The Best Sidearms For PvE In Destiny 2

Sidearms are widely regarded as one of the best Primary weapon archetypes for PvE in Destiny 2. Forgiving recoil patterns, high damage output, and a solid selection of perks make this weapon archetype a fantastic choice for most Guardians.

Like most weapon archetypes, there are a few that rise above the rest. Whether it’s for their unique perk combinations or incredible damage output, these Sidearms have carved a niche for themselves in Destiny 2’s complicated sandbox. Their damage output and ease of use are hard to match. From common Legendaries to more unique Exotics, here are the ten best Sidearms in Destiny 2.

Updated December 28, 2024, by Charles Burgar: Rocket Sidearms continue to dominate the PvE sandbox in Episode: Revenant. Iron Banner now has its own Special Sidearm for players to chase, and it’s arguably the best PvE Sidearm in the game. As such, we’ve updated this list to include an entry on Saladin’s latest addition to the Iron Banner arsenal: Tinasha’s Mastery.

10

Mykel’s Reverence

How to obtain: Root of Nightmares raid.

Mykel’s Reverence is the first Legendary Sidearm to grace the Destiny 2 sandbox. This Rapid-Fire Frame can dish out a surprising amount of damage in PvE thanks to Paracasual Affinity, a raid-exclusive perk that grants a 20% damage buff from landing any Darkness kill—including Stasis and Strand abilities.

You can pair this with Unrelenting for quick healing or Rewind Rounds
for a much larger magazine. Unrelenting is particularly useful for Strand users since that spec doesn’t have any way to heal itself. If you’re using a melee build, you might also consider using Swashbuckler over Paracasual Affinity.

Recommended Traits

• Column One: Unrelenting, Rewind Rounds
• Column Two: Paracasual Affinity, Swashbuckler, Hatchling

9

Drang (Baroque)

How to obtain: Presage Exotic mission; craftable at the Enclave.

This reprised version of Drang is easily one of Destiny 2’s strongest Sidearms. Farmable from the Presage Exotic mission, Drang (Baroque) is currently the only craftable Sidearm with Incandescent, a perk that causes targets to release a Scorching explosion on death. It seems somewhat weak on its own, but if you can land a few multikills, all surviving targets will explode in a violent Ignition.

And thanks to craftable perks, you can use Enhanced Incandescent to make this Ignition happen much sooner. Throw on Wellspring for some free ability energy, and you have a monstrous add clear Primary for all PvE content. And if you tend to farm endgame content more often, swap Wellspring for Disruption Break
. It applies to all shields you break, including Barrier Champion shields.

Recommended Traits

• Column One: Wellspring, Disruption Break
• Column Two: Incandescent

8

Heliocentric QSC

How to obtain: World drop and Legendary Lost Sectors.

Bungie has been spicing up the world pool with some absolute S-tier picks as of late. No weapon showcases this better than Heliocentric QSC, a Solar Sidearm that can roll with the incredible combo of Heal Clip and Kill Clip. A single kill and subsequent reload will restore nearly all of your HP and provide a massive 25% damage buff for a few seconds.

If you aren’t a fan of Kill Clip, you can also use Incandescent to spread Scorch with every kill. Land a few multikills, and any survivors will explode in a violent Ignition, giving this weapon S-tier add clear. It’s a pain to farm for, but if you’re lucky enough to get a good roll of Heliocentric, be sure to keep it.

Recommended Traits

• Column One: Heal Clip
• Column Two: Kill Clip, Incandescent

7

Buried Bloodline

How to obtain: Warlord’s Ruin dungeon.

Buried Bloodline
is the ultimate utility weapon for solo PvE builds. This weapon is a Void crossbow that uses Special ammo, similar to Forerunner and Indebted Kindness. Bolts fired from this weapon have tracking capabilities and leech HP from the target. More importantly, landing multikills with this weapon grants Devour, a Void keyword that restores HP and grenade energy with each kill.

If you get the Catalyst for this weapon, it also has the ability to inflict Weaken while you have Devour, a debuff that increases incoming damage by 15%. And since this weapon is a Special Sidearm, it is well-suited for slaying Champions and majors alike. If your build needs added survivability, it’s tough to top Buried Bloodline.

6

Traveler’s Chosen

How to obtain: Purchased from the Exotic Kiosk in the Tower. It costs 1 Exotic Cipher, 125,000 Glimmer, and 1 Ascendant Shard.

The energy scalar changes in Season of the Wish have inadvertently nerfed Traveler’s Chosen. Its Exotic perk no longer gives 100% energy for most abilities. We aren’t going to lower its ranking because this is clearly a bug, but keep this in mind if you plan on using it.

