[Top 15] Destiny 2 Best Machine Guns And How To Get Them
Machine guns are one of the most fun yet underrated weapons in Destiny 2. If you know what gun and traits you should have, you can dominate with these guns in PvP and PvE activities. Despite recent buffs, they still lag behind other power weapons in enormous boss damage. (Not talking about Xenophage; we all know that gun has its own category)
Machine guns dominate the field of ad clearing. The satisfaction of using Thunderlord to clear large hordes of enemies is unmatchable, and we know that you hate getting your team wiped by a Xenophagein gambit.
This guide will cover the top 15 machine guns in the game and how you can acquire them. We will also let you know the god rolls for both PvP and PvE content so you can grind for those specific rolls.
15. Thermal Erosion (Best for PvP and PvE)
Thermal erosion is a solar machine gun with a Rapid-Fire Frame. It provides some of the best perks, such as demolitionist and wellspring for chaining abilities. Because it has a long reload time, the best perk combo is to chain abilities while reloading. It is not as outstanding in PvP, but it is a good choice for PvE and Gambit.
PvE God roll:
- Barrel: Corkscrew Rifling
- Magazine: Extended Mag
- Perk 1: Field Prep
- Perk 2: Wellspring or Demolitionist
PvP God roll:
- Barrel: Arrowhead Brake
- Magazine: Ricochet Rounds
- Perk 1: Zen Moment
- Perk 2: Dynamic Sway Reduction
How to Get It:
How to Get the Thermal Erosion Machine Gun! | Destiny 2: Beyond Light
You can acquire Thermal Erosion on Europa by completing the Empire Hunts offered by Variks once you’re done with Beyond Light’s campaign. Every week Variks will rotate the rewards for his three Empire Hunts, so you will need to wait until this machine gun is available.
14. A Fine Memorial (Best for PvE)
Most of the reissued Moon weapons from Season of the Splicer had small perk pools than those found in Shadowkeep, at least at first. Thankfully, A Fine Memorial has been reissued with a fantastic new set of perks, making it one of the best PvE Machine Guns.
A Fine Memorial can come with a few decent perks, but it faces stiff competition from Commemoration and Corrective Measure. For that reason alone, it is difficult to recommend it as a top pick.
PvE God roll:
- Barrel: Polygonal Rifling (Stability +10)
- Magazine: Appended Mag
- Perk 1: Subsistence
- Perk 2: One for All or Frenzy
How to Get It:
HOW TO GET A FINE MEMORIAL IN DESTINY 2 SHADOWKEEP (ESSENCE OF GREED QUEST GUIDE)
It’s one of the Lectern Weapons you can obtain by completing small quests. These Lectern Weapons are based on essences, and A Fine Memorial requires an Essence of Greed.
13. Recurrent Impact (Best for PvE)
Recurrent Impact is the first stasis machine gun in the destiny universe. This Rapid-Fire 900 rpm Machine Gun was designed with one goal in mind: to eliminate as many adds as possible in no time
The best perk of stasis weapons is the headstone, which generates a Stasis crystal when a precision kill is made. As powerful as headstone can be, landing headshot kills with it won’t be easy, at least for controller users.
PvE God roll:
- Barrel: Arrowhead Brake
- Magazine: Tactical Mag
- Perk 1: Subsistence
- Perk 2: Headstone
PvP God roll:
- Barrel: Smallbore
- Magazine: Accurized Rounds (Range +10)
- Perk 1: Perpetual Motion
- Perk 2: Tap the Trigger
How to get it:
Players who already own the deluxe edition of the Witch Queen Expansion pack can obtain this weapon from the PsiOps Battlegrounds. This weapon is also craftable so you can craftyour favorite god roll.
12. Avalanche (Best for PvP)
Avalanche is an Adaptive Frame machine gun; it isn’t a bad choice in the Crucible. Machine guns have always been powerful in PvP due to their lightning-fast time-to-kill and massive flinch. The fact that Avalanche is relatively easy to control makes Avalanche a viable (though weaker) option in most situations.
PvE God roll:
- Barrel: SLO-21 Post or SLO-12 Post
- Magazine: Extended Mag
- Perk 1: Feeding Frenzy
- Perk 2: Rampage
PvP God roll:
- Barrel: SPO-57 Front
- Magazine: High-Caliber Rounds
- Perk 1: Dynamic Sway Reduction
- Perk 2: High Impact Reserves
How to get it:
Avalanche can only be acquired during the Dawning event (usually in December-January).
11. Archon’s Thunder (Best for PvP and PvE)
Archon’s Thunder is a legendary Machine Gun first introduced in Season 14. Since then, it’s been fantastic for PvE and some of the game’s PvP content. It is a heavy slot weapon that deals solar damage to the enemies and uses heavy ammo. It also has a large round barrel with a copper molded handle that looks great.
