With Iron Banner active for the first time in Destiny 2 Season 8, many players are jumping into Crucible for longer sessions. Grinding the new Iron Banner quest is going to take time, but after that the goal is Tokens and wins. While every Destiny 2 PvP player is going to have a different preference, there is a Crucible loadout that has emerged as a favorite, or rather, has remained one of the best PvP weapon loadouts in Destiny 2.

Kinetic Slot: Mountaintop

While Bungie’s changes to auto-reload mechanics nerfed the viability of Mountaintop, the kinetic grenade launcher is still a beast in Crucible. As one of the most unique Destiny 2 legendary weapons, Mountaintop fires in a straight line and can defeat a single Guardian in one hit.

Of course, Mountaintop requires a bit of precision to do the one-hit kill, but usually players can use their agility to get off two hits before an opponent can take them out. It’s even possible to use splash damage to weaken a group of Destiny 2 opponents.

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But arguably Mountaintop’s greatest asset is its time to kill. Like a sniper rifle, the Destiny 2 Crucible pinnacle weapon has the stopping power to take out a Guardian at a glance. And that instant kill pairs nicely with the recommended energy weapon.

Energy Slot: Recluse

We’ve already discussed a lot of the value that Recluse adds to a PvE weapon loadout in Destiny 2, but it’s just as good in PvP. SMGs are not known for competitive time to kill, but Recluse benefits from a unique perk called Man of Arms.

recluse smg from destiny 2

Anytime that a player gets a kill with any weapon (Recluse or otherwise), the perk procs on Recluse and gives it Kill Clip level damage. This is why Mountaintop is so useful in the primary slot, because it can kill a target, the player can switch to Recluse, and the SMG is primed to shred through enemies.

Things compound because the perk refreshes with each subsequent kill and Feeding Frenzy on Recluse boosts reload speed after a kill. With the Man of Arms perk, Recluse is fine, but when it is active the SMG is top tier.

Power Weapon Slot: Hammerhead

Following Bungie’s changes to Power Ammo in Crucible, this is personal preference, but Hammerhead is one of the best options for the slot. The heavy machine gun that comes from Ada-1 used to offer 50+ shots when picking up ammo, but Bungie nerfed that in a recent Destiny 2 patch.

Still, Hammerhead offers a lot of ammo for at least a few kills, which makes it one of the better power weapons in the slot. If Destiny 2 players want easier or quicker kills we would also recommend the Truth rocket launcher. It fires fast and tracks its target aggressively.

Overall, Crucible loadouts come down to personal preference, but for those Destiny 2 players wondering what the best loadout in Season 8: Shadowkeep is, it’s hard to top Mountaintop and Recluse. It’s a very “cheap” loadout, but it’s also effective.

Destiny 2 is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

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