Destiny 2: Best Gambit Weapons [3000+ Hours Experience]

After playing Destiny 2 for 2000+ hours, here are my best Gambit Weapons choices.

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September 28, 2023

The Best Destiny 2 Gambit weapons in 2024 can be diversely categorized, as some weapons are great primarily for their DPS on the Primeval bosses, while others are great for general ad clear or defeating Invaders. Hence, choosing the best weapon can come down to your playstyle and what role you want to play for your team, as Gambit’s “PvPvE” gameplay can be overwhelming to get used to, especially if you’re a new or returning player.

Key Takeaways

The best Gambit weapons in Destiny 2 mainly include LMGs, Rocket Launchers, and most meta Exotics.
Gambit is a unique activity in Destiny 2 that focuses on “PvPvE” as you defeat enemies, bank motes to summon the boss, and defeat enemy Guardians.
The advantages of using the Gambit weapons, such as Xenophage, allow you to get adequate Boss DPS and take out Invaders.
Minor disadvantages of some Gambit weapons, such as the Tractor Cannon, are sacrificing your DPS for support or buff utility.
In my experience, the best Gambit weapon is the Sunshot, which can explode targets on defeat and easily clear trash fodder.

Author’s Note: With more than 2000 hours of experience in Destiny 2, I feel more than obliged to provide you with hands-on experience on the topic below.

Important: The following list of the best Destiny 2 Gambit weapons is based on the current meta of Season 22, which is the Season of the Witch in the Lightfall DLC, and their viability can be subjected to change in the future with a weapon balancing patch or update to the sandbox.

Destiny 2 Best Gambit Weapons Comparison

Following is a summary of the top 12 Gambit weapons to use in Destiny 2, all compared to each other:

WEAPON NAME	BEST FOR	TYPE	ELEMENT	IMPACT	RANGE	STABILITY
Xenophage	The Best Impactful Machine Gun.	Exotic Solar Machine Gun	Solar	100	68	32
Witherhoard	The Best Kinetic Grenade Launcher.	Exotic Grenade Launcher	Kinetic	60	12 (Velocity)	63
Gjallarhorn	Grenade Launcher with High Blast Radius.	Exotic Rocket Launcher	Solar	90 (Blast Radius)	45 (Velocity)	64
Thunderlord	The Beginner-Friendly Machine Gun.	Exotic Machine Gun	Arc	41	60	50
Tractor Cannon	Destiny 2 High DPS Shotgun.	Exotic Shotgun	Void	65	10	80
Quicksilver Storm	The Best Auto Rifle with High Stability.	Exotic Auto Rifle	Strand	18	40	85
Heritage	The Shotgun with High Range and Accuracy.	Legendary Shotgun	Kinetic	70	68	43
Apex Predator	The Best Offensive Rocket Launcher.	Legendary Rocket Launcher	Solar	50 (Blast Radius)	49 (Velocity)	43
Commemoration	Machine Gun with High Range.	Legendary Machine Gun	Void	41	58	55
The Lament	Destiny 2 Best Exotic Sword.	Exotic Sword	Solar	74	40	50
Sunshot	The Best Solar Hand Cannon.	Exotic Hand Cannon	Solar	80	31	40
Parasite	Grenade Launcher with High AoE Damage.	Exotic Grenade Launcher	Solar	100 (Blast Radius)	0 (Velocity)	48

1. Xenophage

The Best Impactful Machine Gun.

d2 xenophage — Xenophage (Image Credit Copyright: eXputer)

Why I Chose This: It has the capability of one-shotting enemy Guardians during invasions.

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WEAPON TYPE	Exotic Solar Machine Gun
Impact	100
Range	68
Stability	32
Handling	30
Reload Speed	31
Aim Assistance	33
Inventory size	3
Zoom	16
Airborne effectiveness	12

If you can ask me who’s a veteran player of Destiny 2, Xenophage is easily one of the best weapons for Gambit in 2024, as it shoots like a truck to enemies and invading Guardians. The only caveat here is that (as of Season 22) the Xenophage is only obtainable via an Exotic quest.

Following are the special traits and perks of the Xebophage:

Pyrotoxin Rounds: Fires high-powered explosive ammunition.

Xenophage is overpowered in Gambit with High Damage.
Pyrotoxin Rounds for high DPS on Primeval bosses.
The high range stat makes it versatile on all Gambit maps.

Doesn’t have a large magazine size and overall ammo capacity.
Xenophage can be very slow to use as it has low handling and reload speed stats.

2. Witherhoard

The Best Kinetic Grenade Launcher.

Why I Chose This: It has very effective AoE damage that helps in clearing out multiple targets.

