Bad Juju
Author’s Note: When going forward with this list we decided to not rank these weapons due to different playstyles and builds complimenting different guns. With that, we are basing our choices off of the weapon’s viability in PvE (Player vs. Environment) content such as Strikes, Nightfalls, and most importantly Raids. Each gun is judged not only on their base stats, but their perks and how these translate across all PvE content currently available in Destiny. If a weapon is only useful in one or two encounters then it’s a specialty weapon that should be carried but isn’t one we recommend if you can only have one exotic to take with you.
The Bad Juju is a Pulse Rifle that had a rather bad reputation when Destiny first released, as its base stats and mediocre perks offered nothing special to those who wished to use it. This all changed when The Taken King dropped, as the Bad Juju moved from one of the worst exotic Pulse Rifles to one of the best. Most of this was thanks to the String of Curses perk that not only reloads your weapon and gives you a damage boost after each kill, but helps charge your super at a fast rate. Given Bungie typically likes to throw waves and waves of base enemies at the player, the Bad Juju is perfect for building a super efficiently and quickly.
Bad Juju is also an effective weapon for those who are not focusing on leveling up their Intellect stat, as this weapon easily compensates for the long supercharge. It’s a fantastic tool that lends a nice balance to those who are more keen on improving both Discipline and Strength. While it has a lower impact, being able to boost the stability and fire this weapon in full auto makes it a treat to use in combat.
Dark-Drinker
The Void variant of the three exotic swords found in Destiny, Dark-Drinker’s special ability to perform a very powerful 360 degree spin attack makes it especially deadly. While the Solar and Arc based blades are effective, the Dark-Drinker’s sheer effectiveness against hordes of foes makes it a must pick for those on mob control.
When combined with the Warrior of Light perk, which increases the spin damage, players are easily able to cut down high-level enemies like the various Minotaurs and Praetorians found in the Vault of Glass 390 raid. Yet, this blade’s effectiveness goes beyond the game’s most beloved raid, as it’s considered one of the best weapons to damage Aksis in Wrath of the Machine and is fantastic for the wave based fights of Prison of Elders.
Vision of Confluence (Adept)
While all of the exotic scout rifles are fantastic, the Vision of Confluence certainly stands out as one of the best in the game thanks to its incredibly impressive base stats. This weapon can easily deal with targets quickly and effectively due to the good balance between Impact, Range, Stability, and Reload. Even though the perks are not nearly as elaborate or flashy as other exotics, having Full Auto, Zen Moment, and Perfect Balance ensures that you can accurately hit an enemy’s critical point over and over again. This makes it a solid choice for most PvE activities, along with the fact that it’s an elemental primary which has been a rarity since Year 2 kicked in with The Taken King expansion.
Abyss Defiant (Adept)
One of the updated raid weapons from Year 1, the Abyss Defiant (Adept) can only be earned in the Crota’s End 390 raid. While weapons like the Will of Crota and Oversoul’s Edict are all great choices, the Abyss Defiant is by far the standout of the four available weapons. This is thanks to the versatile perks it comes with that allows a Guardian to customize this assault rifle to their specific needs when going into an activity. For those who want a more accurate weapon they can always choose the Focused Fire and Perfect Balance perks to ensure that their shots almost always hit. In contrast, the Hip Fire and Single Point Sling allow for players to expend a large amount of damage while remaining more mobile for activities that demand momentum and speed.
Yet, it’s the combination of the Lich Bane and Hive Disruptor perks that make this one of the best weapons to earn during the Crota’s End raid. While most of the other weapons simply let you penetrate a Knight’s Shield, Lich Bane allows players to disorientate Wizards that are hit. This is an incredibly useful perk since Wizards are some of the most dangerous enemies in the game and stunning them turns these fearsome foes into pushovers. Combining this with Hive Disruptor (Increased damage to Hive Majors) lets you take down these alien monsters quickly, efficiently, and with little trouble.
Outbreak Prime
Outbreak Prime is an exceptionally deadly weapon as it can quickly stack damage onto a single or group of targets via its two specific perks. The Corruption Spreads and Virulence all help spread SIVA nanite swarms which deal additional damage to foes and seek out other targets to infect. This allows a skilled and accurate Outbreak Prime user to quickly cut through ranks of advancing enemies, as the SIVA clouds can stack meaning you can have more than one out at a time, allowing for some additional chaos.
