The Best PvP Shotguns In Destiny 2

Shotguns are one of the strongest weapon categories for PvP in Destiny 2. These weapons pack a serious punch and can kill targets from surprisingly long distances with the right perks.

Each Shotgun in Destiny 2 can hold its own in Crucible, but there are a few that easily stand above the rest. This is thanks to their great perk pool, high base stats, or ease of use. Finding the right perk combination on a Shotgun can be the difference between a subpar Special weapon and a game-changing weapon. Whether a Crucible veteran or primarily a PvE player, here are ten Shotguns that will help you dominate in Destiny 2’s Crucible.

Updated March 4, 2025, by Charles Burgar: Shotguns have received a ton of new additions since The Final Shape dropped. To help you pick the perfect barrel-stuffing Special weapon for PvP, we’ve updated this list to include some of this year’s finest PvP Shotguns, including some older weapons that have been recently reprised.

Shotgun Archetypes Explained

Before we get on with listing the best PvP Shotguns, it’s important to understand how Shotguns were reworked in Season of the Seraph. The biggest change is that Shotguns now have consistent spread patterns. Your pellets will no longer deviate with each shot, making Shotguns much more consistent across the board. Each archetype has a unique spread pattern (as shown above):

• Aggressive Frame: Fixed, evenly distributed cone.
• Precision Frame: Vertical oval shape.
• Pinpoint Slug: No changes; circle shape.
• Lightweight Frame: Diamond shape.
• Rapid-Fire Frame: Square shape.

This has drastically shifted the Shotgun meta. Precision Frames are now the most consistent, followed by Aggressive Frames. Lightweight Frames struggle to one-tap Guardians at five meters and are poor cleanup weapons, and Rapid-Fire Frames are still intended for cleanups. Slugs, Precisions, and Aggressive Frames are your best options for the Crucible. If you’re wondering why no Lightweights or Rapid-Fire Frames made it to our list, that’s why. For a more thorough breakdown on Shotgun OHKO ranges and other discoveries, check out YouTuber Gjerda’s video on the subject.

10

Fractethyst

How to obtain: Dares of Eternity (Week 4 Loot Pool).

We dislike placing unobtainable weapons on our lists, but we had to make an exception with Fractethyst. Originally released in Season of the Lost, this Precision Frame Shotgun features excellent base stats and a great perk pool. Anyone who held on to a good roll of this gun should take it out of the Vault. It’s a highly competitive option that acts as a Stasis version of Matador 64.

Since you can only farm for this weapon on specific weeks, use any roll you can get your hands on. Slideshot and Quickdraw are great first column traits, and the second column can get Opening Shot. A good roll of this gun can land one-taps from solid distances and cleanup weaker foes with ease. Keep an eye out for Fractethyst when it’s in the Dares loot pool.

Recommended Traits

• Column One:
  Quickdraw

  , Slideshot

• Column Two: Opening Shot

9

Unvoiced

How to obtain: Sundered Doctrine dungeon.

Slug Shotguns are quite effective in PvP if you can land headshots. This is easier said than done for most weapons, but Unvoiced has some perks that make it incredibly easy to use. Lone Wolf gives you a passive boost to aim assist and ADS speed. If away from your teammates, the bonuses are doubled. You can then pair this with Closing Time’s handling and range buffs for a highly forgiving Shotgun.

Recommended Traits

• Column One: Lone Wolf
• Column Two: Closing Time

8

Heritage

How to obtain: Deep Stone Crypt raid; craftable.

Heritage is the king of Legendary slugs in Destiny 2. This weapon’s stat package is absurd, featuring better stats than Blasphemer. That alone makes this weapon worth chasing, yet it’s the perks Heritage can roll with that make it comparable with the likes of Chaperone.

If you solely care about range, a roll with Slideshot and range-boosting perks will give Heritage 100 range, making it just under Duality’s

effective slug range. However, you can hit this range cap with the right barrels, mag perks, and Masterwork. Should you be lucky enough to get range on all three, you’ll want a roll with Hip-Fire Grip

and either Offhand Strike Moving Target

.

Hip-Fire Grip seems strange for a gun like this, but Heritage’s stats are so absurd that Hip-Fire Grip makes hip-firing this gun extremely consistent, even if you’re in the air. And if you proc Offhand Strike by landing a kill, this weapon effectively turns into a hip-fire railgun that can one-tap Guardians from 12+ meters.

Recommended Traits

• Column One: Hip-Fire Grip, Slideshot, Auto-Loading Holster
• Column Two: Offhand Strike, Moving Target

7

Someday

How to obtain: Pale Heart content; craftable.

If you want a strong PvP Shotgun but don’t want to farm for RNG drops, you can’t go wrong with Someday. Available through Pale Heart content in The Final Shape expansion, this is a Precision Frame Shotgun with all meta PvP perks you’d expect. Threat Detector can be paired with Opening Shot for a high range, high handling weapon for shutting down Guardians and landing easy cleanups.

