[Top 15] Destiny 2 Best Kinetic Weapons That Are Powerful

Updated:

08 Jan 2024

What Are The Best Kinetic Weapons in Destiny 2?

With the next Destiny 2 Expansion, Lightfall, coming upon us soon, odds are you're going to want to accomplish everything left in Season of The Splicer & Witch Queen. From the latest dungeon to the refreshed Deep Stone Crypt, to do that, you’re going to need some great weapons. Here are some of the best kinetic weapons to get the job done.

1. Arbalest (PvE)

In Action:

A beautiful tool against champions, the Arbalest is one of the strongest kinetic weapons to have equipped. The slugs of this weapon are strong specifically against Barrier champions, but the highlight of the Arbalest is its second perk, Disruption Break.

With this perk, breaking any opponent's shield increases Kinetic Damage from all sources. This works great for boosting the Arbalests weapon damage output, but it’s even better in Master and Grandmaster Nightfall’s, allowing for fireteams to put increased damage into one difficult opponent.

What The Arbalest excels in

Great for Anti-Barrier uses
Increases Kinetic Damage for whole Fireteam
High range allows for the ability to pierce Barrier easily while keeping yourself at a distance

How to get The Arbalest:

This weapon is a universal exotic, meaning you can acquire it from any random exotic drop.

2. Osteo Striga (PvE)

In Action:

Arguably one of the most fun weapons to use in low level PvE, the Osteo Striga is an excellent weapon for racking up large kill counts as well as clearing out ad-heavy areas. The gun is incredibly easy to use with its main perk giving the bullets sentience and auto-aim. With final blows, the secondary perk triggers a poison burst that kills nearby ads.

While that alone is great, the real star is the catalyst. With this, kills caused by said poison burst grant ammo directly into the magazine, meaning the gun can have as much as 99 bullets in the mag. Plus, it’s just a beauty.

What Osteo Striga excels in

Clears rooms in a matter of seconds
Smart usage of its catalyst means you likely never have to reload
Sentient bullets let you shoot more freely and still be sure to land your shots.

How to get Osteo Striga:

This weapon is earned by completing the Witch Queen story, but only with ownership of the deluxe edition.

3. Outbreak Perfected (PvE)

In Action:

Of course, it’s on this list. Since Destiny 1, Outbreak Perfected has been a star on the PvE scene. A powerful pulse rifle, the main perk of this weapon is The Corruption Spreads. With this, rapid & precision hits release a swarm of nanites that attack the enemy.

This has incredible usage in both low and high level PvE content. In low level, a few precision kills spawn nanites that can rapidly clear a room of ads. In high level, rapidly hitting a boss attaches nanites that with its second perk, Parasitism, increases the damage output of Outbreak. Plus, if you grab onto the catalyst, enemies killed by Siva release even more nanites.

What Outbreak Perfected excels at

Incredible room clearing potential
Potential for an insane amount of damage on bosses, especially raid ones with large damage windows
Incredible ease of use lets you adapt to it regardless of how experienced you are.

How to get Outbreak Perfected:

This weapon is incredibly easy to acquire, as it can be purchased in the Tower through the Monuments to Lost Lights.

4. Witherhoard (PvE)

In Action:

A simple point and shoot grenade launcher, Witherhoard is a jack of all trades when it comes to handling both low level and high level enemies. Its two exotic perks, Primeval Torment and Break the Bank, work in tandem with one another. The first blights the target or the area that it hits, while the second causes blighted enemies to take damage and blight the area surrounding them upon death.

This has incredible usages for clearing out rooms of strong enemies, as it allows you to take cover and heal while they get killed. It’s also been incredibly useful on raid bosses such as the twin sisters in King’s Fall, just be sure to use it on bosses that can take damage anywhere on their body, and not on a specific spot like Golgoroth.

What Witherhoard Excels At

Clearing rooms full of high and low level ads
Gives Fireteam time to recover themselves
Works to close off sections of maps from being bombarded with enemies

How to get Witherhoard:

The Witherhoard can be purchased from The Monument to Lost Lights

5. Izanagi Burden (PvE)

In Action:

A king for boss DPS, Izanagi’s Burden has a unique perk in the name of Honed Edge. What this does is, at the command of the Guardian, the magazine of the weapon is consumed and turned into a single bullet with increased damage and range. There is also the perk No Distractions which entails that after a certain time holding down sights, flinch is reduced.

