Currently, there are a total of 13 pinnacle weapons in the now 7th season of Destiny 2 that players can hunt. But which of these special firearms belong to the best of their kind? And which ones are a complete waste of time? Participate in our survey and cast your vote!
What are pinnacle weapons, anyway? These are special, legendary weapons with unique powerful perks that were introduced for the first time with the Redrix Claymore in Season 3.
These perks make some instances nearly as strong as exotic weapons. The pinnacle weapons are supposed to represent special rewards that are among the best that Destiny 2 has to offer in its arsenal. Some of them indeed are.
But it is not only their special properties that set pinnacle weapons apart. The path to acquiring these firearms differs from regular loot. These so-called pinnacle weapons can only be obtained through lengthy, elaborate quests. This involves mastering numerous challenging tasks in various areas of the game, which is usually associated with a lot of effort, time, and dedication.
What pinnacle weapons are there in Destiny 2?
Currently, there are 13 pinnacle weapons in the game. The latest three were only recently introduced with the start of Season 7. The first specimen was introduced back in May 2018. Below, we present all weapons available to date.
Pulse Rifle Redrix’s Claymore
The Redrix’s Claymore is the very first pinnacle weapon in Destiny 2. In Season 3, it was essentially the grand prize in the Crucible and excited the PvP community. It is no longer available now.
Its trademark is the perk “Desperado”. This increases its fire rate after reloading while your perk “Outlaw” is active. Thus, the Redrix fires like a rapid-firing pulse rifle for 7 seconds, while retaining its damage as a high-impact rifle.
Pulse Rifle Redrix’s Broadsword
The Redrix’s Broadsword is the direct successor to the Redrix’s Claymore and was introduced with Season 4.
To make the Crucible more attractive to a broader audience of Guardians, Bungie retired the Claymore and introduced the now more easily obtainable Broadsword. This retained the Desperado perk but came with random traits, making the weapon better than its predecessor.
Hand Cannon Luna’s Howl
Luna’s Howl was also introduced in Season 4 and is available through PvP. It is one of the best hand cannons in the Crucible, even after its nerf. This weapon is particularly good at medium and close range.
With its perk “Magnificent Howl”, two rapid precision shots grant bonus damage to body shots for a short time, until you get your next kill or miss a shot.
Hand Cannon Not Forgotten
The Not Forgotten is the sister weapon of Luna’s Howl. It was also introduced in Season 4 and can be obtained through the Crucible.
It shares the special perk “Magnificent Howl” with its sister weapon but is designed for longer ranges. However, it is less stable. Like Luna’s Howl, the Not Forgotten was nerfed with the start of Season 7.
Fusion Rifle Sweet Business
The Sweet Business was introduced in Season 5 to Destiny 2 and was the first pinnacle weapon of the Vanguard. Thus, PvE players finally got a special toy they could chase after.
When the magazine of the Sweet Business is full, its unique perk “Prepared Salvo” causes the next salvo to deal additional damage and enemies to explode upon death.
Auto Rifle Breakneck
Breakneck was introduced in Season 5 and was the first pinnacle weapon that could be obtained through the Gambit mode.
The unique perk of Breakneck is called Rampage and increases the fire rate of this weapon when stacking its perk Frenzy.
Grenade Launcher The Mountaintop
The Mountaintop represents the PvP pinnacle weapon from Season 5 and is also popular against bosses in PvE.
Its special perk Micro-Missile allows this grenade launcher to fire straight shots and greatly increases projectile speed. In addition, the weapon’s projectile explodes on impact.
Scout Rifle Oxygen SG3
This Scout Rifle is the pinnacle weapon of the Vanguard from Season 6. Many fans consider it to be the weakest of all previous pinnacle weapons. This scout rifle was supposed to revive the combination of scout rifles and the perk Dragonfly (in Destiny 1 Fireball), but it has never met expectations.
Its special perk is called Meganeura. With this, the Dragonfly perk (precision kills create an elemental damage explosion) of the SG3 does more damage. The damage is increased based on the number of precision hits landed prior.
Submachine Gun The Recluse
The SMG Recluse has been obtainable through PvP since Season 6 and is considered one of the better pinnacle weapons by fans, unlike the Oxygen SG3.
Through its unique perk Weapon Mastery, kills with any weapon temporarily increase the damage of the Recluse.
Machine Gun 21% Delirium
In Gambit, one could score the heavy MG 21% Delirium as a pinnacle weapon in Season 6. By the way, it was the first rapid-fire machine gun in Destiny 2.
The special perk of the Delirium is called Kill Tracker. Thus, kills increase the weapon’s damage until you stow the MG or reload it.
Sniper Rifle Prodigy
The Prodigy is one of the three newest pinnacle weapons in Destiny 2. This sniper can be earned through the Crucible since the start of Season 7.
With the perk “Abundance of Wealth”, a fired round returns to the magazine after a short time if you miss.
Grenade Launcher Wendigo GL3
Grenade launchers are currently trending as power weapons in Season 7. The Wendigo is regarded as one of the best legendary alternatives for the power slot.
With its unique perk “Explosive Light”, collected spheres of light increase the explosion radius of its grenades as well as the weapon’s damage.
Additionally, the grenades can blind your opponents, which prevents Fallen Captains from teleporting. Up to six grenades (i.e., a full magazine) can be enhanced through spheres.
Bow Silence
A bow can be earned as a pinnacle weapon in Gambit in Season 7. Thus, this relatively new weapon type now has a representative among the pinnacle weapons.
The special perk “Hunter’s Gambit” grants you a significant draw speed bonus for a short time when you score precision hits from the hip.
Hunter’s Gambit is supposed to pay off more than the comparable perk Hunter’s Tempo. However, it also requires more skill to really get the most out of Silence.
Survey – Vote for the best pinnacle weapons of Destiny 2
Guardians agree on the qualities of numerous pinnacle weapons. However, opinions on some can be quite divided among players.
Therefore, we want to know which are currently the best pinnacle weapons of Destiny 2 in the eyes of our readers. Which of these special firearms truly deserve their designation as a pinnacle weapon?
Participate in our survey and let us know which of the 13 weapons is currently the best for you. Keep in mind that you can only cast one vote. Thank you for your participation and your time.
What do you think, which weapons will make it to the top 3?
