The Prime Guide To The 15 Best Grenade Launchers In Destiny 2

Grenade launchers are one of the most feasible PvE weapons in Destiny 2. From regular strikes to endgame activities like Raids and Grandmaster Nightfall. Whether it comes to boss DPS, killing majors and champions, or killing trash mob enemies the best grenade launcher in Destiny will never disappoint.

Destiny 2 Best Grenade Launcher Comparison

Here’s a summary of the 15 best Grenade Launchers in Destiny 2, all compared to each other:

1. Anarchy

Anarchy is an exotic grenade launcher in Destiny 2. It fires arc energy projectiles that stick to surfaces and enemies. When stuck to an enemy, it deals damage over time for a moderate duration.

If you pair Anarchy with other special weapons like fusion rifles, this combo performs well for boss DPS. You can obtain Anarchy from the Monument of Lost Light at the Tower.

Pros

• The exotic perk on Anarchy Arc Traps allows you to fire arc projectiles that stick to surfaces and enemies.
• Multiple projectiles can chain with each other.
• You can do quick ad clear when multiple projectiles are placed on high-density enemy areas.
• Sticking Anarchy on bosses and pairing with other weapons like Succession allows for a decent DPS loadout.

Cons

• Anarchy in Destiny 2 has experienced several nerfs, reducing its ammo and damage per tick.
• These changes have weakened Anarchy, but it is still a viable choice in the current meta.

2. Witherhoard

Witherhoard is an exotic, breach-load special grenade launcher. It shoots Blight projectiles with a small circular AOE radius, damaging the target and nearby enemies. With the catalyst, Witherhoard’s handling improves, and automatically reloads ammo when holstered.

You can obtain Witherhoard from the Monument of Lost Light at the Tower.

Pros

• Witherhoard can be paired with other weapons like rocket launchers for optimal boss DPS.
• You can shoot it at the enemy spawn locations to kill them instantly.

Cons

• Without the catalyst, Witherhoard has an extremely slow reload speed of 2.8 seconds.
• If more than one person sticks Witherhoard on a boss, the effect of the second Witherhoard is negated.

3. Parasite

On this list of best grenade launchers, Parasite is one of the best weapons for instant burst DPS in Destiny 2. It is especially useful on bosses like Atraks-1, where the damage phase is extremely short. To obtain Parasite, you need to grab the quest for it, which is available on the quest terminal at the tower.

Pros

• The Worm’s Hunger exotic perk makes Parasite viable for instant burst damage on bosses.
• When fired at a group of enemies, the explosion from each shot is more than enough to clear ads.

Cons

• The reload speed of Parasite is very slow.
• Parasite only has one grenade/worm in the magazine, therefore forcing you to reload more often.
• Grenade shots fired from Parasite have extremely low velocity and travel distance.

4. Dead Messenger

Dead Messenger is an exotic, wave-frame grenade launcher in the special slot. Regarding usability, it is the best grenade launcher for PvP activities in Destiny 2.

Dead Messengers can be obtained when you complete the Vox Obscura exotic mission. This exotic mission is available on a weekly rotation.

Pros

• The wave-frame shots fired from Dead Messenger travel in a three-wave streak.
• Demolitionist perk will return your grenade ability energy when you get kills with this weapon.

Cons

• Dead Messenger has a slow reload speed of 2.5s.

5. The Colony

The Colony is another exotic grenade launcher. The special perk on this grenade launcher is called Serve the Colony, which reloads the magazine from reserves when it is Holstered. The Colony can be acquired from the Monument of Lost in the Tower.

Pros

• The exotic perk on this grenade launcher, Insectoid Robot Grenades, is beneficial in PvP.
• It makes the grenade projectiles follow opponent enemies and explode near them.
• The Colony also has a high fire rate of 140 RPM, making it a decent choice for certain PvE encounters.

Cons

• The Colony is a heavy exotic grenade launcher restricting you from using other useful exotics.
• The DPS of this grenade launcher is far worse in PvE activities compared to legendary grenade launchers.

6. The Prospector

The Prospector is an exotic grenade launcher. Although it lacks a high Blast Radius, it can still perform decently for clearing smaller enemies. You can acquire this weapon from the Monument of Lost Light.

Pros

• With a faster firing rate, The Prospector makes it easy to clear smaller enemies.
• Grenade fired from this weapon can stick to surfaces, making it easy to spawn kill enemies.

Cons

• The Prospector lacks a high Blast Radius perk, making it a bad weapon for boss DPS.
• Equipping this weapon will use up your exotic slot, and you won’t be able to use other exotic weapons.

7. Salvations Grip

Unlike other grenade launchers, Salvation Grip shoots Stasis Shards instead of firing a typical shot that explodes or damages enemy targets through waves. You can acquire Salvations Grip by completing the quest Stealing Stasis.

Pros

• Salvations Grip fires a stasis crystal on impact that freezes nearby enemies.
• The stasis crystal fired is also useful to reach areas that otherwise might be difficult to reach.
• You can also use Salvations Grip in raids and jumping puzzles during flawless runs.

Cons

• The reload speed on Salvations Grip is extremely slow at about 3.79s.
• Salvations Grip has limited use in most Destiny 2 activities outside of freezing enemies and parkour.

8. Salvagers Salvo

Salvagers Salvo is another breach-loader on this list of best grenade launchers in Destiny 2. With a high reload speed and velocity, this gun feels smooth and easy to use, even in endgame content. Salvagers Salvo can be acquired from the Monument of Lost Light at the tower.

