[Top 15] Destiny 2 Best DPS Weapons That Are Most Powerful (And How To Get Them)

Do you need to do a lot of damage in a short amount of time? Are you tired of wiping in Raids and Master level activities? Then you may be looking for a good DPS weapon to help you out! DPS stands for ‘Damage per second’ and measures the amount of damage that can be done to a target in a second. Some weapons are very poor at being DPS weapons, as they fire slow, have small magazines, or are just not made for DPS. Speed is the name of the game here, and if you are too slow you can face consequences. 

Consequences include being killed in ranked PVP to wiping a Raid encounter, forcing you to start said encounter over again. Some just don’t want to waste time and want to speed run encounters and activities, completing them as quickly as possible. In these cases, you will need something that will do a lot of damage and fast. 

Below I have chosen 15 different exotic weapons that will fit the bill for all your DPS needs. I have picked 5 weapons from each type of category (Primary, Energy, and Heavy), all with different abilities and stats so you may choose which will be best suited for you. Some fit better with certain play styles. Some are easier to pick up skill-wise than others. Some are just plain fun to use. Whichever you decide to go with, this guide will certainly point you in the right direction. 

15. Sleeper Simulant (Best for PvE)

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Originally introduced in the Warmind expansion years ago, it proves that despite all the nerfs and changes over the years, some guns are still just good. Sleeper Simulant still finds a lot of play in Destiny 2 and is beloved as a DPS powerhouse for niche users. It’s a weapon relying on a steady hand for crit damage, so it’s best for those that can keep their cool under pressure.

Linear Fusion Rifles had received a buff not too long ago, so players can now get some extra damage from their Sleepers, a buff much needed for a weapon type most consider to be neglected. The true potential is unlocked with the completion of its catalyst, which allows you to shoot faster and longer. When in a fight where damage needs to be done fast, Sleeper can more than contribute to the ensuing destruction. 

Weapon Stats:

• Damage type: Solar 
• Intrinsic Perk: Moving Target - Increased movement speed and target acquisition when moving while aiming down sights.
• Exotic Perk: Dornröschen Laser - overpenetrates and refracts.
• Catalyst completion trait: Lowers the weapon charge rate stat by -250 and expands the ammo reserves.
• Impact: 41
• Range: 63
• Stability: 59
• Handling: 46
• Reload Speed: 50
• Charge Time: 1024
• Magazine: 4

What makes Sleeper Simulant awesome:

• Great with many builds and can be used by any class.
• Catalyst improves the weapon by lowering charge time and increasing ammo reserves.
• Free to Play and easy to get for all players.
• Precision damage builds will max out the damage output of the Sleeper.

How to Get Sleeper Simulant:

• Head to the Tower and visit the Monument to Lost Lights
• Go to the “Red War Exotics” section to find the Sleeper Simulant. 
• Sleeper Simulant costs One Exotic Cipher, 125,000 Glimmer, 200 Baryon Bough (the Planetary Material from the Dreaming City), and One Ascendant Shard.

14. The Lament (Best for PvE)

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One of my personal favorites, the Lament is time-consuming, but a well worth weapon to acquire. Not only is it cool for being a literal chainsaw sword, (or a chainsword for fellow Warhammer 40K fans), but it can also dish out tons of damage. For those that prefer up close and personal fighting, you can’t do much better than a sword, let alone a sword that heals you as you deal damage.

Even with getting stomped by a boss, you can keep dealing damage as long as your heal rate outpaces the damage rate of the boss. This often results in me watching my friend melt a boss in under a minute because it’s a solar burn week and it only stacks on top of the damage already being done. Even without the aid of a burn, it’s still great for not only cutting down a boss but also great for taking everything out around you. When you are cut off from a bubble or a well, this weapon trait could very much save you from death.

Weapon Stats:

• Damage type: Solar
• Intrinsic Perk: Banshee's Wail - Hold [Block] to rev the blade. Increases damage, shield bypass, and adds [Shield-Piercing] shield piercing to all attacks. Gain stacks when dealing damage with revved attacks. Additional stacks increase the damage and damage resistance of heavy attacks.
• Exotic Perk: Revved Consumption - Damaging a combatant heals the wielder.
• Swing Speed: 46
• Impact: 74
• Guard Resistance: 70
• Stability: 50
• Ammo Capacity: 62
• Charge Rate: 32
• Charge Time: 20
• Magazine: 60

What makes The Lament awesome:

• Revving up the sword allows you to bypass shielded enemies. 
• Great for getting up close and personal, as you heal as you do damage.
• Can still damage even without ammo, though the sword is slowed by a lot.
• Great for Solar burn weeks.
• Can save you if you are low on health.

