Weapon

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As a first-person shooter, Destiny features numerous weapons for Guardians to use in combat.

Overview

Destiny 1

Each weapon type contains exotic variants, which are given a unique name and which have additional abilities and/or effects. Such notable "exotics" include the Fate of All Fools, Thunderlord, Patience and Time, Red Death, and Gjallarhorn, along with Thorn, Pocket Infinity, and Super Good Advice. Scopes and various sights have also been seen. Each Guardian has 3 weapon slots to be able to carry a Primary, Special, and Heavy Weapon on their person, with the potential to store and access up to 9 additional weapons of each type. The primary slot is for the weapon used most frequently, such as auto rifles, scout rifles, pulse rifles, and hand cannons. The secondary slot is for specialty weapons that are highly situational such as shotguns, fusion rifles, and sniper rifles. The third slot is for heavy weapons such as rocket launchers and heavy machine guns. Ammo for the weapons will be color coded by slot type; white for primary, green for special, and purple for heavy. Purple is the rarest ammo to find, encouraging Guardians to use heavy weapons sparingly. Certain weapons are infused with different energies - Solar damage, Arc damage, and Void damage. These weapons have a damage bonus against absorption shields, with an additional bonus to matching shield energies.

Many of the weapons in Destiny carry "implied fiction," bearing details of its creator, where it came from and the sort of person who had wielded it.

Rarity of the weapon as well as armor is color coordinated into five tiers: Basic (white), Uncommon (green), Rare (blue) Legendary (purple), and Exotic (gold). Basic and Uncommon weapons can be easily purchased at the gunsmith, with Rare weapons sometimes available. All the factions, the Vanguard and the Crucible sell Legendary weapons of each type. This is the only way to obtain Legendary weapons, outside of the very rare chance of finding a legendary engram or earning them as a random drop in a Raid. Exotic weapons, meanwhile, can only be purchased from Xûr, Agent of the Nine, acquired through an exotic bounty, or as a random reward during a Raid or Nightfall Strike.

It should be noted that while Guardians are able to switch their weapon selection at any time through the menu, this comes at the penalty of losing both special weapon ammo and/or heavy weapon ammo for the switched guns. This encourages Guardians to plan their weapon selection in advance before entering a firefight.

Certain weapons are re-forgeable, which is done by Lord Saladin. This re-rolls their stats, but resets progression.

Weapon upgrades

Weapons that are Common quality or better are capable of being upgraded by Guardians. Each weapon has an upgrade path that allows certain capabilities and improvements to be applied to the weapon, at the cost of a certain amount of Glimmer and potentially other materials. Each individual upgrade per weapon is unlocked with more experience. Additionally, while certain weapons will have a more or less "linear" upgrade tree, some weapon trees will diverge into different "branches", allowing for certain weapons to have more specialized applications as well as making it impossible to obtain all upgrades for that particular weapon.

Uncommon and Rare weapons typically only require glimmer and Weapon Parts to upgrade. Legendary weapons also require either Spinmetal, Helium Filaments, Spirit Bloom, or Relic Iron. The final upgrades also require either Ascendant Shards or Ascendant Energy (for pre-House of Wolves weapons only). Exotic weapons are similar to Legendary weapons, except instead of ascendant materials they require an Exotic Shard for the final upgrade.

Destiny 2

In Destiny 2, the weapon system is revamped, dividing weapons into the following categories: Power weapons, kinetic weapons, and energy weapons, which allow for increased player preference in regards to their arsenal layout. Weapon upgrades and progression were removed, instead opting for a simpler system where each weapon is assigned unchangeable perks when first acquired, with the potential option of a different perk of the same type that can be swapped between on the fly. Weapons that are Legendary quality can have randomized perks, and select Exotic weapons such as Hawkmoon and Dead Man's Tale can also have randomized perks upon repeat drops.

Weapon crafting

Main article: Weapon Crafting

Weapon Crafting, referred to in-universe as Shaping, is a new feature introduced in The Witch Queen that allows players to control the attributes of a weapon to a greater degree than previously possible. Crafted weapons can be levelled by using them, allowing them to be customized further. It is done at the Relic at the Enclave, accessed through Savathûn's Throne World in the Director, and is unlocked after completing The Arrival. Only select weapons can be crafted, and their Patterns must be unlocked beforehand, either by quest progress or attuning craftable weapons that drop with Deepsight Resonance.

