A new expansion and season can only mean one thing in Destiny 2 — new weapons! There are a ton of new weapons in the game, and while we won’t cover every single one, we’re going to look at some of the main ones. We’ll cover all the new Exotics, as well as the Neptune/Neomuna weapons and the new seasonal weapons in the new Lightfall expansion and Season of Defiance. For each weapon, we’ll give the PVE god roll and PVP one, if applicable.

Note: We’re still early in the season, so the god rolls might not be 100% accurate as time goes on. These are our ideas for what we believe will work best in the long run, but perks get nerfed/buffed all the time. Make sure and come back and check if we update this in the future, should it be necessary.

New Exotics

We’re separating the Exotics from the rest of the weapons, since there’s only a few and they don’t have rolls like the others. Exotic weapons usually have pre-determined perks, with the exception of a few craftable ones.

Verglas Curve

The Verglas Curve weapon in Destiny 2
(Image: Bungie via HGG / Brett Moss)

How to Get: Season Pass (Level 1 for paid side, Level 35 for free side).

Verglas Curve is all about making Stasis crystals. Each kill with this weapon grants a charge, and the charges can be used to make crystals. Just hip-fire the bow with a charge, and it’ll produce one crystal for each charge (capped at 5). It’s perfect for any Stasis build, especially those that run Whisper of Chains (the fragment that grants Resist when near a crystal). Now, maybe we can use that without having to use Glacier Grenade or a Headstone weapon.

Final Warning

The Final Warning weapon in Destiny 2
(Image: Bungie via HGG / Brett Moss)

How to Get: “The Final Strand” quest.

This is our first Strand sidearm, and it’s incredible. It’s only useful for taking out waves of ads, but it does that perfectly. You can hold down the trigger to mark targets and fire a massive burst of tracking, hip-fire rounds. Not only is it incredibly satisfying, but it’s actually strong. If you’ve been hoping for a sidearm to use that’s actually good, here you go. It’s also good in PVP, so have fun trying that out!

Winterbite

The Winterbite weapon in Destiny 2
(Image: Bungie via HGG / Brett Moss)

How to Get: “Strider” quest.

This is the first heavy glaive we’ve gotten, and of course it was far too strong. Bungie had to disable this glaive almost immediately since it was bugged and did more damage than it was supposed to. Once that’s fixed, though, we expect it to still be strong. It’s a Stasis heavy glaive, so we’re sure there will be some utility for it no matter what.

Deterministic Chaos

The Deterministic Chaos weapon in Destiny 2
(Image: Bungie via HGG / Brett Moss)

How to Get: “Unfinished Business” quest.

Each fourth shot with this weapon releases a projectile that weakens targets. Weaken is a strong mechanic for Void builds, and it helps out everyone on your fireteam. It’s certainly worth grabbing this before doing the new raid when it releases, because you never know when something like this might be good.

Neptune Weapons

These are all the new weapons associated with the new destination, Neptune. Not all of these are craftable, so make sure not to automatically dismantle your drops. You can find most of these weapons by doing events on Neptune after unlocking them initially, so we’ll make sure to let you know how to do that as well.

Round Robin

The Round Robin weapon in Destiny 2
(Image: Bungie via HGG / Brett Moss)

How to Get: “From Zero” quest to unlock initially, then farmable on Neptune.

Craftable: Yes

It feels too early to say how good Round Robin is, since hand cannons in general are in such a weird spot. Since Bungie made the game overall a bit harder with Lightfall thanks to most content having a maximum effective Light level, hand cannons struggle to keep up in damage. This is also a 120 RPM hand cannon, which is the slowest in the game. Right now, this seems to have more uses in PVP, but even there, it’s iffy. If you like slow hand cannons, though, you can make this work in PVE as well.

PVE God Roll:

  • Hatchling or Golden Tricorn
  • Keep Away or Subsistence
  • Ricochet Rounds, Alloy Magazine, or Appended Mag
  • Corkscrew Rifling or Arrowhead Brake

PVP God Roll:

  • Kill Clip or Opening Shot
  • Keep Away
  • Ricochet Rounds or High-Caliber Rounds
  • Corkscrew Rifling or Hammer-Forged Rifling

Synchronic Roulette

The Synchronic Roulette weapon in Destiny 2
(Image: Bungie via HGG / Brett Moss)

How to Get: Terminal Overload on Neptune

Craftable: No

This is a perfectly fine SMG, but it doesn’t bring much to the table in terms of perks. It’s definitely exciting to have a Strand SMG, though. It can also roll the new Hatchling perk, which makes it at least usable in Hatchling builds. Outside of PVE, there’s no real reason to use this, though.