How to Get The Lament:

• Own the Beyond Light DLC and finish the main campaign and post-campaign quests.
• Go to Banshee-44 to get the Lost Lament quest. 
• Locate and scan 3 dead Exos on Europa. 
• You’ll need to go into the Bray Exoscience facility and explore until you find the Giant Exo with the Clovis AI inside. There is a quest marker to lead you to him.
• Prove your worth to the Clovis AI by killing 100 Vex with a sword. Also, players will need to defeat 20 Minotaurs, Hydras, or Cyclops with sword final blows. 
• Complete an Exo Challenge. 
• Go to Banshee-44 to get the Old Secrets, New Challenges Campaign Mission. Finish this for the next step.
• Defeat Vex with finishers, defeating powerful Vex grants more progress for your percentage. 
• Replay “The Glassway” strike on Europa and locate blade pieces. You can get the blades by defeating the Transcendent Harpy during the boss fight. 
• Visit Banshee-44 at the Tower. 
• Head to Eventide Ruins and explore an abandoned bunker. Complete the Bunker E15 Lost Sector.
• Complete the “Reforging the Past" to save the Clovis AI. 
• Visit Banshee-44 at the Tower once again.

13. Gjallarhorn (Best for PvP and PvE)

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“If there is beauty in destruction, why not also in its delivery?” — Feizel Crux

A beautiful, yet deadly rocket launcher, Gjallarhorn returned to Destiny 2 with the 30th Anniversary update. Originally forged from the armor of fallen Guardians during the battle of Twilight Gap, it now has a second life for new players. It’s powerful, not because it shoots a rocket, but because it also shoots tracking cluster missiles. It’s a godsend for those with shaky hands and poor aim, because no matter where you shoot, you are going to hit your target.

Gjallarhorn thrives as a group weapon, as being with a fireteam grants you increased handling and reload speed. Not only that, it grants Wolfpack rounds to your friends touting non-exotic rocket launchers. However, it’s highly useful in solo play as well, especially in solar burn weeks. A few shots from Gjallarhorn are enough to kill most yellow bar enemies. Combine this with mods that increase your ammo reserves and chance to find heavy ammo, and you are going to be a killing machine.

Weapon Stats:

• Damage type: Solar
• Intrinsic Perk: Pack Hunter - Gain increased handling and reload speed when standing near allies. Firing this weapon also grants Wolfpack Rounds to nearby allies wielding non-Exotic Rocket Launchers.
• Exotic Perk: Wolfpack Rounds - Rounds fired split into tracking cluster missiles upon detonation.
• Catalyst completion trait: More Wolves - Increases magazine size. Final blows with Wolfpack Rounds spawn a faster, more powerful missile at the target's location.
• Blast Radius: 95
• Velocity: 51
• Stability: 68
• Handling: 69
• Reload Speed: 43
• Rounds Per Minute: 15
• Magazine: 1

What makes Gjallarhorn awesome:

• Great for team and solo play.
• One hit is all you need to take out other Guardians in PVP.
• Missing with the main rocket shot still leaves the seeker missiles to take out enemies.
• Gives a buff to teammates as well as yourself. 
• Does tons of damage and even more combined with certain mods.

How to Get Gjallarhorn:

• Download the 30th Anniversary update and play a round of Dares of Eternity.
• Go to Xur's Treasure Hoard and talk to Xur to get the ‘And Out Fly The Wolves’ quest.
• Go to the Cosmodrome and speak to Shaw Han, he will point you to the Grasp of Avarice dungeon.
• Complete Grasp of Avarice dungeon to get one Wolfpack Round. Return to Shaw.
• Kill high level fallen to get seven more Wolfpack Rounds. Return to Shaw.
• Go to Banshee in the Tower. He will send you to complete the Exodus Garden 2A Lost Sector in the Cosmodrome.
• Return to Shaw. There is a workbench across from him that will prompt you to assemble all the pieces you have together. 
• You now have the Gjallarhorn! The catalyst can be found in chests in the Grasp of Avarice dungeon.

