Glaives were the newest weapon archetype to be introduced in The Witch Queen expansion for Destiny 2 released earlier in 2022. This is the first time players have access to first-person melee weapons, which also function as ranged weapons that use Special ammo to fire projectiles.

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Since then, a few new glaives have been added to the game, including Exotic ones. Glaives have also been anti-champion weapons throughout the last few seasons, but remain an unpopular choice in PVE and a niche yet powerful pick in PVP for those who know how to use the shield. For players looking to pick up the best glaives in Destiny 2, here's how all of them rank against each other.

Updated on April 9, 2023, by Anastasia Maillot: Bungie is determined to make glaives a staple weapon in the game, and it shows with some of the newest glaives Destiny 2 has received with Lightfall and the end of 2022. The Lightfall expansion was also the first time that a heavy glaive was introduced into the game, so it's safe to say that glaives as an archetype are becoming more interesting in all types of content. With much more variety available, players have a good chance of finding just the right glaive to fit their melee-centric gameplay. Here's how the game's glaives rank up in the early Lightfall era of 2023.

10 Edge Of Intent

Destiny 2 Edge Of Intent Exotic Glaive

A glaive that not only hogs an Exotic spot but also provides healing that is so insignificant that the player may not as well use it all, Edge of Intent easily ranks at the bottom of this list. The Warlock Exotic glaive may be a cool niche weapon for those who want to create the ultimate healer build, but beyond that, it's mostly an inconvenience to have.

The healing provided is so tiny that in most cases players are better off using a Healing Rift, Well of Radiance, or even a Healing grenade to heal their allies. In fact, now that Heat Rises has received a healing buff since last season, it's clear that the healing done by Edge of Intent is just inferior to all the other tools a Warlock has available for them.

9 Edge Of Action

Destiny 2 Edge Of Action
  • How To Get: Wellsprings activity in the Throne World

The Titan Exotic glaive doesn't have much more promise than the Warlock one. Though the idea of having a smaller Ward of Dawn is enticing, the reality is entirely different. This mini bubble provides only a fraction of the benefits that an actual Ward of Dawn would have.

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As such, this Exotic is niche at best. Most Titan mains will simply be better off using their Exotic slot for something better, or just simply casting their Ward of Dawn. The biggest drawback of this Edge of Action glaive is the lack of damage boost that a typical Ward of Dawn has. With it, this glaive could have potentially been worth some consideration.

8 Edge Of Concurrence

Destiny 2 Edge Of Concurrence
  • How To Get: Wellsprings activity in the Throne World

Although initially, Edge of Concurrence was easily the weakest glaive of the Exotic bunch, Hunters are in for some fun in Season of the Plunder. The chaining Arc energy works pretty well with Arc 3.0, so it does have some synergy with various Arc builds. Moreover, since glaives benefit from melee range, it's actually not a bad pick for any Hunters who want to play up close and personal.

That said, it still hurts that this fills up an Exotic slot, and that alone can turn Hunter mains away from this weapon. It's more of a niche choice even with Arc 3.0 out, but it's definitely worth a shot for players who are terribly bored of other Arc weapons and are looking to spice up their gameplay.

7 The Enigma

Destiny 2 Enigma Glaive
  • How To Get: The Witch Queen campaign

The first weapon players get to craft is the Enigma glaive. This Legendary Void glaive is by no means bad, but it's incredibly simple when it comes down to the nitty-gritty with perks. For Void builds Enigma can be brilliant, as it will play nicely into any melee-oriented Elemental Well Void builds.

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Grave Robber, Threat Detector, Unrelenting, and Frenzy are just some of the nice Enhanced perks that players can unlock once they fully level up this weapon. The Enigma is a nice basic glaive, and while it may not be the most powerful, it's still better than the Exotic ones as its craftable nature gives it flexibility and the Enhanced perks can be quite powerful.

6 Ecliptic Distaff

Destiny 2 Ecliptic Distaff Void Glaive
  • How To Get: Season 20 ritual weapon from vendors, after season 20 available at the Monument to Lost Lights

Season of Defiance spices up the ritual weapon pool by introducing the very first glaive in this weapon category. Styled according to the Awoken theme, the Ecliptic Distaff is a Void glaive weapon with extremely powerful perks.

Players can choose between Close to Melee or Destabilizing Rounds, both of which are incredibly powerful perks, with Close to Melee being among the best new glaive perks introduced in Destiny 2 as its projectile final blows basically buff glaive melee damage. The second column has Replenishing Aegis, which allows blocking to reload the weapon from reserves, or Immovable Object, another great new glaive perk where ranged damage dealt while blocking or standing still grants increased weapon energy.