Weapon types (Destiny 1)

The following is a list of weapon types. The list of weapons within these types is located on its host page.

Primary weapons

Primary weapons are all-purpose weapons for most combat scenarios. Primary ammo is easy to come by and is stored in large quantities, so players will find themselves relying on these weapons the most.

• Auto Rifle—fully automatic weapons capable of engaging multiple enemies at close-mid range, but require recoil control to use at longer distances.
• Hand Cannon—double-action handguns with high impact and stopping power. Rewards a steady hand.
• Pulse Rifle—burst fire, mid-range weapons with moderate recoil.
• Scout Rifle—semi auto precision weapons meant for long range engagements.

Special weapons

Special weapons are more situational than primary weapons, filling specific niches. They are useful for tackling high-priority targets, or for backup in case a primary runs dry. Special ammo appears less often, and players cannot store as much special ammo.

• Fusion Rifle—medium range, high impact weapons that require the user to charge before firing. Fires bolts in groups of seven.
• Shotgun—close range firearms that provide immediate conflict resolution. Rewards aggressive play.
• Sniper Rifle—long range weaponry meant for causing high spikes of damage on their targets.
• Sidearm—semi-automatic pistols with high ammo reserves. Meant for taking out low-health targets in a pinch.

Heavy weapons

Heavy weapons are the most powerful weapon a player can carry. They are great for dealing lots of damage against powerful targets, or for dispersing large swarms of enemies. Heavy ammo appears the least and players can only carry a limited reserve, so heavy weapon use is generally reserved for more difficult encounters.

• Machine Gun—heavy-duty firearms built for suppression of hostile forces due to large magazine sizes and ammo reserves, good damage, and decent accuracy, even at long range.
• Rocket Launcher—shoulder-mounted weapon systems that fire an explosive projectile that detonates upon impact.
• Sword—melee weapons meant for dealing high damage against single targets at close range.

Melee

Melee weapons and grenades fall under Guardian abilities, rather than collectible weapons.

• Hunter Knife—Throwing Knife (Gunslinger), Blink Strike (Bladedancer), Smoke (Nightstalker)
• Warlock Melee—Scorch (Sunsinger), Energy Drain (Voidwalker), Thunderstrike (Stormcaller)
• Titan Melee—Storm Fist (Striker), Disintegrate (Defender), Sunstrike (Sunbreaker)

Relic weapons

Relic weapons and objects are items that only appear in specific circumstances and have a limited time to use. They provide unique abilities that aid players during high-level encounters. Switching to another weapon will drop the relic weapon.

• Ascendant Sword—dropped by Swordbearers, Gatekeepers, Blades of Crota, and Hagrist, Blade's Edge. Serve as the only means of damage against Crota, Son of Oryx and Thalnok, Fanatic of Crota.
• Chalice of Light—Relic that appears in Crota's End; serves as the only way to combat the "Presence of Crota" debuff by providing health regeneration. Unavailable in Hard Mode.
• Scorch Cannon—dropped by Scorch Captains, Wolves' Guards, and Taniks, the Scarred. A Solar-damage rocket launcher with high velocity, a degree of tracking, and a feature that allows rockets to be converted into sticky-bombs upon holding the trigger; does more damage the longer the trigger is held. Holds ten rounds when equipped.
• Shock Cannon−Arc version of the Scorch Cannon. Used by Shock Captains and Taniks Perfected.
• Null Cannon−Void version of the Scorch Cannon. Used by Null Captains and Taniks Perfected.
• Saladin's Iron Battle Axe—Relic weapon in the Rise of Iron. Deals heavy Solar damage, regenerates energy when landing a hit, and can perform a special attack, where a line of fire is launched forward and creates a huge burning spot afterward. Can send enemies flying upwards.
• The Aegis—Shield Relic in the Vault of Glass Raid that negates debuffs inflicted by Oracles and Atheon, Time's Conflux, and increases damage against the latter. Has a Super attack that serves as the only way of breaking the Templar's shield
• Tomb Husk—Handheld Hive Relic that opens Hive doors.

