The Best PvE Shotguns In Destiny 2

Shotguns are some of the most enjoyable weapons to use in any video game. They can take down enemies at close ranges with uncompromising firepower. When you start looking at loot-based games, things get even more interesting.

Destiny 2 has a wide range of Shotguns for players to try, ranging from slug weapons to fully automatic Shotguns. Perks can also give these weapons even more interesting properties that allow the gun to reload on grenade throws or increase the damage of your next melee attack. Whether you’re facing Champions or raid bosses, here are the best Shotguns for PvE you can use in Destiny 2.

Updated March 5, 2025, by Charles Burgar: Episode: Heresy has added an S-tier Shotgun to the PvE sandbox. We’ve updated this list to include the Unvoiced Shotgun from the new Sundered Doctrine dungeon, a Precision Slug Frame that has some of the highest burst DPS values we have seen on a Special weapon.

10

The Fourth Horseman

How to obtain: Purchased from the Exotic Kiosk in the Tower.

If you need a boss dead immediately, look no further than The Fourth Horseman. This weapon unloads four rounds—five when Masterworked—in less than a second, each round gaining a damage boost as you land successive shots.

Barrel-stuffing enemies in tough PvE environments is typically ill-advised, but The Fourth Horseman is one of the few exceptions to this rule. This gun’s DPS is so great that you can melt stunned Champions in less than a second. It’s also the strongest Special weapon in the game for hotswap burst DPS rotations.

Hunters take this gun to a whole new level, using certain Exotics, Fragments, or Marksman’s Dodge to unload dozens of Shotgun shells in a few seconds. Very few enemies with survive the barrage of shotgun shells you’ll be firing their way. Just note that this weapon’s ammo economy is abysmal, using up its entire ammo reserve in less than a minute of continuous firing and reloading.

9

Legend Of Acrius

How to obtain: Purchased from the Exotic Kiosk in the Tower.

Legend of Acrius is a Cabal Shotgun that resides in the Heavy slot, making this one of two Heavy Shotguns in the sandbox. Unlike Tractor Cannon, Legend of Acrius is designed to obliterate whatever is on the opposite end of the barrel, dealing a jaw-dropping amount of damage with its Catalyst.

This weapon is a 55 RPM Arc Shotgun that releases a wave of energy instead of firing pellets. The Exotic Catalyst gives it Trench Barrel, buffing your next three shots with a 50% damage buff after you land a melee hit. If you pair this weapon with a Well of Radiance, you can facetank most dungeon bosses and melt their health bar in a couple of phases. It’s a powerful Shotgun that’s easy to use, if a bit cumbersome to wield.

8

Nessa’s Oblation

How to obtain: Root of Nightmares raid; craftable at the Enclave.

If you love Heritage but wish it was an Energy weapon, meet Nessa’s Oblation. This Void Shotgun fires slugs and has an absurdly good stat package, although not quite as good as Heritage. Nessa’s Oblation more than makes up for this with its perk pool, as this weapon has some combinations that are fairly rare.

The standout here is Repulsor Brace with Destabilizing Rounds, turning this Shotgun into a Sentinel Titan’s dream. Kills will turn nearby targets Volatile. Kill those enemies to gain a Void Overshield and inflict more Volatile, allowing you to play aggressively in all content.

If you’re looking for a backup DPS weapon, Nessa’s Oblation also has you covered. Reconstruction with Vorpal Weapon or Paracasual Charge can dish out some serious damage against close-range bosses. If you enjoy using Shotguns at all, Nessa’s Oblation is a weapon you’ll want in your arsenal.

Recommended Traits

• Column One: Repulsor Brace, Reconstruction, Fourth Time’s the Charm, Demolitionist
• Column Two: Destabilizing Rounds, Vorpal Weapon, Paracasual Charge

7

Slayer’s Fang

How to obtain:

Kell’s Fall Exotic mission
.

Slayer’s Fang acts as a pellet shotgun with a DPS output that’s closer to a slug. This weapon fires ricocheting projectiles that inflict Weaken on hit, dealing high burst DPS to targets that are near you. It has significantly more range than your average pellet shotgun as well, making it well-suited for clearing out tight corridors filled with enemies.

This weapon’s true specialty is synergizing with subclass keywords and perks. Repulsor Brace can be installed as its catalyst, giving you a free overshield from defeating enemies while Slayer’s Fang’s Exotic perk is active. Throw on Stylish Executioner on Hunter, and you can now go invisible with each kill. It’s a great Shotgun on its own, but Slayer’s Fang becomes an excellent choice if you can build around it.

Recommended Trait

• Catalyst: Repulsor Brace, Cascade Point

6

Until Its Return

How to obtain: Sometimes sold by Xur; craftable at the Enclave.

Until Its Return is the first Strand Shotgun we’ve seen in Destiny 2, which immediately sets it apart from other options. This weapon’s Rapid-Fire Frame makes it solid for quickly melting majors, but as with most guns in Destiny, the true strength of this Shotgun lies in its unique perk combinations.

Arguably the strongest combination here is Overflow with Cascade Point. Picking up a Special brick will double the gun’s magazine, letting you fire 14 back-to-back shotgun shells before needing to reload. This can be fully taken advantage of with Cascade Point’s fire rate bonus, letting you melt a miniboss or Champion while the perk is active. Get a kill with your Primary, swap to your Shotgun, unload 14 shots, and repeat.

