Destiny 2 Best Bows

Bows are classic and beautiful weapons of choice that regardless have been difficult to implement in Destiny 2 due to their slow rate of fire. It would be difficult to see a reality where most players would be using a bow as their primary weapon, without Bungie having some sort of artifact mod in place to enforce their usage. This alone goes to show that bows have been in a precarious state for some time now.

Though bows have their limited uses mostly in either some PVP scenarios or high-end PVE activities like Grandmaster Nightfalls that force certain champion mods on players, a recent TWAB published by Bungie has given a couple of Exotic bows intrinsic anti-champion capacities and made them far more interesting options in endgame PVE. With season 18 on the horizon as well and bows have been weak for a few seasons now, there's a possibility this archetype is also returning. With this in mind, here are Destiny 2's best bows available as of now.

Updated on March 23, 2023, by Anastasia Maillot: Bows still need quite a bit of help in Destiny 2, even in the early era of Lightfall. While Season of Defiance has introduced two new bows into the game, the PVE meta still favors weapons like grenade launchers and SMGs far more than combat bows. That being said, since Bungie has increased the difficulty of endgame PVE content and running the right weapons and the right subclasses to match surges and overcharges is key especially for solo players, having good rolls of certain weapon archetypes is more important than ever. As such, this ranking of the best bows in Destiny 2: Lightfall has been updated to include a few new picks, and older entries have received a brush-up regarding any nerfs of buffs they may have endured.

16 Verglas Curve

How To Get: Season of Defiance battle pass

New in for Lightfall is the Exotic bow Verglas Curve, which is a Stasis bow perfect for any Stasis-centric builds. Any final blows will charge the Verglas Curve with special Stasis bolts that can be fired from the hip to freeze enemies, as well as spawn crystals. The crystals alone make the bow worthwhile as a primary weapon option for Stasis builds.

The weapon also comes with a Catalyst quest, which is highly recommended to complete to get a slight boost to draw time whenever Verglas Curve's Stasis bolts freeze targets. It's a small quality-of-life improvement for an otherwise somewhat heavy-feeling bow, but one that is already making waves in Stasis builds around the community.

15 Tripwire Canary

How To Get: Banshee-44
Godroll Perks: Explosive Head and Dragonfly

In the selection of Arc weapons, Tripwire Canary is a decent Arc bow option for players who were around during season 19 just before Lightfall. But worry not, because Tripwire Canary is also likely to appear in Banshee-44's weapon selection at some point, given that he has previously sold items from Season of the Rise and Season of the Seraph. So, keep an eye out for this one, just in case.

Ideally, PVE players will want to try and get the Explosive Head and Dragonfly combination to increase this weapon's ad-clearing capabilities. In any activity where Arc surge is a part of the gameplay, it might be a good idea to have Tripwire Canary around as an option, especially if bows are the seasonal flavor of anti-champion weapons.

14 Raconteur

How To Get: War Table, Defiant Battlegrounds, and Defiant Engrams
Godroll Perks: Archer's Tempo and Explosive Head/Headstone

Back to Stasis, the Season of Defiance weapon pool introduced a Legendary Stasis bow called Raconteur. An alternative for this one would be the Lunulata world drop, but since players can craft the Raconteur and get the perks they want quite easily, it deserves its spot on this list over a randomized world drop.

Raconteur can roll with Headstone, which makes it an interesting pick for any Stasis builds. Its downside is the Origin Trait which doesn't necessarily pair well with combat bows in general, increasing handling and reload speed when players assist their teammates with buffs, revives, and healing.

13 Hierarchy Of Needs

How To Get: Spire of the Watcher dungeon on Mars

This Exotic combat bow that comes in Solar is the newest and probably the strongest addition to the bow category in Destiny 2. It drops as the dungeon Exotic from the final boss of Spire of the Watcher, so some degree of RNG is required to get this weapon. That said, it's well worth the grind, and with a few Triumphs unlocked, players can increase their chances of getting it from the dungeon.

Hierarchy of Needs charges a Guidance Ring when damage is dealt with it. Once charged, players can shoot the ring in the air, and shooting through this ring creates seeking projectiles that track to enemies and deal more damage. Pair this up with a catalyst that boosts the bow's draw time and reload speed, and it's quite a beastly tool despite being a combat bow.

The damage from Hierarchy of Needs is so good that it was disabled for the world's first race of Root of Nightmares, which goes to show that it's a must-have primary Exotic weapon for those moments when players are unable to find enough heavy ammo to deal with a boss and need to switch to a primary Exotic instead.

