Best weapons and god rolls in Destiny 2: Shadowkeep
Complete your loadout and enter the meta game with some of the best weapons in Shadowkeep and Season of the Undying in Destiny 2.
Shadowkeep has introduced a whole lot of new weapons to Destiny 2, and a few of them have some attractive god rolls. Any player looking to expand their arsenal to include new meta weapons would be wise to start farming some of the following guns. What’s really appealing about some of these weapons is that they can actually replace old weapons or even some Pinnacle weapons from previous seasons.
Best weapons and god rolls – Shadowkeep
Shadowkeep has brought in a whole lot of new weapons. As with every expansion, there will always be a few standouts. For those that have access to Shadowkeep, Season of the Undying was included regardless of what version you received, it’s for this reason we’ve chosen to include a few weapons from the latest season of Destiny 2.
As with all these kinds of lists, the most important thing to remember is personal preference. Just because the meta is saying to use one gun, doesn't mean you should use it if it doesn't gel with your playstyle.
Randy’s Throwing Knife
Randy’s Throwing Knife is the first of the three Ritual weapons for Destiny 2. These Ritual weapons replace the exceptionally powerful Pinnacle weapons from previous seasons. To unlock this Scout Rifle, players will need to complete the quest, Reconnaissance By Fire.
As for why Randy’s is worth chasing, it offers both Rapid Hit and Snapshot Sights as a choice in one column, with Kill Clip in the final. The final column also has Zen Moment, but players using Rapid Hit/Kill Clip won’t need it.
Thanks to the Shadowkeep update, Scout Rifles now deal more damage in PVE. When used in PVP, Randy’s can shred through an opponent’s health, as it offers the same RPM as Black Scorpion-4sr, a Scout that went under a lot of player’s radars.
Adhortative
Pulse Rifles tend to make short work of players in Crucible and Adhortative is no different. Being a 390 RPM pulse places is squarely in the same archetype as Bygones, a Kinetic pulse that has dominated Crucible for a while now.
What makes Adhortative appealing is that it can roll with Feeding Frenzy and Multikill Clip. Feeding Frenzy will increase your reload speed after a kill and Multikill Clip increases damage based on kills before reloading. These two perks synergize well to create an extremely powerful Pulse Rifle.
Unfortunately, Adhortative sits in the Energy slot, so you won’t be rocking The Recluse as your off-hand weapon. However, this does mean you can use Tranquility instead of Beloved.
One Small Step
One Small Step is no small gun, and is in fact an absolute must-have weapon. This is a primary slot Shotgun that is available through Eris Morn’s new quest, Essence of Rage. What makes One Small Step so appealing is that it can come rolled with One-Two Punch, an incredibly powerful perk that still couples well with a few subclass abilities. As for the other perks, Quickdraw and Threat Detector are always worthy choices.
Edgewise
Edgewise is the new Vanguard Ritual weapon for Season of the Undying making it another weapon worth chasing. For a lot of players, the time and effort involved in getting 21% Delirium just isn’t worth it (that’s a lot of Gambit), so Edgewise is a great runner-up.
In saying this, Edgewise is in no way the lesser of the two Machine Guns. Edgewise can have either Field Prep or Feeding Frenzy active in its first column and Rampage or Demolitionist in its final column. Of these choices, the ideal combo would be Field Prep and Demolitionist.
The damage increase from Rampage has been nerfed, and in most cases having your grenade up sooner is always better. Field Prep is just an all-around fantastic perk that really helps you keep the bullets coming.
As mentioned just before, Edgewise is actually easier to acquire too. It only takes an hour or so to farm and then you can take it into end-game content and compete with 21% Delirium.
Tranquility
Sniper Rifles still dominate Crucible and they've just received a bump in damage for PVE. This makes snipers an excellent choice for your off-hand weapon. Out of all the snipers currently in the game, Beloved stands head and shoulders above others, and is often considered one of the best PVP sniper rifles.
And yet here comes Tranquility, a Sniper Rifle added with Shadowkeep. This is exceptionally easy to acquire as it drops from the Essence of Vanity. It’s in the same archetype as Beloved, but it has one advantage: it’s a primary weapon. This means you can use The Recluse as your Energy weapon or event Adhortative.
In terms of perks you should be chasing, No Distractions is excellent for those players that like to pick a lane in Crucible. For the last perk, Box Breathing couples well with No Distractions, but it can also roll with Firing Line, increasing precision damage when near two or more allies. This last perk is excellent during DPS phases of boss fights.
Optative
Optative is a new Hand Cannon available through the Season of the Undying. Players looking for a crispy 180 RPM cannon would do well to chase a roll of the Optative, which is easy considering the schematic can be purchase from Ikora much like the Forge weapons.
The reason why the Optative is so appealing is that it can potentially drop with Rapid Hit and Kill Clip. Get those headshots in Crucible, proc the fast reload speed, activate Kill Clip, and you’ve got a baby Not Forgotten.
Every Waking Moment
Reaching Fabled Glory rank might have gotten easier with Shadowkeep, but it’s still a slog. For anyone that wants The Recluse, but doesn’t want to subject themselves to Competitive Crucible, Every Waking Moment is the answer.
Available through the Essence of Obscurity, Every Waking Moment can drop with a couple of appealing perks that make it a great choice during Season of the Undying.
In terms of perks, you have Genesis. This is a perk no one usually wants, but it works extremely well on this Void submachine gun. When facing off against Vex Minotaurs, pop their shields to refill your ammo and then keep on shooting.
For the final perk, you have the chance to get Kill Clip or Swashbuckler. Kill Clip offers increased damage after getting a kill and reloading, while Swashbuckler is a mini version of Master of Arms. These perks make it a worthy substitute for The Recluse, despite having a slightly slower RPM.
Love and Death
There are a lot of great Grenade Launchers in Destiny 2. Out of all of these, Swarm of the Raven stood at the top of the list thanks to the bonus to Void damage Tractor Cannon used to offer. Now that Tractor Cannon’s buff is flat across all damage types, other launchers can have their time in the sun, and Love and Death is out there flexing.
Available through the Essence of Insanity, the Love and Death Grenade Launcher can come with a truly god tier roll. The ultimate perks would include: Spike Grenades, Field Prep, and Full Court. You should be familiar with the first two perks: direct hits increase damage and increased ammo reserves, but the last one is relatively new.
Full Court increases detonation damage the further the projectile has to travel before reaching its target. During the Sanctified Mind fight of the Garden of Salvation raid, the grenades from the launcher should be dealing maximum damage.
The only other Grenade Launcher similar to Love and Death is Outrageous Fortune, though the latter can’t roll with Full Court and it’s more difficult to acquire.
There are a lot of excellent weapons in Destiny 2. The introduction of Shadowkeep and Season of the Undying have added even more god roll weapons to the mix that all players should take the time to farm. For more best weapon guides, check out the Shacknews Destiny 2 guide!
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