PvE God roll:
- Barrel: Arrowhead Brake
- Magazine: Appended Mag
- Perk 1: Surplus
- Perk 2: Rampage
PvP God roll:
- Barrel: Corkscrew Rifling
- Magazine: Accurized Rounds
- Perk 1: Killing Wind
- Perk 2: Iron Grip
How to get it:
This weapon drops randomly on completion of iron banner matches. This activity only occasionally appears throughout the season and lasts until the Weekly Reset. You can also focus this weapon using iron banner engrams. You have to visit lord Saladin to focus the weapon for desired rolls.
10. Chain of Command (Best for PvE)
Chain of Command is a stasis damage-dealing Machine Gun widely regarded as one of the game’s best legendary Machine Guns. Chain of Command has the highest base damage of any machine gun in the game and excellent stability. As a result, the Destiny 2 community has embraced this weapon over the years.
The combination of adrenaline junkie and demolitionist makes this gun an excellent choice, allowing you to continuously throw grenades while benefiting from a 33% damage buff.
PvE God roll:
- Barrel: Arrowhead Brake
- Magazine: High-Caliber Rounds
- Perk 1: Adrenaline Junkie
- Perk 2: Demolitionist
PvP God roll:
- Barrel: Arrowhead Brake
- Magazine: High-Caliber Rounds
- Perk 1: Adrenaline Junkie
- Perk 2: Demolitionist
How to get it:
You can buy the chain of command from the Monument to Lost Lights (Kiosk) on the tower by spending specific materials.
9. Fixed Odds (Best for PvE)
Fixed Odds is a High-Impact Frame Machine Gun that was revived years after it had been sunset. On paper, this weapon appears unimpressive, but it comes with one of the best add-clearing perks in Destiny 2: Killing Tally.
This weapon is an add-clearing machine that can also slice through majors. If you’re a Titan main, equip Actium War Rig to give this gun an infinite magazine. Another benefit of this weapon is that it is craftable, and you must find and attune five patterns of this gun to unlock the crafting of this weapon.
PvE God roll:
- Barrel: Polygonal Rifling (Stability +10)
- Magazine: Appended Mag
- Perk 1: Field Prep
- Perk 2: Killing Tally
PvP God roll:
- Barrel: Arrowhead Brake
- Magazine: Accurized Rounds
- Perk 1: Field Prep
- Perk 2: Rampage
How to get it:
The fixed odds Machine gun is part of the reworked opulent Menagerie set, and obtaining it may appear more complicated than the others. The weapon pattern can only be obtained through one of the encounters in the Duality Dungeon.
8. Grand Overture (Best for PvE)
Grand Overture, the new Exotic from Season 16, ranks eighth in our rankings because, while it packs a powerful punch, it can suffer from ammo issues and lacks strong ad clearing capabilities.
It is an Exotic weapon that deals arc damage to your opponents and uses heavy ammo. This weapon’s barrel resembles a lethal tesla that shoots high-voltage electricity. Overall, Grand Overture is a versatile option that struggles to shine because it isn’t the best choice in any area of the game.
Exotic perk: “Heavy slug launcher that charges, then fires full auto while the trigger is held. Land hits with the slug launcher to load missiles and then fire to launch all missiles in a single volley.”
How to get it:
Grand Overture was available in Season 16 via the Season Pass (either the paid or free track). You can now obtain this weapon from the exotic kiosk.
7. Heir Apparent (Best for PvP)
Heir Apparent used to be the Crucible’s worst nightmare. The arc shield was ridiculously tough, and the amount of ammo you got allowed you to mow down everyone simply. Heir Apparent is no longer as oppressive in the meta, but it remains a strong pick in both PvE and PvP areas of the game.
The main disadvantages of Heir Apparent are that it requires you to spin up the gun before you can even begin to fire it, which can be fatal if you are stuck spinning up the gun while enemies are firing at you.
Exotic perk: “This weapon can be fired only when fully spun up. While at full health, spinning up this weapon protects you with an Arc Shield.”
How to get it:
HOW TO GET HEIR APPARENT AND ITS CATALYST IN DESTINY 2
You can acquire Heir Apparent during the Guardian Games event (usually in April-May).
6. Seventh Seraph Saw (Best for PvE)
Seventh Seraph SAW is a High-Impact legendary Machine Gun that was first released in season 10, and it has become a fan-favorite pick for some of the challenging PvE content in the game.
The Seventh Seraph SAW has an exciting set of perks. This Machine Gun offers Firing Line, which means it can significantly damage majors in strikes and casual PvE content.
PvE God roll:
- Barrel: Arrowhead Brake
- Magazine: Flared Magwell
- Perk 1: Clown Cartridge
- Perk 2: Vorpal Weapon
PvP God roll:
- Barrel: Smallbore
- Magazine: Ricochet Rounds
- Perk 1: Zen Moment
- Perk 2: Mulligan
Seventh Seraph SAW Full Details
How to get it:
You can obtain this weapon from the world loot pool and, on rare occasions, from the gunsmith. This weapon is also available in specific week loot of dares of eternity.
