Highlights

• Destiny 2's crafting feature lets players create their own, ideal, god-roll versions of certain weapons.
• Not all weapons are worth crafting, and due to the expensive cost of making and Enhancing weapons, it's important to only craft the best weapons available.
• Thanks to the introduction of Deepsight Harmonizers and rotating Exotic missions, players have access to a wider variety of weapon patterns as of Season of the Witch.

Crafting is now a full-on feature in Destiny 2, with new craftable weapons introduced every season into the game. This new mechanic allows players to pick and choose the perks they specifically want for their weapon, after unlocking the required number of patterns by completing Deepsight Resonance on red-border weapons.

Needless to say, this is an extremely grindy aspect of weapon crafting. Thankfully, players don't need to collect every single craftable weapon under the sky, since some of Destiny 2's craftable weapons are worth the effort more than the others. Here's which ones to craft first.

Updated on April 14, 2024, by Anastasia Maillot: Into the Light is here, and Destiny 2's free update has brought back an influx of players. Although the BRAVE Arsenal weapons can't be crafted (at least, not their BRAVE versions), the return of The Whisper mission means that the Whisper of the Worm has returned as a craftable Exotic. While most of the weapons listed here remain highly recommended, The Whisper, along with Zaouli's Bane, has risen to a top-tier position as of April 2024. Those still doubting hand cannons and sniper rifles should consider adding both of them to their crafting list.

21 Zaouli's Bane

The Budget Sunshot Every Solar Build Needs

• Deepsight Pattern Source: King's Fall raid
• God Roll: Explosive Payload & Incandescent

Hand cannons have seen a lot of love from Bungie in the last year, so players really can't go wrong with something like Zaouli's Bane. It's a fantastic PVE hand cannon for those who either have yet to acquire Sunshot or simply prefer to have a different Exotic weapon equipped. Its patterns are earned from the King's Fall raid, and five are needed to be able to craft it.

In order to simulate the overpowered, Solar might of Sunshot, the perfect perk combination is Explosive Payload and Incandescent. Add in a few scorch-boosting fragments, and this weapon will turn from a simple single-target hand cannon into an enemy-clearing beast.

20 The Whisper Of The Worm

A Now Craftable Exotic Sniper Rifle That Rivals Even Cataclysmic

• Deepsight Pattern Source: Complete The Whisper Exotic quest and the subsequent mini-mission to unlock perks
• God Roll: White Nail IV, Accurized Rounds, Field Prep, Hand-Laid Stock

The Whisper of the Worm is receiving not only a reserves buff but is also craftable. Just hop into The Whisper mission that has made its return, and complete an initial run to get the pattern for the Exotic sniper rifle. For more perks, players will need to complete the mission on Legend and do various mini-tasks.

Ideally, White Nail should be leveled up to 4. Accurized Rounds grants Whisper some additional range, but the must-have is Field Prep, which buffs its ammo reserves and a few of its stats when players are using it crouched. The ammo reserve buff alone though makes this perk incredible, upping its damage time significantly.

19 Doomed Petitioner

The Newest Challenger To Cataclysmic's Top Spot

• Deepsight Pattern Source: Season of the Wish activities and engrams
• God Roll: Envious Assassin and Precision Instrument

The world of linear fusion rifles has been quite Cataclysmic-centered ever since the raid Vow of the Disciple introduced this powerhouse of a weapon into Destiny 2. Few have managed to challenge that top spot, though some fusion rifles like Taipan for example might do better in solo content with rolls like Frenzy available.

Doomed Petitioner is an interesting choice that came out during Season of the Wish. The Void linear fusion rifle shows great promise in boss encounters where precision damage is required, with Envious Assassin transferring ammo quickly into the magazine and Precision Instrument boosts its precision damage when sustaining it on the same target (in this case, a boss). While the Origin Trait isn't anything noteworthy, it stands quite well on its own and is definitely a top pick to craft during Season of the Wish for anyone hopping into the game before The Final Shape.

