Destiny 2’s meta goes through twists and turns as weapons rise in popularity and either counters are found, or Bungie ends up nerfing them into oblivion and new favorites rise. In this guide we’re going to run through the best weapons for Destiny 2’s PvP, Trials of Osiris and competitive game modes as of The Witch Queen DLC.
Let’s start this off by saying that, ultimately, what the best weapon for PvP and Trials of Osiris in Destiny 2 for you is whatever gun you’re most comfortable using. There’s no auto-win gun.
This is by no means a definitive list of every gun that is good in the Crucible, PvP and Trials of Osiris, this is just meant to be a greatest hits list of sorts, featuring a little bit of everything for players of all different tastes from our various weapon guides.
Let’s start with the best legendary weapons for PvP and then we’ll move onto the best exotic weapons for PvP.
Best Legendary Weapons for PvP & Trials of Osiris in Destiny 2 (2023)
- 1000-Yard Stare (Sniper Rifle, Energy, Void) – Possible drop from encounters in the dungeon Grasp of Avarice.
- Austringer (Hand Cannon, Kinetic) – Obtained from Season of the Haunted activities.
- BxR-55 Battler (Pulse Rifle, Energy, Solar) – Potential drop from Dares of Eternity Activity.
- Beloved (Sniper Rifle, Energy, Solar) – Obtained from Season of the Haunted activities.
- Bottom Dollar (Hand Cannon, Energy, Void) – Possible reward from Gambit matches and Gambit rank-ups.
- Brigand’s Law (Sidearm, Energy, Arc) – Obtained from Season of Plunder activities.
- Dire Promise (Hand Cannon, Kinetic) – Random world drop.
- Drang (Sidearm, Energy, Solar) – Obtained from Season of the Haunted activities.
- Exalted Truth (Hand Cannon, Energy, Void) – Obtained from Trials of Osiris.
- Fatebringer (Hand Cannon, Kinetic) – Possible drop from completing encounters in Vault of Glass raid.
- Felwinter’s Lie (Shotgun, Energy, Solar) – Purchase from Exotic Kiosk.
- Forgiveness (Sidearm, Energy, Arc) – Obtained from Trials of Osiris.
- Glacioclasm (Fusion Rifle, Energy, Void) – Reward during The Dawning seasonal event.
- Heritage (Shotgun, Kinetic) – Possible drop from completing encounters in Deep Stone Crypt raid.
- Ikelos_SMG (Energy, Arc) – Obtained from Season of the Seraph Activities.
- Piece of Mind (Pulse Rifle, Kinetic) – Obtained from Season of the Risen activities.
- Sacred Provenance (Pulse Rifle, Kinetic) – Possible drop from completing encounters in the Garden of Salvation raid.
- Raginhild (Shotgun, Kinetic) – World loot drop
- Rose (Hand Cannon, Kinetic) – Obtained from Competitive Crucible playlist.
- Salvager’s Salvo (Grenade Launcher, Energy, Arc) – Purchase from Exotic Kiosk.
- Submission (SMG, Kinetic) – Possible drop from completing encounters in Vow of the Disciple raid.
- Syncopation (Pulse Rifle, Kinetic, Stasis) – World loot drop
- The Inquisitor (Shotgun, Energy, Arc) – Obtained from Trials of Osiris.
- Wastelander (Shotgun, Kinetic) – Obtained from Dares of Eternity
- Without Remorse (Shotgun, Energy, Solar) – Obtained from Season of the Haunted activities.
There’s a lot to break down up there, so we’ll just highlight a few of the best PvP weapons in particular that you’re going to see a lot of whether you’re in quickplay, comp, or Trials of Osiris.
Beloved is the go-to sniper for many players right now, replacing 1000-Yard Stare, which is still really good. That said, you’ll still see some of them out there from dedicated users that just don’t want to let go.
If you can manage to get some wins in Trials of Osiris, Exalted Truth is an extremely popular and meta hand cannon right now that can free up the ability to use an exotic primary or heavy weapon.
