Destiny 2's latest episode, Heresy, has brought dozens of new weapons to the sandbox. Beyond the standard seasonal weapons and endgame reprisals, Bungie has added some extra weapons to ritual content, world loot, and aspirational content like Trials of Osiris and Nightfalls.

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There are some absurdly good weapons added to playlist content this season that you won't want to miss. From Rocket Sidearms with Volatile Rounds to a PvP Pulse Rifle that outperforms most Exotics, this guide will give you an in-depth breakdown of the best rolls you can find on every playlist weapon added in Episode: Heresy of Destiny 2.

Updated May 9, 2025, by Charles Burgar: Rite of the Nine added three new weapons to core playlists: Cruel Mercy, The Inquisitor, and Nature Reclaimed. We've updated this guide to include this event's latest weapon additions, covering the best perks you can get on each weapon for both PvE and PvP use.

Admetus-D

  • Drop Source: World Loot

High-Impact Scout Rifles are quite powerful if you can get a damage perk on them. Admetus-D certainly fits the bill. Frenzy, Precision Instrument, Elemental Honing, and even Withering Gaze are all obtainable on this weapon.

The damage perk you choose in PvE will mostly boil down to preference. In our view, if you're using a Void Primary, you're most likely leaning into Repulsor Brace for high Overshield uptime. For that, use Demoralize or Withering Gaze.

PvP has one clear winner here: Precision Instrument. While it doesn't do much for the first enemy you kill, if you get into back-to-back gunfights, this gun is capable of achieving a two-hit kill. It's not exactly practical in 3v3 modes, but for 6v6 objective playlists, it's not a bad pick. Pair it with Lone Wolf to improve the weapon's sluggish handling.

Barrel

Magazine

Trait 1

Trait 2

Masterwork

PvE Roll

Smallbore

High-Caliber Rounds

Repulsor Brace

Demoralize

Range

PvP Roll

Smallbore

High-Caliber Rounds

Lone Wolf

Precision Instrument

Range

Backfang

  • Drop Source: Gambit

Glaive enthusiasts will be delighted to hear that Backfang is the first Glaive in Destiny 2 to roll with Jolting Feedback in the second trait column, inflicting Jolt on sustained damage. It substantially increases the add clear potential of this weapon, although it never reaches the heights of Chain Reaction on Forthcoming Deviance. But that's to be expected; this weapon comes from a ritual activity, not a raid.

Crucible players are mostly stuck using Replenishing Aegis and Unstoppable Force for some solid neutral game buffs, nothing particularly unique to Backfang. No amount of buildcrafting will let you one-tap Guardians with this weapon, so most damage perks on here are seldom useful in a PvP environment. For PvE, stick with Jolting Feedback.

Haft

Magazine

Trait 1

Trait 2

Masterwork

PvE Roll

Auxiliary Reserves

Accurized Rounds

Replenishing Aegis

Jolting Feedback

Shield Duration

PvP Roll

Auxiliary Reserves

Accurized Rounds

Replenishing Aegis

Unstoppable Force

Shield Duration

Boondoggle Mk. 55

  • Drop Source: World Loot

Strange name aside, Boondoggle is the first Legendary Tex Mechanica SMG in Destiny 2, clearly inspired by The Huckleberry. Most of Tex Mechanica's weapons encourage hipfire usage through their Exotic traits or Legendary origin traits, and Boondoggle is no different. This weapon can get Hip-Fire Grip and Offhand Strike for some silly hipfire shenanigans, although that's hardly useful in current PvE or PvP content.

Boondoggle should be treated as a typical 720 RPM SMG, nothing more. When viewed under that lens, there are some good perk combinations up for grabs here. Encore and Killing Wind let Boondoggle push out to 24 meters while both are active, an absurd falloff distance for an SMG. PvE players can run Subsistence and Swashbuckler for a typical add clear workhorse; just don't expect this weapon to be remotely as strong as Huckleberry.

Barrel

Magazine

Trait 1

Trait 2

Masterwork

PvE Roll

Smallbore

Ricochet Rounds

Subsistence

Swashbuckler

Stability

PvP Roll

Smallbore

Ricochet Rounds

Encore

Killing Wind

Stability

Cruel Mercy

  • Drop Source: Nightfalls

Cruel Mercy is a two-round burst Pulse Rifle that deals Arc damage. Compared to Corrasion, Cruel Mercy features a better stat package across the board, better origin traits, and a slightly better suite of perks. You can't get Voltshot or Jolting Feedback on Cruel Mercy, but it does have some solid damage perks for PvE.

