Top 15 best Legendary weapons in Destiny 2

Exotic Weapons are a crucial part of a Guardian’s arsenal, but you’d be wise not to sleep on your Legendaries. You can’t rely on your Exotics for everything, so here are my picks for the top 15 best Legendary weapons in Destiny 2.

Best Legendaries in Destiny 2

Before we begin, let me quickly explain a few choices in this list. Firstly, I’ve not included any Raid weapons. A lot of Raid exclusive gear is top-tier, but many players don’t engage with those activities, and they are out of reach for new players. I didn’t want to fill the list with weapons from the Brave arsenal, but a few are simply too good to ignore. Even if you’ve heavily farmed Onslaught, you should still find plenty of top-tier legendaries to farm for on this list.

Ammit AR2

• Type: Auto Rifle
• Element: Solar
• Where to obtain: Legendary Engrams

Auto Rifles get a bad wrap in Destiny 2. For every rare good one, there’s a pile of awful rifles that draw inexperienced players in with their ease of use. The Ammit AR2 is one of the absolute best and shines in both PVE and PVP.

This weapon is fine out of the box, but you’ll be laughing if you get the Dynamic Sway Reduction and Incandescent perks. With this combination, the Ammit AR2 is effortless to control, and Incandescent makes enemies explode.

If you don’t have the best aim or just want to play with a wonderfully easy weapon, you can’t go wrong with the phenomenal Ammit AR2.

Matador 64

• Type: Shotgun
• Element: Arc
• Where to obtain: Grasp of Avarice Dungeon

This is a PVP-focused choice, but the Matador 64 is an absolute terror in The Crucible. This dangerous Arc Shotgun is easy to use and deletes Guardians at ranges you shouldn’t be able to get away with.

The Opening Shot perk is the star of the show and gives additional range if you’ve not fired the weapon for a few seconds. If you like your battles up close, few Legendaries can keep up with the Matador 64, and it’s great for shutting down Guardians using their Super attacks.

The Conditional Finality or Chaperone Exotics may be Shotgun royalty in PVP, but only a fool would bet against the Matador 64.

Scatter Signal

• Type: Fusion Rifle
• Element: Strand
• Where to obtain: Season of the Wish activities

It’s a personal preference, but I’ve never liked using Fusion Rifles in Destiny 2, at least until I tried the Scatter Signal. This Strand Fusion Rifle deals a ton of damage with a short, manageable charge time. It can also roll with Controlled Burst, which deals additional damage if you’re accurate. You can also have the Overflow perk, which can ‘overload’ the magazine, giving more shots before a reload.

The best part is that the Scatter Signal is craftable and drops like candy in Season of the Wish activities. Even if you’re on the fence about Fusion Rifles like me, I urge you to try this one.

Indebted Kindness

• Type: Sidearm
• Element: Arc
• Where to obtain: Warlord’s Ruin Dungeon

The Indebted Kindness is a disgustingly powerful sidearm that feels like it belongs in its own unique category. Most sidearms are fully automatic or sport a decent fire rate. Compared to those, the Indebted Kindness shoots slowly, but each projectile does a ton of damage. With this weapon, you can lay waste to Champions and even put a dent in bosses.

As for Perks, the golden goose is Voltshot, arguably the best Arc perk in the game. Beacon Rounds is another popular perk, as it grants tracking if you score a kill.

You only have a small chance of getting the Indebted Kindness each time you beat the Warlord’s Ruin dungeon, but it’s well worth the effort.

The Other Half

• Type: Sword
• Element: Void
• Where to obtain: Dares of Eternity

If you’re a Halo player, you’ll instantly recognize where this weapon design draws inspiration. The Other Half is a fantastic sword and can roll with the desirable Eager Edge perk. You can lunge through the air multiple times with Eager Edge, and it opens up a ton of mobility options.

The Other Half can also roll with Vorpal Weapon, which deals additional damage to bosses. I don’t know the exact drop rates, but I farmed The Other Half for hours in the Dares of Eternity. The drop rate seems tremendously low, and while I firmly believe it’s worth it, strap in for a mighty grind.

Brigand’s Law

• Type: Sidearm
• Element: Arc
• Where to obtain: Xur may bring it on his weekly visits

The Brigand’s Law is a monster sidearm, and with the right perks, it almost feels like an Exotic. If you like weapons that are easy to control with a high rate of fire, you’ll love how Brigand’s Law feels.

A big reason this weapon is so sought after is its perks. Brigand’s Law can roll with Voltshot and Threat Detector. This combination is perfect for mob clearing and can destroy large groups within a few seconds. The Brigand’s Law is a little hard to get hold of nowadays, but Xur has sold a well-rolled one in the past and will hopefully do so again someday.

Calus Mini Tool

• Type: Submachine Gun
• Element: Solar
• Where to obtain: Presage Exotic Mission

The Calus Mini Tool is my favorite SMG in Destiny 2 and my go-to mob clearer. This weapon is so good that I bought five of them from Xur when he stocked them so I could craft my own. Mine has Unrelenting and Incandescent, which restores my health while my enemies explode. 

This perk combination alone is enough for me to recommend the weapon, and it’s a dream to use with a quick reload and manageable recoil. The Calus Mini Tool is a little ugly but has everything you could want in a top-tier SMG. If you see Xur selling it in the future, I recommend stocking up so you can build your own. 

Igneous Hammer

• Type: Hand Cannon
• Element: Solar
• Where to obtain: Trials of Osiris

There are plenty of incredible Hand Cannons in Destiny 2, but one of my favorites is the Igneous Hammer. This weapon has a low rate of fire but hits exceptionally hard and is incredible in The Crucible. The slow fire rate means you have to hit your shots, but if you’re accurate, you can crush Guardians before they can react.