PVE God Roll:

  • Hatchling
  • Under Pressure or Envious Assassin
  • Ricochet Rounds
  • Arrowhead Brake or Corkscrew Rifling

Volta Bracket

The Volta Bracket weapon in Destiny 2
(Image: Bungie via HGG / Brett Moss)

How to Get: Neptune activities and events, as well as Nimbus engrams.

Craftable: Yes

Volta Bracket is, well…a sniper. And while we hate to admit it, snipers still haven’t gotten the buffs they’ve been in desperate need of. Outside of specific raid/dungeon encounters, there’s really no place for snipers in PVE at the moment. They’re still good in PVP, obviously, but this one doesn’t have the right perks to fight against the meta picks. Here’s the PVE god roll, since it doesn’t have the right perks for PVP.

PVE God Roll:

  • Cascade Point or Hatchling
  • Envious Assassin or Keep Away
  • Armor-Piercing Rounds or Extended Mag
  • Arrowhead Brake or Corkscrew Rifling

Iterative Loop

The Iterative Loop weapon in Destiny 2
(Image: Bungie via HGG / Brett Moss)

How to Get: “From Zero” quest to unlock initially, then farmable on Neptune.

Craftable: Yes

Any weapon with Voltshot is bound to be good, and Iterative Loop is no exception. It also has Demolitionist, as well several decent options in the other slot. It might not be the tip top of the meta, but it’s definitely worthy of being used. Especially for content with an Arc Surge or similar mechanic, you could get some great use out of this fusion.

PVE God Roll:

  • Voltshot or Demolitionist
  • Lead From Gold or Under Pressure
  • Enhanced Battery or Accelerated Coils
  • Arrowhead Brake, Chambered Compensator, or Corkscrew Rifling

Phyllotactic Spiral

The Phyllotactic Spiral weapon in Destiny 2
(Image: Bungie via HGG / Brett Moss)

How to Get: Neptune activities and events, as well as Nimbus engrams.

Craftable: Yes

While this pulse rifle doesn’t have any incredible perks, it might be useful for hardcore pulse rifle fans. It can get Voltshot, which is always strong, and Keep Away is a really interesting new perks that gives bonuses when the user is not near enemies. It’s a decent, craftable pulse rifle, so if you want that then this is the one for you.

PVE God Roll:

  • Voltshot or Frenzy
  • Keep Away
  • Extended Mag or Appended Mag
  • Arrowhead Brake or Corkscrew Rifling

PVP God Roll:

  • Kill Clip or Elemental Capacitor
  • Keep Away
  • Extended Mag
  • Corkscrew Rifling

Basso Ostinato

The Basso Ostinato weapon in Destiny 2
(Image: Bungie via HGG / Brett Moss)

How to Get: Terminal Overload on Neptune

Craftable: No

Basso Ostinato is a rapid-fire frame shotgun, which keeps it pretty far away from being meta. However, it does synergize really well with Void builds thanks to Destabilizing Rounds. With that perk, eliminating enemies causes other ones nearby to become volatile. If you’re running a Void build, this is at least a weapon worth checking out.

PVE God Roll:

  • Destabilizing Rounds
  • Lead From Gold
  • Tactical Mag
  • Smallbore, Rifled Barrel, or Smoothbore

Circular Logic

The Circular Logic weapon in Destiny 2
(Image: Bungie via HGG / Brett Moss)

How to Get: Terminal Overload

Craftable: No

If you want a good heavy machine gun for ad-clear purposes, this is one of your best options. It has Hatchling (the new Strand perk which spawns Threadlings), as well as Feeding Frenzy. Most of the better perks you can get on this are based around ad-clear, so there’s not much reason to use it for anything else. It’s not craftable, unfortunately, so you’ll just have to farm Terminal Overload for the god roll.

