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Season 18 has arrived along with the Lightfall reveal for Destiny 2, and that means a bunch of new players, activities, and weapons have poured into the game. Like all previous seasons, the Season of the Plunder introduces a selection of brand-new weapons themed around the season itself, which is all about pirates and the Fallen, and Eramis' escape.
The seasonal weapons are special in the sense that they can be crafted once enough patterns have been unlocked. They come with a unique Origin Trait, called Right Hook, which appears on every weapon of this season. Right Hook increases the range and target acquisition of said weapons whenever the player deals melee damage, which pairs quite nicely with the melee-heavy focus of Arc 3.0. This tentative ranking of Destiny 2's season 18 weapons may still be subject to change, but should at least give players an indication of which weapon to try and craft first.
6 Brigand's Law
- Ideal Perks: Feeding Frenzy or Pugilist, and Voltshot
At the bottom of the list is Brigand's Law, and this is mainly due to its archetype, which puts it below most other weapon archetypes. Brigand's Law is a sidearm in the Energy weapon slot and deals Arc damage. While it can be useful since it's the season of Arc 3.0 and Elemental Well builds still rule supreme, sidearms remain somewhat underwhelming, which doesn't do this weapon any services.
For those who are set on getting Brigand's Law regardless of its limitations, they should look for Pugilist and Voltshot, which are both brand-new perks this season. They both fit sidearm gameplay quite well as well and play brilliantly into the Arc 3.0 through melee recharging and jolting effects.
5 Planck's Stride
- Ideal Perks: Grave Robber and Swashbuckler
Next up is a machine gun called Planck's Stride. Machine guns have steadily increased in power over the last few seasons, but when it comes to difficult, endgame content, they will probably still lose to linear fusion rifles once Grandmaster Nightfalls arrive to the playlist.
This Arc machine gun is a perfect option for those who never got their hands on The Swarm, The Seventh Seraph Saw, or players who don't wish to sacrifice an Exotic slot to use the Thunderlord Exotic machine gun. For the best possible results, look for Grave Robber and Swashbuckler in the perk slots.
4 Blood Feud
- Ideal Perks: Pugilist and Swashbuckler or Frenzy
Now on to more interesting weapons, starting off with a new submachine gun called Blood Feud. Players can find this weapon in their Kinetic weapon slot, and it deals Stasis damage. Consequently, it also comes with the possible Headstone perk, for those who love hardcore Stasis gameplay.
However, players looking for something different with a Kinetic SMG can also go for perks like Pugilist, which again pairs up well with the melee-focused theme of Arc 3.0. Swashbuckler is an amazing pair for Pugilist as it enhances weapon damage based on melee kills. That said, Frenzy is also another safe option for those who prefer not to build around melee this season.
3 No Reprieve
- Ideal Perks: Pugilist and Surrounded or Swashbuckler
Since Arc 3.0 is so melee-oriented, it's only proper to have a shotgun as one of the seasonal weapons in the game. No Reprieve is a fantastic shotgun choice, which can be found also in the Kinetic slot, and with Stasis damage. Since Kinetic slot shotgun options can be a bit limited at times, players should absolutely grab No Reprieve into their collection, as it can work well instead of a Wastelander or Fractethyst.
Moreover, some of the melee-heavy perks work wonderfully by default with shotgun gameplay. Pugilist is a must-have perk for No Reprieve, and pairs well with close-range and melee-oriented perks like Swashbuckler and Surrounded.
2 Sailspy Pitchglass
- Ideal Perks: Clown Cartridge and Vorpal Weapon
This season also brings in a brand-new linear fusion rifle for players to experiment with. Sailspy Pitchglass is an Arc linear fusion rifle, which doesn't quite compete with the likes of Stormchaser and Cataclysmic, but can still provide some interesting damage results with the right perks.
For this heavy weapon, look for perks like Clown Cartridge for the extra shot when dealing boss damage and Vorpal Weapon which will activate against strong enemies to provide a decent damage boost.
1 Tarnished Mettle
- Ideal Perks: Fourth Time's The Charm and Explosive Payload or Voltshot
Arc scout rifles are rare in Destiny 2 right now, with only a few rotating in vendor inventories on a weekly basis. That's why the Tarnished Mettle is at the top of this list, as it will likely be quite a useful tool once endgame content rolls around in season 18. Moreover, it has a bunch of extremely powerful perks that can work well for both PVE and PVP, especially with season 18's artifact mods which significantly favor scout rifles.
The first slot can take either Rapid Hit or Fourth Time's The Charm, depending on the player's preferences. In the second slot, Explosive Payload and Voltshot are both fantastic choices, with Voltshot jolting a target and Explosive Payload being great for ad-clear.
Destiny 2 is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Stadia.