Enemy weapons

Fallen

• Shock Pistol—handheld Arc pistol wielded by Dregs.
• Shock Dagger—Arc one-handed knife wielded by Dregs.
• Shock Blades—Arc swords wielded by Vandals and Captains. Used in pairs.
• Shock Rifle—Arc rifle that fires homing projectiles. Used by Vandals and Captains.
• Shrapnel Launcher—Solar shotguns that deal high damage. Used by Captains and Vandals.
• Trip Mine—Solar trip-mines that trigger when stepped through and detonate in a focused area.
• Web Mine—Arc mines that trigger when stepped on and release a web of energy upon detonation.
• Wire Rifle—Arc sniper rifle used by Vandals.

Hive

• Shredder—Void damage carbine wielded by Acolytes and Knights.
• Boomer—Arc damage siege weapon that fires explosive bolts. Used by Knights and Acolytes.
• Cleaver—Heavy duty Sword used by Knights.

Vex

• Slap Rifle—Solar damage firearm used by Goblins.
• Slap Grenade—Void damage grenade used by Hobgoblins.
• Torch Hammer—Void damage siege weapon that fires explosive bolts. Used by Minotaurs and Goblins.
• Line Rifle—Solar damage Sniper Rifle used by Hobgoblins.
• Aeon Maul—Void damage siege weapon that fires large energy slugs. Used exclusively by Hydras.

Cabal

• Slug Rifle—Solar damage firearm used by Legionaries and Psions.
• Cabal Shield−Shield utilized by Phalanxes in Destiny.
• Energy Shield−Shield utilized by Phalanxes in Destiny 2.
• Projection Rifle—Solar damage grenade launcher used by Centurions.
• Heavy Slug Thrower—Solar damage machine gun used by the Colossus.

Taken

Being Taken changes the element used by the Taken creature's weapons.

• Acolyte's Eye—Arc damage turret deployed by Taken Acolytes.
• Taken Blight—Sphere of Darkness that slows down Guardians as well as disabling recovery.

Splicer

All SIVA infused ranged weapons deal Solar damage instead of their original damage, and often have increased rate of fire and more erratic tracking.

• SIVA Charge—Solar damage grenade used by Splicer Dregs.
• Wretched Gaze—Void damage machine cannon used by Kovik, Splicer Priest.
• SIVA Cannon−Solar damage artillery cannon used by Aksis, Archon Prime.

Weapon types (Destiny 2)

There is a new weapons system in place for Guardians: instead of primary, special, and heavy weapons, there are kinetic, energy, and power weapons respectively. As of Forsaken, the weapons system was reworked, with shotguns, sniper rifles, fusion rifles, single-shot grenade launchers and trace rifles moving to kinetic and energy weapons slots and using Special ammo, with the exceptions of Legend of Acrius, Tractor Cannon, D.A.R.C.I., Whisper of the Worm, and One Thousand Voices. Some later Exotic weapons also appear outside their usual category, such as Leviathan's Breath.

Kinetic and energy weapons

Kinetic and energy weapons will be the same types of weapons, but the differentiation is that kinetic weapons will deal more damage against non-shielded enemies, whereas energy weapons will have an element on them, be it Arc, Solar, or Void, and will deal more damage against enemy shields. Weapons in the kinetic slot may have a Darkness element such as Stasis, but this simply allows perks based on that element to appear on the weapon. The concept of primary and special weapons is retained from Destiny, though players can opt to carry any combination of the two in their kinetic and energy slots. As of Season of the Lost, primary weapons have infinite ammo.

Primary weapons

• Auto Rifle—fully automatic carbines with large magazine sizes meant for engaging multiple enemies at close range.
• Bow—great for taking out single targets with long-range precision.
• Pulse Rifle—burst-fire carbines built for tackling foes at a middling distance.
• Scout Rifle—semi-automatic carbines made for long-range engagements centered around precision.
• Hand Cannon—revolver-style handguns with high stopping power at close range.
• Sidearm—compact pistols with high ammo reserves for complimenting other weapons.
• Submachine Gun—fully-automatic firearms with fast fire rates meant for quickly hosing down enemies at close range.

Special weapons

• Shotgun—tubular firearms meant for dealing high spikes of damage at close range.
• Breech-loaded Grenade Launcher—single-shot firearms useful for quickly deploying an explosive, blinding, or concussion munition.
• Sniper Rifle—long-range rifles built for high precision damage against large enemies.
• Fusion Rifle—charge-fire weapons that release a volley of elemental bolts that can kill at medium range.
• Trace Rifle—powerful energy rifles that fire concentrated, singular beams that can be focused down upon targets.
• Glaive—melee-focused weapons capable of firing an elemental blast for mid-range encounters and deploying a shield.