PVE God Roll:

  • Hatchling
  • Feeding Frenzy
  • Extended Mag or Ricochet Rounds
  • Arrowhead Brake, Chambered Compensator, or Corkscrew Rifling

Dimensional Hypotrochoid

The Dimensional Hypotrochoid weapon in Destiny 2
(Image: Bungie via HGG / Brett Moss)

How to Get: Neptune activities and events, as well as Nimbus engrams.

Craftable: Yes

This is a Stasis wave-frame grenade launcher, which is already cool. Add in some fantastic wave clear perks, and you have a reliable weapon for a lot of content. It probably won’t be the best weapon for harder content, but for most it should be great or excellent. (And who knows, maybe we’ll find a use for it in raids and such.)

PVE God Roll:

  • Chain Reaction
  • Envious Assassin, Stats For All, or Field Prep
  • High-Velocity Rounds
  • any

Season of Defiance Weapons

These are the new Season of Defiance weapons, which are tied to the seasonal activities. All of these, except the ritual weapon, are craftable.

Ecliptic Distaff (Ritual Weapon)

The Ecliptic Distaff weapon in Destiny 2
(Image: Bungie via HGG / Brett Moss)

How to Get: Reach Level 16 with one of the ritual playlist vendors. Those vendors are Zavala (Vanguard playlist), Lord Shaxx (Crucible playlist), and the Drifter (Gambit playlist). You can find each at the Tower.

We get a new ritual weapon each season, and this season is no different. This time we got a Glaive, and it has some interesting perks. Destabilizing Rounds, for example, is a great perk for Void builds that want to utilize volatile. It’s so easy to get Volatile Rounds this season that this isn’t as relevant, but it probably will be in upcoming seasons. As with all ritual weapons, you get a pre-determined perk set when you get the weapon.

Pre-Determined Roll:

  • Close to Melee or Destabilizing Rounds
  • Replenishing Aegis or Immovable Object
  • Alloy Magazine
  • Ballistic Tuning

Prodigal Return

The Prodigal Return weapon in Destiny 2
(Image: Bungie via HGG / Brett Moss)

How to Get: Defiant Battlegrounds and focusing at the H.E.L.M.

Craftable: Yes

It’s always nice to see new grenade launchers, and this one is definitely worth checking out. Voltshot is interesting on a grenade launcher, and both Demolitionist and Rampage are proven solid choices. Envious Assassin could be paired really well with this weapon for extra grenades, or you could just rock Lead From Gold for better ammo economy. Also, make sure only to take Disorienting Grenades if you plan to actually use them. Otherwise, you’re just reducing your blast radius for no reason.

PVE God Roll:

  • Voltshot, Demolitionist, or Rampage
  • Envious Assassin or Lead From Gold
  • Disorienting Grenades or Spike Grenades
  • Volatile Launch

Perpetualis

The Perpetualis weapon in Destiny 2
(Image: Bungie via HGG / Brett Moss)

How to Get: Defiant Battlegrounds and focusing at the H.E.L.M.

Craftable: Yes

Perpetualis is one of the only Strand weapons in the game, and it has some amazing perk options. Hatchling is obviously exciting since it’s the new Strand perk, but Target Lock might be better for more difficult content. Killing Wind has always been a decent pick on auto weapons, but Envious Assassin and Keep Away will probably be more popular. Envious might be better pick since it reloads weapons, but the others are all still potential god roll perks.

PVE God Roll:

  • Hatchling or Target Lock
  • Envious Assassin, Killing Wind, or Keep Away
  • Tactical Mag or Accurized Rounds
  • Corkscrew Rifling, Arrowhead Brake, or Chambered Compensator

Raconteur

The Raconteur weapon in Destiny 2
(Image: Bungie via HGG / Brett Moss)

How to Get: Defiant Battlegrounds and focusing at the H.E.L.M.

Craftable: Yes

The synergy between Headstone and Archer’s Tempo is incredible, and Explosive Head works just as well for non-Stasis builds. If you have a Stasis build based around making crystals, this is a great pick up. It might not be the new Exotic, Verglas Curve, but it’s a great legendary alternative.

