15 BEST Kinetic Weapons In Destiny 2

The Best Kinetic Weapons in Destiny 2 can vastly vary from player to player, as this slot now allows you to equip elemental and special weapons. But the fact remains that they belong in the Kinetic slot so that you can substitute any other weapon in the other two slots of your guardian with ease. These best kinetic weapons are dependent on the perks they can get and can range from legendary ones to even exotics which can greatly help you during DPS phases as well as endgame activities such as raids or grandmaster nightfalls.

Here’s a summary of the 15 best Kinect Weapons in Destiny 2: 

Arbalest

The Arbalest is an exotic linear fusion rifle that was first introduced back in the Revelry event of the Forsaken expansion of the game during the season of the Drifter. One might say it is easily the best kinetic weapon in Destiny 2, and what makes it such a must-have from the community lies in its perks.

Its unique trait, Compounding Force, allows it to fire slug shots, and what makes it such an amazing weapon is that it can provide a counter against Barrier champion-type enemies. The other unique perk, Disruption Break, makes it so that whenever you break an elemental shield using the Arbalest, you will be able to deal bonus damage to that target with a kinetic weapon.

The weapon is now unobtainable in the old-fashioned way since it was exclusively available to hunt during the Revelry event. But you can now obtain it as any ordinary exotic weapon drop as well as claim it via Xur if he has it in stock or via RNG from his weekly exotic engram.

Pros

• The weapon, by far, is easily the most popular one on our list solely due to the fact that hardcore players choose it to run on grandmaster nightfalls.
• All three fireteam members can use it in conjunction to kill tough enemies within GM Nightfall at long-range distances with ease.
• Among most weapons to use that counter the shields of Barrier Champions, Arbalest is the most preferred choice by the community.
• The Catalyst of Arbalest will provide it with the Genesis perk, which will refill its ammo from the reserves when breaking an enemy’s elemental shield.
• Furthermore, Genesis will also benefit energy weapons as upon using them to damage a matching element’s shield; the ammo will regenerate upon hits.

Cons

• The weapon may not be a suitable choice for players who prefer to run snipers in the kinetic slot or dislike the charge time of Linear Fusion Rifles.
• Arbalest somewhat requires you to be precise as not every enemy will have the same critical hitbox as the other, so it might take time to get used to it.
• Aside from using it against barrier champions at long distances in GM Nightfalls or other activities, it doesn’t find much usage from the playerbase.

Osteo Striga

The Osteo Striga is a kinetic Exotic SMG that was introduced with the launch of the Witch Queen expansion. The first step to acquiring the gun will be to complete the Witch Queen campaign on either classic or legendary difficulty.

Once you’re done with the campaign, you now need to head to the Enclave on Mars and approach the Relic, where you can craft weapons. Here you will be able to craft or ‘shape’ the Osteo Striga SMG for the first time. The stats of the gun may vary depending on the perks you insert in it during initial crafting.

You can unlock its exotic catalyst at weapon level 10, which will allow you to overflow the magazine with the amount of poison kills on enemies.

Pros

• What makes the Osteo Striga such a popular choice not only for ourselves but for the entire player base is its sublime versatility of crowd-controlling trash mobs.
• The weapon’s poison bullets allow it to melt enemies in a quick fashion, making most activities, such as the Dares of Eternity or even the seasonal activity, Defiant Battlegrounds, a breeze to complete.
• The best part is that the weapon is freely accessible to anyone who owns the Witch Queen expansion, making it one of the best beginner-friendly kinetic weapons in Destiny 2.
• The auto-tracking bullets require little focus to fire, which can honestly make it a great weapon choice for those having a tough time in the PVP mode, the crucible.

Cons

• The downside is that the weapon lacks range, so you may not be able to use it in certain situations.
• You will be forced to use other exotics in the game for DPS against boss fights in raids, such as the Gjallarhorn or the Thunderlord.
• Upgrading the weapon level can get tedious to solely obtain the catalyst since it takes a long time without farming the kills needed for it.
• The catalyst may not benefit the weapon much if used in a fireteam where your teammates are constantly melting away targets, leaving you with no poison-finishing blows from the weapon.

Succession

In terms of the best kinetic weapons for PvE, the succession takes that fame as the weapon comes equipped with one of the best perks in Destiny 2. The best perks for it include Reconstruction, as well as Vorpal weapon, or even Focused fury, which are all great in both PVE and PVP. You can only obtain this weapon through the Deep Stone Crypt Raid via the Atraks-1 boss fights encounter.

The weapon is also craftable, but you will need five patterns for it which are acquired from the raid, and only then can you head to the Enclave to craft it at the Relic.

