Destiny 2: The Final Shape – 9 Best Exotic Weapons for PVE in 2024


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Destiny 2: The Final Shape – 9 Best Exotic Weapons for PVE in 2024

The best of the best of the best!

There are many Exotic weapons in Destiny 2, from gravity-defying Shotguns to infinite ammo Sniper Rifles, there are a wide variety of meta Exotic weapons right now.

Here is a rundown of the 9 best Exotics for PVE in Destiny 2 in 2024! (These are listed in random order, as it’s hard to compare them overall since they all have different uses.) Many of them are from The Final Shape, but I still included weapons from other expansions.

Graviton Lance

I’ve always been a huge fan of Graviton Lance. For a primary weapon, it feels incredibly powerful. The infinite range middle shot of the burst is helpful for long-range battles for sure, but the Cosmology perk is the main aspect of this weapon. Just kill an enemy and Cosmology will produce Void projectiles to take out other enemies. It’s very similar to Outbreak Perfected, but with Void synergies to go with it.

Graviton Lance Pulse Rifle in Destiny 2 with white ornament
Image: Bungie / Brett Moss

Plus, let’s be honest, Graviton Lance might just be the “cleanest” looking weapon in the game. It’s absolutely beautiful and its ornaments only make it better. (I mean, just look at the ornament in the image above. It’s perfection.)

Tractor Cannon

While it is a very niche weapon that’s only really meta in certain situations, it does very good in those times. Tractor Cannon shoots a short-range blast which debuffs enemies, making them take increased damage for a short while. For long boss fights, this can cut the overall fight length down immensely. If you’re in a Master Raid or other activity with huge, tanky bosses, Tractor Cannon is nearly essential. Plus, it looks cool and does knock enemies back a bit. It’s possible to do some funny stuff with the knockback if you’re feeling like doing more than just debuffing.

Sunshot

Very, very few weapons in Destiny history can compete with Sunshot’s ad-clear capabilities. Sometimes you just fire this thing once and it obliterates an entire waves of ads. Sunshot causes large explosions every time you kill an enemy, regardless of how powerful that enemy was. It works with many Solar builds, does more damage than you’d think to larger enemies, and stays relevant all the way through the hardest content. Sunshot is easily in contention for best weapon in Destiny 2 right now for any content (other than PVP).

Conditional Finality

There aren’t many things more satisfying than firing that first Solar round, igniting your enemy, then freezing them with the Stasis shot. I just have to say that I honestly love the way this weapon is designed. One Solar round and one Stasis round in a double barrel shotgun is peak game design, even though it’s fairly simple. And the best part? It’s actually good! Since you can use either round to stun Champions, it’ll always be solid in difficult content. It does respectable damage to bosses as well, so it really comes in clutch in many situations.

Red Death Reformed

This has definitely been the best performing new weapon from The Final Shape so far. It gives you the “cure” status effect whenever you get a kill, which allows you to heal all the time as long as there are ads around. This makes just about any content feel like a breeze, as long as you remember to leave an ad or two to heal from. Then, with the catalyst, you’ll be able to cause healing for your team as well. And don’t forget the other perk, which increases this weapon’s effectiveness and damage as your health decreases. So you can let a more powerful enemy damage you a bit, thus increasing your own damage against it. Then once it’s dead, you’ll heal right back up. It’s a perfect combo no matter how you want to play around it.

Outbreak Perfected

Outbreak Perfected has been around a long time, but it feels like it’s only getting better with time (and updates). There’s not even much to say here about it, as it does one thing and it does that one thing better than anything. Whenever you get a precision kill or land rapid precision hits with Outbreak, it spawns SIVA nanites that seek out other enemies to damage them. Since it does this both from precision kills and rapid precision hits, it allows this weapon to be equally effective against anything. Huge wave of ads? Kill one with Outbreak and watch the rest disappear. Huge boss and you’re out of heavy ammo? Just shoot it with Outbreak and get bonus damage from the nanites. It’s almost too effective, but who’s complaining?

Parasite

If you’re looking for nothing but massive damage, Parasite is the weapon you’re looking for. To get the max damage, you’ll need to utilize the Worm’s Hunger perk, which requires you to get kills before using this weapon. Each one gives you stacks, so it doesn’t really take too long to get to the max of 20 stacks as long as there are some ads around to kill. It is a bit annoying to get all the stacks of Worm’s Hunger that you need for maximum damage, but it’s worth it every time. Once it’s fully charged, you’ll be able to fire a shot (a worm, actually) that does more damage than most supers. For bosses or other situations where you can easily get the stacks before the encounter even starts, this is almost like a cheat code to start off fights with ease. Remember when Atraks-1 was a hard fight? Not anymore.

Still Hunt

Of the new weapons introduced in The Final Shape, Still Hunt is easily the flashiest. Its perk, Cayde’s Retribution, allows you to fire Golden Gun shots without needing any kind of super ability interaction. To charge this ability up for Still Hunt, you’ll just have to get precision shots or pick up Orbs of Power. Then, just activate it and go crazy! It really is a lot of fun, and if you’re a Hunter, you can actually combine this with Celestial Nighthawk just like the super. This does, unfortunately, kind of limit this weapon to Hunters if you’re trying to be optimal, but it’s still really good on Warlocks and Titans as well.

Whisper of the Worm

Ever since the update to this weapon right before The Final Shape, it’s been right back where it belongs. It isn’t optimal for everything, but any boss where you can reliably land three consecutive precision shots is easy bait for Whisper. If you’re really accurate, you can take out an enemy’s entire health bar without having to reload thanks to the White Nail perk. Against a boss like Oryx from the King’s Fall raid, Whisper is the best weapon in the game. Plus, it has some amazing sound effects that make it feel even cooler than it is (which is saying something).

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