With the specialized round, the additional damage is able to wipe out Champions in one shot and deals considerable damage to bosses, especially stacked perks from your teammates such as rifts. The sniper itself has incredible stats so it can be used as a regular sniper with ease.

What Izanagi Burden Excels At

Wiping out Champions
Doing exceptional boss damage.
Works great as a regular sniper rifle with excellent stock stats

How to get Izanagi Burden:

The Izanagi’s Burden can be bought through the Monument to Lost Lights

6. Chromarush (PvE)

In Action:

Chromarush is an amazing Legendary auto rifle. All come with the ability for a faster reload upon emptying the magazine, of which it’s fairly large. With a 51 round Mag and extended Reserves, it’s a weapon you won't have to worry about reloading much.

This weapon comes with random rolls, and we recommend the following: you can't really go wrong with any scope, but Smallbore is a fan favorite. Getting Accurized Rounds, Subsistence, and Rampage is sure to make an amazing god roll for low to mid tier PvE Content. And with this season’s champion mod, it wipes away Barrier Champions in mere seconds.

What Chromarush Excels At

Huge ammo reserves meaning you don’t have to worry much about reloading
Melts Barrier Champions when using seasonal mod
Excellent jack-of-all that is sure to satisfy you in all levels of PvE

How to get Chromarush:

You have to take an umbral engram and focus it on weapons from Season of the Lost, this will give you a chance for the weapon to drop.

7. Monte Carlo (PvE)

In Action:

Probably the most fun if you’re an Arc Titan main, Monte Carlo has been beloved since its early days in D1. The exotic perk (aptly called) The Monte Carlo Method reduces your melee cooldown with damage dealt, and even gives a chance to fully replenish your melee with every kill.

To top that off, the second perk The Markov Chain increases gun damage for all melee kills and kills from this weapon. Easier to use in low level content, if you want to run around and just punch your enemies into oblivion, this is the toy for you.

What Monte Carlo Excels At

Grants an insane amount of melee if you know how to use it.
Empowers itself with regular usage for even bigger damage outputs.
One of the easiest to use, highly recommended as a first Exotic

How to get Monte Carlo:

Monte Carlo can only be accessed through exotic engrams randomly found out in the world.

8. Dead Man’s Tale (PvE)

In Action:

Quite simple in nature, Dead Man’s Tale is the kind of exotic that does you no wrong. Its exotic perk, Cranial Spike, grants bonus target acquisition and range upon chaining precision shots. While it may not sound like a lot, in the hands of a Scout Rifle the effects are pretty incredible.

This is one of few exotics that come with a random second perk, we would recommend High Caliber Rounds, Vorpal Weapon, and Composite stock. This load out makes it an insane killer of shielded enemies, and can even be used against champions with the seasonal mod.

What Dead Man’s Tale Excels At

Excellent against Champions, especially with vorpal weapon
Simple to get and even simpler to shoot
The increased range rivals that of snipers when you collect a couple stacks of the perk

How to get Dead Man’s Tale:

Xur sells this weapon every week so you just need to locate him to collect.

1. Wastelander (PvP)

In Action:

A hard hitting, primary slot, stupid range shotgun that is sure to get you a couple hate messages your way. The Wastelander is an insane shotgun, and ideal for the type of player who hits their shot, but just doesn’t get that 1-shot kill they dream of.

This gun comes stock with an insane amount of impact, able to stop any opposing guardian right in their tracks. Recommended perks for such a heavy hitter are anything that increases your range, and Assault Mag. The extended range gives you a bit of leeway, and the assault mag lets you fire the gun a lot quicker, which is needed with a tank like this.

What Wastelander Excels At

1-shots most guardians
Most perks available all give it some boost in range so no need to worry about having a bad roll.
High handling means this weapon is quick to pull up in the event you get caught by surprise

How to get Wastelander:

This weapon can only be earned from Xur’s Treasure Hoard, so you need to grind Dares of Eternity for as many keys as you can get

2. Chaperone (PvP)

In Action:

This one’s annoying. The Chaperone has been a nail in Bungie's side for what feels like ages for one simple reason; this gun has insane range. Maxed out stats, insane. The reason is the exotic perk, Precision Slug, which means rather than shooting out pellets at random that disperse, all the punch in this gun is held in one round. As long as you remember to aim, this gun won’t let you down.

It’s different from other shotguns in that you really need to focus on accuracy, the same way you would with a Scout, to get the most out of this gun. But all that work is put to good use when you kill Guardians from insane distances they can't hope to counter.