Power weapons

Power weapons have a defined role and will be used to take on either entire crowds of enemies at once (referred to as add clear), engage a single high-priority target, or deal a high amount of damage incredibly fast (referred to as burst damage). They can come with any damage type except kinetic damage.

• Drum-loaded Grenade Launcher—drum-loaded firearms capable of firing multiple grenades to rapidly siege enemy positions. Also effective against single targets.
• Linear Fusion Rifle—stronger fusion rifles that fire powerful precision beams. Effective against single targets with a crit spot or for burst damage.
• Machine Gun—heavy-duty firearms built for suppression of hostile forces due to large magazine sizes and ammo reserves, good damage, and decent accuracy, even at long range. Also usable for sustained single target damage.
• Rocket Launcher—shoulder mounted weapons that fire a warhead with a high blast radius. Effective for burst damage and add clear.
• Sword—melee weapons meant for dealing high damage against single targets at close range. Effective in all roles, at the cost of requiring the user to be dangerously close to targets.

Melee

Melee weapons and grenades fall under Guardian abilities, rather than collectible weapons.

• Hunter— Throwing Knife (Gunslinger), Smoke bomb (Nightstalker), Withering Blade (Revenant)
• Warlock— Stasis Staff (Shadebinder)
• Titan— Throwing Hammer (Sunbreaker), Throwing Shield (Sentinel)

Relic weapons

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Like in the original game, relic weapons and objects are items that only appear in specific circumstances and have a limited time to use. They provide unique abilities that aid players during high-level encounters and Public Events. Switching to another weapon will drop the relic weapon.

• Ascendant Sword—Sword weapon used in many activities involving the Hive. May have different movesets depending on the activity.
• Elemental charge—spheres of Arc, Solar, or Void energy that can perform a basic melee attack and are deposited at a specific mission objective to advance.
• Explosives—Fallen explosive charges dropped by Exploder Shanks during WANTED: Silent Fang used to destroy shield generators and Servitors.
• Prism Weapon—prisms used to focus light to damage enemies or produce Empowering Spores within the Pleasure Gardens encounter of the Leviathan Raid.
• Scorch Cannon—Fallen weapon dropped during certain Public Events.
• Transumation Sphere—dropped by enemies killed with the Ruinous Effigy exotic trace rifle.
• Valkyrie—explosive javelins created by Rasputin and used against Xol, Will of the Thousands.
• Vex Cranium—Vex heads that produce a Solar, Arc or Void laser, used for certain objectives in Leviathan, Eater of Worlds and the Menagerie.
• Taken Essence—Taken power briefly wielded in the Last Wish and Vow of the Disciple raids, and other activities.
• The Aegis—Returning with the reprised Vault of Glass raid. Also present in the Vow of the Disciple raid.
• Resonant Shard—A shard in the shape of a Pyramid used in the Vow of the Disciple raid.
• Synaptic Spear—A Cabal-made psionic weapon wielded in the Mindscape.
• Scythe—A relic generated by the Nightmare Harvester on the Derelict Leviathan.

Enemy weapons

Some enemies have received additional weaponry. Several enemy weapons from Destiny also return.

Fallen

• Arc Spear—Arc damage spears used by Wretches.
• Molten Welder—Solar shoulder cannon that fires explosive projectiles in an arc. Used by Captains.
• Shieldbreaker—Stolen human Arc shotgun used by the Kell's Scourge Berserkers.
• Shock Pistol—Arc pistol wielded by Dregs.
• Shock Dagger—Arc one-handed knife wielded by Dregs.
• Shock Blades—Arc swords wielded by Marauders and Captains. Used in pairs.
• Shock Rifle—Arc rifle that fires homing projectiles. Used by Vandals and Captains.
• Shock Grenade—Arc grenade used by the Fallen.
• Shrapnel Launcher—Solar shotguns that deal high damage. Used by Captains, Vandals, Marauders and rarely Dregs.
• Wire Rifle—Arc sniper rifle used by Vandals.