The main standout here is Demolitionist and Frenzy. So long as you stay in combat, the damage bonus and maxed reload speed should make Cruel Mercy feel significantly easier to use. Demolitionist will then give you free grenade energy on kills.

Crucible players typically use Lightweight Pulse Rifles due to their ease of use, but if you're looking to shake things up, a two-burst Pulse Rifle can compete if you can trigger a damage perk. Lone Wolf and Desperado are ideal here, reducing the TTK to 0.62s after a precision kill. Lone Wolf's aim assist bonus should make landing that precision kill slightly easier.

Barrel

Magazine

Trait 1

Trait 2

Masterwork

PvE Roll

Smallbore

Ricochet Rounds

Demolitionist

Frenzy

Range

PvP Roll

Smallbore

Ricochet Rounds

Lone Wolf

Desperado

Range

Cruoris FR4

  • Drop Source: World Loot

Cruoris is part of the recently-reworked Aggressive Frame archetype, behaving closer to a Shotgun than a proper Fusion Rifle. Each charge releases a horizontal burst of projectiles instead of a vertical spread, sacrificing accuracy for more upfront damage. This doesn't equate to much in PvP, although you can mitigate the horizontal spread with Barrel Constrictor, a perk that's normally seen on Shotguns.

Cruoris is one of a select few Fusion Rifles to roll with Discord, refunding ammo on kill while active. Consider using this alongside on-kill perks like Barrel Constrictor or Successful Warm-Up in PvP.

PvE players are likely to use Fusion Rifles as backup DPS or for major slaying. It's a subpar choice for the former category, so we recommend leaning into Discord to make this an ammo-efficient workhorse in harder content. Get a kill with any other weapon, swap to Cruoris, then mop the floor with any enemies you see over the next seven seconds.

Barrel

Magazine

Trait 1

Trait 2

Masterwork

PvE Roll

Smallbore

Projection Fuse

Discord

Successful Warm-Up

Range

PvP Roll

Smallbore

Projection Fuse

Discord

Barrel Constrictor

Range

Cynosure

  • Drop Source: Vanguard Ops

Bungie gave this season's Rocket Launchers some serious love when it comes to available perks. Cynosure is one of a select few Heavy weapons to roll with the new Prismatic Honing perk, granting you an escalating damage buff based on how many unique elemental damage types you've dealt over the last 20 seconds. This stacks up to a whopping 35% damage buff if your build uses five unique damage types.

You only need to inflict four unique damage types for Prismatic Honing to match Bait and Switch.

That's easier said than done, but multi-element Exotics and Prismatic make this feasible for hardcore PvE players. Throw on Envious Arsenal to bypass reloads, and you have a monstrous PvE DPS weapon for raids and dungeons.

PvP players can run any perks on this weapon and see results. Tracking Module paired with Quickdraw is likely your best bet for quickly shutting down a Super or a gaggle of Guardians defending an objective.

Barrel

Magazine

Trait 1

Trait 2

Masterwork

PvE Roll

Volatile Launch

Impact Casing

Envious Arsenal

Prismatic Honing

Handling

PvP Roll

Quick Launch

High-Velocity Rounds

Tracking Module

Quickdraw

Velocity

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Exalted Truth

  • Drop Source: Trials of Osiris

Exalted Truth was already a PvP monster when it was first introduced in Season of the Seraph, but this recent perk refresh takes this weapon to a whole new echelon of elite. Exalted Truth might be the most versatile 140 HC in the game, at least as far as PvP is concerned.

To get PvE out of the way, Exalted Truth is good but not S-tier. Destabilizing Rounds rolls in the first trait column here, giving you room for a damage perk like One for All. The Volatile explosion doesn't tag enemies for One for All from our limited testing, but this is still a great damage perk that's easy to trigger. You could also run Slideshot with Magnificent Howl for a potential infinite damage buff, although it's somewhat impractical in use.

Most players chasing Exalted Truth are more interested in its PvP performance, and it's in the Crucible where this gun utterly dominates. Zen Moment and Opening Shot gives you a stronger version of Austringer with fantastic origin traits to boot. Lone Wolf and Eye of the Storm let this weapon hit close to 100 aim assist and benefit from excellent accuracy buffs. Calling this gun stacked would be a serious understatement.

Barrel

Magazine

Trait 1

Trait 2

Masterwork

PvE Roll

Smallbore

Accurized Rounds

Destabilizing Rounds

One for All

Range

PvP Roll

Smallbore

Accurized Rounds

Lone Wolf

Eye of the Storm

Range

Joxer's Longsword

  • Drop Source: Crucible

Joxer's Longsword is a two-round burst Pulse Rifle that has a massive perk pool to work with. This archetype benefits from reduced incoming flinch and great base range, although the gun's slow 0.8s TTK makes it difficult to use in duels without some help from damage buffs or perks. Desperado works quite nicely if you can land precision kills, which you can make a little easier through Lone Wolf.