Similar to the Khvostov in the original Destiny, Traveler’s Chosen
has been brought back as an Exotic. Unlike Khvostov, this weapon is much easier to build around.

Every kill with Traveler’s Chosen will grant a stack of Gathering Light which increases to three stacks per kill if it’s against a Guardian. Aim assist, handling, and reload speed are all increased with each stack. Three stacks are enough to make this weapon top-tier, but going past it makes this weapon a powerhouse in PvP.

What makes this weapon truly great is how these Gathering Light stacks can be exchanged at any time for ability regeneration. Consuming stacks by holding the reload button will grant grenade, melee, and class ability energy per stack. For PvE, this is a build-enabling weapon, especially with the Catalyst that gives Surplus and Osmosis.

5

Final Warning

How to obtain: Lightfall Exotic quest.

Final Warning
is a Strand Sidearm that locks onto targets before firing, dealing massive damage to either their head or torso based on how you’re aiming the Sidearm. This weapon seems gimmicky at first glance, but this lock-on mechanic allows it to dish out some absurd damage, at least for a Primary weapon.

As strange as it sounds, you want to use Final Warning more like a Bow than a Sidearm. The gun’s long charging time makes it a pain to use up close, but charge it from afar, and you’ll be able to obliterate most PvE enemies without much issue. Paired with the Catalyst, this is the hardest-hitting Primary in the entire game, no contest. It decimates GM Nightfalls and Master raids with ease. You just need to get used to its rather strange gameplay loop.

4

Indebted Kindness

How to obtain: Warlord’s Ruin dungeon.

Indebted Kindness is the first Legendary Sidearm to use Special ammo in Destiny 2. Unlike most Sidearms, Indebted Kindness fires micro-rockets at 100 RPM. It plays similarly to Forerunner, sacrificing fire rate for AoE projectiles. The damage output is enough to one-tap all red bars and weaker majors, giving you tons of perk flexibility.

Beacon Rounds and Voltshot is a solid combination for PvE content. Kills will enable tracking for each of your micro-rockets, and reloading after a kill will infuse your next rocket with Jolt for some added damage. If you want to use this weapon in a double Special loadout, consider Lead From Gold and Surrounded. It hits incredibly hard and has deep ammo reserves, perfect for virtually every weapon loadout.

Recommended Traits

• Column One: Beacon Rounds, Lead From Gold
• Column Two: Surrounded, Voltshot

3

Aberrant Action

How to obtain: Echoes content (Act 2).

What could possibly be better than an Arc Rocket Pistol? A Solar Rocket Pistol. Crafting a good Aberrant Action makes most Primary weapons feel obsolete. Incandescent is a monstrous perk on this weapon, creating small explosions with each kill that Scorch targets. Land enough kills, and any remaining targets will Ignite, creating a violent explosion.

You can pair this with Field Prep
for extra ammo and fast crouch reloads or Heal Clip for free healing after each kill. It doesn’t have a great reload perk like Impulse Amplifier or Subsistence, but having Incandescent on a Special Sidearm is so powerful that it warrants crafting.

Recommended Traits

• Column One: Heal Clip, Field Prep
• Column Two: Incandescent

2

The Call

How to obtain: Pale Heart activities and Engrams.

The Call is the first Rocket Sidearm to reside in the Kinetic slot, which is more than enough reason to farm for this weapon. More importantly, it’s craftable, so you can create a perfect roll after some basic farming in the Pale Heart. Once you have its crafting pattern, The Call really starts to show its true colors.

Almost every perk on this weapon is excellent. Lead from Gold paired with One for All is an S-tier workhorse in all PvE content. Slice and Hatchling are great for Strand builds. Demolitionist and Golden Tricorn is amazing for grenade builds. There’s no perfect roll here, and that’s why this weapon is so good. It’s the perfect gun for virtually every PvE build.

Recommended Traits

• Column One: Lead from Gold, Slice, Demolitionist, Subsistence
• Column Two: Any damage perk

1

Tinasha’s Mastery

How to obtain: Iron Banner matches and Engrams.

Tinasha’s Mastery covers all of your endgame needs. This is the first Rocket Sidearm to roll with Chill Clip, inflicting Stasis Slow with each direct hit from the top half of your magazine. This gives you easy access to Slow, Freeze, and Shatter—three keywords you can use to counter every Champion type in the game.

You can pair this with Air Trigger to fix the two largest issues with Special Sidearms: ammo reserves and reload speed. This perk gives a sizable boost to your ammo reserves and effectively gives you Outlaw just for jumping. It’s an S-tier combination that makes TInasha’s Mastery nothing short of an S-tier Sidearm for PvE endgame content.

Recommended Traits

• Column One: Air Assault
• Column Two: Chill Clip