Swords recently are undergoing a bit of a renaissance in Destiny 2. For a long time neglected, a recent overhaul of sword mechanics in-game, coupled with very powerful legendary weapons and mods have turned swords into arguably the best weapons in the game for lots of content in the game. So then, let’s look at the best swords in PvE, PvP & Gambit right now in Destiny 2 for 2023 as of Lightfall.
Best Swords for PvE, PvP, & Gambit in Destiny 2 2023
Best for PvE & Gambit
- Caretaker (Power, Arc) – Obtained from Season of Defiance activities.
- Crown-Splitter (Titan, Power, Void) – Random world drop.
- Falling Guillotine (Void, Power) – Random world drop.
- Half Truths (Arc, Power) – Possible drop from Xur’s Treasure Horde.
- Quickfang (Hunter, Power, Void) – Random world drop.
- The Lament (Solar, Power, Exotic) – Purchase from Exotic Kiosk.
- Throne Cleaver (Titan, Power, Solar) – Obtained from decrypting Leviathan engrams from the Helm.
- The Other Half (Void, Power) – Possible drop from Xur’s Treasure Horde.
- Bequest (Power, Arc) – Possible drop from completing Deep Stone Crypt raid.
- Heartshadow (Power, Void, Exotic) – Possible drop from completing Duality Dungeon.
Swords are in an overall solid spot in PvE currently. You can get away with using them in most endgame content, but unless you’re underpowered, like in a Grandmaster Nightfall, it’s not recommended to use one.
That said, they’re still very strong in essentially everything else, so picking up one of, if not multiple of the listed Swords above would be a great idea.
Unfortunately, we have received only a few new Swords thus far with the release of the Lightfall DLC. That said, the ones we had before are still excellent options to choose from, with The Other Half being the most popular among players. Throne Cleaver is getting some attention as of late as it became craftable with the arrival of Season of Defiance, and it has some great perks to use with a Solar build.
However, if you’re looking for high DPS, then the Exotic Sword Lament will still be your go-to choice. Overall, we need more Swords to work with as we head into the Lightfall DLC.
Best Sword for PvP & Invading in Gambit
- Black Talon (Void, Power, Exotic) – Rare exotic world drop.
- Half Truths (Arc, Power) – Possible drop from Xur’s Treasure Horde.
- The Other Half (Void, Power) – Possible drop from Xur’s Treasure Horde.
If you’re going to commit to being the PvP Sword person in Destiny 2, you might as well go all out and use Black Talon. Black Talon has the Tireless Blade perk to make the most of the limited ammo you get and it of course features the Crow’s Wing perk which allows you to fire a projectile.
Swords, especially Black Talon, can be very effective in PvP but you have to play smart. Make use of your radar, hide as much as possible, and use the third-person angle to peek around corners.
Almost no one is going to be mentally prepared to dodge a Crow’s Wing hit, so if you find yourself in a situation where you can’t safely get up in someone’s face, definitely make use of the exotic perk to get kills where you would have otherwise died.
Otherwise, you can catch your opponent by surprise with an Eager Edge if you’re able to get that roll on Half Truths or The Other Half.
And that does it for our picks for the best Swords to use in Destiny 2 in 2023. Be sure to search for Twinfinite for more tips and information on Destiny 2-related content.
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