Best Sidearms for PvE in Destiny 2

Off-hand weapons are widely regarded as one of the best primary weapon types for PvE in Destiny 2. A forgiving recoil pattern, high damage output, and solid perk selection make this weapon type a fantastic choice for most Guardians.

As with most weapon archetypes, there are a few weapons that stand above the rest. Whether it's its unique combination of perks or its incredible damage output, these sidearms have carved out a niche for themselves in Destiny 2's complex sandbox. Damage and ease of use are hard to match. Here are 10 of the best off-hand weapons in Destiny 2, from common legendaries to more unique exotics.

Updated December 28, 2024 by Charles Burgar: Rocket secondary weapons continue to dominate the PvE sandbox in Episode: The Revenant. Iron Banner now has its own special off-hand weapon that players can track, and it is arguably the best PvE off-hand weapon in the game. Therefore, we've updated this list to include an entry for Tinasha's Mastery, Saladin's latest addition to the Iron Banner Armory.

10

Mikel's Respect

How to obtain: Nightmare Origins Raid.

Mykel's Reverence is the first legendary sidearm to grace the Destiny 2 sandbox. These rapid fire frames can do incredible damage in PvE. Para-casual affinityA raid-only perk that grants a 20% damage buff on Darkness kills, including Stasis and Strand abilities.

You can pair this. unrelenting For a quick recovery or rewind round
For a much larger magazine. Unrelenting is especially useful for Strand users. This is because the spec has no way to heal itself. If you're using a melee build, you can also use: swashbuckler About paracasual affinity.

Recommended characteristics

• Column 1: endless rewind round
• Second column: Para-casual affinity, swashbuckler, hatchling

9

Drang (Baroque)

How to obtain: Presage exotic missions; Can be crafted in the Enclave.

This recreated version of the Drang is one of Destiny 2's most powerful off-hand weapons. The Drang (Baroque), farmable in the Presage Exotic mission, is currently the only secondary weapon that can be crafted. incandescent lightThis is a perk that causes a hot explosion when the target dies. It may seem a bit weak on its own, but if you can manage a few multikills, any surviving targets will explode with violent ignition.

And thanks to the craftable perk, you can use Enhanced Incandescent Lamp to do this ignition even faster. throw source There is a clear default add-on to all PvE content for free ability energy. If you tend to farm endgame content more often, consider Wellspring. break rest
. Applies to all shields it destroys, including Barrier Champion shields.

Recommended characteristics

• Column 1: spring water, rest from chaos
• Second column: incandescent light

8

Heliocentric QSC

How to obtain: World drops and legendary Lost Sectors.

Bungie has been sprucing up its world pool with some absolute S-tier picks lately. No weapon exemplifies this better than the Heliocentric QSC, a solar secondary weapon that can roll out incredible combos. heel clip and Kill the clip. Once killed and reloaded, it restores almost all HP and provides a massive 25% damage buff for a few seconds.

If you're not a fan of Kill Clip, you can also use: incandescent light Each kill spreads Scorch. After a few multikills, all survivors will explode with Violent Ignition, granting an additional S rank to this weapon. It's a pain to farm, but if you're lucky enough to get a good sun-centric roll, be sure to keep it.

Recommended characteristics

• Column 1: heel clip
• Second column: Kill clip, incandescent light

7

buried lineage

How to obtain: General's Ruins Dungeon.

buried lineage
The best utility weapon for solo PvE builds. This weapon is a Void Crossbow that uses special ammo similar to Forerunner and Indebted Kindness. Bolts fired from this weapon have a tracking function and absorb HP from the target. More importantly, Successful multiple kills with this weapon grant the Devour effect.Void keyword that restores HP and grenade energy with each kill.

Once you obtain the catalyst for this weapon, you will also gain the following abilities: Inflicts debuff while Devour is present.This is a debuff that increases damage received by 15%. And since this weapon is a special off-hand weapon, it is suitable for taking down both champions and majors. If your build requires extra survivability, it's hard to go beyond Buried Bloodline.

6

traveler's choice

How to obtain: I bought it from the exotic kiosk in the tower. Requires 1 Exotic Cipher, 125,000 Glimmer, and 1 Ascension Shard.

Due to changes to the energy scalar in Season of Wishes, we unintentionally nerfed the Traveler's Choice. Exotic perks no longer provide 100% energy for most abilities. Since this is an obvious bug, we won't downgrade it, but keep this in mind if you plan on using it.

