Destiny 2: Best Bows for PVE

Image Credit: Bungie

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Human Made

Kody is our expert Destiny 2 and shooter genre writer. He lives in Oregon.

Bows have been a major part of Destiny 2 since the launch of Forsaken years ago. Bows mix the mid-speed accuracy of scout rifles, the long-range distance of sniper rifles, and the semi-rapid fire of pulse rifles to make a unique weapon class that’s difficult to master.

Bows are one of my favorite weapon types in Destiny 2. They have always been fun to use, and when a bow is good, it’s really good. There are also more excellent Exotic bows than with most weapon types. In this article I’ll go over all the best bows for any PVE content, so let’s get started off with the Exotics!

Exotic Bows

Le Monarque

How to Get: Exotic Archive at the Tower

Poison is a dangerous element in Destiny 2, and any weapon which can apply it tends to be very good. Thanks to its high precision damage, on-hit poison, and combination of perks, Le Monarque is likely the best bow in Destiny 2.

Le Monarque paved the way for Exotic Bow archetypes, being the first to showcase an explosive ability through precision hits. The interesting thing is that it causes poison damage, meaning any AOE impact can gradually affect nearby enemies. And thanks to the high impact and accuracy stats, any precision shots will typically take out minor enemies and even Guardians in one to two hits.

Ticcu’s Divination

How to Get: Exotic Archive at the Tower

Ticcu’s Divination is one of the best examples of how unique Exotic bows tend to be. This tri-shot, solar-based Exotic bow works as a solid enemy clearing weapon or sustained DPS. The intrinsic perk, Sacred Flame, allows you to “mark” targets for explosion. Hip-fire a shot, then land a precision shot to detonate the explosion and do huge damage.

Ticcu’s is good in PVE mostly, since the Sacred Flame detonations can be very easily spammed. It’s also a good choice for Nightfall strikes when there’s an applicable Champion mod and the right modifiers. In a Nightfall strike with a Solar surge and/or a Bow weapon boost, this is a great option to have ready. It also works really well in Gambit, where its PVP strengths can shine.

Trinity Ghoul

How to Get: Exotic Engrams and Xur

Bungie has a thing for weapons that chain lightning, and we’re not complaining. Trinity Ghoul takes this idea to the natural extreme, thanks to the Lightning Rod perk, which chains lightning upon precision kills (or any kill, if you have the catalyst). All you have to do is get one kill with Trinity Ghoul to grant the Lightning Rod perk. Then you can just fire your arrows in the general direction of enemies and the chain lightning will do the rest. It’s like firing arc grenades on repeat.

To truly get the most out of this bow, you need to opt for an Arc subclass to keep your chain lightning rolling. This can be limiting for some players, but the crazy amount of AOE and residual damage is well worth it, especially when taking on multiple enemies. Trinity Ghoul synergizes very well with Arc 3.0 builds due to how many Arc kills you can get with it.

Leviathan’s Breath

How to Get: Exotic Archive at the Tower

Leviathan’s Breath is the only heavy bow in the game. For years it was a joke, with the exception of the occasional strike, but these days it’s pretty great. The Leviathan’s Sigh perk causes fully drawn arrows to cause a powerful AOE explosion on hits, boosting its damage output. Over a long damage phase, Leviathan’s Breath can output more damage than nearly any other weapon.

The Leviathan’s Breath catalyst is one of the major selling points of this weapon. It increases the magazine size by 50% and grants the perk Archer’s Tempo. The base draw time of this weapon is longer than any other bow’s, so Tempo was a necessity for it to be useful.

With the catalyst, this weapon more than holds its own in damage phases and against powerful enemies such as Champions. It has a built-in Unstoppable Champion mod, too, so it’s strong it any content with those as well.

Legendary Bows

Accrued Redemption

How to Get: Garden of Salvation Raid (First Encounter)
God Roll: Archer’s Tempo + Kinetic Tremors

Kinetic Tremors is truly excellent on bows. It only takes 2 shots to trigger the AOE damage, so it’s absolutely fantastic. Archer’s Tempo is also one of the best bow perks in the game, so this pairing is S-tier. As someone who really loves bows, Accrued Redemption is a bit of a godsend. Its origin trait, Photoinhibition, is also great for bows. It enhances how much damage you deal to shielded enemies, which are abundant in just about all content.

I like Accrued Redemption for content where you’ll get to take advantage of its high damage with Archer’s Tempo and Kinetic Tremors. Strikes are the perfect place to use them, but many raid encounters are also good for it too.

Non-Denouement

How to Get: Salvation’s Edge Raid (First, Second, and Fourth Encounters)
God Roll: Dragonfly / Archer’s Tempo + Voltshot

While Non-Denouement might not be easy to get (especially these days now that finding raid groups is harder), it’s absolutely worth the grind. It’s the strongest bow for Arc builds right now, as Voltshot essentially turns it into a mini Trinity Ghoul. It’s one of the best legendary weapons in the game for ad-clear, so it’s definitely worth getting. The first perk slot is more competitive, as Dragonfly adds extra ad-clear while Archer’s Tempo just makes it fire faster. Both are great options, and you really can’t go wrong regardless of which you pick.

Just try to find a really strong raid group to run Salvation’s Edge with, and if you don’t already know the mechanics, try your best to learn them via YouTube videos or guides before jumping into it.

Raconteur

How to Get: Avalon Exotic Mission
God Roll: Archer’s Tempo + Explosive Head / Headstone

Raconteur is one of the best Stasis bows in town. With it, you gain access to the combo of Archer’s Tempo (the best bow perk) and Headstone. Headstone spawns Stasis crystals on precision kills, and Archer’s Tempo grants faster reload speed after precision hits. It’s a perfect combo. If you don’t care about Stasis though, you can also take Explosive Head for a more generalist build.

Raconteur is the perfect bow to go with your Prismatic or Stasis build. Plus, it looks cool. I loved the purple “rocky” aesthetic of Season of Defiance, so I’m glad the weapons are still good.

Strident Whistle

How to Get: Vanguard Activity Drops
God Roll: Archer’s Tempo + Incandescent

Strident Whistle is a Solar bow with Incandescent as one of its perks. That alone is enough to warrant a spot on this list, but it has other great perks to match. Archer’s Tempo along with Incandescent makes for a non-stop explosion chain, and it might just be the overall best perk roll for a bow. If not the best, it’s gotta be close.

Strident Whistle fits better into Solar builds than almost any other bow. If you’re looking for a bow that you can take into Nightfall strikes or Master raids, this is a fantastic choice. Incandescent allows it to take out swarms, and it can whittle away at larger enemies quickly thanks to Archer’s Tempo. Definitely don’t forget about this bow.

Under Your Skin

How to Get: Vox Obscura Exotic Mission
God Roll: Archer’s Tempo + Explosive Head

Under Your Skin is a Void precision frame bow that’s also craftable. It’s one of the strongest bows available for PVE thanks to strong perks and a good origin trait. The best roll for PVE is Explosive Head and Archer’s Tempo. This combo allows for bonus damage via Explosive and rapid draw speed via Archer’s Tempo. It does require precision hits, but as long as you consistently land those it’s incredible. It’s not flashy or anything, but it’s a fantastic bow that won’t fail you anywhere.

Which of them are worth trading in your heavy-duty artillery for a bow and quiver?