Pros

• The Succession excels at long-range combat, making it the best choice to use in endgame activities such as GM Nightfalls or even raids in some instances.
• The High-impact archetype, along with the perks we mentioned, such as the Vorpal weapon, will make it the best legendary sniper to use for DPS against bosses.
• Reconstruction perk is a must-have on the weapon due to the fact that it essentially reloads the weapon over time and doubles the capacity.
• If you have an auto-loading holster grenade launcher such as the Regnant, then the Succession can work fantastically to hot-swap between it in order to maximize your DPS.

Cons

• The long-range scope of the Succession might prove to be a hindrance for players who are not used to a high-zoom sniper for PvE.
• Although the Succession performs well for PVP, there are much better alternatives to use, such as the 1000-yard stare and the Eye of Sol.
• Snipers in hardcore PvE activities of Season 20 might not be the full-proof meta right now, so you might need to swap to other weapons, such as the Arbalest, for GM Nightfalls.

Fatebringer

The Fatebringer makes his return to the sequel from the original Destiny, as it still upholds his position as one of the best hand cannons in the franchise. The weapon was reintroduced to players of Destiny 2 with the reprisal of the Vault of Glass raid back in Season 14, and it also has an adept version too in the master difficulty of the raid.

The key difference between the Adept version of Fatebringer and its normal variant is that the former features an extra pair of perks as well as the option to have increased masterwork and mod slot capabilities. The Fatebringer can specifically be obtained by completing the 3rd or 4th encounters of the Vault of Glass raid in Destiny 2.

The best perks of the gun are almost recognizable by any hardcore player of the game, which are explosive payload and either Firefly or frenzy.

Pros

• It is easily the most iconic weapon in the game solely due to its overpowered nature provided by the perks.
• Both explosive payload and firefly will allow you to clear trash mobs within seconds.
• The Vault of Glass raid is free-to-play for all owners of Destiny 2, so if you have a capable fire team, then you can try out your luck in acquiring this fabled kinetic weapon.
• Fatebringer can also be a fantastic PVP weapon with perks such as Killing Wind and a range masterwork enhancing its properties.

Cons

• Unfortunately, in season 20 of the game, Hand cannons aren’t really the best weapons to clear trash mob with, so you might find yourself using other weapons instead, such as the Funnelweb SMG.
• Completing the VOG raid and its encounters isn’t an easy feat, as you will need to learn the mechanics first and find a cooperative team to lead you through it.

Witherhoard

The Witherhoard grenade launcher was first introduced in the Season 11 of Destiny 2. The unique trait of the weapon is called Primeval’s Torment; it shoots out a projectile that spreads into a small Area-of-Effect distance, dealing damage to enemies caught within it.

Originally, players needed to complete the exotic questline for it in the Season of the Arrivals, but now in Season 20, there is a guaranteed way to obtain it. If you own the Shadowkeep expansion, you need to acquire an exotic cipher which can be obtained from Xur via his exotic cipher bounty.

Now head to the Exotic Archive kiosk in the Tower and claim the Witherhoard weapon for 100,000 Glimmer, 150 Legendary Shards, 1x Exotic Cipher, and 1x Ascendant Shard. The catalyst is a must-have for the Witherhoard as it will increase the handling and grant it an auto-loading holster perk so you can be ready to shoot it after switching weapons.

Pros

• The area-of-effect damage from Primeval Torment is so powerful that it makes Witherhoard one of the Best PvE weapons In Destiny 2 right now.
• The constant damage over time is extremely viable against bosses in raids and strikes.
• It is also one of the best beginner exotic weapons to use in the game due to its effectiveness in almost any kind of PVE activity.
• The catalyst significantly improves its viability in combat.

Cons

• Without the catalyst, the weapon can be somewhat of a hassle to use solely because of the reload speed.
• In six-man activities such as raids, it is only viable if one person uses the Witherhoard for the constant damage over time, as other Witherhoard shots from players won’t stack.

Izanagi’s Burden

The Izanagi’s Burden sniper rifle was introduced back in Season 5 of Destiny 2 during the Forsaken DLC. During this season, players were introduced to the forges as well as a variety of new exotic weapons, one of which was Izanagi’s Burden.

What makes it so popular is its unique perk called Honed Edge, which allows you to reload the weapon into a single shot that dishes out an incredible amount of damage to the target with increased range. Previously, the weapon required you to complete a lengthy quest in order to unlock it.

But now you need either a Forsaken Cipher or the Exotic Cipher we mentioned already. The former should already be in your inventory if you purchased the Forsaken Pack for the game. The catalyst grants it Peerless Edge, which increases the damage bonus of Honed Edge when four bullets are consumed to reload it.