18 Subjunctive

A Powerful Rival To The Ikelos SMG

• Deepsight Pattern Source: Starcrossed Exotic mission during Season of the Wish
• God Roll Perks: Threat Detector and Swashbuckler

SMGs are still very much loved in PVE, even though there are other archetypes that have slowly started to make their way back to the forefront, such as hand cannons and auto rifles. However, no one can deny that SMGs like Ikelos and the Mini-Tool are must-haves that any PVE enthusiast will pick over the previous archetype any day.

The Ikelos SMG in particular has been uncontested at its top spot for a while—until now. Subjunctive is a returning weapon that can now be crafted as of Season of the Wish, and some players might even find that they prefer its perk pool over the Ikelos SMG. Indeed, Threat Detector, paired with either Swashbuckler or Golden Tricorn, is what makes this weapon such a fantastic alternative. Players can run the Starcrossed Exotic mission to farm this Arc SMG quickly.

17 Trustee

A Great Scout With A Powerful Origin Trait

• Deepsight Pattern Source: Deep Stone Crypt raid
• God Roll Perks: Reconstruction and Incandescent

The Deep Stone Crypt raid weapon rework has done its job, as four of the weapons from the raid are all considered must-haves and must-crafts. Trustee is probably the lowest priority out of those four, as scout rifles in PVE continue to be a bit less popular compared to auto rifles or SMGs.

That said, this Solar scout still kicks a punch with the right perks, becoming an absolute menace with the Enhanced Incandescent perk—not to mention Reconstruction, which means players will spend less time reloading and more time killing.

16 Calus Mini-Tool

The Best Solar Energy SMG In The Game

• Deepsight Pattern Source: Presage Exotic mission in weekly rotation
• God Roll Perks: Incandescent and Threat Detector

No doubt one of the best craftable SMGs out there, Calus Mini-Tool is back on the menu now that the Exotic missions allow players to access weapons from previous seasons and craft them. The Mini-Tool is still a powerhouse in PVE, suited best for Solar builds of all types and frantic close-range combat.

Incandescent helps to melt away ads in no time, and Threat Detector plays excellently with an SMG, as it provides great stat boosts when enemies are in close range to the player. It's a bread-and-butter kind of weapon that no player should pass the opportunity to craft.

15 Tarnished Mettle

A Solid Scout Rifle In A Meta That Doesn't Favor Scouts

• Deepsight Pattern Source: Xur or Banshee-44
• God Roll Perks: Voltshot and Demolitionist

Sadly, the Plunder weapons did not make it to the Exotic mission rotator. However, Banshee-44 and Xur have a chance of selling this Arc scout rifle randomly, so make sure to check their inventories every week. Then, simply use a Deepsight Harmonizer to extract a pattern from the weapon.

While the Tarnished Mettle is a scout rifle, it's a Lightweight Frame with a pretty good feel to it. Voltshot pairs up with Arc builds, and blinds targets, while Demolitionist is a nice grenade recharge rate bonus. For those who don't rely on their grenades as much, there are plenty of other decent perks to choose from, like Rapid Hit, Fourth Time's the Charm, and Killing Wind.

14 Ikelos SMG

A Staple Arc SMG, Contended Only By Subjunctive

• Deepsight Pattern Source: Operation: Seraph Shield Exotic mission in weekly rotation
• God Roll Perks: Voltshot and Feeding Frenzy

Another incredible SMG is the Ikelos Arc kind, a true legend in Destiny 2. The weapon has made a return in the rotating weekly Exotic mission Seraph Shield, so it might be a slight grind to get all the patterns given how long the mission in question can be.

That said, it's an SMG well worth the effort. It pairs up with builds of all types and is a favorite among all PVE players for its fantastic perk pool and aggressive frame. For PVE, Voltshot is a must-have, along with Feeding Frenzy to speed up the reload time.

13 Commemoration

The Best Machine Gun For PVE, Contended Only By Song Of Ir Yut

• Deepsight Pattern Source: Deep Stone Crypt raid
• God Roll Perks: Killing Tally and Reconstruction

A Void machine gun excellent for clearing ads, Commemoration is a solid choice for any missions and encounters that don't demand any high boss DPS. While the Retrofit Escapade is also a fantastic option (and available in Seraph Shield when it's in rotation), Commemoration is available every week if players can manage to get a raid team together.