5. The Swarm (Best for PvP and PvE)
The Swarm, like The Palindrome and Shadow Price, was originally a Destiny 1 gun. Nightfall rewards can be a mixed bag, but luckily they’ve been worth grinding for over the last few seasons. In the case of The Swarm, that’s due to the ability to roll One For All, which increases damage whenever you hit three separate enemies.
For high-level content, the Swarm is the ideal machine gun. It checks all the boxes:
- It has good perks.
- It is a High-Impact Frame.
- It has good base stats.
- It even has an Adept variant, which was previously available (and may be available again in the future) in Grandmaster Nightfalls.
PvE God roll:
- Barrel: Polygonal Rifling (Stability +10)
- Magazine: Appended Mag
- Perk 1: Surplus
- Perk 2: Vorpal or One for All
PvP God roll:
- Barrel: Corkscrew Rifling
- Magazine: Accurized Rounds
- Perk 1: Killing Wind
- Perk 2: Tap the Trigger
How to get it:
The Swarm is a nightfall-only weapon you can only obtain by completing the nightfalls. Complete the nightfall on Grandmaster’s difficulty to acquire the adept version of the gun. Unfortunately, the gun has been removed from the nightfall rewards in Season 17, and we hope it will be added to the Monument to Lost Lights (Kiosk) or made available through Xur.
4. Xenophage (Best for PvP and PvE)
The top machine guns list is incomplete without Xenophage. It is a rare Machine Gun with high impact damage that first appeared in Season 8. It has since earned a good reputation in the community. Although it is an exotic weapon with solar damage to opponents, it also has some additional benefits that make it a good choice. This weapon resembles a heavy rocket launcher with numerous tiny rocket shells.
Xenophage has gone through many ups and downs. Unnecessary modifications turned it into a farce, and the weapon remained that way for a long time. However, now that Xenophage has been restored to its former glory, it is once again an excellent PvE weapon that never disappoints.
Exotic perk: “Fires high-powered explosive ammunition. Aiming this weapon increases its effective range and zoom magnification.”
How to get it:
Destiny 2 Shadowkeep: How to Get Xenophage - Exotic Machine Gun
You can get this weapon by completing the Exotic quest from the shadow keep DLC.
3. Corrective Measure (Timelost) (Best for PvE)
The Vault of Glass machine gun, Corrective Measure, is the best Adaptive frame machine gun in the game. It has fantastic perks, feels amazing, has an easy-to-use scope, and includes a ‘Timelost’ version of the weapon.
You can use The Corrective Measurein combination with the Vault of Glass perk Rewind Rounds, This extremely powerful option refills the magazine from reserves based on the number of hits in the magazine.
PvE God roll:
- Barrel: Polygonal Rifling
- Magazine: Tactical Mag
- Perk 1: Subsistence
- Perk 2: Firefly
PvP God roll:
- Barrel: Smallbore
- Magazine: Accurized Rounds
- Perk 1: Surplus
- Perk 2: High Impact Reserves
Corrective Measure (Timelost) Full Details
How to get it:
You can acquire Corrective Measure by completing the first, third, or fifth encounter of the Vault of Glass raid. For the adept version, you need to complete the same encounters on master difficulty. Once you have unlocked this gun in collections, you can also buy it from the last chest of the Deep Stone Crypt raid.
2. Thunderlord (Best for PvE)
Thunderlord still reigns supreme in the machine gun weapon category, thanks to its lightning-quick ability to clear ads with lightning bolts from the sky (it is also super cool, which nets it bonus points). When it comes to heavy weapons, it is still the undisputed king of machine guns, and with its increasing fire rate, as you hold the trigger down, it becomes helpful in mounting damage on yellow bar enemies.
Unfortunately, Thunderlord has the common disadvantage of being exotic, which sounds ironic in and of itself.
Exotic perk: “Kills with this weapon generate lightning strikes from above and increase reload speed for a short time.”
How to get it:
Destiny 2: How to Get Thunderlord, Exotic Machine Gun (& Thoughts)
1. Commemoration (Best for PvP and PvE)
The Commemoration is a powerful machine gun. The Deep Stone Crypt machine gun has perks that are unique to the Deep Stone Crypt raid, and some of them are incredible.
Reconstruction is an undeniably insane perk on Commemoration. While not firing, this perk reloads 10% of its total magazine every 4 seconds, and it can even allow you to have a magazine size double the base amount. You can see up to 146 bullets in your magazine at once with a magazine perk like Extended Mag if you let Reconstruction fully load up your machine gun, which is incredible.
PvE God roll:
- Barrel: Arrowhead Brake
- Magazine: Appended Mag
- Perk 1: Reconstruction
- Perk 2: Dragonfly or Rampage
PvP God roll:
- Barrel: Polygonal Rifling
- Magazine: Accurized Rounds
- Perk 1: Dynamic Sway Reduction
- Perk 2: Under Pressure
How to get it:
You can acquire Commemoration by completing the Deep Stone Crypt raid. Once you have unlocked this gun in collections, you can also buy it from the last chest of the Deep Stone Crypt raid for more rolls.
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