Beyond that, Joxer's Longsword is a standard Pulse Rifle. Repulsor Brace and Destabilizing Rounds will always serve a useful niche for PvE survivability, but that's all this weapon has going for it. Once you start pushing higher difficulties, you'll want to switch to Nullify or a different weapon archetype altogether.

Barrel

Magazine

Trait 1

Trait 2

Masterwork

PvE Roll

Smallbore

Ricochet Rounds

Repulsor Brace

Destabilizing Rounds

Range

PvP Roll

Fluted Barrel

Ricochet Rounds

Lone Wolf

Desperado

Handling

The Inquisitor

  • Drop Source: Trials of Osiris

The best Precision Slug Shotgun in Destiny history is back this season with a new set of perks. The Inquisitor has an absurd stat package that nearly has maxed ranged and handling right out of the box. With the right barrel, magazine, and Masterwork effect, you can get 100 range and handling with little issue.

PvE players can get Envious Assassin and Bait and Switch for a powerful close-range DPS option if you're out of Heavy ammo. It's also a strong weapon against Champions if you can proc Bait and Switch beforehand. For PvP, nothing can top Lone Wolf with Opening Shot. The aim assist of both perks makes The Inquisitor a headshot magnet if you're remotely accurate.

Barrel

Magazine

Trait 1

Trait 2

Masterwork

PvE Roll

Smallbore

Assault Mag

Envious Assassin

Bait and Switch

Range

PvP Roll

Fluted Barrel

Accurized Rounds

Lone Wolf

Opening Shot

Handling

Keen Thistle

  • Drop Source: Trials of Osiris

We haven't received a Sniper Rifle with a perk pool this stacked since Supremacy from Last Wish's loot reprisal—not including this season's reissue of Praedyth's Revenge. While this might be a might be a Trials reward, Keen Thistle's strongest perk combinations are tailored for PvE players. Envious Arsenal with Bait and Switch is a standout here for skilled PvE players looking to min-max their DPS during raid and boss encounters.

However, that is far from the most interesting roll here. Incandescent and Discord allows you to use Keen Thistle as a proper add-clear weapon without sacrificing ammo. Get a kill with another weapon, swap to Keen Thistle, and then go on a killing spree for a few seconds. Kills will refund ammo and cause targets to explode with Scorch, eventually triggering an Ignition if you kill enough targets in close proximity.

Crucible players are also eating well. Lone Wolf and Closing Time give this weapon a level of consistency that mimics the classic Snapshot Sights and Opening Shot combo of old. Keen Thistle can get both roll combinations, so pick your favorite. And if you hate Supers, this is the only Sniper archetype that can one-tap any Super with Vorpal Weapon.

Barrel

Magazine

Trait 1

Trait 2

Masterwork

PvE Roll

Fluted Barrel

Tactical Mag

DPS: Envious Arsenal

Clear: Incandescent

DPS: Bait and Switch

Clear: Discord

Handling

PvP Roll

Fluted Barrel

Steady Rounds

Lone Wolf

Snapshot Sights

Closing Time

Opening Shot

Handling

Lotus Eater

  • Drop Source: Nightfalls

Lotus Eater is a Rocket Sidearm that deals Void damage, the first of its kind. You can benefit from Volatile Rounds through Exotics and Fragments to dish out some absurd AoE damage. Alternatively, you may opt for Repulsor Brace and Destabilizing Rounds for constant Volatile explosions and Overshield uptime. You might opt for more damage instead, but that is generally overkill for the vast majority of content.

Barrel

Magazine

Trait 1

Trait 2

Masterwork

PvE Roll

Quick Launch

Flared Magwell

Repuslor Brace

Destabilizing Rounds

Reload Speed

PvP Roll

Do Not Use

Nature Reclaimed

  • Drop Source: Iron Banner

If you're using a Scout Rifle in PvE, you're most likely using it as a long-range utility weapon. Nature Reclaimed is a solid choice for that role, featuring Shoot to Loot and Explosive Payload for a decent workhorse and ammo vacuum.

Crucible players who want to use Scout Rifles have better options—260 RPMs with Precision Instrument are incredibly strong right now—but Nature Reclaimed isn't a bad choice. Box Breathing is ideal for a quick three-tap kill against T8 Resilience Guardians and under. Pair it with Heal Clip for some Solar synergy or Lone Wolf for more consistency.

