Over the course of Destiny 2’s three-year lifespan several metas have emerged for PvE and PvP that many consider the “top loadout.” With the launch of Shadowkeep and the start of Season 8 another new best loadout has been found, although it should be plenty familiar to any Destiny 2 players who have kept up with the game.

Izanagi's Burden

In the primary weapon slot, Izanagi’s Burden has become one of the best weapons and the premiere exotic of choice for PvE. Thanks to its exotic perk called Honed Edge, this exotic sniper rifle can combine four bullets into 1 “super” bullet that deals extra damage.

izanagis burden exotic sniper

Prior to the nerf to autoloading mechanics like Lunafaction Boots and Rally Barricade, Izanagi’s Burden wasn’t as popular because many primary weapons could outclass it. Mountaintop was one of the best options in Season 7, but now that players just get a boost to reload speed from Lunafaction and Rally Barricades, its utility has gone down.

RELATED: How to Get Izanagi's Burden

Izanagi’s Burden, on the other hand, has gained the benefit of faster reload thanks to these mechanics, making it easier to chamber a Honed Edge bullet. Now, Destiny 2 players can deal out major DPS using Izanagi’s, or they can use the stronger bullet for taking out an Elite enemy in a strike. It’s a versatile weapon that can favor boss damage or burst damage.

On top of that, players can get the Izanagi’s Burden catalyst from the Heroic Menagerie activity if they have a fully upgraded Chalice of Opulence. The catalyst is quite useful, as it boosts the damage of Honed Edge by 20%.

Recluse

While Bungie tried to nerf Recluse going into Season 8, a breakdown of the real damage numbers for the legendary SMG showed the changes were minimal. Yes, Recluse’s unique Master of Arms perk (which boosts damage after a kill with any weapon) is not as strong against minor enemies when hitting their precision spot, it’s still solid when it comes to body shots. And ultimately, Recluse’s goal is to chew through basic enemies without worrying too much about precision damage.

The other benefit of Recluse in Season 8 is that it can hold either Overload or Anti-Barrier rounds, which are useful in top tier activities like the Garden of Salvation raid or an Ordeal Nightfall Strike.

recluse smg from destiny 2

When it comes to clearing out adds in a fast and efficient manner, there really isn’t a better weapon than Recluse. And thanks to changes to Glory ranks in Competitive Crucible, it’s even easier to get the pinnacle weapon.

Wendigo GL3

The Wendigo GL3 grenade launcher was a top tier boss DPS weapon last season, but was outclassed by void grenade launchers with Spike Grenades when using Tractor Cannon. But now that Bungie has nerfed the bonus from Tractor Cannon in Destiny 2, Wendigo is back in the limelight.

Yet another pinnacle weapon, only this time from Strikes, Wendigo is great for a couple reasons. First, it’s boss damage is really strong when players have a full set of Explosive Light rounds. These are created when picking up an orb of light and players can have up to 6 available. Explosive Light rounds deal big damage to a single target.

The other benefit of Wendigo is that it allows players to pick up orbs of light even when their Super meter is full. Combined with perks that start healing or shield recharge when picking up an orb of light, Wendigo actually allows players to heal faster than they could otherwise.

Obviously there are going to be other loadouts that players prefer – some like to use Huckleberry in the primary slot – but this is one of the best for general and top tier Destiny 2 PvE activities. Unfortunately, getting all of these weapons does require a bit of a grind.

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