Pros

• The Honed Edge trait makes it one of the best PvE exotics in the game, even in the latest season.
• Incredible kinetic weapon to use for DPS on boss fights as well as major-type enemies in endgame activities.
• It is easy to acquire since you have the option to purchase it both via a normal exotic cipher as well as the Forsaken exotic cipher.

Cons

• It may not be the best option for crowd-control scenarios or encounters, especially for the latest raid, Root of Nightmares, or even in most activities.
• You may be inclined to use other weapons for DPS, too, such as an auto-loading holster Hothead with a hot-swap Succession, but that generally comes down to personal preference.

Heritage

Heritage is a kinetic legendary shotgun, and while shotguns aren’t the meta right now in the current season for pure DPS, this weapon is still a solid choice for both PVE and PVP. It can be acquired via the Atraks-1 encounter in the Deep Stone Crypt Raid along with the Succession.

The weapon is exclusive to the raid but can also be crafted back at the Relic in the Enclave if you can collect five red border patterns for it. The best perks for the Heritage are Reconstruction and Recombination, both of which are its default curated rolls, also known as the “God Roll” by Bungie and the rest of the community.

Pros

• Slug shotguns are still pretty popular for DPS strategies in the game against a few bosses, so it doesn’t hurt to have this great weapon in your inventory with the right perks.
• Reconstruction will overflow your weapon magazine, allowing you to use it non-stop without any breaks.
• Recombination is a fantastic perk that will essentially increase the damage of this weapon with your elemental final blows, which will be great with elemental weapons and grenade builds.
• If you’re looking to solely use this shotgun in PVP, then slide shot and killing wind can also be great perks to have on the Heritage.

Cons

• Shotguns might not be everyone’s cup of tea to use in the game, especially for higher-level PVE activities.
• Since it is a raid-exclusive weapon, you may find it troublesome to grind it on a weekly basis or farm the encounter until you get the desirable version of the weapon.
• Acquiring the exact aforementioned god roll perks might be a hassle since the weapon tends to be extremely viable with them.

Deliverance

The Deliverance is one of the few unique fusion rifles in the game that can deal Stasis damage to targets. The weapon can be obtained via the Vow of the Disciple raid, most specifically from the first and third encounters of the activity.

It can also be crafted back at the Relic if you collect five patterns for it from the raid itself. The best perks for the Deliverance include Demolitionist and Chill Clip, which can make it a fantastic weapon to slow down enemies.

Pros

• Chill Clip is a must-have perk on any stasis element fusion rifle in the game, and the same goes for the Deliverance too.
• Chill clip will essentially freeze and slow down targets for a brief period, allowing you to increase your DPS windows with ease.
• Demolitionist will help with your grenade energy recharge, and when using grenades, it will reload this weapon’s ammo from the reserves.

Cons

• Unfortunately, it might take you a few tries to even obtain the weapon in the first place since the raid drops are all RNG dependent.
• There are better alternatives here to consider, such as the Riptide from the Crucible engrams, which has just the same type of perks as the Deliverance.
• Precision Frame fusion rifles such as the Deliverance lack in fire rate and DPS, so you will mostly be using it for Chill clip so that you can slow down major enemies as well as a boss.

Riptide

The Riptide, similar to the Deliverance, is another Stasis fusion rifle that was introduced in the Season 17 of Destiny 2. The weapon can be obtained as part of the Crucible loot table from the engrams as well as the PVP mode itself by completing matches and ranking up.

The easiest way to farm it is by using the Focusing decode from Lord Shaxx in the Tower to specifically acquire it using 1x Crucible engram and 25 legendary shards. The best perks for the weapon are an Auto-loading holster which will reload the weapon when stowed, as well as a Chill clip.

Pros

• The weapon is easily obtainable for almost any player of the game since it is acquired from the crucible mode’s loot pool.
• Riptide is a rapid-firing frame fusion rifle, meaning it can fire in quick bursts, making it one of the best fusion rifle kinetic weapons in Destiny 2.
• The perks we have mentioned will not only make it a superb weapon against other guardians in the crucible but also viable against tough enemies in almost any PvE activity.

Cons

• The only downside is that you may need to continuously play PVP and level up the reputation with Shaxx to receive engrams in order to obtain the Riptide, which can get rather tedious.
• It may be tempting to use this in order to stun champions in Grandmaster Nightfalls, but you’ll be much better off using something less risky such as linear fusion rifles at long distances.