Hive

• Shredder—Void damage carbine wielded by Acolytes and Knights.
• Boomer—Arc damage siege weapon that fires explosive bolts. Used by Knights and Acolytes.
• Cleaver—Heavy duty Sword used by Knights.
• Splinter—Solar damage crossbow that fires a fan of projectiles. Used by Knights and Acolytes.

Vex

• Vex Laser Rifle—Void damage beam rifle employed by Vex Minotaurs, Hobgoblins and Harpies.
• Slap Rifle—Solar damage firearm used primarily by Goblins and Harpies. Uncommonly used by Minotaurs and Hobgoblins.
• Slap Grenade—Void damage grenade used by Hobgoblins.
• Torch Hammer—Void damage siege weapon that fires explosive bolts. Used by Minotaurs and Goblins.
• Line Rifle—Solar damage Sniper Rifle used by Hobgoblins.
• Aeon Maul—Void damage siege weapon that fires large energy slugs. Used exclusively by Hydras.
• Warp Lance—Void damage siege weapon that fires slugs which split into shotgun-like projectiles after travelling a certain distance. Used exclusively by Wyverns.

Cabal

• Cabal Bronto Cannon—Void damage portable siege cannon employed by Red Legion Centurions.
• Cabal Frag Detonator—Wrist-mounted blade that can be fired like a grenade. Solar version used by Legionaries, Void version used by Centurions.
• Cabal Headhunter—Solar damage precision rifle employed by Red Legion Psions.
• Cabal Magma Launcher—Pyrotechnic weapons employed by Incendiors.
• Cabal Severus—dual wielded blade weapons employed by Gladiators.
• Cabal Slug Launcher—Arc-damage automatic energy cannon employed by the Red Legion Colossi and some Ultra Psions.
• Cabal Slug Shotgun—Arc damage shotgun employed by Red Legion Legionaries, Phalanxes and rarely Psions.
• Heavy Slug Thrower—Solar damage machine gun used by certain Colossi.
• Projection Rifle—Solar grenade launcher rarely employed by various Red Legion Cabal.
• Slug Rifle—Solar damage firearm used by Legionaries, Psions and Phalanxes.

Scorn

• Fallen Mace—Kinetic maces used by Stalkers.
• Fallen Shield—Kinetic shields used by Lurkers.
• Fanatic's Staff—Arc staff used by Fikrul, the Fanatic.
• Flame Censer—Solar damage spears chained weapons used by Ravagers.
  • Stasis Censer—Stasis version of the above.
• Flame Torch—Solar damage torches used by Wraiths.
• Scorn Blaster—Solar scatter shotgun used by Chieftains.
• Scorn Boomer—Variant Hive Boomer used by Hiraks, the Mindbender.
• Scorn Cannon—Solar rocket launcher wielded by Chieftains.
• Scorn Crossbow—Void sniper rifles used by Raiders and some Chieftains.
• Scorn Grenade—Void grenade used by the Scorn.
• Scorn Mine Launcher—Arc grenade launcher used by Chieftains and rare Raiders.
• Scorn Pistol—Modified Shock Pistols that dish out Solar damage, used by Lurkers.
• Scorn Repeater Pistol—Void pistol used by Stalkers.
• Scorn Rifle—Void sawblade launchers used by Raiders and some Chieftains.

Taken

As with the previous game, being Taken changes the element of the weapons wielded by a Taken creature. Few weapons retain their element.

• Acolyte's Eye—Arc damage turret deployed by Taken Acolytes.
• Taken Blight—sphere of Darkness that slows down Guardians as well as disabling recovery.
• Stasis Boomer—Variant of the Taken Boomer that fires Stasis blasts that slow down enemies. Used by Elite Taken Acolytes, Taken Knights, and Overload Taken Hobgoblins.

Trivia

• A "Cudgel of Xanthor" has been referred to as an example of an incredibly powerful weapon within Destiny, but does not appear in the actual game. It appears as a weapon in the novel The Cudgel of Xanthor by Jeff Green.
• The capitalization of weapon names in lore material is inconsistent. For example, fusion rifle is spelled with no capitalization in the lore tab for Silicon Neuroma, but with a capital letter at the beginning of each word in the lore tab for Astral Horizon.

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List of appearances

• The Law Of The Jungle (First appearance)
• Destiny
• Destiny 2