Given the slow reload time of machine guns, Reconstruction should absolutely be the most important perk to slap on this weapon. After that, players have a few options to pick through, though Killing Tally does stand out for buffing the magazine size as well as boosting the weapon's damage with consecutive kills until stowed.

12 The Eremite

The Best Fusion Rifle For Boss Encounters

• Deepsight Pattern Source: Season of the Witch vendor rewards and activities
• God Roll Perks: Envious Assassin and Controlled Burst

The Eremite is a bit of a surprise case when it comes to must-craft weapons. An honorable mention goes out to Deliverance, a Stasis fusion rifle, but given the Eremite's boss damage potential, it becomes a bit more attractive in the eyes of players.

The Eremite has a few great perk combinations to choose from, but the early god roll seems to be Envious Assassin for a damage rotation boost and Controlled Burst to gain a damage and charge time buff after the first initial shot—provided players hit all shots in the first burst.

11 Hollow Denial

Among The Strongest Trace Rifles That Work With Double Special Weapon Builds

• Deepsight Pattern Source: Presage Exotic mission in weekly rotation
• God Roll Perks: Repulsor Brace and Lead from Gold

Although the double Special meta definitely received a slap on the wrist in Season of the Witch, trace rifles are still a great option for those who insist on sticking with it—especially if they come with Lead from Gold, like Hollow Denial.

Players will have to hop into the Presage Exotic mission when it's in rotation to collect its patterns. Once crafted, Lead from Gold as mentioned is a must-have, as is Repulsor Brace for that nice Void Overshield and a bit of extra protection when under pressure.

10 Rufus' Fury

A Legendary Alternative To Quicksilver Storm

• Deepsight Pattern Source: Root of Nightmares raid
• God Roll Perks: Demolitionist and Hatchling/Frenzy

Strand is the newest energy type in the game introduced in Lightfall, and so Strand weapons that can be crafted are in high demand. The Root of Nightmares raid has an incredible auto rifle, Rufus' Fury, which has very little recoil and solid stats.

Better yet, it comes with the new Hatchling perk, which has a chance of spawning a Threadling when players score a precision kill with the weapon. It's perfect for any Threadling builds out there, but generally will pair well with most Strand builds that don't take advantage of Osteo Striga. If Threadlings are not on the menu, then Frenzy is a tried and tested alternative.

9 Heritage

The Best PVE Shotgun In The Game That Isn't Exotic

• Deepsight Pattern Source: Deep Stone Crypt raid
• God Roll Perks: Reconstruction and Recombination

Easily one of the best, if not the best PVE shotgun, Heritage is an excellent Kinetic weapon farmable from the Deep Stone Crypt raid. Now that Deep Stone Crypt weapons also come with the Bray Inheritance Origin Trait (which grants ability energy with kills), there's no excuse not to get one's hands on this weapon. It pairs well with double special builds and is a great option for up close and personal boss/miniboss encounters.

Heritage's must-have perks are Reconstruction, which allows it to load over time up to double capacity, and Recombination, which boosts the damage of this weapon when players score final blows of any element.

8 Succession

A Great Secondary Weapon Against Bosses That Take Precision Damage

• Deepsight Pattern Source: Deep Stone Crypt raid
• God Roll Perks: Reconstruction and Vorpal Weapon

Still from the same raid, Succession is a Kinetic sniper rifle that also comes with the Bray Inheritance Origin Trait. It also benefits from Reconstruction like the Heritage shotgun, allowing it to reload over time up to double capacity, which solidifies it as one of the strongest PVE sniper rifles—which is saying a lot, given sniper rifles need quite a bit of help balance-wise in PVE. Thankfully, after Season of the Witch, something special seems to be on the horizon for sniper rifles.

Vorpal Weapon is the next obvious perk to increase its damage, even though the perk saw a slight nerf about a year ago with the start of The Witch Queen era.

7 Taipan-4FR

A Strong Contender For The Best Fusion Rifle In The Game

• Deepsight Pattern Source: World drops or through the Foundry Shaping quest if The Witch Queen campaign has been completed.
• God Roll Perks: Triple Tap or Clown Cartridge with Firing Line or Frenzy.

