[Top 5] Destiny 2 Best Boss DPS Weapons (2020 Edition)

Updated:

09 Feb 2021

If you don't want to be the guy with the lowest damage on the wipe screen, you might want to stick around.

Every season of Destiny 2 brings a meta shift, sometimes drastic and sometimes minimal. Fortunately, the shift from Season of the Worthy to Season of Arrivals had little impact on optimal boss DPS. We’re always on the hunt for the best weapons to use in endgame activities such as raids, grandmaster nightfalls, and the dungeon. However, not every loadout fits every player’s playstyle. Whether you like to be in charge of debuffs, or you like to pump out the damage, there’s a weapon for you and that’s exactly what we’re going to find out. Note that for your use, a final sunsetting level will be listed as well. For reference we are currently in Season 11.

1. Any Whirlwind Sword

This thicc blade Falling Guilllotine is bound to be a favorite of yours this season.

Ah yes, the sword meta. Love it or hate it it’s here to stay. With the latest buff to swords, they have been in high demand due to a perk called Whirlwind Blade. This perk will increase your sword damage per successive hit, making it clear as to why they reign supreme in most endgame encounters (just keep clicking!). Furthermore, this season introduced the Falling Guillotine, or spin to win. The Vortex Frame allows you to launch a heavy spin attack that lets you spin briefly like a top to inflict even more consistent DPS on bosses. You can unlock it by achieving Rank 30 on the season pass and continue farming them through the Umbral Engrams, making it even easier for you to obtain one of the best DPS weapons. The Falling Guillotine is used in almost all endgame encounters where bosses are right in your face and should definitely be part of your loadout, so start leveling up your season pass! NOTE: The attached video was before Bungie fixed a bug causing Vortex Frames to cause additional damage. However, it still wrecks.

Stats (Falling Guillotine):

Swing Speed: 46
Impact: 60
Defense: 60

What Makes Falling Guillotine Awesome:

It’s a thicc blade
Its intrinsic Vortex Frame stacks very well with Whirlwind Blade
Easily farmable through Umbral Engrams (make sure you hit Rank 35 first)
Sword buffs have been very generous to boss dps

Best Boss Damage Setup:

Honed Edge
Burst Guard
Tireless Blade
Whirlwind Blade

Sunset: Power level 1360 (Season 15)

How to Obtain Falling Guillotine + Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbBOCOJpMaE

2. Xenophage

Say hello to everyone's favorite LMG... Because it's the only good boss LMG.

This quirky little LMG started to gain traction during last season’s Season of the Worthy when Bungie decided to give it some love. This weapon is very interesting simply because it has no crit damage, meaning it can be very forgiving. Its DPS is also a good blend of sustained and bursty, making it a reliable heavy damage weapon that’s both manageable and efficient. It also has some great synergy with Actium War Rig, an exotic chest piece for titans that will reload your LMG as you keep firing. In conclusion, it’s simply easy to use and everything else got nerfed, so use Xenophage!

Stats:

Impact: 100
Range: 71
Stability: 39
Handling: 37
Reload Speed: 38
Aim Assistance: 33
Recoil: 85

What Makes Xenophage Awesome:

It comes from a targetable quest (no RNG)
Easy to manage; requires no micromanage for optimal DPS
Works very well with Actium War Rig for Titans
Looks freakin’ awesome

Best Boss Damage Setup:

Default

Sunset: Indefinite

How to Obtain Xenophage + Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6S6Wg3xSlLQ&t=2s

3. Divinity

The Garden of Salvation exotic trace rifle Divinity is bound to make you a fireteam favorite.

Before Shadowkeep launched, Bungie teased this weapon in one of its ViDocs and the community went wild. A weapon that continuously debuffs single targets? Sounds great! And it is. This exotic trace rifle requires a semi-lengthy quest and completion of the Garden of Salvation raid, but it’s well worth your time. Divinity makes you valuable to your fireteam by constantly providing a bubble around your target when you fire, making your teammates get a buff (more accurately, it generates a debuff on the target) increasing your team’s total DPS. This is not a weapon that deals insane DPS, rather it lets your fireteam deal the DPS.

Stats:

Impact: 6
Range: 70
Stability: 78
Handling: 56
Reload Speed: 50
Aim Assistance: 100
Recoil: 100

What Makes Divinity Awesome:

Provides a debuff for your fireteam
Press and hold the trigger; no further instructions
It comes from a targetable quest (no RNG)
Takes special ammo

Best Boss Damage Setup:

Default

Sunset: Indefinite

How to Obtain Divinity + Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IQ6M43gEus&t=52s

4. Whisper of the Worm

The fiendish Whisper of the Worm still reigns supreme in single target crit damage.

Thought this guy faded from the meta? Think again. Whisper made its appearance as a surprise exotic quest years ago that took the community by surprise. Its nature as a spiritual successor to Destiny 1’s Black Hammer made players ecstatic, and even after its nerf, it still has a place in boss and raid damage. It boasts higher base precision damage and the ability to reload your sniper automatically by successively landing precision shots. See where I’m going here? Despite a nerf that made the weapon reload from reserves instead of generating ammo, it is still a solid choice for sustained DPS, making it a great choice on damage phase bosses. Fun fact: the successive precision shot requirement works with Divinity, meaning you don’t have to aim for the boss’s crit spot anymore! NOTE: Whisper is no longer only available on weekends; you can do the public event whenever you want.

