With the release of the Beyond Light expansion, Bungie instituted a lot of major changes to the game. Many of these were positive from the cleaner UI, the new Europa destination, Ghost and Champion mods, and more. However, for all of the good, the community was also introduced to a couple of controversial features which remain at the forefront of discussion to this day.
The Destiny Content Vault was created as a way for Bungie to essentially remove legacy content from the game, potentially updating and returning it to the game at a later date. In addition to removing content and destinations from the game, Bungie also instituted weapon sunsetting, essentially capping certain gear and weapons to prevent them from continuing to be relevant in the meta. While this initially upset the fanbase due to the removal of some very popular weapons, it also significantly removed a good portion of loot, more so than Bungie anticipated.
Thankfully, with Season of the Chosen, Bungie has added a wealth of new gear to collect, including 25 weapons from a variety of activities, with most of them being well received by the community. However, there are a number of standout new weapons to chase so here are the best ones that players should focus their time on inside of Destiny 2.
Bottom Dollar - Energy Hand Cannon
When it was revealed at the start of Season 13, the Bottom Dollar hand cannon quickly shot up most players' must-haves list. The big reason, outside of the fact that it is a rare energy hand cannon, is the fact that it is a 120 RPM aggressive frame that has High Impact and range stats. It hits hard with Void rounds. In addition, the weapon has a huge pool of 24 perks, meaning players can really find a version of this weapon that fits their playstyle. In addition, some of the combinations may resemble other fan favorite weapons from the first Destiny like Fatebringer or Imago Loop.
However, the lone draw back to the Bottom Dollar is that it is completely RNG-based, in terms of when it'll drop. Players will need to grind Gambit to have a shot at getting one to drop at the end of the match. Even then, there's no way to control what perks the weapon has on it like players can through the Umbral Engram focusing method for much of the Season of the Chosen gear. For those willing to grind Gambit for a bit, the Bottom Dollar is a great choice with a lot of diversity.
For those who may not want to deal with the randomness of the Bottom Dollar or Gambit, the Igneous Hammer energy hand cannon may be a better option. While it does require players participate in Trials of Osiris, it does rotate and will eventually be more attainable as a three win reward.
Extraordinary Rendition - Kinetic SMG
In a post-Recluse Destiny 2, players have been searching for a suitable replacement. Thankfully, Bungie has added the SMG, Extraordinary Rendition, one of the few kinetic-based weapons this season. It's a fun to use, but powerful weapon that is also easier to come across than some of the other weapons on this list. It can be rewarded as a Battleground drop or focused from an Umbral Engram at the H.E.L.M. prismatic recaster. With high range and handling stats combined with the Season 13 SMG buffs, this weapon hits enemies hard and fast with minimal recoil.
One of the best features about it is the large perk pool it has access to. With a little grinding, players can get some really handy and powerful perk options including Surplus, Overflow, Outlaw, Rampage, and the new option called Frenzy, which increases damage, handling, and reload while in combat for an extended period of time.
The Palindrome - Energy Hand Cannon
For fans, one of the better Season 13 changes is bringing back weapon farming for the Nightfall strikes. While it may not be quite like what the original Destiny did with Nightfall strike-specific rewards, players target farm-specific weapons from certain strikes. The energy hand cannon Palindrome returns from Destiny, and can be earned through completing Nightfall strikes during its specific week.
As expected, this void Hand Cannon hits extremely hard thanks to a very high Impact rating. Though again, the main draw is the huge perk pool it has access to. Players have flocked towards the usual suspects with Outlaw or Overflow in the first column, with things like Rampage in the second perk slot.
For those who want an even better version of the weapon and aren't afraid of a little challenge, the Adept version can be found by completing Grandmaster Nightfall strikes when the weapon is in the spotlight for that particular week.
The Messenger - Kinetic Pulse Rifle
Another weapon returning from the original Destiny, The Messenger is a weapon that much of the population is likely going to miss out on due to the fact that it is a Trials of Osiris reward. While that barrier may prove to be too much for most players, those who do opt in will find a pulse rifle that will be a fan favorite in PvP activities thanks to great all around stats and higher than normal range.
