Bungie released Combat bows in the Forsaken Expansion of Destiny 2. They are a unique blend of Sniper rifles and Scout rifles. Initially, they didn't make a significant mark in the game, but with the release of some game-changing exotics and exciting perks, they became one of the strongest weapons for both PvE and PvP activities.
Bows stand out as a unique and skill-intensive weapon class. With their precision and power, they have become a favorite among players seeking a satisfying blend of range, accuracy, and sheer elegance in their combat style. They are the only primary weapon in the game that can one-shot enemies like shotguns and snipers.
What are the best bows in Destiny 2?
Season of the Witch has reprised many weapons in the game that have changed the meta in favor of combat bows. Exotic bows now have intrinsic anti-champion perks, making them a must-pick in end-game activities. Here is the list of the top 7 bows in the game.
7. Tyranny Of Heaven (Best for PvE)
Tyranny of Heaven was released with one of the best raids, Last Wish, and it was considered the worst bow at that time. The weapon was made craftable in the Season of the Deep, and the perk pool was also refreshed, making it one of the best bows in the game.
The weapon's stats are above average, but what makes it a fantastic weapon is its ability to roll with the perk combination of Incandacent and Dragongly. It is a craftable weapon, so you can also get enhanced perks. A few perks are available for this gun that can be utilized for PvP, but this weapon mainly excels in PvE activities. The Archer’s Tempo perfectly pairs with the incandescent, making it an ad-clearing machine. You can pair it with your solar builds to make it even more deadlier.
Tyranny Of Heaven Stats
- Impact: 80
- Accuracy:
- Stability: 29
- Handling: 31
- Reload Speed: 34
- Aim Assistance: 35
- Inventory Size: 39
- Zoom: 12
- Airborne Effectiveness: 5
- Recoil: 80
- Draw Time: 55
PvE God roll:
- Bowstring: Polymer String
- Arrow: Straight Fletching
- Perk 1: Archer’s Tempo
- Perk 2: Incandescent
How to get Tyranny Of Heaven
To get Tyranny Of Heaven, you need to complete the encounters of the Last Wish raid. The weapon can drop from any encounter of the game, and if you have unlocked it in your collections, you can get it from the secret chests as well. We suggest you farm the first encounter (Kalli, the Corrupted) as it is the simplest and the fastest to complete. This weapon is also craftable, so you will need five patterns to craft it. You can farm the raid once it is the featured raid of the week to get all the red borders of the weapon.
6. Ticuu's Divination (Best for PvE)
Ticcu’s Divination was the seasonal weapon introduced with the Season of the Chosen and is undoubtedly one of the best game's best seasonal weaponshas a unique exotic ability that fires three arrows that track the enemies while hip-fired. Aiming before targeting any of those enemies will cause all of them to explode, creating a huge solar blast.
Ticcu is all about creating solar explosions and is a fun exotic for your solar builds. It is an excellent choice of weapon for end-game PvE activities such as Grandmaster Nightfalls and Raids, as it can clear ads quickly. You will take some time to adjust to its play style, but once you get it, you will prefer to keep it from your loadout.
Exotic Perk:
"Hipfiring this weapon fires multiple tracking projectiles. Targets marked explode upon death, or when struck again. Arrows fired while aiming down sights cause Sacred Flames to instantly detonate."
Ticuu's Divination Stats
- Impact: 68
- Accuracy: 32
- Stability: 52
- Handling: 66
- Reload Speed: 60
- Aim Assistance: 79
- Inventory Size: 65
- Zoom: 18
- Airborne Effectiveness: 23
- Recoil: 60
- Draw Time: 580
How to get Ticuu's Divination
Ticuu's Divination was available during Season of the Plunder via the Season Pass (either the paid or free track). You can now obtain this weapon from the exotic kiosk if you own the Witch Queen DLC. It costs 1 Exotic Cipher, 100,000 Glimmer, and 1 Ascendant Shard.
5. Leviathan’s Breath (Best for PvE)
Leviathan Breath is the only bow in the gun that uses heavy ammo. It was released with the Season of the Undying as a seasonal weapon. The gun's damage was insane, but still, it didn't make any difference because of its slow draw time. The catalyst of this weapon was reworked with the release of Lightall, giving it an enhanced version of Archer's Tempo. This catalyst changed the impact of this gun significantly, especially in PvE activities.
With the release of Void 3.0, volatile rounds became part of almost every activity. Leviathan Breath is an excellent choice for end-game activities as it syncs perfectly with ad-clearing void builds and provides an intrinsic perk of stunning Unstoppable Champions.
Exotic Perk:
"Fires a massive heavy bolt that stuns unshielded combatants. Strong against Unstoppable Champions. When fully drawn, the bolt creates a large concussive blast that knocks combatants back."
Leviathan’s Breath Stats
- Impact: 60
- Accuracy: 64
- Stability: 5
- Handling: 0
- Reload Speed: 0
- Aim Assistance: 66
- Inventory Size: 10
- Zoom: 20
- Airborne Effectiveness: 17
- Recoil: 75
- Draw Time: 1328
How to get Leviathan’s Breath
Just like Ticuu's Divination, Leviathan's Breath was also a seasonal weapon available during the Season of the Undying, and you can now only purchase it from the exotic kiosk. It costs 1 Exotic Cipher, 100,000 Glimmer, and 1 Ascendant Shard.
4. Under Your Skin (Best for PvE and PvP)
Under Your Skin is, without a doubt, an S-Tier legendary weapon of the game. It is a void damage bow that excels in both PvP and PvE. The perk pool is vast, and there is something for everyone. It was released with the Season of the Chosen and was the first craftable bow in the game.