12 Whistler's Whim

How To Get: Complete Trials of Osiris matches
Godroll Perks: Rapid Hit and Kill Clip previously, now Rapid Hit or Rangefinder paired with Adrenaline Junkie

Whistler's Whim was the talk of the community at the beginning of Season of the Plunder. It showed a lot of promise for a simple combat bow, which comes in the Kinetic form in the first weapon slot. The downside is, players would have to grind Trials of Osiris to even get a chance of this weapon dropping, and Adept versions required players to reach the Lighthouse on its respective week.

Following the season 19 nerfs introduced to Kill Clip, its previous godroll may not be as good as it once used to be. That said, it still has a few great perks worth playing around with, namely Rangefinder and Adrenaline Junkie.

11 Strident Whistle

How To Get: Strike loot pool and rewards from Zavala
Godroll Perks: Well-Rounded or Archer's Tempo, with Explosive Head or Incandescent

Weapons with Incandescent are always an interesting pick, especially for any Solar subclasses. Bows won't typically make an appearance in most seasonal content, but when Grandmaster Nightfalls roll around, players will need to sometimes dig deep in their vaults to find weapons that match the anti-champion mods of the season.

Strident Whistle is the perfect pair for any Solar builds thanks to its ability to gain the highly coveted Incandescent perk. It may seem like a humble world drop, but it might be worth keeping a Strident Whistle with Incandescent around for any future occasions.

10 Whispering Slab

How To Get: Purchased from Xur on available weeks, sometimes available on Dares of Eternity
Godroll Perks: Archer's Tempo paired with Vorpal Weapon

The Whispering Slab is an older weapon in Destiny 2 but is nothing to scoff at. In fact, its strength as a bow comes from the fact that it can be slotted into the Kinetic weapon slot, which is a rarity when it comes to the majority of bows. Kinetic bows are sort of a necessity every player should have at least one, for endgame PVE purposes.

This bow has a lightweight frame, which also increases its appeal. Players will be able to draw it fast and move quickly with it equipped, and when that's paired with some of the perks it can drop it, it's hard to say no to it. For PVE purposes, Vorpal Weapon is a must-have and can be paired with Archer's Tempo for a draw-time boost. In order to get this bow, keep an eye out for the Dares of Eternity loot pool rotation, as well as on Xur's inventory when he arrives on Fridays to sell his wares.

9 Under Your Skin

How To Get: Banshee-44
Godroll Perks: Archer's Tempo paired with Explosive Head

Introduced in season 16, Under Your Skin is a fantastic Void combat bow that is occasionally sold by Banshee-44 now that a year has passed since its introduction. Players who crafted this back in Season of the Risen will want to level it for its remarkable perks.

Now, the downside with this bow is its long draw time, but it does do increased damage. To counteract its long draw time, players should get the Archer's Tempo perk in the first column, and Explosive Head in the second. Explosive Head pairs wonderfully with any Void builds that include Volatile Rounds—perfect for Season of Defiance where Volatile Flow is a passive artifact perk.

8 Wish-Ender

How To Get: The Shattered Throne dungeon in the Dreaming City

On to some Exotic bows now, the Wish-Ender is a weapon that players can unlock by completing its unique quest in the Shattered Throne dungeon located in the Dreaming City. The Wish-Ender is a pretty heavy Exotic bow and has a significant draw time, which can make it feel sluggish, but it does deserve its spot on this list for several reasons.

First of all, its unique perk allows it to see through walls when the player draws the bow fully. This is a niche feature but can be helpful in some endgame PVE, especially since the Wish-Ender is now also receiving an intrinsic anti-barrier trait, making it ideal for Grandmaster Nightfalls. It also gained an increased damage buff in 2022, which is why it's one of the best weapons to pull out for any endgame Lost Sectors or Nightfalls.

Better yet, the Wish-Ender naturally does additional damage against Taken enemies, so when brought along to any activities that feature Taken.

7 Le Monarque

How To Get: Monument to Lost Lights Exotic archives

Another Exotic bow that's much more famous is Le Monarque, which comes in the flavor of Void in the Energy weapon slot. Typically, this bow has seen a ton of use in PVP, due to its ability to poison enemies on hit and therefore hinder their health regeneration. It's likely Le Monarque will remain a favorite in PVP as well due to this very reason.

That said, PVE players shouldn't forget about this Exotic either, because Bungie is determined to make Le Monarque more interesting in endgame PVE content as well. It received an intrinsic anti-Overload perk in 2022, which means it can be a fantastic addition to a player's arsenal when tackling those pesky Overload champions.