If you find Overflow to be lacking, you can use Auto-Loading Holster instead. It’s effectively a Legendary version of The Fourth Horseman that deals Strand damage.

Recommended Traits

• Column One: Overflow, Auto-Loading Holster, Threat Detector
• Column Two: Cascade Point, Trench Barrel, Surrounded

5

Swordbreaker

How to obtain: Crota’s End raid; craftable at the Enclave.

Swordbreaker is a Lightweight Shotgun that deals Strand damage. That makes Swordbreaker a strange sight on a PvE list since Lightweights aren’t particularly strong against bosses or even Champions, but this gun has an absurdly strong perk pool and an origin trait born to slay adds.

Every copy of this weapon drops with Cursed Thrall, infusing this weapon with Necrochasm explosions if you land a powered melee kill. Since this is a Shotgun, you can quite easy pull this off with a One-Two Punch roll. You can pair this with Pugilist or Demolitionist to quickly recover your melee or grenade ability, respectively.

And if you prefer using your Shotgun to slay tougher foes, you can’t go wrong with Sword Logic or Golden Tricorn. This weapon is a menace on melee builds that can detonate hordes of enemies with a single shot, and it’s a solid weapon against Champions as well. Don’t underestimate Swordbreaker.

Recommended Traits

• Column One: Demolitionist, Pugilist, Subsistence
• Column Two: One-Two Punch, Sword Logic, Golden Tricorn

4

Tractor Cannon

How to obtain: Exotic Engrams.

Tractor Cannon has seen a small resurgence after the release of Solar 3.0. Sunbreaker Titans can use this weapon to debuff a boss before throwing hammer after hammer at the target, dealing immense damage. For builds that can have a reusable ability or weapon to deal DPS, you won’t find a better utility option than Tractor Cannon.

This Heavy Shotgun releases Void pulses that push targets back, inflicting a 30% Weaken debuff on anyone caught in the blast. Tractor Cannon deals enough damage to kill red bars in a wide area, and the debuff makes this weapon invaluable for lengthy DPS phases in dungeons or raids.

3

Conditional Finality

How to obtain: Root of Nightmares raid.

Conditional Finality is Destiny 2’s first double-barreled Shotgun, obtained as the Exotic weapon reward from the Root of Nightmares raid. This weapon loads Stasis pellets in the first barrel and Solar pellets in the second, capable of freezing and igniting targets if you land most of your pellets from either shot.

While the DPS of this weapon can’t overthrow Heavy weapons, Conditional Finality’s utility cannot be overstated. You can freeze Champions, stun Unstoppables with either shot, and deal some absurd AoE damage with the second shot’s Ignite.

Both shots play off subclass Aspects and Fragments as well, giving this weapon some serious buildcrafting potential. You can even use holster mods to load a shot every couple of seconds, allowing you to weave ignites or freezes into your typical firefight. Needless to say, Conditional Finality is one of Destiny 2’s most versatile Exotics and is a blast to use.

2

Heritage

How to obtain: Deep Stone Crypt; craftable at the Enclave.

The Deep Stone Crypt’s unique Shotgun, Heritage, is one of the game’s best Shotguns for PvE. It’s a Precision Frame, allowing this weapon to deal some fantastic damage if you can land precision shots. Most players will want to get Reconstruction in the first trait column, allowing this weapon to passively reload itself and overflow its magazine. Having a dozen shots loaded in a shotgun is always useful. If Reconstruction is too slow for your playstyle, Demolitionist is a solid replacement.

The fourth perk column has a few good options for PvE, notably Recombination. Killing enemies with other weapons will slowly charge this perk, greatly improving the damage of your next shot. At x10 stacks, you’ll deal twice as much damage on your next shot, making this gun perfect for one-tapping majors, greatly damaging Champions, or dealing a quick burst of damage during a boss fight.

Some other options include Focused Fury and Swashbuckler, although both perks require more active setup. Overall, Heritage has great perks, the best stat package out of any slug Shotgun, and packs a serious punch in all PvE content.

Recommended Traits

• Column One: Reconstruction, Demolitionist, Auto-Loading Holster
• Column Two: Recombination

1

Unvoiced

How to obtain: Sundered Doctrine dungeon.

Unvoiced is absolutely stacked with good perks. Without even talking about random rolls, every copy of this gun drops with the Subjugation origin trait, which effectively gives Unvoiced Explosive Payload against red bar enemies. That might not seem important for a Special weapon, but this has incredible synergy with Recombination.

Damaging a target will grant stacks of Recombination, increasing the damage of your next shot against an orange bar or tougher. Since Explosive Payload counts as a hit, you gain four stacks of Recombination per shot, provided the enemy survives the initial slug round.

You can pair this with damage perks like Bait and Switch or Elemental Honing to dish out some absurd DPS values. It’s effectively a Heavy weapon once you get both perks rolling. If you’d prefer a backup DPS weapon for hotswap rotations, you can always drop Recombination for Envious Arsenal.

Recommended Traits

• Column One: Recombination, Envious Arsenal
• Column Two: Bait and Switch, Elemental Honing