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WEAPON TYPE	Exotic Kinetic Grenade Launcher
Impact	60
Velocity	12
Stability	63
Handling	48
Reload Speed	33
Aim Assistance	84
Inventory Size	46
Zoom	12
Airborne Effectiveness	6
Rounds Per Minute	90

The Witherhoard was introduced with the Season of the Arrivals. Witherhoard is an extremely potent weapon for Gambit solely due to its AOE damage ability, making it a capable weapon for both new and veteran players. It can be acquired from the Tower’s Exotic Archive kiosk.

Following are the special traits and perks of the Witherhoard:

Primeval’s Torment: Projectiles fired by this weapon blight the target or nearby area on impact.
Break the Bank: Blighted targets take damage over time and blight the nearby area on death.
Silent Alarm (Exotic Catalyst): Increases Handling stat and holstering auto-reloads it after a short period of time.

Primeval’s Torment AoE damage clears waves efficiently in Gambit.
Catalyst auto-reloads the weapon with Silent Alarm.
Apply the DoT effect on Gambit bosses for maximum damage.

Witherhoard is not suitable for invading or countering enemy invaders in Gambit.
AOE damage over time doesn’t stack when multiple teammates use it on bosses.

3. Gjallarhorn

Grenade Launcher with High Blast Radius.

destiny 2 best gambit weapons — Gjallarhorn (Image Credit Copyright: eXputer)

Why I Chose This: It is a weapon in the Grenade Launcher category that can perform well against sturdy bosses as well.

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WEAPON TYPE	Exotic Solar Rocket Launcher
Blast Radius	90
Velocity	45
Stability	64
Handling	66
Reload Speed	37
Aim Assistance	76
Inventory size	50
Zoom	20
Airborne effectiveness	6

Since Destiny 1, the Gjallarhorn has been a renowned weapon of the franchise, and despite the balancing it has gone through over the years, in Destiny 2, this Exotic Rocket Launcher remains a force to be reckoned with as the best PVE weapon. You can acquire the Gjallarhorn with the Bungie 30th Anniversary Pack and complete the “And Out Fly the Wolves” quest.

Gjallarhorn is excellent for Primeval boss damage in Gambit.
Exotic catalyst allows up to 2 rockets in the magazine.
Tracking shots makes it suitable for invasions in Gambit.

Legendary Rocket Launchers like Apex Predator are competitive with Gjallarhorn for continuous DPS cycles.
Only suitable for DPS in Gambit but not an ideal selection for PVP/invasions.

4. Thunderlord

The Beginner-Friendly Machine Gun.

d2 thunderlord — Thunderlord (Screenshot Grab: eXputer)

Why I Chose This: Easy to handle and carry as it has decent Handling and high Aim assistance.

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WEAPON TYPE	Exotic Arc Machine Gun
Impact	41
Range	60
Stability	50
Handling	60
Reload Speed	69
Aim Assistance	90
Inventory size	30
Zoom	15
Airborne effectiveness	26

The Thunderlord is notably popular to use in recent Seasons due to the buff to the current meta balancing in PVE and, of course, the exotic catalyst. Much like other exotic gear, the Thunderlord is a random drop from exotic engrams that can drop periodically by playing endgame activities in Destiny 2, like Grandmaster Nightfalls.

Reign Havoc perk’s Lightning strike effects shreds ads in Gambit, especially when grouped.
Thunderlord offers excellent DPS against Primeval bosses.
Good Range and Aim Assistance stats for countering Invaders.
Exotic catalyst boosts Thunderlord’s DPS with auto magazine reload triggered from lightning strikes.

Unfortunately, Thunderlord’s exotic catalyst is random, and you can only get it from activities like Strikes.
Regarding PVP in Gambit, Xenophage is usually faster at killing you than Thunderlord.

5. Tractor Cannon

Destiny 2 High DPS Shotgun.

d2 tractor canon — Tractor Cannon (Image Credit Copyright: eXputer)

Why I Chose This: It has decent Power with high Aim Assistance and Stability.

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WEAPON TYPE	Exotic Void Shotgun
Impact	65
Range	10
Stability	80
Handling	40
Reload Speed	15
Aim Assistance	90
Inventory size	0
Zoom	12
Airborne effectiveness	8

The Tractor Canon is one of the most unique weapons in Destiny 2, mainly due to its properties as a utility exotic that can debuff targets, essentially weakening them for extra damage. It is Destiny 2’s Year 1 exotics, so if you’ve been a veteran player like me, you’ll most likely already have the weapon, but if you haven’t, you can still get the Tractor Cannon as a random drop in-game or via Xur’s weekly changing inventory.

Tractor Cannon debuffs the target by 30% for 10 seconds.
Tractor Cannon can push enemies, facilitating control or elimination.
Effective for melting Primeval Envoys to start boss damage phases in Gambit.

Tractor Cannon’s debuff doesn’t stack with multiple players in Gambit.

