In the current PvE meta of Destiny 2, grenade launchers have become one of the best weapon types in the game, allowing players to deal massive damage to boss enemies. Indeed, grenade launchers like The Mountaintop and The Prospector played a major role in the loadouts of players who beat the new Crown of Sorrows raid during its initial release. With the renewed focus on grenade launchers, players have discovered one of the best damage-dealing grenade launchers in the game, Swarm of the Raven.

Swarm of the Raven is available for a limited time while Iron Banner is active, which it is this week. The weapon goes in the Heavy weapon slot and is a drum-fed grenade launcher, which allows it to fire very quickly. This weapon is not new to Destiny 2, as it was actually added to the game in Season 4 and has been in the Iron Banner loot pool since then; however, the weapon is getting new attention with many players looking to put a good grenade launcher in their loadouts.

How to Get Swarm of the Raven

Swarm of the Raven comes from reward packages that players get for turning in Iron Banner tokens to Lord Saladin. If players have been stockpiling tokens, now is a good time to start turning them in for the chance of getting the grenade launcher to drop. To earn tokens, players need to play Iron Banner and complete Iron Banner bounties.

One important tip for those grinding for Swarm of the Raven: try to hold off on completing the new Iron Banner quest that rewards the event's armor set. Earning the armor via that quest adds any unlocked armor to the reward package loot pool, so in order to keep the loot pool smaller, be sure to try for Swarm of the Raven prior to completing any steps of the quest.

Best perks for Swarm of the Raven

Swarm of the Raven owes its high DPS to one perk, and that is the one perk players need to have one this grenade launcher: Spike Grenades. That perk causes the weapon to do more damage upon direct hits. Other than that perk, there is not really a perfect roll for this weapon, although Field Prep is a top choice due to it giving the weapon deeper ammo reserves.

How to use Swarm of the Raven

Swarm of the Raven can go toe-to-toe with other top-tier grenade launchers like the Wendigo GL3, but there are a few special circumstances to get the most out of Swarm of the Raven. Because Swarm of the Raven deals void damage, it can receive the 50% damage buff when an allied player uses the exotic Tractor Cannon against a boss.  So while Swarm of the Raven is good on its own, when paired with Tractor Cannon and any other damage-buffing effects like Well of Radiance and Melting Point, the DPS of this weapon can skyrocket with some players showing that it has the highest DPS in the game under these circumstances.

This Iron Banner ends at the weekly reset on June 25th at 10 a.m. PDT.

Destiny 2 is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One, with a Stadia version also in development.