12. Deathbringer (Best for PvP and PvE)

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Deathbringer lives up to its name by bringing void death to all that dare oppose you. Enhancing yourself with void-based mods such as Volatile Rounds will only make Deathbringer deadlier. With the current season focusing on Void 3.0, there has never been a better time to give this rocket launcher a try.

What makes this number unique is that it doesn’t fire a rocket. Instead, you shoot a void bomb that splits off into smaller target-seeking orbs, much like a Warlock’s nova bomb. The further the orb has to travel down before it splits into smaller orbs, the more damage it does. Corner your enemy in just the right spot, and there’s no way they can escape the orbs from annihilating them. Great for killing Guardians as well as Bosses, you can take Deathbringer anywhere for a good time.

Weapon Stats:

• Damage type: Void
• Intrinsic Perk: Dark Descent - The further a Void orb falls, the more powerful its detonation becomes.
• Exotic Perk: Dark Deliverance - Fires remotely detonated projectiles that drop Void orbs on combatants. [Shoot] : Fire; release to detonate.
• Catalyst completion trait: Dead Weight - Increases how quickly Dark Descent reaches its full potential.
• Blast Radius: 100
• Velocity: 42
• Stability: 58
• Handling: 69
• Reload Speed: 67
• Rounds Per Minute: 15
• Magazine: 1

What makes Deathbringer awesome:

• Acts like a miniature Nova Bomb. 
• Great for Void burn weeks.
• Kills Guardians just as fast as a Bosses. 
• Seeking void orbs are hard for enemies to escape.

How to Get Deathbringer:

• Go to the  Quest Archive in the Tower. Select the ‘Symphony of Death’ Exotic quest.
• Explore the Circle of Bones on the moon, an area deep underground accessed by the Hellmouth.
• Speak to Eris Morn for the next part of the quest.
• Collect three bones by 1) Complete a public event near the Hellmouth area. 2) Complete K1 Revelation Lost sector. 3) Find the wandering Bone Collector
• Next, defeat High Conductor Sulmakta which is located within the Scarlett Keep strike.
• After that, You will need to do three different tasks. Which are Discomfort recorded: Defeat regular enemies, Pained cries recorded: Defeat elites and mini-bosses, and Anguished screams recorded: Defeat bosses or other Guardians. Doing these on the moon grants faster progress.
• Return to the Circle of Bones to defeat Ir Airam, Deathsinger.
• Speak to Eris Morn where you will receive Deathbringer. 

11. Parasite (Best for PvE)

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One of the new Exotics that dropped with the Witch Queen, it’s well worth the effort and time to get. Why? Because it is one of the best DPS dealers currently in the game. This grenade launcher doesn’t launch bombs, it launches a hive worm that explodes for massive damage. It has become a bit of a meme among my friend group, shouting ‘WORM!’ before we decimate a boss with said worm. It’s enough to take out a bar or two of major bosses or destroy regular minor bosses.

That being said it takes some practice to use, as it launches in an arc. Learn to time and aim right, and it will land where you want. As it is a heavy grenade launcher, it’s slow to reload. Using mods to offset this drawback is the best way to approach this and soon you’ll be clearing rooms with your horrible worm weapon. Great for dealing a lot of damage in a short amount of time, the damage is only the icing on the cake of a fun weapon to use.

Weapon Stats:

• Damage type: Solar
• Intrinsic Perk: Worm Byproduct - Taking damage from your worm projectile detonation empowers your weapons for a short time.
• Exotic Perk: Worm's Hunger - Fires exploding Hive worms. Damage scales with the number of enemies you’ve defeated just before firing the weapon.
• Blast Radius: 55
• Velocity: 10
• Stability: 58
• Handling: 52
• Reload Speed: 50
• Rounds Per Minute: 120
• Magazine: 1

What makes Parasite awesome:

• Damage scales by previously defeated enemies, allowing for massive damage.
• Getting splash damage by the blast will empower your weapons.
• It’s hilarious and fun to use. 
• Works for Ad-clear along with major boss damage.

