Destiny 2: top 5 Legendary weapons you should be using in PvE

By Sherif Saed

Unlike Exotic weapons, Legendary weapons in Destiny 2 are much easier to come by, especially as you kick off the grind beyond level 20.

In Destiny 2, just like its predecessors, you can only have one Exotic weapon equipped at a time. Legendaries, one the other hand, you can have as many of them equipped as you want.

For this reason, Legendary weapons are often more practical. They are the highest tier of weapons in Destiny 2 (excluding Exotics), and they come from many sources. It’s been long enough now that we can recommend a few standout options for PvE.

Make sure to check out the full Destiny 2 guide for all your other needs. Whether they be weapons, armour, levelling up tips, secrets guide, or anything in between.

Before your read on, just remember that although the perks on Legendary weapons do not change from one drop to another, their power levels, and elements in the case of Energy Weapons most definitely do.

So, you may find a weaker version of the same weapon early on that will be outclassed by what you find later in the game. With the help of our weapon infusion tips, you can bring the old gear to your current Power level. The idea is to keep hold of them just in case you don’t get better versions later.

5: Curtain Call rocket launcher

This is a Vanguard Power Weapon, meaning you’re more likely to find it in reward packages from Zavala. Its intrinsic perk is called Aggressive Frame and it allows the weapon to do great damage but comes with an increase to recoil. This isn’t much of an issue, though, seeing as you can only fire one rocket at a time.

As with most weapons, you have three perk columns. The first one gives you the choice between:

• Volatile Launch: greatly increases blast radius, slightly decreases handling speed, and slightly decreases projectile speed
• Hard Launch: greatly increases projectile speed, decreases stability, and slightly decreases blast radius
• Countermass: greatly controls recoil, increases stability, increases handling speed

In the second perk column, you have two choices:

• High-velocity rounds: increases projectile speed, increases reload speed
• Black Power: slightly increases blast radius, decreases stability

The default trait in the final column is Cluster Bomb, which spawns smaller cluster bombs with every rocket hit, further enhances the damage the weapon does.

4: Call to Serve Kinetic scout rifle

Call to Serve has high impact, and is an all around solid weapon. You can earn it in EDZ packages, every time you reach a new reputation level with Devrim Kay.

The weapon’s intrinsic perk is Precision Frame, which makes the recoil pattern follow a more predictable vertical kick. In the first column, you can choose from three different sights:

• IS 5 Circle: short zoon, greatly increases handling speed
• Model 8 Red: medium zoom, greatly increases range
• Mark 15 lens: scope, greatly increases range, and decreases handling speed

The second column gives you the choice between two magazine options:

• Extended Mag: greatly increases magazine size (18), but greatly reduces reload speed
• Appended Mag: increases magazine size (17), and greatly increases reload speed

Finally, Call to Serve has the Triple Tap trait, which returns one round to the magazine when you land precision hits (headshots, crits) one after another in quick succession. Although the reload speed may be slow – assuming you go for the Extended Mag – this is an excellent scout rifle, especially when dealing with big targets like bosses.

3: A Single Clap sniper rifle

A Single Clap is a Power Weapon you could get from Gunsmith reward packages, and it’s one of the highest impact sniper rifles in the game today. It only has four rounds in the magazine, but you can offset this by using the Titan’s Rally Barricade class ability, or the Hunter’s dodge reload to instantly refill the magazine and continue firing.

Adaptive Frame is the intrinsic perk here, which offers a sturdy grip. The first column has three different optic choices:

• SSO-5 Sniper: long zoom, greatly increases range, decreases handling speed
• SSO-7 Sniper: medium zoom, increases range
• SSO-8 Sniper: short zoom, greatly increases handling speed, slightly increases range

You also have two magazine options:

• Tactical Mag: slightly increases stability, increases reload speed, slightly increases magazine size (5)
• Steady Rounds: greatly increases stability, slightly decreases range

Finally, the Explosive Payload trait allows projectiles to create an area-of-effect detonation on impact.

2: MIDA Mini-Tool Energy submachine gun

MIDA Mini-Tool is one of the best Energy Weapons in the game right now. You get it as part of an EDZ World Quest.

The intrinsic perk is Lightweight Frame, which increases movement speed when the weapon is equipped. The rest of the perks don’t offer any choices.

Starting with Fluted Barrel, this one greatly increases handling speed, and slightly increases stability. Alloy Magazine increases the reload speed when the gun is empty. Finally, you have MIDA Synergy, which grants another speed benefit when the MIDA Multi-Tool Exotic is also equipped.

1: Nameless Midnight Kinetic scout rifle

You probably guessed that you’d see Nameless Midnight on this list. This Kinetic scout rifle is one of the best weapons in the game for a couple of reasons. This is a Vanguard weapon, so expect to see it in reward packages from Zavala. You may even get it when you finish your first Nightfall if you choose to, so it’s not hard to come by.

Precision Frame is once again the intrinsic perk, for a more predictably vertical recoil pattern. You can pick from three optic options in the first column:

• Red Dot 2 MOA: short zoom, slightly increases range, increases handling speed
• Red Dot Micro: short zoom, increases range, increases handling speed
• Rifle Scope SSF: long zoom, slightly increases range, but slightly decreases handling speed

Magazines come in the second column, with two available choices:

• Flared Magwell: slightly increases stability, greatly increases reload speed
• Steady Rounds: greatly increases stability, but slightly decreases range

Explosive Payload is the trait on Nameless Midnight, which allow rounds to create an are-of-effect detonation on impact.

Outside of the top five, there are a couple of other weapons you should definitely not dismiss.

They are:

• The Man O’ War Linear Fusion Rifle: it’s one of the best Linear Fusion rifles, and can be easily earned from the IO World Quest.
• Seven-Six-Five scout rifle: this one is an Energy Weapon with armour-piercing rounds and supports full auto fire, which is rare for a scout rifle. It also grants an increase to movement speed when equipped.
• Blue Shift rocket launcher: this Power Weapon is interesting because it has a very large blast radius, if not the biggest.