6. Quicksilver Storm

The Best Auto Rifle with High Stability.

d2 quicksilver storm — Quicksilver Storm (Image Credit Copyright: eXputer)

Why I Chose This: The weapon is comparatively easy to handle, even when firing over long distances.

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WEAPON TYPE	Exotic Strand Auto Rifle
Impact	18
Range	40
Stability	85
Handling	48
Reload Speed	54
Aim Assistance	83
Inventory size	59
Zoom	16
Airborne effectiveness	26

The Quicksilver Storm is an exotic Auto Rifle that initially supports kinetic damage but can transform the element type into the Strand element after completing and equipping the exotic catalyst. It also supports an Alt-firing mode, which can be activated after holding down the reload button, turning it into a grenade launcher. The Quicksilver Storm was given to you for free if you pre-ordered the Lightfall Expansion’s Deluxe Edition.

Quicksilver is among the best primary exotics post-buff introduced in the Patch Update 7.0.5.0 of Destiny 2.
Micro-homing rockets are effective against major enemies in Gambit.
Synergizes well with the Strand subclasses, considering you have the exotic catalyst activated.

It has a slow animation when switching to the grenade launcher.
It is effective for clearing trash mobs but unsuitable for Primeval boss DPS in Gambit.

7. Heritage

The Shotgun with High Range and Accuracy.

Why I Chose This: It is a reliable option in the Shotgun Category for PvE.

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WEAPON TYPE	Legendary Kinetic Slug Shotgun
Impact	70
Range	68
Stability	43
Handling	70
Reload Speed	45
Aim Assistance	68
Inventory size	49
Zoom	12
Airborne effectiveness	5

The Heritage is a kinetic slug shotgun that is available from the Deep Stone Crypt raid, part of the Beyond Light expansion. It is quite honestly one of my favorite Destiny 2 Legendary weapons solely due to its versatile god roll combination and being extremely easy to farm when on the featured raid rotation of the week. You need to farm the Atraks-1 encounter to obtain the Heritage shotgun.

Effective against Major enemies and high-value targets in Gambit.
Upgrade with deep-sight weapon patterns for enhanced perks.
Heritage is a great secondary DPS option for Gambit Primeval bosses.

Unfortunately, Heritage is not ideal for PVP invasions in long-range Gambit scenarios.
Farming for Heritage can be tough for new players.

8. Apex Predator

The Best Offensive Rocket Launcher.

Why I Chose This: The Rocket Launcher has a fast Reloading speed, which makes it a suitable fit for non-stop action.

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WEAPON TYPE	Legendary Solar Rocket Launcher
Blast Radius	50
Velocity	49
Stability	43
Handling	44
Reload Speed	44
Aim Assistance	68
Inventory size	33
Zoom	20
Airborne effectiveness	3

Don’t let my ranking deceive you here because, as of Season 22, Apex Predator is easily the best boss DPS weapon in Destiny 2 due to its strong and reworked perk pool. Rocket Launchers, in general, are the meta for PVE damage against enemies right now, so you definitely want to obtain the god roll as soon as possible. The Apex Predator can be acquired via the Last Wish Raid, available as part of the Forsaken DLC pack for Destiny 2.

Apex Predator’s Godroll consists of Quick Launch, Impact Casing and Reconstruction.
Craft with Deepsight weapon patterns for 20x Spoils of Conquest.
Effective for melting Primeval bosses in Gambit with consistent Bait and Switch activation.

Apex Predator is decent for taking down Invaders, although not encouraged if you ask me.

9. Commemoration

Machine Gun with High Range.

destiny 2 commemoration — Commemoration (Screenshot Captured by eXputer)

Why I Chose This: It has the capability to fire at long distances while maintaining stability.

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WEAPON TYPE	Legendary Void Machine Gun
Impact	41
Range	58
Stability	55
Handling	57
Reload Speed	55
Aim Assistance	64
Inventory size	55
Zoom	16
Airborne effectiveness	18

The Commemoration is a void LMG, which has been my favorite weapon due to its strong PVE potential and can serve as a legendary heavy weapon for Gambit in Destiny 2. It is available to earn from the Deep Stone Crypt raid like the Heritage, but specifically speaking; you can target farm Commemoration and its Deepsight patterns via the Taniks encounter, who is the raid’s final boss.

The Godroll for the Commemoration includes Reconstruction and Killing Tally.
Killing Tally grants a stackable weapon damage buff (up to 3x) for effective DPS.
Good range for Invasions and countering enemy Invaders.

Commemoration farms can be limited due to Deep Stone Crypt being locked to weekly raid rotations.
It is not suitable as a burst DPS option for boss damage phases in Gambit.