What Chaperone Excels At

Higher accuracy for precision kills
Insane range that lets you kill from a distance other shotguns can't reach you
Even with a body shot, the damage is strong enough to let you finish off a Guardian with a swift punch.

How to get Chaperone:

This weapon comes at the end of an exotic quest which can be obtained by Amanda Holiday in the tower.

3. No Time To Explain (PvP)

In Action:

My personal favorite, No Time To Explain is the perfect pulse rifle for every encounter you can find yourself in. With the exotic perk Rewind Again, the gun is incredibly forgiving. Precision shots are returned to the magazine, meaning you can keep firing time and time again.

The true beauty is its second perk, Time Slip, where with 10 stacks of Rewind Again, you open a small portal that shoots bullets for you. While it may not sound like much, this portal is likely to shoot at a target before you, and since it stays up regardless of whatever weapon you have equipped, it can give you that early damage you need to win just about any gunfight.

What No Time To Explain Excels At

Ammo is not much of a worry since rounds can be returned to mag
Incredible base stats means this gun in competitive even in high level content like Trials
The extra damage done by Time Slip is more than enough to let you finish off an enemy with ease.

How to get No Time To Explain:

In order to receive this, one needs to just finish the Beyond Light campaign and then talk to the Exo Stranger.

4. Austringer (PvP)

In Action:

If you’ve played just a few rounds of PvP, you’ve likely been bullied by this weapon. Austringer is a legendary hand cannon with broken levels of impact and insane stability. It’s because of this that this weapon is akin to a laser aimed at your head.

Austringer comes with random perks, with the best being Hammer-Forged Rifling, Ricochet Rounds, Eye of the Storm, and Rangefinder. With a role like this, Austringer is a powerful weapon for the kind of player that veers away from the rest of the Fireteam, and likes to take care of enemies themselves.

What Austringer Excels At

Great for competitive game modes where you are responsible for you own kills more than in larger game modes
Handy if you’re the one who outlives your teammates
High Impact means you can take out enemies fast with a very low ttk

How to get Austringer:

There are two main ways to get this weapon, completing the Leviathan raid and focusing umbral engrams (specifically for Opulent gear).

5. Piece of Mind (PvP)

In Action:

If you want an underdog that is gonna make your friends (and opponents) think you’re hacking, this is the pulse rifle you want. With great stability and insane levels of aim assistance, Piece of Mind is insane for going on rampages in game modes like control. Especially on consoles (where aim assistance is greatly increased), this gun will quickly become a star in your arsenal.

With random rolls, you primarily want perks that can boost your range. If you can pick one up with perpetual motion, that’s gonna boost your stats so long as you stay mobile. With a gun like this, you’re definitely going to want to.

What Peace of Mind Excels At

Going on long kill streaks in modes like Control
Using a controller is almost like autoaim.
The origin trait boosts your resilience for each kill you get, making you a running tank

How to get Peace of Mind:

To get this, you have to focus umbral engram to contain weapons from Season of The Risen.

6. Ace of Spades (PvP)

In Action:

One of, if not the God of PvP. The exotic perk Memento Mori adds a couple extra damage bullets to your magazine after reloading with a kill. On top of that, you have access to your radar while aiming down sights.

This is a rare gun where its exotic perk is outshined by its other perks and stats. The stat role on this weapon is unbelievable and can be excellent in all aspects of PvP. Even in something like Trials of Osiris, odds are the best teams are running at least once Ace of Spades.

What Ace of Spades Excels At

Quite possibly the best hand cannon for defeating guardians.
Radar while aimed down sights is an underrated perk that gives you the edge over all enemies.
Those extra damage bullets add a bit of fun to a gun that can surprise you with its stupidly low TTK.

How to get Ace of Spades:

This gun can be purchased at the Monument to Lost Lights.

7. Last Word (PvP)

In Action:

Last word is almost exactly like Ace of Spades as far as stats go, but it’s for an entirely different player. Where Ace of Spades is amazing for players, specifically those on PC with mouse and keyboard, The Last Word is that same god for players on console.

Its exotic perk grants increased stats when hip firing, and even gives more damage for precision shots when fired from the hip. It’s incredibly easy to use, but if you can master it, you’re going to be top of the leaderboard in any match.

What Last Word Excels At

Perfect for players who use a controller
It’s likeness to hip-firing means you aren’t restricted the way a scope normally does.
Increased precision damage allows for killing guardians incredibly fast.