How to Get Parasite:

• Finish the Witch Queen main campaign. 
• Travel to the Enclave on Mars to talk to Ikora. She will give you the ‘Queens and Worms’ Quest. Enter the crafting area and interact with the Hive Worm.
• Complete the Birthplace of Vile Strike. Loot the chest and look for ripples to interact with. There will be a table to place the worm to progress the quest.
• Go to the Throne World to talk to Fynch. Open your map to find the Cryptoglyph Rune. 
• Go to the Temple of the Cunning and  Defeat the Scorn in the Throne World 
• Go to the Sepulcher Lost Sector in the Florescent Canal. Finish the Lost Sector and look for the ripples again. There will be a statue to jump over. Place the worm on the table and loot the final chest.
• Complete three patrols in the Florescent Canal. 
• Open the map again and locate the Cryptoglyph Rune in the Queen’s Bailey. 
• Find the Metamorphosis Lost sector in Miasma. 
• Look for the same ripples or Deepsight and then go through an alternate pathway to place the hive worm again. 
• Open the map and locate another Cryptoglyph Rune in the Alluring Curtain. 
• Look for the Design Cache in the Alluring Curtain by shooting certain totems on the platforms and doing the different jump puzzles. 
• Find the entrance to the Extraction Lost Sector in the Quagmire. Look for ripples or Deepsight and go through the alternate pathway to place the Hive worm for the last time. 
• Visit Fynch in the Throne World and get the Hive Casing.
• Complete the Parasitic Pilgrimage mission to get the Parasite.
• Note that this is a difficult mission to do alone, bring a fireteam.

10. Fourth Horseman (Best for PvE)

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Do you like looking your enemies in the eye before you blow them away? If so, then the Fourth Horseman may be the gun for you. Once it gets started, you only stop once you completely run out of special ammo. You simply fire, and with each hit, it does more damage and spreads out more to hit everything else. With the finished Catalyst, you have to reload less, and thus keep shooting. Pair this with shotgun ammo mods and finders and you become a master of damage.

This is great for PVE content because this is enough to put the hurt on yellow bar enemies, let alone bosses. However, you will want to use this on enemies where precision doesn’t matter. Don’t use this on bosses like Riven, who punishes you for non-precision damage. Still, it doesn’t require a lot of skill, just point and click, so it’s a great beginner exotic for new players that want to help, but are not able to hit precision kills yet.

Weapon Stats:

• Damage type: Arc
• Intrinsic Perk: Broadside - Each successive shot has more damage and more spread.
• Exotic Perk: Thunderer - Significantly increased rate of fire.
• Catalyst completion trait: And Its Name Was Death - Adds an additional round to the magazine and increases reload speed.
• Impact: 80
• Range: 30
• Stability: 50
• Handling: 40
• Reload Speed: 78
• Rounds Per Minute: 360
• Magazine: 5

What makes the Fourth Horseman awesome:

• Deals massive amounts of spread damage, making it good for Ad-Clear as well.
• Doesn’t require a lot of skill to use, making it great for new players.
• Body shots count along with precision damage.
• Arc damage is great for popping arc shields.

How to Get the Fourth Horseman:

• Head to the Tower and visit the Monument to Lost Lights
• Go to the “Shadowkeep Exotics” section to find the Fourth Horsemen. 
• Fourth Horsemen costs One Exotic Cipher, 125,000 Glimmer, 200 Dusklight Shard (the Planetary Material from the EDZ), and One Ascendant Shard.

9. The Chaperone (Best for PvP)

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I have praised The Chaperone before for being one of the best shotguns in the game, and it’s the same here on DPS damage. This is a gun that rewards players who can and do make consistent precision damage. The Roadborn perk is perfect for this and allows you to keep dealing damage providing you keep hitting the crit spots. This is a shotgun built for hitting specific spots and thus doesn’t have spread to worry about.

However, this means it won’t take out other enemies at the same time, so this is best focused on one target at a time. It’s painful to get sniped by a shotgun, but it goes to show just how much damage can be done in the hands of a skilled Guardian. I recommend this for more experienced players for PVP, but it’s worth getting and practicing with it regardless. 

Weapon Stats:

• Damage type: Kinetic
• Intrinsic Perk: Precision Slug - Single-slug precision round.
• Exotic Perk: The Roadborn - Precision kills briefly grant bonus handling, range, and precision damage with this weapon.
• Catalyst completion trait: Masterworks the weapon.
• Impact: 75
• Range: 100
• Stability: 37
• Handling: 82
• Reload Speed: 37
• Rounds Per Minute: 70
• Magazine: 6

What makes The Chaperone awesome:

• Rewards precision skill-based players.
• Allows for maneuverability in a battle.
• Kinetic weapon type means that you will not need to pick up ammo.
• Consistent in precision kills.