Pros

• The Chain Reaction perk causes a chain reaction that damages and kills nearby enemies.
• Spike Grenade makes each shot fired deal more damage.
• The fast reload speed and Ambitious Assassin perk reload the weapon automatically.

Cons

• The current meta does not highly prefer breach-loading grenade launchers in all activities.
• Distant targets can be tricky to hit when using breach-load grenade launchers.

9. Ignition Code

Ignition Code is a legendary breach-load grenade launcher that can blind enemies. Its most useful perks are Disorienting Grenades and Slideshot. You can acquire the Ignition Code grenade launcher from Dares of Eternity.

Pros

• Ignition Code is a Lightweight Frame grenade launcher that will give you +10 mobility.
• With perks like Slideshot, this weapon reloads automatically when you slide after sprinting.

Cons

• Farming this weapon will be tedious because it’s only available on a certain Dares of Eternity week.
• With the meta change, this grenade launcher is not as viable as it used to be for boss DPS.

10. Lingering Dread

Like Ignition Code, Lingering Dread also blinds and disorients enemy targets. It is a breach-load grenade launcher with stasis energy. Lingering Dread is an exclusive weapon you can only acquire from the Duality dungeon.

Pros

• Chill Clip slows enemy targets down for a short duration.
• Lingering Dread can blind and stun an unstoppable champion.

Cons

• Lingering Dread reloads relatively slowly compared to some other grenade launchers.
• Farming this weapon is difficult and tedious because it’s only available from Duality.

11. Forbearance

Forbearance is one of the best Destiny 2 grenade launchers, outperforming almost all other grenade launchers. It is a legendary arc wave-frame grenade launcher in the special slot. 

With a godroll perk combination of Ambitious Assassin and Chain Reaction, Forbearance clears ads quickly. You can acquire the Forbearance grenade launcher from the Vow of the Disciple raid.

Pros

• Forbearance can be crafted once you have acquired the pattern for this weapon.
• Crafting this weapon gives you the choice to choose enhanced perks of your choice.
• Ambitious Assassin and Chain Reaction reload your weapon and kill ads in a chain blast, respectively.

Cons

• Forbearance is a poor choice of weapon for boss DPS since it lacks high damage stats.
• This weapon can only be acquired through the Vow of the Disciple raid, making it difficult to acquire.

12. New Pacific Epitaph

Another popular wave-frame grenade launcher is the New Pacific Epitaph. With perks like Demolitionist and Pugilist, this grenade launcher will return your grenade and melee energy when you get kills with New Pacific Epitaph.

New Pacific Epitaph is a weapon that can only be acquired from Ghost of the Deep Dungeon.

Pros

• Demolitionist returns grenade ability energy when you get kills.
• Pugilist will return melee ability energy upon getting kills with New Pacific Epitaph.
• Other perks like Kill Clip increase the damage by 60% after getting kills.

Cons

• Unlike Forbearance, this grenade launcher is not as good for ad clear.
• It has the Chain Reaction perk missing in its perk pool.

13. Regnant

Regnant is a decent option for those who mostly play solo. It is a heavy grenade launcher that came out with the Lightfall expansion.

Although Regnant has a very slow reload speed of 3.49s, with perks like Auto-Loading Holster and Envious Assassin. Therefore, you can reload this weapon from reserves automatically.

Regnant is a Season of the Defiance weapon; therefore, you must own the season to acquire this weapon. You can then head to the War Table at the H.E.L.M.

Pros

• Regnant can roll with perks like Explosive Light, drastically increasing damage.
• Envious Assassin and Auto-Loading Holster are great for pairing with Izanagis Burden.

Cons

• This weapon is locked behind the Season of the Defiance paywall.
• It will take you five weeks to unlock the pattern for Regnant.

14. Wilderflight

Wilderflight is another breach-load grenade launcher, one of the most unique weapons on this list of best grenade launchers in Destiny 2. This grenade launcher holds and fires 2 shots at the same time.

Since Wilderflight fires two shots simultaneously, it deals more damage to enemies than other breach-load grenade launchers. This grenade launcher can be acquired from Spire of the Watcher dungeon.

 Pros

• Wilderflight holds and fires two shots at the same time.
• It can roll with Auto-Loading Holster, making it a good choice for various builds.

Cons

• This grenade launcher can only be acquired from a dungeon which needs to be bought.
• Wilderflight is less accurate compared to wave-frame grenade launchers.

15. The Militias Birthright

The Militia’s Birthright, a breach-load grenade launcher in the kinetic slot. You can obtain it from Nightfall Strikes during specific rotations, and an Adept version is available in Grandmaster Nightfalls.

Pros

• The Militias Birthright will give you +10 mobility when you have it equipped.
• This grenade launcher also rolls with Quickdraw, which makes it useful in PvP.

Cons

• The Militias Birthright has limited perks available for PvE.
• It is almost useless for boss DPS and ad clear.

Destiny 2 Best Grenade Launcher Ranking Criteria

This list of best grenade launchers was written by me (Steam ID: Radio). I have been a player of the franchise for the past nine years and have over 3000+ hours across both Destiny games. Furthermore, I am updated on all news, patch notes, and sandbox updates in Destiny 2. This list results from a long and thorough research, extensive testing, and discussion with fellow players.

This concludes the list of best grenade launchers in Destiny 2. It will point you in the right direction and help you choose the Destiny 2 best special or heavy grenade launcher for all your PvP and PvE activities. Furthermore, if you need guidance on what weapons to use for damage against bosses, check out the best Linear Fusion Rifles in Destiny 2.

Up Next:

• Destiny 2: Epochal Integration
• Destiny 2: Parting The Veil Quest
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