Submission

Submission is a kinetic legendary SMG in the Witch Queen expansion of the game. The weapon can be obtained from the Vow of the Disciple raid through pretty much every encounter except for the final one. The main origin trait of the weapon is exclusive to the raid’s weapons called:

• Soul Drinker: Gain health based on the number of hits before reloading.

The best perks for the weapon include Overflow, where picking up special or heavy ammo reloads this weapon beyond normal capacity. Perpetual Motion will make it so that the weapon gains bonus stability, handling, and reload speed while the wielder is in motion. Lastly, Frenzy will make it so that being in combat for an extended period of time increases this weapon’s damage, reload speed, and handling until you get out of combat.

Pros

• Submission can be an excellent kinetic weapon for PvE if you want to substitute your secondary slot with a special weapon, such as a sniper or grenade launcher.
• The perks we have mentioned for the Submission can make it an extremely good weapon for ad-clearing in hectic activities such as Dares of Eternity.
• The lightweight frame archetype can allow you to move faster while having this weapon equipped.
• Overflow is an amazing perk to have on the gun as it will essentially double the magazine capacity on reload.

Cons

• The Vow of the Disciple raid can be intimidating for beginner players or even for someone who isn’t fond of tackling raids in general, making it a hurdle to acquire this weapon.
• Submission lacks in range, making it ineffective for long-range fights against enemies and bosses.
• There are better alternative elemental SMGs in the secondary slot which can provide the same destruction damage to trash mobs such as the Funnelweb.

Aegar’s Scepter

The Aegar’s Scepter is an exotic trace rifle that was dropped during the Beyond Light expansion and, ever since then, has remained one of the most popular trace rifles in the game. The weapon features the Stasis element, which allows it to freeze and slow down targets.

You can easily purchase the Aegar’s Scepter using the Exotic Archives Kiosk using 125,000 Glimmer, 200 Legendary Shards, 1 Exotic cipher, and 1 Ascendant shard.

Pros

• Aegar’s Scepter can mow down enemies using its insane damage potential from the beam, making ad-clearing a breeze.
• The gun works especially great with Stasis subclass builds since its main perk, Rega’s Refrain, returns ammo back to the magazine on Stasis’ final blows from any source.
• The Exotic catalyst provides it with a perk called ‘Will Given Form.’
• It essentially allows you to hold the reload button to transform the gun into a never-ending death ray, as it will drain your super energy but heavily increase the damage as well as overflowing the magazine.
• Aegar’s Scepter can pair extremely well with the Warlock exotic chest piece, Mantle of Battle Harmony, as its main perk will easily help dish out more even damage using the gun while on a Stasis subclass.

Cons

• The Aegar’s Scepter is a pretty situational weapon despite being one of the best kinetic weapons in Destiny 2, so you may need to swap it for something else for boss fights.
• Due to the current meta and situation of PVP, the gun may not perform on par with other popular weapons for the Crucible and Trials of Osiris.
• The catalyst is a random drop from core playlist activities.
• You will need to own the Beyond Light expansion to access the weapon.

Rufus’s Fury

The Rufus’s Fury is the latest Auto Rifle available in the Lightfall expansion of the game and features the Strand element on it. You can obtain the gun via the Root of Nightmares raid, most specifically from the 3rd and final encounters of the activity.

Of course, you can also craft Rufus’s Fury if you have obtained five weapon patterns for it. The best perks for the weapon include Reconstruction or Demolitionist and either Target Lock or Hatchling.

Pros

• Rufus’s Fury is a 720 RPM auto rifle, which makes it one of the rapid-firing weapon archetypes which will allow you to reload it faster when the magazine is completely empty.
• The weapon is extremely good right now in both PVE and PVP, but it all comes down to its perks on it.
• Reconstruction is a must-have perk that will double the magazine capacity of the weapon over time.
• Target Lock is superb in both PVE and PVE scenarios since it will essentially increase the damage of the weapon the longer it is fired on a target.
• Broodweaver Warlocks can look forward to maximizing their builds if they have the Hatchling perk on the gun, which will spawn threading if you defeat rapidly defeat targets or kill them with precision final blows.

Cons

• The loot pool of the Root of Nightmares raid is so diverse and spread out that you may need to have a good chance of even receiving this weapon.
• While Rufus’s Fury is a great ad-clearing weapon, for endgame activities, you might be better off using weapons such as Funnelweb or Succession in the kinetic slot.

Lingering Dread

The Lingering Dread is a kinetic grenade launcher that was released in Season 17. This weapon deals stasis element damage and can be a great breach grenade launcher with the right perks equipped on it.

You can hunt down the Lingering Dread through the Duality Dungeon, which is commonly dropped through the first and last encounters according to its loot table. The best perks for the Lingering Dread are an Auto-loading holster, Chill clip, and blinding grenades.

