Destiny 2 features hundreds of unique weapons for Guardians to wield. Hand Cannons, Shotguns, and even beam rifles can all be used to take down PvE enemies or opposing Guardians. But just like other looters, some weapons are better than others.
Related: Destiny 2: Every Way To Obtain High-Stat Armor
Certain weapons in Destiny are known as Ritual weapons, guns that come with a set roll. They are the spiritual successor to Forsaken's Pinnacle weapons, albeit Rituals don't feature unique perks. This list will be ranking every Ritual weapon from worst to best, including Ritual weapons that are currently sunset. We are not including Pinnacle weapons in this list.
Updated November 27th, 2022, by Charles Burgar: Season of the Haunted and Plunder came with their own Ritual weapons, giving players a few new weapons to include in their endgame loadouts. We've updated this list to include the Chain of Command Machine Gun and the Cry Mutiny Grenade Launcher, ranking them against some of Destiny 2's best and worst Ritual weapons.
14 Komodo-4FR
- Released: Season of Dawn
This weapon is currently sunset.
If you forgot this weapon existed, we don't blame you. Komodo-4FR was a Crucible-themed Linear Fusion Rifle released during Season of Dawn. Komodo could simultaneously use Moving Target and Eye of the Storm to land easy headshots in the Crucible. The thing is, other Heavy weapons exist that can one-shot Guardians with much less work.
Komodo doesn't fare much better in PvE. Its other two perks, No Distractions and Box Breathing, weren't enough to carve a PvE niche for this Linear Fusion Rifle. Out of every Ritual weapon released in Destiny 2's lifespan, Komodo is easily the worst.
13 Buzzard
- Released: Season of Dawn
This weapon is currently sunset.
Buzzard was a Vanguard-themed Sidearm that was released in Season of Dawn. As the first Kinetic Sidearm to feature Osmosis, Buzzard's main niche was breaking shields in endgame PvE content. That's it.
This was otherwise a painfully mediocre Sidearm, coming with Outlaw and Swashbuckler as an alternative set of perks you could select. Considering Breachlight was released during the same season, it's easy to see why the community forgot Buzzard so quickly.
12 Edgewise
- Released: Season of Undying
This weapon is currently sunset.
Rapid-Fire Machine Guns don't see much use in Destiny 2. Edgewise was one of the few in this archetype you could use before it was sunset back in Beyond Light. Featuring Field Prep and Demolitionist, Edgewise was a solid albeit generic weapon you could pair with a grenade build to have excellent add-clear. While you can no longer use it in content where Power Level matters, Corrective Measure from the Vault of Glass raid can fulfill this niche even better than Edgewise ever did.
11 Exit Strategy
- Released: Season of Undying
This weapon is currently sunset.
Exit Strategy was a Gambit-themed SMG that could simultaneously use Threat Detector and Surrounded, making it a fantastic add-clearing weapon for most PvE activities and Gambit. Unfortunately, the weapon's been sunset and can no longer be used in relevant content. If you want an SMG like Exit Strategy you can still use, consider Extraordinary Rendition or Multimach CCX.
10 Python
- Released: Season of Dawn
This weapon is currently sunset.
Python remains as the only Shotgun in Destiny 2 that could roll with Overflow. This Gambit Shotgun introduced in Season of Dawn was nothing short of a powerhouse, capable of holding eight shells at once that you could further buff with One-Two Punch. Python packed a serious punch, synergized great with melee builds, and seldom had to reload. Python was by far the best Ritual weapon released during Season of Dawn.
9 Randy's Throwing Knife
- Released: Season of Undying
This weapon is currently sunset.
Randy's Throwing Knife is still considered by many as the best PvP Scout Rifle in Destiny 2. This Rapid-Fire Frame Kinetic could use Rapid Hit and Kill Clip simultaneously. And with this weapon's clean scope and predictable recoil, building up stacks of Rapid Hit was nothing short of a dream.
Related: Destiny 2: The Best Hand Cannons For PvE
Once you land a kill, you could then proc Kill Clip to drastically reduce Randy's TTK. It was a decent PvE Scout Rifle as well, although its sunset nature prevents Randy's Throwing Knife from being used in most activities today. If you yearn for the days of three-tapping with a Rapid-Fire Scout, keep your eyes open for a good Contingency Plan or Servant Leader; both fulfill a very similar niche.
8 Cry Mutiny
- Released: Season of the Plunder
Heavy Grenade Launchers haven't been meta since auto-reloading was removed from Destiny 2 in Shadowkeep. Unfortunately, Cry Mutiny doesn't do much to make itself competitive with Rocket Launchers or Linear Fusion Rifles. But what this weapon does have is style.
Cry Mutiny fires cannonballs that deal Solar damage, capable of inflicting Scorch if you're using Incandescent in the first column. You can pair Incandescent with Swashbuckler or Vorpal Weapon for some solid damage against majors, although you shoulstatic.aayyy.com/topic/dn/'t expect this weapon to compete with meta DPS weapons in endgame content.
7 Point Of The Stag
- Released: Season of the Worthy
The first non-sunset entry in this list, Point of the Stag is a Precision Frame Bow released during Season of the Worthy. This is one of the only Bows in Destiny 2 with Vorpal Weapon, Eye of the Storm, and No Distractions in its selectable perk columns.
While these perks are quite potent on their own, they don't serve a Bow particularly well. Vorpal Weapon on a Bow is only useful against Barrier Champions which relies on a seasonal mod, and No Distractions isn't helpful for most activities. Eye of the Storm is a great perk when it's active, yet you're going to struggle killing an opposing Guardian while you're under fire. It's by no means a terrible Bow; there are just far better options for PvE and PvP.
6 Adored
- Released: Season of the Hunt
Adored is a clear nod to Season of Opulence's Beloved, an Adaptive Sniper Rifle that could roll with Quickdraw and Snapshot Sights. Adored doesn't have that exact combination of perks, but it does have Killing Wind and Snapshot Sights to enable a very similar playstyle.
Related: Destiny 2: Top Auto Rifles, Ranked
Crucible players still swear by Adored's excellent stat package and ease of use, although many have switched to 1000 Yard Stare since that weapon can roll with Quickdraw and Snapshot Sights. In PvE, Adored is a surprisingly good option for newer Guardians. Its second set of perks consists of Triple Tap and Vorpal Weapon, making this an excellent Sniper Rifle for taking down Champions or bosses from a distance. If you need a good jack of all trades Special weapon, Adored has you covered.
5 Reckless Endangerment
- Released: Season of the Risen
Reckless Endangerment is a Lightweight Shotgun that's meant to compete with Riiswalker. While it might not have as much range as Riiswalker, Reckless Endangerment has one thing over every other Kinetic Shotgun currently: handling.
This weapon has a whopping 68 base handling that can be boosted further with the Steady Hands perk, granting a massive handling scaler after a kill. You can pair this with Snapshot Sights to have one of the snappiest Shotguns in Destiny 2, perfect for PvP. Perpetual Motion and Swashbuckler can suffice for PvE, although it falls behind slugs and faster-firing archetypes for overall DPS.