If you play Prismatic, consider dropping Threat Detector for Elemental Capacitor. So long as you have an Arc Super equipped, this weapon will gain a passive +50 handling (55 if enhanced).

Recommended Traits

• Column One: Threat Detector, Elemental Capacitor (Arc)
• Column Two: Opening Shot

6

The Chaperone

How to obtain: Complete the “Blast from a Past” Exotic quest. It can be obtained from Shaw Han in the Cosmodrome.

Chaperone has seen repeated nerfs throughout the past few seasons. While it can’t cross-map people anymore, this is still one of the strongest Shotguns you can use in the Crucible right now.

Even after numerous sandbox changes, Chaperone still comes on top of nearly every other Shotgun in Destiny 2. The Chaperone

can headshot targets from close range to proc Roadborn, giving it yet another range bump. Landing headshots is a breeze with Chaperone thanks to its rather high aim assist value and great range. Don’t use this weapon in the air. Remember to respect the distance of Fusion Rifles, and you’ll be surprised just how strong this weapon can be.

5

Matador 64

How to obtain: Grasp of Avarice dungeon.

Matador 64 was a meta-defining weapon in the original Destiny but sadly failed to make an impact when it first returned to Destiny 2, mostly due to the inconsistent nature of Precision Frames. That’s changed with Season of the Seraph, and now Matador 64 is easily one of Destiny 2’s best PvP Shotguns.

It’s mostly due to the weapon’s vertical oval spread, ensuring that most of your pellets will land if you aim center mass. Matador’s excellent base range, aim assist, and perks further help with this. Opening Shot and Threat Detector are great perks here, allowing this Shotgun to reach 100 range and 85 aim assist on your first shot.

So long as you’re within seven meters of the target, there’s a good chance they’re not getting back up. Slap on some Airborne Effectiveness, and now you have a Special weapon that can reliably one-tap from the air. Matador 64 has never been better, at least in Destiny 2.

Recommended Traits

• Column One: Threat Detector, Perpetual Motion
• Column Two: Opening Shot

4

Compass Rose

How to obtain: Solstice event.

Compass Rose is effectively a Solar version of Matador 64 that can be enhanced. It has the same S-tier combination of Threat Detector and Opening Shot for easy one-hit kills, and it’s part of the same Precision Frame. While it does feature origin traits, none of them help Compass Rose’s performance inside the Crucible. Be sure to pick this weapon up whenever Solstice is active.

Recommended Traits

• Column One: Threat Detector, Slideshot
• Column Two: Opening Shot

3

Prophet Of Doom

How to obtain: Garden of Salvation raid; craftable.

Prophet of Doom was reissued in Episode: Revenant, giving it a refreshed perk pool and new origin trait. While that trait doesnt do much in PvP, the weapon’s perk pool is now quite strong if you intend to take this weapon into the Crucible. Threat Detector and Opening Shot is the chase roll here.

If you want to mix things up, Prophet of Doom is one of a select few Shotguns that can roll Closing Time in the second trait column, buffing your handling and range as your magazine runs dry. It’s a great perk for a Shotgun, especially with PvP’s sparse ammo economy. Prophet of Doom is also fully craftable, provided you can get enough red borders from Garden of Salvation to unlock its crafting pattern.

Recommended Traits

• Column One: Threat Detector
• Column Two: Closing Time, Opening Shot

2

Conditional Finality

How to obtain: Root of Nightmares raid.

Conditional Finality

is a skeleton key to PvP buildcrafting. This Shotgun can counter most loadouts and Supers thanks to its Exotic perk. This double-barreled Shotgun loads a Stasis and Solar shot, one for each barrel. The Stasis shot is fired first and can freeze targets if most pellets land. Follow it up with a swift melee punch to kill any enemy in PvP, including Guardians inside a Well of Radiance

or Ward of Dawn

.

Ammo economy changes and handling nerfs have made Conditional Finality less effective than it once was, but it’s still a great Shotgun. If you can get some ammo to load a Stasis shot, you have the ultimate counter to Supers in the Crucible. It’s otherwise an above-average Shotgun for shutting down aggressive players, although it won’t compete with slugs or perfectly rolled Precision Frames.

1

Deadlock

How to obtain: Competitive Crucible.

Deadlock was tailor-made for PvP use, right down to its origin trait or lack thereof. This Shotgun is a Precision Frame that rolls stocks instead of origin traits, giving it a stat bonus above its competition. Better yet, it has access to virtually every good Shotgun perk for PvP—Lone Wolf, Threat Detector, and Slideshot all roll in the first trait column.

You can pair these perks with some amazing consistency perks like Opening Shot and Closing Time to create an absurdly strong PvP Shotgun, one that can hit 100 range and handling with minimal effort. It’s a tough weapon to get, only available through the Competitive PvP playlist, but the juice is absolutely worth the squeeze.

Recommended Traits

• Column One: Lone Wolf, Threat Detector, Slideshot
• Column Two: Closing Time, Opening Shot