How to get The Chaperone:

• Own the Beyond Light DLC.
• Go visit Shaw Han in the Cosmodrome. Talk to him and he will have the ‘Blast from the Past’ exotic quest available to take from his inventory. 
• Defeat 100 combatants. Stronger combatants give more progress.
• Defeat combatants with your Super and abilities: Supers give more progress. Once done, talk to Shaw Han in the Cosmodrome.
• Speak with Amanda Holliday in the Tower.
• Defeat 100 enemy combatants and complete three public events on Europa. Once done, Talk to Amanda Holliday in the Tower.
• Defeat 150 enemies with Precision damage, and 100 with Shotguns in either Gambit or Crucible. Guardian kills give more progress.
• Speak with Amanda Holliday and she will give you The Chaperone.

8. Lord of Wolves (Best for PvP and PvE)

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“By this right alone do I rule.”
 

Another recommended shotgun, Lord of Wolves is a unique and strange weapon. It does a lot of damage at once, as you fire your clip in a burst and not in a single round like most shotguns. Thus, it can outright delete a lover-level mob and do tons of damage to Bosses and Guardians. I have taken out many a Guardian with Lord of Wolves and have brought it along into Legend activities as a DPS dealer.

Though it has a higher clip than most other shotguns, it tends to run out of ammo fast. You will need to equip mods to help you find special ammo consistently and be aware of your ammo reserves when engaging enemies. If you know how to make effective use of your ammo, you’ll find yourself dealing tons of damage in short amounts of time.

Weapon Stats:

• Damage type: Solar
• Intrinsic Perk: Shrapnel Launcher - Powerful short-range Solar burst.
• Exotic Perk: Release the Wolves [Alternate Weapon Action] - Swap to a longer, more powerful burst.
• Catalyst completion trait: Fang and Claw - Increases reload speed while Release the Wolves is active, and increases stability when it is not.
• Impact: 68
• Range: 28
• Stability: 59
• Handling: 46
• Reload Speed: 64
• Rounds Per Minute: 640
• Magazine: 6

What makes weapon name awesome:

• Powerful enough to kill most Mobs outright and deal damage to bosses and Guardians.
• Easy to use and learn for new players.
• Does elemental damage, great for solar burn weeks.
• Fun to use as it is unique and different.

How to get Lord of Wolves:

• Opening Fated Engrams purchased from Xur.
• Opening Exotic Engrams dropped during high-level activities.
• Purchasing from Xur using Legendary Shards.
• For help finding Xur, use WhereisXur.com

7. Izanagi's Burden (Best for PvE)

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You might be surprised to see a sniper rifle on this list, but don’t worry, it has more than earned its spot here. Izanagi's Burden’s true potential is unlocked once you complete its catalyst, which can give you a 400% increased damage when using the Honed Edge ability. That alone is enough to deal some crazy amounts of damage for a precision hit, but Izanagi's Burden can also be used in combos with other weapons to maximize their effectiveness as well.

Like with other special ammo-based weapons, you will need to keep an eye on your ammo reserves. Equip mods that will allow more Special Ammo to spawn, and be sure to make your shots count. For this reason, I recommend Izanagi's Burden for the more experienced player who knows how to hit their targets. 

Weapon Stats:

• Damage type: Kinetic 
• Intrinsic Perk: No Distractions - Aiming this weapon for a short period reduces flinch.
• Exotic Perk: Honed Edge [Alternate Weapon Action] - Consume the magazine and load a more powerful round.
• Catalyst completion trait: Peerless Edge - Increases the damage bonus of Honed Edge when four bullets are consumed.
• Impact: 70
• Range: 62
• Stability: 60
• Handling: 52
• Reload Speed: 46
• Rounds Per Minute: 90
• Magazine: 4

What makes Izanagi's Burden awesome:

• Combos with other weapons to maximize damage.
• One of the highest DPS weapons in the game. 
• Rewards precision-based players.
• Great for all forms of play.