Precision Instrument is an excellent perk for the Igneous Hammer as it increases precision damage. You can also use Keep Away, which improves range and accuracy when no enemies are nearby. I took a while to get used to this Hand Cannon, but you can challenge opponents who are miles away with it. If you’re aware of your surroundings, this is a force to be reckoned with in PVP.

The only downside is it’s an exclusive drop from the Trials of Osiris, Destiny 2’s sweatiest PVP mode. That said, if you want to take PVP seriously, it’s the mode for you and offers weapons best suited to the task.

Succession

• Type: Sniper
• Element: Kinetic
• Where to obtain: Onslaught mode

Sniper Rifles are in an odd spot in Destiny 2. I adore sniping but rarely find a situation for it outside of The Crucible. For those who enjoy long-range combat in a PVE setting, the Succession is for you. This is a Brave weapon, and I think it’s one of the strongest PVE Sniper rifles in the game.

The Succession can roll with Reconstruction, which slowly fills your magazine up to double capacity over time. This perk dramatically increases your damage output as you don’t waste time reloading. You can also get a Vorpal Weapon for increased damage against bosses or Firing Line for extra damage when you’re near your allies.

This rifle hits like a truck and may just make you fall in love with sniping in Destiny 2 again.

Cold Comfort

• Type: Rocket Launcher
• Element: Stasis
• Where to obtain: Ghosts of the Deep Dungeon

Ghosts of the Deep is arguably the most challenging Dungeon in the game, but weapons like the Cold Comfort make it worth the effort. Cold Comfort is a superb Stasis Rocket Launcher, but its real power comes from its Perks.

Rocket Launchers often suffer from brutal reload times, which can almost be entirely negated with Envious Assassin. This perk reloads the Cold Comfort if you defeat targets with other weapons, and there are plenty of strong options for the other slot. I’m still chasing the Explosive Light perk, which increases damage after collecting an Orb of Power. Another popular choice is Bait and Switch, which does more damage if you shoot a target with all of your other weapons first.

The Cold Comfort has it all, and it’s worth slogging through the Dungeon to get your own.

The Call

• Type: Sidearm (Rocket)
• Element: Strand
• Where to obtain: Pale Heart activities and Engrams

I’ve already mentioned the Indebted Kindness Sidearm, and it deserves its place on the list as it fires rocket projectiles. The Call is a Strand Sidearm that occupies the same niche archetype, and it’s glorious!

The Call hits like a Freight Train and has a perk pool full of desirable combinations. Mine has Beacon Rounds and Vorpal Weapon. Beacon Rounds give me tracking rounds so I never miss, and Vorpal Weapon grants extra damage against bosses.

To top it off, The Call is craftable, so you can get enhanced versions of those perks. The Call may not have access to the almighty Voltshot like the Indebted Kindness, but it is more than strong enough to compete.

Edge Transit

• Type: Grenade Launcher (Heavy Ammo)
• Element: Void
• Where to obtain: Onslaught mode

The Edge Transit is a remarkable Grenade Launcher, and it’s well worth grinding Onslaught for a good one. This weapon deals decent damage out of the box but has perks that kick our DPS into the stratosphere.

Envious Assassin is a mighty perk that can overfill the Edge Transits magazine. Combine that with Bait and Switch, which gives a whopping 30% damage boost, and you’ve got a potent boss killer on your hands.

Since I got one, the Edge Transit has become my go-to weapon for formidable enemies and DPS phases. Guardians raved about this Grenade Launcher when it was released, and I can confirm the hype is real!

Midnight Coup

• Type: Hand Cannon
• Element: Kinetic
• Where to obtain: Onslaught Mode

Many players sleep on Kinetic weapons because elemental damage is surely the way to go, right? The Midnight Coup proves Kinetic Guns can surpass their elemental competition, but it’s all down to the perks.

My Midnight Coup has the God Roll of Explosive Payload and Kinetic Tremors. This combo allows the Handcannon to double-dip on AOE effects and hit multiple targets with every shot.

On top of the fabulous perks, the Midnight Coup hits incredibly hard from the get-go and is comfortable to handle. If you’re not tied into a specific elemental combo, I urge you to take the Midnight Coup for a spin.

Mountaintop

• Type: Grenade Launcher (Special Ammo)
• Element: Kinetic
• Where to obtain: Onslaught mode

The Mountaintop is a well-known weapon among Destiny 2 veterans. While the original isn’t the powerhouse it once was (I still use mine for Mountaintop Skating), its Onslaught variant is worthy of the mantle.

I wasn’t a fan of The Mountaintop when I first tried it, but this is another weapon where the right perks make all the difference. For starters, Auto-Loading Holster is essential, as it automatically reloads the launcher after it’s been briefly stowed. The default reload time is pretty brutal, and I wouldn’t use the Mountaintop without it.

There’s a case to be made for Vorpal Weapon, but I like Recombination as it can potentially make the Mountaintop deal double damage. This punchy Grenade Launcher does it all and is worth its weight in gold if you find a good one.

No Hesitation

• Type: Auto Rifle
• Element: Solar
• Where to obtain: Pale Heart activities and Engrams

It’s rare when a Legendary weapon has such a powerful trait that it feels like an Exotic. The No Hesitation Auto Rifle comes very close, as it has a trait that allows you to heal teammates by shooting at them.

If that wasn’t enough, you and your buddy both get a burst of Restoration X2, which is incredibly strong. I wouldn’t be surprised if we lose the Restoration X2 down the line. As it stands, the No Hesitation fills a unique role as a support weapon, and it’s a pretty solid Auto Rifle in its own right.

I tried to keep the weapon types varied in this list, so don’t be offended if I didn’t mention your favorites. If you’re a new player, don’t forget to try out Onslaught to get your hands on the Brave weapons, as they are all exceptionally powerful.