Similar to Hvostov from the original Destiny. traveler's choice
I'm back with Exotic. Unlike the Khvostov, this weapon is much easier to craft.

Each kill with the Traveler's Chosen grants a stack of Gathering Light, increasing to 3 stacks per kill when against a Guardian. Aim assist, handling, and reload speed all increase with each stack. Three stacks are enough to get this weapon to top tier, but beyond that this weapon becomes a powerful weapon in PvP.

What makes this weapon so great is that stacks of Gathering Light can be swapped out for ability regeneration at any time. Holding the reload button to consume stacks grants grenade, melee attack, and class ability energy per stack. For PvE, this is a weapon that enables builds, especially with catalysts that provide Surplus and Osmosis.

5

final warning

How to obtain: Lightfall Exotic Quest.

final warning
Strand is a secondary weapon. Lock on target before firingDeals massive damage to the head or torso, depending on how you aim your sidearm. This weapon may seem gimmicky at first glance, but this locking mechanic allows it to deal outrageous damage, at least for a primary weapon.

It may sound strange, but you'll want to use Final Warning more like a bow than a sidearm. The gun's long charge time makes it difficult to use up close, but charging from afar will take out most PvE enemies without much trouble. When paired with Catalyst, this is the hardest hitting Primary in the entire game.There are no contests. Easily destroys GM Nightfalls and Master raids. You just have to get used to the somewhat odd gameplay loop.

4

kindness owed

How to obtain: General's Ruins Dungeon.

A Kindness Owed is the first Legendary offhand weapon in Destiny 2 to use special ammo. Unlike most sidearms A Kindness Owed launches micro rockets at 100 RPM. It works similarly to the Forerunner in that it sacrifices the rate of fire for AoE projectiles. The damage output is enough to one-tap every red bar and weak major, giving you tremendous perk flexibility.

beacon round and bolt shot A solid combination for PvE content. Kills allow you to track each Micro Rocket, and when you reload after a kill, the next rocket will be shocked to deal additional damage. If you want to use this weapon in a dual special loadout, consider the following: lead from gold and Surrounded. It hits incredibly hard and has a generous ammo reserve, making it suitable for almost any weapon loadout.

Recommended characteristics

• Column 1: Beacon round, lead from gold
• Second column: Siege, Bolt Shot

3

unusual behavior

How to obtain: Echoes the content (Act 2).

What could be better than an Arc Rocket Pistol? Solar rocket pistol. Crafting a good variant action makes most primary weapons feel useless. incandescent light This weapon's great perk allows Scorch to create a small explosion whenever he kills a targeted enemy. If enough kills are made, any remaining targets will ignite, causing a violent explosion.

You can pair this. Site preparation
Extra ammo and quick crouch reload or heel clip For a free heal after each kill. It doesn't have great reload perks like Impulse Amplifier or Survival, but using Incandescent Light for a special off-hand weapon is so powerful that it requires crafting.

Recommended characteristics

• Column 1: Heel clip, field ready
• Second column: incandescent light

2

phone call

How to obtain: Pale Heart activities and engrams.

The Call is the first rocket secondary weapon in the Kinetic slot, which is a good reason to farm it. More importantly, it is manufacturableAfter some basic farming in Pale Heart, you can make the perfect roll. Once you have a pattern in your production, The Call really starts to show its true colors.

Almost all of the perks for this weapon are great. Paired with One for All, Lead from Gold is an S-tier mainstay in all PvE content. Slice and Hatchling are great for Strand builds. Demolitionist and Golden Tricorn are great for crafting grenades. There are no perfect rolls here, which is why this weapon is good. This is a great gun for almost any PvE build.

Recommended characteristics

• Column 1: Lead from Gold, Slice, Demolitionist, Subsistence
• Second column: All Damage Perks

1

Tinasha's Mastery

How to obtain: Iron Banner Consensus and Engrams.

Tinasha's mastery meets all endgame requirements. This is the first rocket secondary weapon to be used with it. calming clipsAny direct hit from the top of the magazine will apply the Stasis effect. This gives you easy access to three keywords that can be used to counter every champion type in the game: Slow, Freeze, and Shatter.

You can pair this. air trigger Addresses two of the biggest problems with special sidearms: ammo retention and reload speed. This perk significantly increases your ammo reserves and effectively gives you an outlaw just by jumping. This is an S-Rank combination that makes TInasha's Mastery nothing short of an S-Rank secondary weapon for PvE endgame content.

Recommended characteristics

• Column 1: air assault
• Second column: calming clips