Weapons you'll need to take the fight to Savathûn in The Witch Queen.
One of the main reasons that Destiny 2 is one of the best Xbox shooters available is because each season usually brings plenty of awesome new weapons to grind for, and Season of the Lost is no different. Featuring tons of new and reprised weapons that have excellent perks and stats, Season of the Lost is arguably one of the most rewarding seasons in Destiny 2. However, with so many great guns available, it can be tough to know which of the new weapons are the best.
If you're not sure what gear and god rolls to look for this season, don't worry; we're here with a detailed overview of 10 weapons that will serve you extremely well throughout Season of the Lost, Destiny 2: The Witch Queen, and beyond.
Vulpecula
- PvE God Roll: Smallbore, Tactical Mag, Outlaw/Ensemble, Headstone
- PvP God Roll: Smallbore, Tactical Mag, Outlaw, Explosive Payload/Headstone
Thanks to the fact that it can roll with the new Headstone perk that spawns a Stasis crystal on enemies when you kill them with a critical hit, Vulpecula has quickly become a popular kinetic hand cannon for both PvE and PvP despite its off-meta 180 RPM archetype. For fast reloading, Outlaw is great for general PvE activities while Ensemble will shine brightly in endgame content like Nightfalls and Raids since you'll always be near allies. In PvP, you should aim for Outlaw and Explosive Payload so that you can get fast reloads after headshot kills and so that you don't have to worry about range falloff. Headstone is also a solid alternative in PvP if you've got a build centered around breaking Stasis crystals. Smallbore and Tactical Mag are the best perks in the first two columns for both PvE and PvP since hand cannons benefit greatly from improved range, stability, and magazine capacity. The small reload speed buff provided by Tactical Mag also helps in scenarios where you're not able to proc Outlaw or Ensemble.
Vulpecula is available from Season of the Lost's Astral Alignment activity, Shattered Realm weekly missions, and Umbral Engrams.
Fractethyst
- PvE God Roll: Smallbore, Assault Mag, Full Auto Trigger System, Trench Barrel
- PvP God Roll: Full Choke, Accurized Rounds, Slideshot, Opening Shot
Shotguns in the precision frame family have seen a spike in PvP popularity following the recent nerf to aggressive frame shotguns, and Fractethyst is arguably the best one available right now thanks to its great all-around stats and perks. It shines brightest in PvP with a Full Choke, Accurized Rounds, Slideshot, and Opening Shot roll that will dominate in most shotgun duels, and it's also a solid pick to use with melee attacks in PvE with the combo of Full Auto Trigger System and Trench Barrel.
Fractethyst is available from Season of the Lost's Astral Alignment activity, Shattered Realm weekly missions, and Umbral Engrams.
Chrysura Melo
- PvE God Roll: Arrowhead Brake, Accurized Rounds, Outlaw/Ensemble, Frenzy
- PvP God Roll: Arrowhead Brake, Accurized Rounds, Dynamic Sway Reduction, Harmony
The fact that the Chrysura Melo is a Solar auto rifle is reason enough to chase it down, as there are very few of these in Destiny 2's loot pool currently. Its 360 RPM high impact archetype performs poorly in PvP, but can be very strong in endgame PvE activities thanks to its increased range and damage per shot. Since Anti-Barrier Auto Rifle is the only anti-barrier mod available during Season of the Lost, this makes the Chrysura Melo a prime option for dealing with Anti-Barrier Champions in Nightfalls that have enemies with Solar shields. Arrowhead Brake and Accurized Rounds keep the weapon stable and give it even more range. In PvE, Outlaw or Ensemble and Frenzy improve reload speed and damage. For PvP, your best bet is to go with Dynamic Sway Reduction and Harmony and then pair this rifle with a good special weapon. If you get a kill with your special, you can take advantage of the damage buff Harmony gives to the Chrysura Melo to engage other opponents.
Chrysura Melo is available from Season of the Lost's Astral Alignment activity, Shattered Realm weekly missions, and Umbral Engrams.
Reed's Regret
- PvE God Roll: Arrowhead Brake, Liquid Coils, Triple Tap, Firing Line/Vorpal Weapon
- PvP God Roll: Arrowhead Brake, Liquid Coils, Quickdraw, Vorpal Weapon
Reed's Regret is the best linear fusion rifle for PvE boss damage in the game thanks to the particularly beastly god roll of Triple Tap and Firing Line. Triple Tap returns rounds to the magazine when you land three critical hits in a row, and Firing Line boosts your damage by 20% when you're near two or more allies, which often happens during Nightfalls or Raids. Vorpal Weapon is also an excellent choice as well, as it buffs your damage by 15% when attacking bosses, Champions, or Guardians using their Super in PvP. Notably, the Adept version you can get by going flawless in Trials of Osiris will allow you to use the Adept Big Ones mod for even better boss damage. For PvP, trading Triple Tap for Quickdraw is a good idea.
Reed's Regret is available from the Trials of Osiris endgame PvP mode that's active on weekends.
