Top 10 Best Legendary Weapons in Destiny 2

Looking for the best legendary weapons in Destiny 2? Here’s our top 10 of the finest that you can find for both PvE and PvP activities. Let’s kick it off with one our favorite old-school auto rifles.

Best Destiny 2 Legendary Weapons

Scathelocke (Kinetic Auto Rifle)

Perks and Features:

• Adaptive Frame
• IS 5 Circle/Model 8 Red/Mark 10 Glass
• High-Caliber Rounds/Tactical Mag
• Under Pressure

The Scathelocke is one of the most impressive legendary Auto Rifles currently available in Destiny 2. It’s a great, well-rounded weapon with a few customization options for those looking to get the most out of their kinetic loadouts. The circle and red dot sights are the highlights here, and it really comes down to personal preference when deciding which sight to go with. If you want better handling, the IS 5 Circle is a no-brainer. But if you need something that can shoot from a good range, the red dot sight is a fantastic choice.

Couple that with the Tactical Mag and you’ve got a fast-firing Auto Rifle with good stability, reload speed, and a decent magazine size. The Under Pressure perk also improves your stability and accuracy as the magazine gets lower, so feel free to spray on this thing.

Best Destiny 2 Legendary Weapons

Lincoln Green (Kinetic Pulse Rifle)

Perks and Features:

• Rapid-Fire Frame
• IS 5 Circle/Model 6 Loop/Mark 15 Lens
• Steady Rounds/Alloy Magazine
• Quickdraw

Range isn’t exactly the Lincoln Green’s forte, but this is still one of the fastest legendary Pulse Rifles current available in Destiny 2, and it’s certainly one you should keep in mind if you’re a fan of the weapon type. The main highlight here is how fast you can draw the weapon and reload it. Quickdraw and Rapid-Fire Frame allow you to pull it out quickly, and reload quickly when the magazine is empty. If you’re willing to compromise a little on stability, you can select that Alloy Magazine option to increase your reload speed even further. If not, Steady Rounds is still a good option.

Handling can also be increased with the IS 5 Circle sight, or you could go for the middle-of-the-road option and pick the Model 6 Loop sight for decent range and handling.

Best Destiny 2 Legendary Weapons

Last Hope (Energy Sidearm)

Perks and Features:

• Omolon Adaptive Frame
• Control SAS/Farpoint SAS
• Ricochet Rounds/Steady Rounds
• Zen Moment

Yes, I know Sidearms aren’t doing too hot in the current Destiny 2 meta, but if you’ve got any interest in these nifty-looking weapons, take a look at the Last Hope. The range and rate of fire on this thing are impressive for Sidearm standards, and it can even outperform some mid-tier legendary Auto Rifles like the Perseverance.

With the Omolon Adaptive Frame, the Last Hope fires shots in a 3-round burst, giving you adequate burst damage when dealing with mobs. It also boasts a great stability rating with the Zen Moment perk, so you never have to worry about your shots flying off all over the place. To improve its range, I recommend going with the Farpoint SAS sight and the Ricochet Rounds. With these options, the weapon will take a hit to its handling and reload speed ratings, but in exchange, you’ll have a reliable Sidearm that can hit most enemies from a range, and have your rounds bounce off hard surfaces because, well, that’s cool.

If you’re looking for a handy Sidearm to maybe replace your old Auto Rifle in the energy weapon slot, and you aren’t too taken with the Rat King’s poor range and rate of fire (though, admittedly, it does have extremely cool perks), the Last Hope is a decent selection.

Best Destiny 2 Legendary Weapons

Nameless Midnight (Kinetic Scout Rifle)

Perks and Features:

• Precision Frame
• Red Dot 2 MOA/Red Dot Micro/Rifle Scope SSF
• Flared Magwell/Steady Rounds
• Explosive Payload

As far as Scout Rifles in Destiny 2 go, this is one of the best you can get your hands on, assuming you don’t already have a MIDA Multi-Tool. The main highlight of the Nameless Midnight is the Explosive Payload perk, which allows your projectiles to create an AoE detonation on impact, allowing you to deal a bit more damage. It’s very similar to the Hung Jury from Destiny, though the bullet sounds on the Nameless Midnight are arguably less satisfying and punchy than Dead Orbit’s crown jewel.

With this legendary Scout Rifle, you’ll probably want to go for the Red Dot Micro sight, which increases your range and handling speed. Depending on your preferences, you might also want to go for the Flared Magwell instead of Steady Rounds if you favor reload speed over stability. It’s not as fast as the MIDA Multi-Tool, but this is pretty much as good as it gets if you want a replacement legendary Scout Rifle.

Best Destiny 2 Legendary Weapons

Man O’ War (Power Linear Fusion Rifle)

Perks and Features:

• Precision Frame
• Fluted Barrel/Polygonal Rifling/Corkscrew Rifling
• Projection Fuse/Accelerated Coils
• Moving Target

Forget Fusion Rifles; Linear Fusion Rifles are where it’s at with improved range, impact, and damage. And the Man O’ War is probably the best legendary one you can get right now. With better handling, reload speed, and decreased recoil, it’s also a far better power weapon choice than most other Sniper Rifles in the game.