10. The Lament

Destiny 2 Best Exotic Sword.

d2 lament — The Lament (Screenshot Captured by eXputer)

Why I Chose This: An optimal choice for Melee weapon lovers.

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WEAPON TYPE	Exotic Solar Sword
Swing Speed	40
Impact	74
Range	40
Stability	50
Guard Efficiency	60
Guard Resistance	50
Inventory size	60
Zoom	0
Airborne effectiveness	0

The Lament is an Exotic sword that was introduced with the Beyond Light expansion in Destiny 2. Like other exotic swords across Destiny 1 and 2, it features unique properties, with The Lament specifically functioning like a revved-up chainsaw. You can obtain this weapon by completing the “Lost Lament” exotic questline, which has a total of twelve different quest steps.

Lament excels against specific bosses like Atraks-1 and Ecthar.
Synergizes with Solar subclass builds and Restoration/Radiant effects.
Ideal combo (2x Light, 1x Heavy) effectively deals with Primeval envoys and Gambit bosses.

Lament can be used for boss battle DPS in Gambit but leaves you vulnerable to enemy Invaders.
Effective usage of Lament requires aggressive close-quarters engagement with the target/boss.

11. Sunshot

The Best Solar Hand Cannon.

d2 sunshot — Sunshot (Screenshot Captured by eXputer)

Why I Chose This: High Impact, Impressive Range and Stability with fast Reloading Speed.

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WEAPON TYPE	Exotic Solar Hand Cannon
Impact	80
Range	31
Stability	40
Handling	81
Reload Speed	72
Aim Assistance	60
Inventory size	53
Zoom	14
Airborne effectiveness	27

The Sunshot is an exotic solar hand cannon that has gained notable popularity after the 3.0 Solar Subclass changes in Destiny 2. As a random exotic drop, the weapon has been available since the Year 1 of Destiny 2, back in the Red War saga. It has received some specific buffs/tweaks from Bungie in Season 20 that ultimately make the Sunshot feel like a fun weapon to use, especially if you’re using a Solar subclass in Gambit.

The explosions and scorch stacks on the Solar subclass make it great for clearing Gambit’s trash fodder ads.
Sunshot synergizes greatly with a Scorch/Ignition Solar subclass build.
Fast reload speed and extended range with exotic catalyst.

It is not viable against majors or any orange health bar enemies of Destiny 2.
Consider using an exotic heavy weapon for maximum damage against Gambit Primeval bosses, as only one exotic can be equipped at a time.

12. Parasite

Grenade Launcher with High AoE Damage.

d2 parasite — Parasite (Screenshot Grab: eXputer)

Why I Chose This: Grenade Launcher with Impressive Blast Radius and decent Aim Assistance.

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WEAPON TYPE	Exotic Solar Grenade Launcher
Blast Radius	100
Velocity	0
Stability	48
Handling	47
Reload Speed	44
Aim Assistance	68
Inventory size	0
Zoom	13
Airborne effectiveness	11

Lastly, it brings me to the final weapon on my list of the best Destiny 2 Gambit weapons in 2024, Parasite, which is a unique exotic grenade launcher that essentially launches out exploding Hive Worms that, if utilized properly, can decimate targets in its wake. You can acquire the Parasite via the “Of Queens and Worms” exotic questline in the Witch Queen DLC.

Worm’s Hunger exotic perk at 20x stacks delivers quick burst damage to Gambit Primeval bosses.
Multiple teammates using Parasite can boost overall damage output.

Won’t offer suitable counter-attack options against enemy invaders

Alternative Picks

Here are some other Gambit weapons in Destiny 2 that you might want to consider using, depending on your preferences.

Breakneck: One of the best auto rifles in both PvE and PvP as it keeps the reload speed high.
Herod-C: Its Gun and Run momentum perks will make you agile.
Crowd Pleaser: Its good perks like Quickdraw, Killing Wind, and Threat Detector enhance gameplay significantly.

Weapons Ranking Criteria

destiny 2 hours — Destiny 2 hours (image via Time wasted on Destiny)

The list above of the Gambit weapons was written by me (Steam ID: LIONT4MER) with careful research of the current meta weapons in Season 22, along with discussions with my closest in-game friends/clanmates and several experienced players from Discord.

So with over roughly 3200+ hours across both Destiny titles and my endgame completionist stats as seen on Raid Report, you can remain rest assured that these weapons will serve you well in Gambit provided that they befit with your playstyle or usage and until they get nerfed or buffed again with a future balancing patch or update.

This brings me to the end of my extensive list of Destiny 2’s best Gambit weapons in 2024, but aside from these, if you want similar reads, then I strongly recommend checking out the best bows as well as the best Linear Fusion rifles in Destiny 2 which are important for both old and new players. If you have any concerns or questions about the guide, please let me know in the comments below! As always, eXputer wishes you luck!

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