Stats:

Impact: 100
Range: 78
Stability: 24
Handling: 35
Reload Speed: 42
Aim Assistance: 39
Recoil: 74

What Makes Whisper of the Worm Awesome:

Simple to use yet effective (just point and click)
Exotic sniper rifle that is also good for add clear
No micromanaging reloads
Quest is now readily available, but requires some RNG for the Taken Blight public event

Best Boss Damage Setup:

Default

Sunset: Indefinite

How to Obtain Whisper of the Worm + Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRewTTLRkYk&t=245s

5. Grenade Launchers

Gear up for some Iron Banner at a chance for a god roll Swarm of the Raven.

Grenade launchers were once thought of as menial tools for fun rather than significant DPS. However, when Bungie introduced the very infamous Mountaintop grenade launcher, coupled with a buff to spike grenade damage, you would rarely see a fireteam member not sporting one of these bad boys. Shadowkeep also introduced the perk Full Court, which increases your damage output depending on distance from your foe.

Unfortunately, one of the stronger grenade launchers Wendigo GL3 is getting sunset this next season, rendering its use in endgame activities minimal. This legendary grenade launcher was obtained through one of Zavala’s grindy quests and boasts the perk Explosive Light. Explosive Light would buff your mag’s damage depending on how many orbs of light you picked up (capping out at 6) and would deal a significant amount of DPS on your first mag empty. Furthermore, it uses blinding grenades which act as a flashbang for your foes. It might be a little late to use this guy, but if you still want to use it in regular activities Wendigo is still relevant. If you want a grenade launcher that’s a little more future proof, try and get the aggressive frame Swarm of the Raven from Iron Banner (boo I know) but it’ll be worth your time. It can roll with Spike Grenades, Auto-Loading Holster, and Quickdraw, making it optimal for quick swapping weapons between damage phases.

Stats (Swarm of the Raven);

Stability: 29
Handling: 26
Reload Speed: 29
Velocity: 54
Blast Radius: 15
Aim Assistance: 27
Recoil: 63

What Makes Swarm of the Raven Awesome:

Perk combination allows for quick cycling between weapons
Recently got updated for sunset levels
Spammable damage

Best Boss Damage Setup:

Volatile Launch
Proximity Grenades
Auto-Loading Holster
Quickdraw/Genesis

Sunset: Power level 1360 (Season 15)

How to Obtain Swarm of the Raven + Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVMNRE6FwWY&t=138s

Honorable mention: Izanagi’s Burden

This Japanese inspired exotic sniper rifle is still a community favorite today.

Izanagi’s Burden is one of the coolest weapons in the game in terms of design. It was released with the Season of the Forge DLC after the kerfuffle of the community attempting to unlock the forges (look it up it was rough) and remained the best DPS weapon until this last season. Its exotic perk Honed Edge would allow you to jamp pack 2 to 4 rounds into one shot, amplifying your damage relative to how many rounds you reloaded. As you can imagine, this resulted in some large scale burst DPS from this gun.

What’s interesting about the nerf is that it didn’t target damage at all, rather reload. Reload speed directly contributes to this weapon’s DPS because the faster you can reload, the more honed edge shots you can jam in. Bungie replaced its outlaw perk with no distractions, and reduced the impact that reload perks and speed have on the weapon, making it much less forgiving. Nevertheless, Izanagi’s is still a decent choice if you’re good at maintaining its rhythm and landing your shots.

Stats:

Impact: 70
Range: 53
Stability: 47
Handling: 52
Reload Speed: 46
Aim Assistance: 62
Recoil: 73

What Makes Izanagi’s Burden Awesome:

High burst damage
Very cool weapon design
Kinetic sniper rifle for loadout diversity
Good for major and minor bosses

Best Boss Damage Setup:

Default

Sunset: Indefinite

How to Obtain Izanagi’s Burden + Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXrhoylMcy0

Honorable mention: Firing Line Snipers

Distant Tumulus: Simple, yet effective.

This one also requires a certain degree of coordination and can be pretty niche. Firing Line is a perk introduced last year that increases your damage if your teammates are nearby. This means your damage phases would largely require formations and a relatively stationary boss. Fortunately, this is the behavior of most final raid bosses where you and your team are nearby, but the boss is far enough that you probably can’t use swords (Insurrection Prime, Sol Inherent). Furthermore, these weapons are legendaries that require special ammo; not heavy. This means that you could sport a Whisper and a firing line sniper for more sustained boss damage. The reason they’re not on the top of the list is there is only one sniper with firing line that can be infusable past 1060 this next season and that weapon is Distant Tumulus (infusable to Season 14) which is a common world drop. Otherwise, you can find this perk on weapons like Sole Survivor (Gambit Prime/Reckoning) or Tranquility (Lectern).

Stats (Distant Tumulus):

Impact: 55
Range: 36
Stability: 37
Handling: 67
Reload Speed: 61
Aim Assistance: 72
Recoil: 52

What Makes Distant Tumulus Awesome:

Rolls with VERY good PvE perks in both columns
Can also roll with decent PvP perks
Rapid Fire frame for deeper ammo reserves

Best Boss Damage Setup:

Fluted Barrel
Tactical Mag
Dragonfly/Lead From Gold/Clown Cartridge
Firing Line

Sunet: Power level 1310 (Season 14)

How to Obtain Distant Tumulus + Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fKWL7SRQiU

There are our top picks for boss DPS in the current season of Destiny 2. Of course, these are all subjective and relative to the task at hand, but generally speaking these will give you the juicy DPS you’re looking for. Do you have any other weapons or combos you use for endgame boss DPS?

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