Destiny 2: Best Items to Buy from Xur (2025)

Bungie / Brett Moss

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Human Made

I've been playing video games pretty much nonstop ever since I got my first 360. I love racing games, MMOs, and shooters, but I'll play just about anything.

Reviewed by Benjamin Barr

Many things have changed in Destiny over the years, but Xur is always there (on the weekends, at least). And with so many items available in his loot pool, I think it’s worth looking at the best of what he has to offer. In this article, I’ll take a look at the best items to buy from Xur, starting with Exotic weapons. Let’s get right into it!

Best Exotic Weapons to Buy from Xur

Xur weapons inventory — Bungie / Brett Moss

Queenbreaker
Thunderlord
Tractor Cannon
Coldheart
Telesto
Arbalest
Graviton Lance
Sunshot
Trinity Ghoul

Heavy Weapons

Xur has quite a few Exotic weapons to offer, but a few stand out above the rest. In the heavy weapons tier, the best options are Queenbreaker, Thunderlord, and Tractor Cannon. Queenbreaker has been particularly good this episode (Episode: Heresy) but I expect it to be strong in the future as well. Right now it’s the best DPS in the game with the right Arc build, so it’s absolutely worth grabbing. Thunderlord is probably the best all-around heavy weapon Xur has, and once the Artifact mods benefiting Queenbreaker are gone, I expect it to be the best heavy he has again. Thunderlord’s ability to clear ads and do serious DPS make it a standout weapon in everything from raids to strikes. Then there’s Tractor Cannon, which is notable for its ability to debuff enemies. While its actual damage is low, the debuff it offers makes it a necessary weapon for some raid encounters or other boss-oriented activities. Just make sure you only use it in situations where it actually applies the debuff, because it doesn’t always stack with other ones.

Special Weapons

For the special weapons, Xur’s best options are Coldheart, Telesto, and Arbalest. Coldheart is particularly good this episode thanks to the Artifact perks that buff the Arc subclass and Trace Rifles. That being said, I think it’ll remain solid even after this episode, especially on Warlock. Now that Ionic Trace builds are more usable thanks to the Geomag Stabilizers buff, Coldheart really has a chance to shine. Telesto is also a good option right now, but it’s always good any time Fusion Rifles are in general (which is quite often). Even though it occasionally breaks the entire game, I always recommend using Telesto as it’s one of the more overlooked Exotics (outside of all the memes about it). Then we have Arbalest. While Arbalest isn’t a strong as it once was, it’s still good for one-shotting Anti-Barrier Champions’ shields. It also works well against other shielded enemies, so it’ll always have a place.

Primary Weapons

The best primary weapons are usually Exotic, and Xur has several that are worth having. Graviton Lance is probably the best one he has right now, as it’s reliable, does a ton of damage, and even has solid ad-clear. Sunshot is my personal favorite, though. Its explosions are great for ad-clear, and it works great with just about any Solar scorch build. Trinity Ghoul is also great at ad-clear, as it’s able to clear out any group of low-HP enemies with just a single empowered arrow.

Best Exotic Armor to Buy from Xur

Wormhusk Crown (Hunter)
The Sixth Coyote (Hunter)
Celestial Nighthawk (Hunter)
Synthoceps (Titan)
Helm of Inmost Light (Titan)
Peregrine Greaves (Titan)
Geomag Stabilizers (Warlock)
Ophidian Aspect (Warlock)
Verity’s Brow (Warlock)

Hunter

Wormhusk Crown is a personal favorite of mine, as it allows Hunters to heal instantly upon dodging. It’s not a full-HP heal, but it’s enough to keep you alive in some tough situations. I don’t like it as much in endgame content like Grandmaster Strikes since you die so quickly there, but in raids and dungeons where the damage is slightly less intense (usually) I love it. The Sixth Coyote might not sound like the most exciting Exotic since it just gives you a second dodge charge, but this works with so many builds that it’s an essential armor piece to have. There are lots of interactions with dodge that really benefit from the second charge, so it’s hard to ignore. Then there’s Celestial Nighthawk, which is probably the most iconic Exotic armor for Hunters in Destiny 2. It turns Golden Gun into a one-shot ability which does insanely high damage, so it’s essential for many DPS encounters.

Titan

Easily the best Xur Exotic for Titan is Synthoceps. It increases melee and super damage when you’re surrounded, which is most of the time when you’re trying to melee something. It also works with a number of Titan supers that rely on close range, like Bladefury (Strand) and Glacial Quake (Stasis). Helm of Inmost Light is the best “generic” Titan Exotic in the game, meaning it can be used in just about any way you want. It empowers other abilities when you use the first one, so it’s incredibly versatile. Then we have Peregrine Greaves, which increases melee damage when you’re airborne. This one is actually way better than it sounds, as it allows you to one-shot a lot of powerful enemies in PVE. It’s even good in endgame content, despite requiring you to keep up close.

Warlock

As a Warlock main, the recent Geomag Stabilizers buff has made me actually excited to use the Arc subclass for the first time since The Taken King (it’s been a while). It truly feels like Chaos Reach has reached its full potential for the first time now that Geomags are so strong. Hopefully Bungie will actually give it a cool ornament before they nerf it (or at least not give it one right after doing so like they did with Starfire Protocol–I’ll never forgive Bungie for that). Ophidian Aspect is another often-overlooked Exotic, and it’s actually one of the best PVP Exotics in the game since it gives major bonuses to reload speed and handling. It’s generic, but not at all in a bad way. Then we have Verity’s Brow, which buffs grenades when you get a weapon kill that matches its element. It also gives your teammates increased grenade regeneration when you use them near them with the buff activated, which is always helpful.

Best Other Items to Buy from Xur

Solipsism Exotic class item — Bungie / Brett Moss

Xur also has quite a few items other than Exotic weapons and armor. A lot of these are worthless or just outdated (particularly the legendary weapon pool, with a few exceptions), but there are some true gems in there as well. Here are the best other items to buy from Xur:

Exotic Class Item
Exotic Ciphers
The Xurfboard (if you don’t already have a Skimmer)
Any Exotic Catalyst you don’t already have
Legendary armor pieces that you want for fashion/cosmetic purposes

The Exotic Class Item is by far the best one to get, but it does have to be previously unlocked in collections to do so. No getting out of Dual Destiny here (unless you unlocked it via the Festival of the Lost event last year). Exotic Ciphers are a no-brainer to pick up, as they’re more useful now than ever since you can use them to upgrade Exotic Armor to have an Artifice slot. The Xurfboard is great if you don’t already have another Skimmer, but it’s not an “essential” item (even though it is way better than sparrows, honestly). And as always, you’ll want to pick up any Exotic Catalyst you don’t already have, whether it’s a good one or not. There’s also a single set of legendary armor each week. Legendary armor from Xur is usually low stat, but you can transmog them for fashion and cosmetic purposes whenever you want.