6 Fel Taradiddle

How To Get: Craftable weapon unlocked from Wellspring rewards in the Throne World
Godroll Perks: Killing Wind or Archer's Tempo, paired with Explosive Head or Successful Warm-Up

Players who are still looking for more craftable bows should look no further than the Fel Taradiddle bow, which is available from the Wellspring activity in Savathun's Throne World. To unlock it, players will need to double-check the bow is currently in the loot pool rotation. After enough Deepsights have been unlocked, players can craft the Fel Taradiddle and level it up with some interesting Enhanced Perks.

The Fel Taradiddle is another Kinetic slot bow, which makes it a powerful, one-of-a-kind choice. Its best perks are similar to those that Under Your Skin can get, which means Archer's Tempo and Explosive Head, but players can also opt for Killing Wind and Successful Warm-Up, with Killing Wind being the weakest choice of the bunch.

It's another lightweight frame bow, so players who can't seem to get their hands on the Whispering Slab can grind for this bow instead.

5 Ticuu's Divination

How To Get: Monument to Lost Lights Exotic archives

Ticuu's Divination is another Exotic bow, which was sort of a missed opportunity for Bungie in Solar 3.0. It's a Solar weapon that creates explosions but doesn't mesh with any of the scorch and ignition effects introduced for Solar 3.0. That being said, Ticuu's received a tiny buff in 2022, with its abysmal draw time increased to make shooting with it easier and more enjoyable overall.

Ticuu's Divination is best used in PVE. Players can first hip-fire the bow to shoot explosive bolts, and then aim down sights to detonate the bolts with a second shot. This makes it one of the strongest bows in terms of ad-clearing, though only if a bow is absolutely needed. If a season features bows as an anti-champion weapon, Ticuu's could potentially be an interesting pick-up for Nightfalls with a Solar surge.

4 Biting Winds

How To Get: Beyond Light campaign reward
Godroll Perks: Killing Wind or Rapid Hit and Explosive Head

Back to more Kinetic bows, since they're a must-have for just about any type of player, the Biting Winds bow introduced in Beyond Light is something worth getting. Now, unlike some of the other Kinetic bows on this list, Biting Winds does not have a lightweight frame and will feel significantly more sluggish when used by players. That said, its damage will be better.

For perks, players should look for Explosive Head in the second column. The first column is more of a personal preference, but Killing Wind and Rapid are generally speaking safe choices for players who don't have a strong opinion on the matter. For this bow, the easiest way to get it is to head to Europa and complete the Beyond Light campaign, where it's a reward for one of the quest steps.

3 Arsenic Bite-4b

How To Get: Legendary Engrams and Vendor rewards
GodrollPerks: Rampage with either Explosive Head or Archer's Tempo

For another Arc option, the Arsenic Bite-4b is great if players can't get their hands on the Tripwire Canary mentioned earlier. It's a budget choice and something that could come in handy primarily in PVE, and in any activities that benefit from Arc surge as well.

It's a random drop, which means it can be hard to get, but if players do get it, they should keep an eye out for perks like Explosive Head or Archer's Tempo in the second column. The first column can take Rampage, which makes it a bit more unique from the rest of the bows. This is also a lightweight frame bow, which means it will feel less sluggish to use than some other, high-impact bows.

2 Trinity Ghoul

How To Get: Exotic Engrams

Trinity Ghoul effectively showed its claws as a magnificent ad-clear weapon back in Season of the Plunder and continues to be quite viable even now that some major buildcraft changes have made their entrance in Destiny 2's Lightfall.

Trinity Ghoul's special ability is to create a chain lightning effect. When an arrow is fired, it splits into two. Like most Exotic bows, Trinity Ghoul has a longer draw time, which can make it feel a little bit sluggish, but not quite as heavy as the Wish-Ender for example. A bit of RNG is required to get Trinity Ghoul, as it drops randomly from Exotic engrams.

1 Leviathan's Breath

Destiny 2's Leviathan Breath is not doing the damage it is meant to.

How To Get: Monument to Lost Lights Exotic archives

No doubt the most unique bow on this list, Leviathan's Breath is the only bow that is found in the heavy weapon slot. This Void heavy combat bow can be bought from the Exotic archives and is a worthy investment for any hardcore PVE players looking for weapons with intrinsic anti-champion capabilities. In this case, Leviathan's Breath is strong against Unstoppable Champions.

The whole concept of this bow is stunning and staggering enemies. Players will fire a massive bolt that will bush enemies back and stagger them. Despite bows having a niche role as of late, many PVE players still turn to the Leviathan's breath as an option, even in Grandmaster Nightfalls.

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

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