, the rest of the team can use powerful Legendary Rocket Launchers like Apex Predator or Hothead to be granted extra damage and destroy opposing bosses with ease.
To be precise, Legendary Rocket Launchers nearby a Gjallarhorn are given Wolf-Pack rounds, which is roughly a 20 percent increase in damage output.
This gun can be yours if you complete the Dares of Eternity Exotic quest line from Xur.
1. Sunshot
One of the oldest Exotic weapons in Destiny 2, the Sunshot Hand Cannon comes in at our number one spot.
With recent buffs to Hand Cannon damage in PvE, the Sunshot has become a staple weapon in nearly every endgame Solar build. In particular, this weapon is a perfect fit for setups that revolve around explosions or scorching enemies like Sunbracers Warlocks or Young Ahamkara Spine Hunters.
Like Graviton Lance, it can constantly trigger explosions thanks to its Exotic perk Sunblast which creates Solar explosions on every kill. It’s especially effective when groups of enemies all bundle together, like the Abyss encounter of the Crota’s End Raid. Sunshot is also pretty solid in PvP, as its significant stat distributions make it a strong choice amongst the numerous and powerful Exotic Hand Cannons.
It’s great to see an older weapon like Sunshot take the throne as one of the best weapons in the game and the current best Solar weapon as of Season of the Witch. It’s easy enough to add to your collection too, as it can be grabbed from the Exotic Kiosk in the Tower.