How to Get Izanagi's Burden:

• Head to the Tower and visit the Monument to Lost Lights
• Go to the “Forsaken Exotics” section to find Izanagi’s Burden. 
• Izanagi’s Burden costs One Exotic Cipher, 150,000 Glimmer, 250 Spinmetal Leaves (the Planetary Material from the Cosmodrome), and Two Ascendant Shards.

6. Divinity (Best for PvE)

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“Calibrate reality. Seek inevitability. Embody divinity.”

This might be a strange inclusion on this list for newer players, but Divinity on its own does not deal massive amounts of damage. However, this trace rifle shines in a group and having one person run Divinity is enough to make a huge difference in the speed of completing the activity. Divinity works by spawning a Vex cage around the target it is hitting, which amplifies crit damage as long as you keep hitting them. This works for your team too, allowing them to pour on the damage as long as your aim stays true.

Thus, it has a reputation in raid teams of having one person be required to have it. It’s a well-earned reputation, however, as it makes DPS phases go quickly and can sometimes end encounters before the next phase can even begin. It’s worth the trouble to get and I would recommend getting it as soon as you possibly can. If you want to be a team player, Divinity is the rifle to go with.

Weapon Stats:

• Damage type: Arc
• Intrinsic Perk: Judgment - Sustained damage with this weapon envelops the target in a field that weakens and stuns them. Strong against [Disruption] Overload Champions.
• Exotic Perk: Penance - Targets under the effects of Judgment long enough are struck with a burst of damage.
• Impact: 6
• Range: 70
• Stability: 100
• Handling: 60
• Reload Speed: 51
• Rounds Per Minute: 1000
• Magazine: 94

What makes Divinity awesome. 

• Valuable in raids and other high-level PVE activities.
• Great for team players and those with great aim.
• Enhances the damage of other players, letting you all gang up on a boss.
• Having Divinity will let you get invited to most Legend and Raid encounters.

How to get Divinity:

• Have the Shadowkeep DLC.
• Visit the Vex portal In Lunar Battlegrounds and kill all Vex.
• Scan all Three Oracles in Lost Sectors On Nessus.
• Kill 120 Vex on Moon to Get Decryption Cores.
• Buy Empowered Decryption Core from Lectern Of Enchantment.
• Solve Puzzles and complete the Garden Of Salvation Raid.
• If you need help finding a fireteam to get through the raid, try joining a clan, most of which have a dedicated channel/board for those looking for a raid team. 

5. Hawkmoon (Best for PvP and PvE)

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You may be surprised to find a hand canon on this list, and you wouldn’t be wrong. However, Hawkmoon is a little different and has tons of potential in the right hands. If you consider yourself a lucky person, you might be able to make use of its ability to use Paracausal Charges to your advantage. Since the last round in a magazine deals bonus damage, those that know how to use their ammo effectively will find this hand canon dealings tons of damage. Just simply load up on kills lower-level ads before unleashing its full might directly into the face of a boss.

Nowadays Hawkmoon is finding ground in PVP again. If you are good at movement and aiming at the same time, you are going to get an edge over everyone else. Since you don’t have to kill anyone to build up your charge, you can just precision tap and then use the last full round to destroy a Guardian. Usually, weapon ornaments are just used to flex or to make your favorite weapon match your armor, but in this case, I highly recommend using the ‘Austroraptor’ ornament with Hawkmoon. It has a laser sight on it, which makes Hawkmoon even more deadly than it already is.

Weapon Stats:

• Damage type: Kinetic
• Intrinsic Perk: Randomly Rolled and changes each week.
• Exotic Perk: Paracausal Shot - Final blows and precision hits with Hawkmoon grant stacks of Paracausal Charge. The final round in the magazine deals bonus damage based on the number of stacks. Stowing Hawkmoon on the final round removes this bonus.
• Catalyst completion trait: Hunter's Trance - Increased magazine size. Grants increased handling, reload speed, and weapon range based on the number of stacks of Paracausal Charge.
• Impact: 84
• Range: 61
• Stability: 76
• Handling: 83
• Reload Speed: 63
• Rounds Per Minute: 140
• Magazine: 8

What makes Hawkmoon awesome:

• Kinetic weapon means you don’t have to search for ammo. 
• Austroraptor weapon ornament aids in aiming.
• Final rounds do a ton of damage depending on previous kills and crit shots.
• Rewards precision-based players.