Linear fusion rifles received a significant nerf at Lightfall's release, but that hasn't made Taipan any less viable, especially this season thanks to a few powerful artifact perks. This Void linear fusion can contend with the likes of Cataclysmic, though in the long run, the Solar linear fusion will still beat it by a slim margin.

Taipan-4FR is relatively easy to get, and those who have completed The Witch Queen campaign can get it for free from a quest. When crafting, players can choose between two great perks in the first column, Triple Tap or Clown Cartridge, but the final column should always have Firing Line for that boss DPS boost in PVE. The choice of perks depends on whether players expect to use Taipan with teammates around or in solo content, so choose accordingly when crafting this powerful Void linear.

6 Submission

A Powerful SMG That Fits The PVE Meta

• Deepsight Pattern Source: Vow of the Disciple raid
• God Roll Perks: Subsistence and Frenzy

Looking for a solid primary SMG? Head to the Vow of the Disciple raid to unlock the pattern for Submission, a powerful SMG found exclusively in The Witch Queen raid. Not only is the Souldrinker Origin Trait quite unique and interesting for PVE due to its health regen effect when reloading after kills, but it also comes with powerful perks.

Subsistence and Frenzy are the must-have combination here, and players will be hard-pressed to justify any other perks when these two are available as Enhanced Perks. It's a beastly SMG that works well in an era where SMGs continue to dominate in PVE.

5 Cataclysmic

The Best Linear Fusion Rifle In The Game

• Deepsight Pattern Source: Vow of the Disciple raid
• God Roll Perks: Bait and Switch and Fourth Time's The Charm

Cataclysmic absolutely dominated the boss DPS meta in the year of The Witch Queen, and while it's still incredibly good, it did take a slight hit from the linear fusion rifle nerfs that came in at the release of Lightfall.

Cataclysmic's undebatable godroll perks remain the same: Bait and Switch and Fourth Time's The Charm. When paired with Izanagi's Burden, it still makes for one of the strongest DPS weapons out there, especially for longer boss DPS phases where precision damage is key.

4 Osteo Striga

A Craftable Primary Exotic That Clears Enemies Fast

• Deepsight Pattern Source: Complete The Witch Queen campaign.

Osteo Striga is an Exotic weapon available for players who have completed The Witch Queen campaign. Osteo Striga is a primary, Kinetic SMG that shoots out poisonous projectiles that track targets and poison them. It's also one of the few Exotic weapons that can be crafted and must be leveled to earn a Catalyst.

Osteo Striga always comes with the same perks, so it's mostly a matter of leveling it up to unlock its Catalyst or Masterwork. This further enhances the poison effect of the weapon, which will spread and linger on nearby enemies when killing targets with it. It's a surprisingly good ad-clearing weapon, and as an Exotic primary, kills with it are more likely to drop Special and Heavy ammo bricks. In the Lightfall era, Osteo Striga continues to be an incredibly strong PVE weapon pick and pairs quite nicely with Strand.

3 Forbearance

The Best Wave Frame Grenade Launcher

• Deepsight Pattern Source: Vow of the Disciple raid
• God Roll Perks: Ambitious Assassin and Chain Reaction

Another beautiful raid weapon is the Forbearance grenade launcher, found in the very same Vow of the Disciple raid. It's an Arc, wave frame grenade launcher that does incredible in most ad-clear builds, even in more difficult endgame content.

Moreover, it does feature some interesting Enhanced perks that can turn it into a powerhouse weapon. Players need to try the Ambitious Assassin and Chain Reaction Enhanced perk combination for maximum results.

2 The Other Half

A Must-Have Mobility Tool

• Deepsight Pattern Source: Dares of Eternity chests or Xur's treasure hoard chest
• God Roll Perks: Eager Edge combined with any other perk

The Other Half is a heavy Void sword that's good for only one reason: mobility. Thanks to its Eager Edge perk, it's one of the favorite tools of speedrunners and players who enjoy skipping tedious jumping puzzles.

Eager Edge is therefore a must-have for this weapon, which has quickly become a staple weapon for many of the game's most dedicated PVE players.