Barrel

Magazine

Trait 1

Trait 2

Masterwork

PvE Roll

Arrowhead Brake

Ricochet Rounds

Shoot to Loot

Explosive Payload

Range

PvP Roll

Arrowhead Brake

Ricochet Rounds

Heal Clip OR Lone Wolf

Box Breathing

Range

The Palindrome

  • Drop Source: Nightfalls

Palindrome has been recategorized to an Arc weapon for this reissue, but it is otherwise identical to its original reissue. Explosive Payload can be paired with a damage perk like Desperate Measures for a solid workhorse combination. If you're looking for a more PvP-tailored weapon, it's here, albeit not quite as strong as before.

Elemental Capacitor can be used to fix the gun's mediocre handling or stability stats, giving you room in the fourth column to grab Opening Shot for more initial accuracy or Snapshot Sights to have near-instant ADS speed. Considering Exalted Truth received such a major buff to its perks, it's a shame that Palindrome didn't get similar treatment. It's far from bad, just not meta.

Barrel

Magazine

Trait 1

Trait 2

Masterwork

PvE Roll

Smallbore

Accurized Rounds

Explosive Payload

Desperate Measures

Range

PvP Roll

Smallbore

Accurized Rounds

Elemental Capacitor (Arc)

Opening Shot

Range

Peacebond

  • Drop Source: Iron Banner

Stasis mains will want to get their hands on a Peacebond whenever Iron Banner is active. You can get Headstone and Rimestealer simultaneously on this weapon, giving you easy access to Frost Armor on most PvE builds. Precision kills will spawn a Stasis crystal, and shattering that crystal will then grant a stack of Frost Armor. Keep the precision kills going to maximize your DR.

PvP players can run Zen Moment to mitigate most incoming flinch and Kill Clip to drastically reduce the weapon's TTK to 0.50s while active. Alternatively, if you prefer to use Sidearms in close-range duels, feel free to use Headseeker in the second trait column instead.

Barrel

Magazine

Trait 1

Trait 2

Masterwork

PvE Roll

Smallbore

Steady Rounds

Headstone

Rimestealer

Range

PvP Roll

Smallbore

Steady Rounds

Zen Moment

Kill Clip OR Headseeker

Range

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Qua Furor V

  • Drop Source: World Loot

Mediocre describes Qua Furor V best. There aren't any notable perk synergies worth chasing here. If you get one to drop, Recycled Energy with One for All is solid roll for new and returning players who need a decent Machine Gun. But for everyone else who already has a small stockpile of Machine Guns in their Vault, you can steer clear of this one.

Barrel

Magazine

Trait 1

Trait 2

Masterwork

PvE Roll

Smallbore

Ricochet Rounds

Recycled Energy

One for All

Range

PvP Roll

Do Not Use

Redrix's Estoc

  • Drop Source: Competitive Crucible Playlist

Redrix's Estoc is powercreep incarnate, at least as far as PvP is concerned. It takes the amazing BxR Battler from Dares of Eternity and morphs it into a PvP monster that puts Elsie's Rifle to shame. This weapon has a myriad of benefits that most Pulse Rifles do not:

  • Intrinsic greatly buffs its hipfire accuracy, more so than Hip-Fire Grip.
  • Clean ADS optic with 20 zoom.
  • Features the best stat package out of all 450 Pulse Rifles.
  • Rolls with stocks in place of origin traits.
  • Has every single meta PvP perk available.
  • Can be enhanced.

Looking at the first trait column alone, you can get some S-tier perks like Zen Moment, Lone Wolf, Perpetual Motion, and Offhand Strike on this weapon to seriously buff its overall effectiveness. You can then pair this with Headseeker for trivial headshots or Kill Clip for a fantastic 0.53s TTK after a kill. Unless this archetype gets changed, expect Redrix's Estoc to dominate the PvP sandbox for the foreseeable future.

Barrel

Magazine

Trait 1

Trait 2

Masterwork

PvE Roll

Smallbore

Accurized Rounds

Rimestealer

Headstone

Range

PvP Roll

Arrowhead Brake

Accurized Rounds

Zen Moment

Headseeker

Range

Warlord's Spear

  • Drop Source: Iron Banner

If you enjoy Trace Rifles and want a decent add clear weapon, look no further than Warlord's Spear. This is the first Trace Rifle to roll Jolting Feedback in the second trait column, debuffing targets with Jolt upon sustained damage. The chain lightning from Jolt will make this a perfect weapon for double Special loadouts and general add clear. Throw on Rewind Rounds to minimize your time spent reloading.

Barrel

Magazine

Trait 1

Trait 2

Masterwork

PvE Roll

Smallbore

Projection Fuse

Rewind Rounds

Jolting Feedback

Range

PvP Roll

Do Not Use

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