How to Get Hawkmoon:

• Purchasing from Xur for 125,000 Glimmer, 200 Legendary Shards, One Exotic Cipher, and One Ascendant Shard.
• Each week has a different roll, so check in often to get the Hawkmoon you want.
• For help finding Xur, use WhereisXur.com

4. Tarrabah (Best for PvP and PvE)

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A former raid exotic, Terrabah is still seeing play today. It’s expensive to get and requires grinding some Raids, but it’s well worth it in the end. It’s an SMG that deals crazy amounts of damage as long as you keep hitting your target. Its purpose is just to just mow down everything in your path. Don’t worry if you get hit a few times, it only adds to its special feature. After enough power is restored, you can use the Ravenous Beast perk to annihilate all in your path.

With the Witch Queen DLC, this gun has gotten a buff that has been needed for a very long time. Now instead of losing your buff entirely when you swap weapons, you only lose a bit of stored power in your battery. As a result, it now charges super fast in PVP and is seeing more use in Trials. Even without the exotic perks, this is still a good solid SMG that’s worth taking with you in PVP or PVE.

Weapon Stats:

• Damage type: Solar
• Intrinsic Perk: Bottomless Appetite - Dealing continuous damage extends the duration of Ravenous Beast.
• Exotic Perk: Ravenous Beast - This weapon stores power when dealing or receiving damage. [Alternate Weapon Action]: Unleashes the beast when full.
• Impact: 23
• Range: 62
• Stability: 37
• Handling: 46
• Reload Speed: 42
• Rounds Per Minute: 750
• Magazine: 31

What makes Tarrabah awesome:

• Rewards players who can engineer weapon combos to pair with Terrabah.
• Still a solid choice SMG to deal DPS without exotic perks.
• Pairs with SMG mods for even more damage.
• Can be used in any game mode.

How to Get Tarrabah Name:

• Head to the Tower and visit the Monument to Lost Lights
• Go to the “Forsaken Exotics” section to find Tarrabah. 
• Terrabah costs One Exotic Cipher, 150,000 Glimmer, 240 Spoils of Conquest (currency dropped in Raids), and One Ascendant Shard.

3. Cerberus+1 (Best for PvP and PvE)

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"Because three heads are good, but four are better." — Jeza "Jeopardy" Verlayn

Much like its namesake, Cerberus+1is an absolute beast. Either in Trials or PVE activities, Cerberus+1 is making a comeback after being sidelined for so long. What makes it such a great auto rifle? The fact it has four barrels to shoot out of and swappable firing modes. You can either spray bullets everywhere or tighten up the spread to do more precise damage. Thus, it can find use with any player because it’s so adaptable. A tighter spread does more DPS, so most will switch to this mode when taking on stationary targets.

For regular play, it’s insanely good against large enemies and shields. It has gotten a reputation as a counter to Titans and their shields in PVP, and you’ll most likely see this being run by those who know how to control their guns. Knowing when to switch modes can be difficult, but with some practice, you’ll find it does exactly what you want. Pair it with auto rifle mods to reduce the time needed to reload and continue your carnage. 

Weapon Stats:

• Damage type: Kinetic
• Intrinsic Perk: Spread Shot Package - Aiming this weapon reduces the spread of its projectiles.
• Exotic Perk: Four-Headed Dog - Shoots from all four barrels.
• Catalyst completion trait: Focused Fire [Alternate Weapon Action] - Swap to a tighter, close-ranged spread.
• Impact: 33
• Range: 33
• Stability: 28
• Handling: 34
• Reload Speed: 42
• Rounds Per Minute: 360
• Magazine: 31

What makes Cerberus+1 awesome:

• Kinetic weapon means you don’t have to search for ammo. 
• Different firing modes are available for different kinds of players.
• Counters Titans, both Hive and Guardian. 
• Amazing for the right kind of player that takes the time to learn it.

How to Get Cerberus+1 Name:

• Opening Fated Engrams purchased from Xur.
• Opening Exotic Engrams dropped during high-level activities.
• Purchasing from Xur using Legendary Shards.
• For help finding Xur, use WhereisXur.com

2. Vex Mythoclast (Best for PVP and PvE)

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Even after suffering a nerf, you will still see this rifle being used just about anywhere. It has a habit of melting yellow bars and Guardians alike, and getting destroyed by Vex is rather salt-inducing. It’s a hard weapon to get that takes having a good team and some luck to get its drop, and even then it tends to get targeted for nerfs. Despite that, it’s still a solid weapon and it’s worth the tears and frustration to get.