The Moving Target perk is the main attraction here, as it increases your movement speed and target acquisition if you move while aiming down the sights. It’s perfect for picking off elite enemies from long distances, and stunning them with its high impact rating. If you feel like the charge time is a bit too long for your liking, you can also choose the Accelerated Coils battery for better charge time, at the expense of a slight impact hit.

Best Destiny 2 Legendary Weapons

A Single Clap  (Power Sniper Rifle)

Perks and Features:

• Adaptive Frame
• SSO-05 Sniper/SSO-07 Sniper/SSO-08 Sniper
• Tactical Mag/Steady Rounds
• Explosive Payload

So maybe you aren’t quite sold on the idea of Linear Fusion Rifles just yet, and you’re more comfortable with using a good old Sniper Rifle. We haven’t found a lot of top-tier legendary Sniper Rifles in Destiny 2, but A Single Clap is pretty much in a league of its own in comparison to the competition.

This is a very balanced and well-rounded Sniper Rifle that offers good range, impact, and decent stability. Best of all, its reload speed isn’t half bad either. Its biggest shortfall is its poor handling rate, which is par for the course with most Sniper Rifles, but you can counteract this by equipping the 08 or 09 Sniper sights if you’re willing to sacrifice a bit of range. The best part about this gun is its Explosive Payload perk. Just like Nameless Midnight, this Sniper Rifle can fire shots that create an AoE detonation upon impact.

Best Destiny 2 Legendary Weapons

MIDA Mini-Tool (Energy Submachine Gun)

Perks and Features:

• Lightweight Frame
• Fluted Barrel
• Alloy Magazine
• MIDA Synergy

Your MIDA Mini-Tool will only be at its very best if you have it paired up with the MIDA Multi-Tool. However, even on its own, it’s still an incredible legendary Submachine Gun in its own right. There are no customization options available for the Mini-Tool, but it does pack a punch.

The big thing about the Mini-Tool is the speed that it offers. It has amazing handling, and great reload speed when your magazine is empty. The stability rating is decent for a Submachine Gun, and its only shortfall is its poor range. But then again, most Submachine Guns have pretty terrible range anyway. The Phosphorus MG4 is probably the closest runner-up to the Mini-Tool, but the speed perks offered by the latter make it a far superior option.

If you have the MIDA Multi-Tool, equipping both weapons will give you better speed boosts, and these two weapons complement each other very well.

Best Destiny 2 Legendary Weapons

Hawthorne’s Field-Forged Shotgun (Power Shotgun)

Perks and Features:

• Lightweight Frame
• Rifled Barrel/Smoothbore
• Tactical Mag/Assault Mag
• Full Auto Trigger System

As far as we can tell, Hawthorne’s Field-Forged Shotgun seems to be the only full auto legendary Shotgun currently available in Destiny 2, which makes it one of the top picks for this weapon type. It’s also a very fast gun with low recoil, and it’s certainly viable for both PVE and PVP play.

Lightweight Frame allows you to move faster with the gun equipped, and the barrel and magazine options allow you to choose between stability and reload speed. Assault Mag feels like the better choice for PVE, as the better rate of fire allows you to clear out mobs quickly. The Tactical Mag seems more suited for Crucible matches as you’ll want to be able to reload quickly when you’re in the middle of the fight. Plus, you’ll most likely take out Guardians with just one Shotgun blast anyway.

Best Destiny 2 Legendary Weapons

Wicked Sister (Power Grenade Launcher)

Perks and Features:

• Adaptive Frame
• Countermass/Quick Launch/Confined Launch
• High-Velocity Rounds/Remote Detonation
• Auto-Loading Holster

Grenade Launchers aren’t very punchy in Destiny 2 at the moment, but if you’re looking for one to fill your power weapon slot, consider the Wicked Sister. The Auto-Loading Holster is one of its main draws, as it automatically reloads your weapon after a short period of time, meaning you can quickly swap to another weapon to continue your DPS once the magazine is empty. Pair this up with the Sturm and Drang, and you’ll practically never have to touch the reload button again.

It’s also a very fast weapon with good handling and very little recoil, especially if you stick with the Countermass launcher barrel. For a bit of added fun in Crucible, consider activating the Remote Detonation magazine for bouncy grenades, at the expense of lower velocity and reload speed.

Best Destiny 2 Legendary Weapons

The Old Fashioned (Kinetic Hand Cannon)

Perks and Features:

• Adaptive Frame
• Truesight HCS/Fastdraw HCS/Hitmark HCS
• Accurized Rounds/Drop Mag
• Kill Clip

Aside from being the best looking Hand Cannon in Destiny 2 so far, the Old Fashioned is also a punchy beast of a weapon that boasts high damage and impact, with decent range, handling and reload speed. The Kill Clip perk gives you increased damage when you reload the weapon after a kill. If you like playing a little more riskily, Drop Mag will drop your magazine on reload (which is a waste of ammo), but also gives you a big boost to reload speed. It’s a good complement to Kill Clip, as you could potentially deal a ton of damage this way.

Even without Drop Mag, The Old Fashioned still offers a lot of utility as a kinetic weapon. The sights let you choose between handling and range, though we recommend going for the Fastdraw HCS sight for balanced stats all around.

For more Destiny 2 tips & tricks, such as all exotic quests, be sure to check out our wiki guide.