PVE God Roll:

  • Headstone or Explosive Head
  • Archer’s Tempo
  • Compact Arrow Shaft or Carbon Arrow Shaft
  • Agile Bowstring or Tactile String

Royal Executioner

The Royal Executioner weapon in Destiny 2
(Image: Bungie via HGG / Brett Moss)

How to Get: Defiant Battlegrounds and focusing at the H.E.L.M.

Craftable: Yes

This is going to be a hard one to predict, but it seems like this fusion is kind of a mixed bag. Reservoir Burst is a great fusion perk, and Incandescent is a reliable pick if you’re more worried about ad-clear. Envious Assassin is definitely the best in the second slot, unless you prefer the consistency of Lead From Gold. If you’re going the ad-clear route, that’d probably be better since you’ll be using more ammo.

PVE God Roll:

  • Reservoir Burst or Incandescent
  • Envious Assassin or Lead From Gold
  • Enhanced Battery or Accelerated Coils
  • Arrowhead Brake or Corkscrew Rifling

Regnant

The Regnant weapon in Destiny 2
(Image: Bungie via HGG / Brett Moss)

How to Get: Defiant Battlegrounds and focusing at the H.E.L.M.

Craftable: Yes

This grenade launcher has amazing perks in each slot, and with the recent heavy grenade launcher buffs, this is the best time to use it. This one is more geared toward burst damage on a single (or few) targets, not ad-clear. Explosive Light is the obvious pick for its slot, but either Auto-Loading or Envious Assassin can work in the other one. Auto-Loading Holster always reloads your weapon when stored for 2.5 seconds (unenhanced), while Envious reloads your weapon after enemy kills but can also overflow it with extra ammo. If you plan to just do one huge burst of damage, then go back a different weapon, Envious is better. Auto-Loading is better for long boss phases and such since it’s more consistent.

PVE God Roll:

  • Explosive Light
  • Auto-Loading Holster or Envious Assassin
  • Spiked Grenades
  • Volatile Launch

Caretaker

The Caretaker weapon in Destiny 2
(Image: Bungie via HGG / Brett Moss)

How to Get: Defiant Battlegrounds and focusing at the H.E.L.M.

Craftable: Yes

This sword is genuinely beautiful. Unfortunately, there’s really no use for it in any content. You could have a lot of fun running around the Tower with it or in easy content where weapon choice doesn’t matter much, but that’s about it.

PVE God Roll:

  • Incandescent
  • Tireless Blade
  • Balanced Guard
  • Hungry Edge

Other Notable Weapons

Here are a few other new weapons that don’t fit into either previous category. These are a bit less exciting than the shiny new seasonal/destination weapons, but they’re still worth using. Let’s take a quick look.

Marsilion-C

The Marsilion-C weapon in Destiny 2
(Image: Bungie via HGG / Brett Moss)

How to Get: World Drop

Craftable: Yes

It might not be fancy, but the Marsilion-C has amazing perks. It can roll Explosive Light and Incandescent in one slot, and Envious Assassin and Field Prep in the other. This thing has all the ingredients to be one of the most reliable grenade launchers in the game. And on top of that, it’s craftable.

PVE God Roll:

  • Explosive Light or Incandescent
  • Envious Assassin or Field Prep
  • Spike Grenades
  • Volatile Launch or Confined Launch

Trust

The Trust weapon in Destiny 2
(Image: Bungie via HGG / Brett Moss)

How to Get: Gambit

Craftable: No

Getting Trust back is one of the high points of this season so far. It was a beloved weapon before it was sunset, and there’s no reason why it wouldn’t be now. The new perks are great, and there’s more than enough good ones to choose from. Any hand cannon with Explosive Payload and Outlaw is good, but ones with other great choices like Incandescent and Rapid Hit are even better.

PVE God Roll:

  • Explosive Payload or Incandescent
  • Outlaw or Rapid Hit
  • Accurized Rounds, Tactical Mag, or Appended Mag
  • Corkscrew Rifling

PVP God Roll:

  • Explosive Payload or Rangefinder
  • Opening Shot, Snapshot Sights, or Outlaw
  • Accurized Rounds
  • Corkscrew Rifling or Arrowhead Brake

Join the High Ground!

Hopefully you’re having a good time farming all these new weapons and god rolls in Destiny 2: Lightfall and the Season of Defiance. There’s a ton to do this season, as always, so be sure to come back for more tips and guides.

Happy gaming!