This is all nicely packaged in a lower impact, high rate of fire Pulse Rifle that gets the added benefit of having the Outlaw perk available for quick reloads after kills. For those looking to be a master of mob control in Destiny, look no further than the Outbreak Prime.
Gjallarhorn
It’s the Gjallarhorn do we need to add anything more? For those who haven’t obtained this weapon, this rocket launcher not only tracks its targets but upon impact releases “Wolfpack Rounds” that are mini-warheads which seek and damage additional targets. This gives the Gjallarhorn huge damage capabilities against both single or groups of targets, allow it to have more versatility and consistency than a rocket launcher with Cluster Bombs.
While this weapon is most famous for its use in the Crota’s End raid, the Gjallarhorn is easily one of the best weapons for virtually all of the main bosses in this game. Plus, there’s something so satisfying about blowing up an entire squad of foes with a single missile.
Tlaloc
While all of the Destiny class-specific weapons are good, the Tlaloc is especially potent given that most Warlocks run the Sunsinger class during high-level activities. Since Resurrect is the primary perk used, this ensures that the Tlaloc will be pretty much charged throughout most engagements. While it’s not especially great without the Overflow perk active, once it does go live the Tlaloc is turned into a beast of a DPS machine.
It’s increased stats ensure that it can not only accurately take down foes, but kill them quickly and with little effort. This is only enhanced by the Tlaloc’s good base Impact stat, meaning when Overflow is active it will hit hard and fast allowing players to maximize their damage on bosses or base enemies.
Monte Carlo
The Monte Carlo is one of those exotic Destiny weapons that many seem to glance over, yet this Auto Rifle is incredibly potent for those focusing on PvE combat. Given that many melee attacks can produce lifesaving effects being able to constantly have this potent ability active can help when you’re in a tricky situation.
Much like the Bad Juju, the Monte Carlo is great for those who aren’t dumping a ton of their armor stats into Strength, as this weapon can easily compensate for the slower cooldown. It also has great base stability and can stagger targets if you use High Caliber Rounds. This is a very powerful assault rifle that can easily take down groups of enemies, the only downside is we can’t use the awesome bayonet attached to the front.
Sleeper Simulant
A weapon that was underrated at first, the Sleeper Simulant is a potent heavy weapon that can deal an insane amount of damage onto a target. While you have a more limited number of rounds and a slow fire rate, the sheer amount of power you can output makes the Sleeper Simulant a boss killer. To put this into perspective, with Weapons of Light and Shadowshot a team of six can kill Atheon in one cycle with little effort. However, it’s imperative that you land critical hits to maximize damage output.
If you are not terribly accurate you may want to consider the Gjallarhorn instead for an exotic heavy weapon. However, for those looking to quickly get rid of bosses we highly recommend picking up and upgrading the Sleeper Simulant, as it’s one of the highest damaging weapons in all of Destiny. Just make sure to not kill yourself with the ricocheted laser beam as it will instantly kill you – Not that we have experience doing it or anything.
Fatebringer (Adept)
There was a lot of debate as to which Hand Cannon we should add onto this list as both the Hawk Moon and Ace of Spades are solid choices for those who prefer six shooters. Yet, we couldn’t deny the pure stopping power and potent abilities of the Fatebringer. This famed hand cannon rose quickly to prominence when it was first introduced in Year 1 only to receive a carbon copy clone named the Imago Loop that could be obtained with the same perks if your luck was good enough. Now that it’s back, the Fatebringer’s combination of high impact and quick reloading perks make this an especially dangerous weapon in the right hands.
Outlaw and Firefly work together symbiotically, rewarding those who can land headshots consistently and help push the effectiveness of this weapon above other Hand Cannons. Combining this with being an elemental primary allows the Fatebringer to be one of the most dangerous weapons in Destiny. Being able to output rounds quickly and effectively allows for Guardians to take out multiple enemies at once without worrying about leaving themselves exposed when they run out of ammo.
While Destiny has a lot of exotics to choose from, these ten weapons are the ones we recommend if you’re looking to dive into the PvE side of the game. With four raids soon to be available at 390 Light, this means there is more variety and incentive to fight the A.I. than ever before. Now all you have to do is hope that RNG is on your side and gifts you with one of these exemplary weapons.