Under Your Skin can roll with a legendary perk combination of Successful Warm-Up and Archer’s Tempo, which can reduce the draw time of this weapon to an unprecedented level. This combo can assist you in PvP activities, and you can combine it with the origin perk Land Tank to increase your damage resistance. Explosive Head is another excellent option for PvE content.
Under Your Skin Stats
- Impact: 76
- Accuracy:74
- Stability: 47
- Handling: 55
- Reload Speed: 40
- Aim Assistance: 70
- Inventory Size: 51
- Zoom: 18
- Airborne Effectiveness: 15
- Recoil: 75
- Draw Time: 684
PvP God roll:
- Bowstring: Agile Bowstring
- Arrow: Compact Arrow Shaft
- Perk 1: Archer’s Tempo
- Perk 2: Successful Warm Up
PvE God roll:
- Bowstring: Elastic String
- Arrow: Fiberglass Arrow Shaft
- Perk 1: Archer’s Tempo
- Perk 2: Explosive Head
How to get Under Your Skin
Under Your Skin was introduced in Season of the Risen, and it was easily farmable from the seasonal activities and focused engrams on Wartable; unfortunately, in the Season of the Witch, you can only buy this weapon from the vendors. The gunsmith offers weapons daily, and the Xur sells different weapons every weekend. Keep an eye out for both of these vendors; you will get the weapon on any rotation.
3. Wish-Ender (Best for PvE and PvP)
Wish-Ender was the first dungeon exotic of the game and has been very popular since its release. It was famous for its wall-hack ability to see enemies behind the covers. It was not something extraordinary for all the content of the game till the recent buffs. The damage of this gun is significantly buffed in the PvE activities, and it can also stun Anti Barrier Champions with a single bow.
Apart from PvE, it can also be an excellent choice for PvP, as you can see your enemies hiding behind the wall. With the right build, you can become a monster with this bow, as it can easily one-tap enemies from a fair distance.
Exotic Perk:
"While aiming down sights with a fully drawn Bow, combatants behind walls are highlighted, and arrows pierce shields. Strong against Barrier Champions. One shot can over-penetrate multiple targets."
Wish-Ender Stats
- Impact: 92
- Accuracy: 60
- Stability: 90
- Handling: 40
- Reload Speed: 30
- Aim Assistance: 51
- Inventory Size: 50
- Zoom: 18
- Airborne Effectiveness: 19
- Recoil: 60
- Draw Time: 780
How to get Wish-Ender
To get your hands on the Wish-Ender exotic bow, you must buy the Forsaken Expansion, which gives you access to Dreaming City destination, Last Wish raid, and the Shattered Throne dungeon. Once you own the expansion, you can access the quests kiosk at the tower and start the Hunter’s Remembrance Quest. In this quest, you must kill three enemies in the dungeon activity, and you can claim the weapon.
2. Trinity Ghoul (Best for PvE)
Trinity Ghoul is an exotic Bow introduced in the Forsaken expansion for Destiny 2. It can easily called the king of ad clear as the exotic perk of the weapon is devastating. You can use this exotic bow for any activity, from simple missions to end-game content like raids. The weapon made a significant comeback in the game with the release of its catalyst.
Trinity Ghoul is the perfect weapon for your arc builds, as any kill with the arc ability or the weapon itself will grant you a lightning rod. This means that you can get infinite lightning rods with the correct build. It has a great AOE effect and can clear waves of enemies in a blink of an eye. Trinity Ghoul is an excellent choice for PvE activities and can be used in PvE if you are confident enough to hit your headshots.
Exotic Perk:
"Fires an arrow that splits when released. Aiming down sights and fully drawing the bow both decrease the spread. Precision kills grant the next shot chain-lightning capabilities."
Trinity Ghoul Stats
- Impact: 80
- Accuracy: 80
- Stability: 50
- Handling: 53
- Reload Speed: 50
- Aim Assistance: 74
- Inventory Size: 52
- Zoom: 18
- Airborne Effectiveness: 24
- Recoil: 77
- Draw Time: 720
How to get Trinity Ghoul
There is no specific quest to get Trinity Ghoul. Instead, you can get it as a random reward for deciphering the exotic engrams. The exotic engrams follow a knockout system, increasing the chances of dropping the exotics you don’t own. The weekly vendor Xur also sells it occasionally, so you can also buy it from there.
1. Le Monarque (Best for PvE and PvP)
There are only two points of view on the Le Monarque exotic bow. This weapon will either make you love it or hate it. The weapon has been in the game's meta since its release in Forsaken DLC due to its extremely dangerous exotic perk. Le Monarque is ranked at the top of our list due to its dominance in PvE and PvP content.
Le Monarque has seen several buffs and nerfs during recent seasons. It was buffed in PvE activities, and the poisonous AOE effect of the gun was nerfed in PvP activities. You can pair it with a hand canon for quick swap kills, as the perfectly landed headshot can quickly leave the enemy with one hp.
The recently added catalyst of the weapon improved the stats of the gun by giving it more handling and the intrinsic perk Unrelenting, which heals you with each multi-kill, making you invincible in PvE activities.
Exotic Perk:
"Arrows fired quickly after a full draw become poison arrows. Precision hits with poison arrows spread poison to nearby enemies. Strong against Overload Champions"
Le Monarque Stats
- Impact: 68
- Accuracy:73
- Stability: 46
- Handling: 54
- Reload Speed: 40
- Aim Assistance: 70
- Inventory Size: 56
- Zoom: 18
- Airborne Effectiveness: 18
- Recoil: 78
- Draw Time: 612
How to get Le Monarque
The process of getting Le Monarque is straightforward. You need to farm some resources, and you can buy the weapon from the exotic kiosk at the tower. You will need:
- 1 x Exotic Cipher
- 125,000 x Glimmer
- 1 x Ascendant Shard
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