Highlights

• Season of the Haunted brought back Opulent weapons to Destiny 2 in 2022, making them craftable along with new seasonal Haunted weapons.
• In order to earn both Haunted and Opulent weapons in Lightfall year, players will need to wait for the Exotic mission Presage to be available in the weekly rotator.
• Many weapons from both categories remain excellent cornerstones in both PVE and PVP, which is why many of them are worth unlocking the pattern for.

Season 17 of Destiny 2 brought players back to the Moon and focused on Calus and his ship, the Leviathan. In true Cabal opulence fashion, the Season of the Haunted also brought in some fitting weapons for players to farm during Nightmare Containment and Sever missions.

On top of the new weapons, a few returning pieces made their entrance, too. Here's which Season of the Haunted weapons are the best in Destiny 2. Note that all these weapons can drop Deepsight versions with extractable Patterns, and can therefore be crafted.

Updated on October 4, 2023, by Anastasia Maillot: Season of the Haunted has long gone, but its weapons made a lasting impression thanks to the return of Opulent weapons, and some new, powerful Haunted weapons. While Opulent weapons take advantage of the To Excess Origin Trait, Haunted weapons have the Extrovert Trait. In 2023 and the year of Lightfall, these seasonal weapons are making a comeback and are accessible to players who may have missed out on them back in 2022. By playing the Exotic mission Presage when it's in weekly rotation, players have a chance of earning some of the weapons from Season of the Haunted and unlocking their patterns. Note that the Drang, Imperial Decree, Firefright, and Opulent Sword, albeit great weapons, have not made the ranking.

8 Nezarec's Whisper

• God Roll: Demolitionist & Adrenaline Junkie

Glaives are in a precarious spot in the meta. Some are fantastic, others are terrible. Nezarec's Whisper, which has been frequently sold by Banshee-44 throughout the Lightfall year, falls somewhere in the middle. It's a solid glaive and pairs up well with any Arc builds that take advantage of elemental synergy.

For that perfect grenadier build, the best perks are Demolitionist for grenade recharge rate and for a quick reload. Adrenaline Junkie typically pairs well with Demolitionist as it also takes advantage of grenade damage, boosting the weapon's handling and damage.

7 Without Remorse

• God Roll: Threat Detector & Fragile Focus

On the PVP side of things, the Without Remorse shotgun is a decent Solar shotgun to have in the Energy slot for any starting Crucible players. Although there are certainly better shotguns, its Lightweight Frame and the right perk combination can turn it into a solid opener in engagements.

Threat Detector complements this weapon's guaranteed close-range playstyle, and Fragile Focus allows players to have a bit of extra range when first engaging enemies when their own shields are still up. And with shotgun gameplay, range is everything for the first shooter.

6 Tears Of Contrition

• God Roll: Triple Tap & Explosive Payload

Another weapon in the Kinetic slot, Tears of Contrition is a scout rifle in the Precision Frame category. For what it's worth, this scout rifle is not bad at all and can contend with some fan favorites in PVE, provided it has the right perks.

As is the case with all heavy-hitting single-target weapons, it needs an AoE perk, which is why Explosive Payload is a must-have. Triple Tap is a classic choice for scout rifles and sniper rifles, and a safe bet in this situation as well.

5 Austringer

• God Roll: Eye of the Storm & Rangefinder

A long-time favorite among hand cannon connoisseurs of Destiny 2, Austringer made a fabulous return in Season of the Haunted. Now, in 2023 and towards the end of Lightfall's year, hand cannons have received some major buffs in PVE, which means this traditional PVP favorite could potentially make its way to PVE loadouts as well—if it can contend with Fatebringer.

Until then, Crucible enthusiasts will find the most use out of this Kinetic hand cannon by getting the Eye of the Storm and Rangefinder perks.

4 Hollow Denial

• God Roll: Lead from Gold & Repulsor Brace

Gone are the days when trace rifles were the laughingstock of Destiny 2. Hollow Denial was a staple in the recently nerfed double Special weapon meta, which took advantage of the way Special ammo is generated in the game.

Not to worry, though, because double Special is still very good, though not absolutely broken. Hollow Denial is one of the finest Special weapons to pair into such a loadout, because of its Lead from Gold perk—and because of how good trace rifles are damage-wise. Plus, Repulsor Brace is a great Void perk that provides a bit of extra protection to players in PVE if they kill Void debuffed targets. All in all, it's a beastly weapon for a Legendary.

3 Beloved

• God Roll: Snapshot Sights & Quickdraw

Another titan of PVP, Beloved is an excellent Solar sniper rifle that just feels fantastic when whipped out in the Crucible. The stats and the amazing perk pool speak for themselves, and it's definitely one of those weapons that's worth adding to the collection of one who is passionate about PVP.

In terms of perks, there is a bit of debate around Quickdraw. Some find that the current iteration of the perk isn't as good, and prefer Moving Target. Snapshot Sights is still a must-have given the fast-paced nature of the Crucible, where players will want to catch their opponents before they're caught.

2 Bump In The Night

• God Roll: Demolitionist/Auto-Loading Holster & Chill Clip

Bump In The Night may have fallen from grace just a smidge when Starfire Protocol was nerfed with Lightfall, but it's still an excellent Stasis rocket launcher to have for DPS.

Chill Clip is what makes it unique, applying that extra Stasis damage on bosses. For the first perk, Auto-Loading Holster might be a better option over Demolitionist, now that spamming fusion grenades is no longer an option—at least, not at the same rate as before. Out of all the Haunted weapons, Bump In The Night remains among the best.

1 Calus Mini-Tool

• God Roll: Threat Detector & Incandescent

SMGs continue to absolutely dominate PVE in 2023 of Destiny 2. Those who missed out on a chance of getting their hands on what's undoubtedly the best Solar SMG in the entire game can now farm it again thanks to the rotating weekly Exotic missions.

The Calus Mini-Tool returned to Season of the Haunted, bigger and better, and most importantly craftable. It became a staple in PVE and remains that way thanks to its pool of powerful perks. Although there are many valid options, Threat Detector and Incandescent are by far the most impressive combination and pair wonderfully with any builds focused on scorching. It's safe to say that even in the year of Lightfall, the Calus Mini-Tool is the best Haunted/Opulent weapon in Destiny 2.