For many fans though, the standout feature of The Messenger is its ability to roll the Desperado perk, which was originally only available on the Redrix's Broadsword pinnacle weapon in Season 4. Following a reload after a precision kill, the weapon's fire rate massively increases which drops the time to kill by a fair amount.
Shadow Price - Energy Auto Rifle
Another of the Season 13 Nightfall reward weapons, the Shadow Price returns from Destiny and is now an arc energy weapon. Armed with high range and above average stability and handling, Shadow Price is a solid legendary auto rifle. It's a slower firing auto rifle compared to other weapons in this class, which means players should have more control and better able to hit critical shots.
While the weapon also has a sizable pool of perks, it features one of the newest ones called Bottomless Grief which is great for team-based activities. As the last living member of the fireteam, every enemy takedown completely refills the magazine, potentially giving players endless ammo just for surviving. For solo players, Shadow Price does have some more interesting options like Overflow and Feeding Frenzy for first perk and Swashbuckler, Dragonfly, or Distruption Break to name a few.
Code Duello - Heavy Rocket Launcher
While Rocket Launchers have largely been ignored in favor of other Heavy weapons such as Swords, Season 13 has seemingly changed things around thanks to a huge 30% damage increase buff. As such, many rocket launchers are now more viable than ever before, but the newest one to be added may be the one to aim for thanks to how much easier it is to obtain, compared to some of the others like Royal Entry. While another viable option, Royal Entry is a random drop from the Strikes playlist, similar to other activity weapons like Bottom Dollar and Frozen Orbit.
Code Duello is a Battlegrounds Reward as well as a Umbral Engram drop, giving players a number of easier ways to track one down. Two new Rocket Launcher perks are Lasting Impression, which makes the rockets stick to a target then delays the detonation for huge damage and a bigger blast radius. Impulse Amplifier is the other major perk which which massively increases velocity and reload speed. Either way, this rocket launcher is capable of dealing serious damage very quickly.
Dead Man's Tale - Exotic Kinetic Scout Rifle
The newest exotic item in the game has been getting a lot of love from the community thanks in large part to its quest mission. However the weapon itself, even though it is a scout rifle, really makes it look, sound, and feel unique. Dead Man's Tale looks like an old repeater rifle one would traditionally see in the Wild West. Through the Cranial Spike perk, chaining precision hits gives the player bonus damage and a faster reload speed. It's also worth noting that reloading this weapon puts two in the chamber at a time instead of one.
Similar to Hawkmoon from last season, Bungie will be letting players farm for Dead Man's Tale at some point in the future, likely running the Presage mission over and over for new perk rolls to find that perfect mix. At its base, the weapon fire fast and players have been reporting that it feels satisfying to use thanks to the reload animation, hard hitting damage, sound design, and manageable recoil.
Frozen Orbit - Energy Sniper Rifle
Similar to the Bottom Dollar, the Frozen Orbit sniper rifle is a random reward for finishing Crucible matches. The drop chance appears to be low, so players should keep trying, as it is one of the better snipers available on Season 13. It's a 72 RPM sniper rifle with void rounds, essentially the only available one that isn't currently sunset. Thankfully, even though it may be the only option in this category, it makes a very strong case.
Again, part of that comes down to the fact that it has a wide range of possible perks. The first perk column has some very strong possibilities like Outlaw, Killing Wind, Clown Cartridge, or Moving Target. Second perk options include Snapshot, Killclip, Vorpal Weapon, Quickdraw, and plenty more. The only downside to this weapon currently is the lower than expected drop rate, meaning players will likely have to grind PvP in order to obtain the perks they're looking for.
Sola's Scar - Solar Heavy Sword
Swords are already very strong in Destiny 2, even after the slight nerf they received at the start of Season 13. Earlier in February, the orange glow of a new Trials sword caught the attention of many players. Sola's Scar, which resembles Temptation's Hook, is a solar based caster frame, capable of launching projectiles from a heavy attack.
The big reason why players are hunting this sword is because of some of the valuable perks it can roll with. In addition to Tireless Blade, it can have Chain Reaction, which comes in handy with the heavy projectile attacks. Assassin's Blade, Vorpal Weapon, and En Garde are also viable options for those who want to pile on the damage.
Destiny 2: Beyond Light is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.