Where it shines the most is in PVE, where dealing with ads only enhances the damage of Vex. As a result, your team can be opened up to deal with more tasks as you can both deal with crowds and melt minor bosses at the same time. It takes some time to fully get used to this rifle, but once you know how to use it effectively, you can take the Vex Mythoclast anywhere.

Weapon Stats:

• Damage type: Solar
• Intrinsic Perk: Temporal Unlimiter - Defeating targets builds stacks of Overcharge. [Alternate Weapon Action]: Swap firing modes when fully Overcharged. In alternative firing mode, hold the trigger to charge up and fire more powerful linear fusion shots.
• Exotic Perk: Timeless Mythoclast - This weapon fires full auto.
• Catalyst completion trait: Calculated Balance - While in full auto mode, final blows with this weapon grant bonus damage, accuracy, and stability for a short duration.
• Impact: 33
• Range: 87
• Stability: 46
• Handling: 64
• Reload Speed: 64
• Magazine: 33

What makes Vex Mythoclast awesome:

• Ignores shields.
• Doing crowd control increases bonus damage.
• Shreds ads and melts most yellow-bar enemies.
• A menace in the hands of the experienced and skilled.

How to Get Vex Mythoclast:

• Can only drop from the Vault of Glass raid.
• Defeat Atheon for a small chance to drop Vex Mythoclast.
• Cheese methods can be employed to increase the chances of a Vex drop as detailed in the video below. 

1. Sweet Business (Best for PvP and PvE)

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The first thing you might be thinking is ‘wow, look at all those barrels!’. And you’d be right because that is a ridiculous amount of barrels. It’s a simple gun, you point and hold down the trigger button and just shred everything in front of you. You pretty much become a walking turret and it has gotten a reputation of being wielded by Titans who just soak up damage, laugh, and return fire at incredible speeds. It’s silly, it’s easy, and you can bring it into any situation and find it to be a solid auto rifle.

The fact it’s a kinetic weapon is crazy enough, that means Sweet Business is only limited by its reload speed, which can be countered with mods. For some reason, folks in PVP tend to not respect the Sweet Business and will try to take you on directly. It is their loss, as this weapon is more than enough to slay an entire team. Simple and effective, just about anyone can pick up this little mini-gun and have a fun time with it.

Weapon Stats:

• Damage type: Kinetic
• Intrinsic Perk: Business Time -  Holding the trigger boosts the range and gradually increases the fire rate. Ammo pickups reload the magazine.
• Exotic Perk: Payday - Large magazine. Almost Infinity hip-fire accuracy.
• Catalyst completion trait: Serious Business perk - Reduces incoming flinch when firing Sweet Business at full speed.
• Impact: 18
• Range: 42
• Stability: 60
• Handling: 15
• Reload Speed: 10
• Rounds Per Minute: 360
• Magazine: 45

What makes Sweet Business awesome:

• Kinetic weapon means you don’t have to search for ammo. 
• Easy to use, just hold down the trigger and point.
• You are still mobile (though very much slowed) when firing Sweet Business. 
• Geat for all forms of play.
• Feels unstoppable once the catalyst is completed.

How to Get Sweet Business:

• Talk to Shaw Han in the Cosmodrome and pick up the ‘Queen Beckons’ Exotic Quest.
• Defeat 100 enemies of the Light anywhere in the system.
• Defeat 50 enemies with your Super or class abilities anywhere in the system. 
• Speak to Amanda Holliday in the Tower Hangar
• Defeat 100 enemies in the Throne World as well as complete three Public Events.
• Defeat 150 enemies with an Auto Rifle.
• Return to Amanda Holliday in the Tower Hangar.

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Rhulk is a raid boss with many battle phases, some can be averted with good DPS damage. 

You have now read the list and now have a general idea of what to look for when picking out your tool of destruction. You could go the heavy route and spam rockets. You can go with finesse and choose a smaller gun to give you mobility and power. Or…you can just grab a shotgun and blow away what is in front of you. Guardians or enemies of Humanity, will not stand a chance when faced with these weapons.

So go forth and melt everything in your path! It’s a perk of being a Guardian, after all! 

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