Pros

• Blinding grenades, along with Chill clip, make it one of the top-tier grenade launchers in the game, as not only will the shots temporarily blind targets but also slow and freeze them down too.
• For endgame activities such as GM nightfalls or even other content where you may face off against champion-type enemies, you can easily take them down by using the Lingering Dread to blind and freeze them.

Cons

• The weapon is not an ideal special weapon choice for DPS in boss fights unless you use weapons such as sniper rifles.
• Instead of freezing or blinding the champions, you may want to stun them outright using the correct weapon of choice, so you may need to swap out the Lingering Dread for that situation.
• Grenade launchers aren’t the best-suited for PVP, so the Lingering Dread may not provide the best of both worlds as it does in PVE.

Smite Of Merain

The Smite of Merian is a returning pulse rifle from Destiny 1, which was released alongside the Taken King expansion. It makes a return in Destiny 2 with the reprisal of the King’s Fall raid.

According to the loot table for the raid, Smite of Merain can drop during the Warpriest and Daughters’ encounter as well as from the Final boss too. Like most raid-exclusive weapons, it is craftable if you collect five red border variants of it.

Pros

• Demolitionist and firefly are great perks for PVE as they will not only boost your grenade energy, but the latter will also help make trash folder enemies burn easily.
• It can also perform well in PVP with perks such as Moving target and either swashbuckler or eye of the storm, which will help make taking down other guardians a breeze.
• The King’s Fall raid is free to play for all players, so you don’t need to own any of the current DLCs to access and acquire this weapon.

Cons

• Champion stunning weapons tend to shift each season, and for now, the weapon isn’t notably the best to use on them or even in endgame activities such as raids.
• There are pulse rifles that out beat the Smite of Merain in PVP, such as the highly popular exotic gun, No Time To Explain.
• A new player can have a tough time understanding the mechanics of the King’s Fall raid, so you may have to learn the mechanics in order to find a group to run it and have a chance to obtain the weapon.

Pardon Our Dust

Pardon Our Dust is a primary grenade launcher that was introduced in Season 15 of the game. The weapon is found through Xur’s Treasure hoard engram, but thankfully, since the changes in Season 18, it is now craftable at the Relic if you have collected the weapon patterns for it.

You can also obtain the weapon through rewards for completing runs of the Dares of Eternity. The best perks for the weapon include Disorienting grenades, an Auto-loading holster, and a Vorpal weapon.

Pros

• Pardon Our Dust is a great alternative grenade launcher for players who can’t play endgame activities such as dungeons to get Lingering Dread.
• Disorienting grenades, along with Vorpal Weapon, will allow you to momentarily stun major-level targets with ease.
• The weapon is pretty easy to farm as you can visit Xur on Eternity to receive treasure engrams as well as open the treasure chest near him using keys to farm it with efficiency.

Cons

• Despite being a good alternative, other grenade launchers, such as Lingering Dread or even the Forbearance, are overall better to use in PVE.
• The weapon is pretty limited in terms of good perks aside from the ones we mentioned, making it a hassle to farm until you get the god-roll version of it.

Best Kinetic Weapons Criteria

I created the following list of the best kinetic weapons (Steam Name: LIONT4MER), and I have experience with the game for over six years since the original Destiny installment was back on old-gen consoles.

So with over 2000+ hours solely in Destiny 2 and achieving completions in almost every single of the Raids seen via the Raid Report stats, rest assured that these kinetic weapons are listed according to our personal experience with them in almost every single activity of the game.

Summing It Up

Destiny 2 has easily been one of the most popular live-service games on the market, as Bungie continues to push out content that can meet player expectations. While on the subject of the best weapons, you can also check out the Subreddit Post in which players have discussed their favorite kinetic weapons to use right now in Destiny 2.

We have recently covered a Review of Lightfall, the latest expansion of the game, which has a plethora of new activities and loots for you to pursue. You might even find yourself trying to complete the Maelstorm quest, which have you completing objectives such as the Strand Sources Bonded. If you’re not caught with the game like us, there are also a bunch of new Lightfall exotics to hunt down, such as Dawn Chorus.

However, for now, this is where we wrap up our list of the best kinetic weapons in Destiny 2 as of Season 20. If you have any further questions about the guns we have mentioned or would like to share your favorite one, then be sure to let us know in the comments section below! As always, eXputer wishes you luck!

Up Next:

• Destiny 2: All Grandmaster Nightfalls
• Destiny 2 World First Race: Who Did Root Of Nightmares First?

• Destiny 2 Lightfall: How To Get the Chalice Keycard