All in all, this is a very powerful glaive and a must-have for any glaive maining guardians. Pick it up in Season of Defiance by ranking up any of the vendors.

5 Nezarec's Whisper

Destiny 2 Nezarecs Whisper Glaive
  • How To Get: Nightmare Containment and Crown of Sorrow Vendor rewards

Nezarec's Whisper, introduced in Season of the Haunted, could technically rank much higher on this list thanks to Season of the Plunder and Arc 3.0, but alas, it remains to be seen whether Arc weapons will maintain their power after season 18 has passed. For now, however, players can consider this glaive to be at the top of the list simply thanks to the favorable position that Arc weapons have this season.

Melee gameplay has also seen a rise in popularity with Arc 3.0, which means glaives, in general, are in a better position, and this Legendary Arc glaive is the perfect choice for a spicy melee-oriented build. Nezarec's Whisper can also be crafted, and with Enhanced perks like Demolitionist, Vorpal, or Frenzy, it can become extremely powerful.

Another interesting detail about Nezarec's Whisper is its Origin Trait, which is fitting for this season's melee and Arc gameplay. The Extrovert trait restores a bit of health for the player when they score kills near other enemies and Nightmares.

4 Lubrae's Ruin

Destiny 2 Lubraes Ruin
  • How To Get: Vow of the Disciple raid

No doubt the hardest glaive to earn on this list, and consequently the strongest, Lubrae's Ruin is a Solar Legendary glaive that comes packed with incredible perks. Now, for Season of the Plunder, it may not be the ideal pick, but seasonal content and artifact mods aside, it stands on its own as one of the strongest glaives.

Found in the Vow of the Disciple raid, Lubrae's Ruin can be crafted with Enhanced perks, which makes it even more desirable. It pairs well with Solar builds, and some of its potential perks like Grave Robber, Surrounded, Vorpal Weapon, Swashbuckler, and Wellsprings make it a huge boon for any PVE player. There are so many great options to pick from when crafting this, which means there's something for every playstyle here.

Moreover, Lubrae's Ruin benefits from the Souldrinker Origin Trait, which increases sustain for players. Reloading this weapon will heal the player based on the number of kills scored before reloading.

3 Judgment Of Kelgorath

Destiny 2 Judgment Of Kelgorath Glaive
  • How To Get: Banshee-44 at the Tower

From season 19 comes Judgment of Kelgorath. This weapon is craftable for those who picked up the patterns before Lightfall was released, but otherwise, players can simply visit Banshee-44 regularly as he has a chance of selling solid rolls of this Solar glaive.

The first column has excellent choices like Immovable Object, Demolitionist, or even Pugilist. The second column interestingly has the option of Incandescent, which is fantastic for Solar builds, and Unstoppable Force, which increases the range of projectiles after players have successfully blocked damage with the glaive's shield. Close to Melee is also a great perk to consider in the same column and for melee lovers in particular Surrounded is always a safe bet.

2 Vexcalibur

Destiny 2 Vexcalibur Exotic Void Glaive
  • How To Get: The Avalon Exotic quest on the EDZ

Vexcalibur is the Exotic glaive rewarded at the end of the Avalon Exotic quest in season 20. Players can then craft the weapon and choose their own perks, similar to Revision Zero from season 19. Additional completions of the Avalon quest will reward players with additional perk options.

The Vexcalibur also allows players to interact with secret nodes in the Avalon mission and also lets them pass through Vex barriers, so bringing it along is a must-have for completionists. Vexcalibur's M1R Distribution Matrix trait grants players a Void overshield whenever players block damage with the shield, making it absolutely perfect for any Void builds.

1 Winterbite

Winterbite Exotic Heavy Glaive
  • How To Get: Complete the Strider quest after finishing the Lightfall campaign at the Hall of Heroes

Currently the strongest glaive in the game, Winterbite is by far the only heavy glaive in the game. Thanks to a bug that may be fixed in the future, Winterbite is able to deal incredible damage against bosses, as the damage is completely arbitrarily calculated. This means six Winterbites against a raid boss is now a valid strategy, even with its slow-moving Stasis projectiles.

Winterbite essentially fires slow-moving tracking Stasis projectiles that freeze targets on contact. On top of that, its melee damage does solid damage on enemies and applies slow on enemies on hit. The downside is that it does take a whole heavy weapon slot, but given how incredibly good it is currently in season 20, it's well worth the investment.

Destiny 2 is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Stadia.

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