If you’re not a sniper, hand cannon, or a shotgun user, you have lots of other legendary options to choose from, the BXR Battler is an excellent legendary Pulse Rifle that can roll with great perks.
Overall, it’s clear there is an abundance of Legendary weapons that are great for PvP, and there are probably more we should have included on the list.
Best Exotic Weapons for PvP & Trials of Osiris in Destiny 2 (2023)
- Ace of Spades (Hand Cannon, Kinetic) – Purchase from Exotic Kiosk.
- Arbalest (Linear Fusion Rifle, Kinetic) – Purchase from Exotic Kiosk.
- Bastion (Fusion Rifle, Kinetic) – Purchase from Exotic Kiosk.
- Cloudstrike (Sniper Rifle, Energy, Arc) – Possible reward from completing elected difficulty Empire Hunts.
- Crimson (Hand Cannon, Kinetic) – Purchase from Exotic Kiosk.
- Dead Man’s Tale (Scout Rifle, Kinetic) – Purchase from Xur.
- Dead Messenger (Grenade Launcher, Energy, Void) – Obtained from Vox Obscura mission.
- Hawkmoon (Hand Cannon, Kinetic) – Purchase from Exotic Kiosk.
- Jotunn (Fusion Rifle, Energy, Solar) – Purchase from Exotic Kiosk.
- Le Monarque (Bow, Kinetic) – Purchase from Exotic Kiosk.
- Mida Multi-Tool (Scout Rifle, Kinetic) – Purchase from Exotic Kiosk.
- No Time to Explain (Pulse Rifle, Kinetic) – Purchase from Exotic Kiosk.
- Outbreak Perfected (Pulse Rifle, Kinetic) – Purchase from Exotic Kiosk.
- Parasite (Grenade Launcher, Power, Solar) – Purchase from Exotic Kiosk.
- Revision Zero (Pulse Rifle, Kinetic) – Obtained from Operation: Seraph’s Shield mission.
- The Chaperone (Shotgun, Kinetic) – Via exotic quest from Shaw Han on the Cosmodrome.
- The Last Word (Hand Cannon, Kinetic) – Purchase from Exotic Kiosk.
- Thorn (Hand Cannon, Kinetic) – Purchase from Exotic Kiosk.
- Truth (Rocket Launcher, Power, Void) – Purchase from Exotic Kiosk.
- Vigilance Wing (Pulse Rifle, Kinetic) – Purchase from Exotic Kiosk.
- Wardcliff Coil (Rocket Launcher, Power, Arc) – Purchase from Exotic Kiosk.
There’s so much going on in the exotic section. Let’s start with the obvious: Hand Cannons. Hand cannons are perhaps the most contentious and diverse weapon category when you’re talking about the best exotic weapons for PvP and Trials of Osiris. I’m not going to begin to tell you which is best, just try and collect them all and see which one fits your playstyle.
While Beloved is considered the best sniper rifle to use by many right now, if you can handle Cloudstrike’s aggressive frame style, you have the potential to get some really crazy multi-kills with its lightning storm perk.
Dead Man’s Tale, which was previously nerfed a couple seasons back, was re-vamped in Season of the Seraph is more dominant than ever. It is currently the most-used Exotic for PvP activities by a large margin.
Pulse Rifles are also in a great spot with Revision Zero and No Time to Explain leading the charge. Though it is likely they will see a potential nerf as we head into Lightfall.
And finally, if you noticed we didn’t recommend a bow in the legendary section, there are plenty of bows that are all kind of same on that end. If you’re going to be “that bow person,” rock Le Monarque, as it’s arguably the most lethal weapon in the game.
That’s all for our picks for the best weapons for PvP, Crucible and competitive in Destiny 2 in 2023 as of the current meta in The Witch Queen. Be sure to search for Twinfinite for more tips and information on Destiny 2-related content.
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