Peacebond
- PvE God Roll: Smallbore, Tactical Mag, Subsistence, Swashbuckler
- PvP God Roll: Smallbore, Accurized Rounds, Rangefinder, Headstone
While sidearms aren't in the greatest place right now, the new Stasis Iron Banner sidearm Peacebond is making waves due to the fact that it can roll with the Headstone perk. Paired with the perk Rangefinder that helps offset the poor range sidearms have, this weapon can be seriously deadly in PvP. It's also fairly effective in PvE as well, but your best overall bet for PvE is the combo of Subsistence (ammo returned to the magazine on kill) and Swashbuckler (damage buffs after kills and melee kills).
Peacebond is available from Iron Banner match completions, Iron Banner bounties, and from Lord Saladin once you give him enough Iron Banner tokens to earn a drop.
Servant Leader
- PvE God Roll: Corkscrew Rifling, Appended Mag, Rapid Hit, Frenzy/One for All
- PvP God Roll: Corkscrew Rifling, Appended Mag, Rapid Hit/Outlaw, Kill Clip/Snapshot Sights
This rapid fire scout rifle comes with an insane amount of different possible perk rolls, but thankfully, most of them are solid (and a few of them are amazing). It's also kinetic, which offers players an alternative to Hung Jury or Night Watch if they haven't been able to get one with a good roll. For PvE, your best bet is Corkscrew Rifling, Appended Mag, Rapid Hit, and either Frenzy or One for All for a strong mix of improved range, stability, handling, reload speed, and damage. The same roll is also effective in PvP, although it would be best to swap Frenzy or One for All for Kill Clip or Snapshot Sights.
The Servant Leader is available as a potential drop from Gambit matches and as a potential reward from Gambit rank up packages.
The Last Breath
- PvE God Roll: Arrowhead Brake, High Caliber Rounds, Ensemble/Subsistence, Frenzy/One for All
- PvP God Roll: Arrowhead Brake, High Caliber Rounds, Dynamic Sway Reduction, Adagio
There aren't many good kinetic auto rifles available in Destiny 2 right now, but the reprised The Last Breath is an excellent option for high-end PvE. With Ensemble and Frenzy or One for All, you can do consistently high damage to Champions and other beefy enemies while also keeping your reload speed high by standing near allies. In PvP, Dynamic Sway Reduction and Adagio can turn The Last Breath into a surprisingly effective weapon.
The Last Breath is available as a potential drop from the second encounter of the Prophecy Dungeon.
Legal Action II
- PvE God Roll: Arrowhead Brake, Appended Mag, Feeding Frenzy, Frenzy
- PvP God Roll: Arrowhead Brake, Flared Magwell, Heating Up, Rampage
Kinetic pulse rifles are a rare sight these days, so the reintroduction of the Legal Action II was a solid move by Bungie. It can rip enemies apart in PvE and reload quickly afterwards with the combo of Feeding Frenzy and Frenzy, and it's also a strong contender in PvP as well with a Heating Up and Rampage roll. The fact that Pulse Rifles can stun Unstoppable Champions during Season of the Lost also makes this a great weapon for Nightfalls.
Legal Action II is available as a world drop and can drop from all activities. It can also drop from Umbral Engrams.
Scathelocke
- PvE God Roll: Arrowhead Brake, Flared Magwell, Subsistence, Rampage
- PvP God Roll: Arrowhead Brake, Accurized Rounds, Heating Up, Eye of the Storm
The reprised Scathelock auto rifle is one of the best auto rifles in the game for general PvE if you get the perk combo of Subsistence and Rampage, which allows you to mow down legions of ads with damage-boosted rounds. In PvP, a roll with Arrowhead Brake, Accurized Rounds, Heating Up, and Eye of the Storm will be phenomenal for dueling purposes. The Scathelocke intrinsically also has much higher range compared to most other auto rifles in the 600 RPM archetype family, which improves its effectiveness in PvP dramatically.
Scathelock is available as a world drop and can drop from all activities. It can also drop from Umbral Engrams.
Cartesian Coordinate
- PvE God Roll: Red Dot Micro, Liquid Coils, Under Pressure, Vorpal Weapon
- PvP God Roll: Red Dot Micro, Liquid Coils, Under Pressure, High-Impact Reserves
The Cartesian Coordinate was added during Season 13, but hasn't had much of a place in the meta until now. With the recent buff to fusion rifle damage and the Particle Deconstructor mod that significantly boosts fusion rifle damage even further, an Under Pressure and Vorpal Weapon roll of this fusion rifle will melt Raid bosses like Templar and Atheon faster than any other special ammo fusion rifle in the game. The weapon isn't very effective in PvP, however, though High-Impact Reserves instead of Vorpal Weapon makes it a solid choice against enemy players.
Cartesian Coordinate is available as a world drop and can drop from all activities. It can also drop from Umbral Engrams.
Your thoughts
What do you think of the weapons included in this list? Are there any choices that you disagree with, or weapons that you feel should be on the list? Let me know. Also, for more on Destiny 2, make sure to check out our guide to how to use crossplay in Destiny 2 as well as our complete beginner's guide on how to get into Destiny 2 in 2021.
Survive the Truth
Destiny 2: The Witch Queen
$40 at Microsoft (Xbox) $40 at Steam (PC) $40 at Bungie Store
Take back the Light
The upcoming Witch Queen expansion features the sinnister Savathûn and her brood of Light-wielding Hive, which will undoubtedly prove to be the most challenging foes faced by Guardians yet. Players can expect tons of new loot, enemies, locations, and more.
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