The PvP meta has undergone some huge changes in Episode Revenant, with Destiny 2 seeing all kinds of power creep introduced this season.
Be it new weapons or perks, the latest episode of Bungie’s looter shooter has transformed the sandbox. Some old guns that dominated for literal years have been replaced overnight, with their successors being on a whole other level.
Regardless of whether you only play casually or find yourselves queueing up for Trials of Osiris every weekend, having access to these meta-defining guns is a must to avoid being left behind. Here are the 10 Destiny 2 weapons that have had the biggest impact on the PvP meta this season.
1. Bygones
- Weapon type: Kinetic Pulse Rifle
- Archetype: Adaptive Frame
- PvP God Roll: Keep Away/Zen Moment + Headseeker
In terms of its impact this season, Bygones has been the most influential PvP weapon in Episode Revenant. More specifically, it was this gun’s ability to roll High Ground on an Adaptive Frame that made it so scary. This combination allowed for a monstrous TTK of 600 ms without requiring much effort at all.
However, this was nerfed in Update 8.1.5.2, with High Ground now needing you to stand way above another player for it to activate. This has made the perk fairly situational, but the weapon itself remains a meta option thanks to its great stats. However, if it’s still worth grinding Gambit for after the change is a decision we’ll leave up to you.
2. Glacioclasm
- Weapon type: Void Fusion Rifle
- Archetype: High-Impact Frame
- PvP God Roll: Under Pressure/Lone Wolf + Closing Time
When The Dawning 2024 was revealed, it looked like Stay Frosty was going to be the PvP weapon to chase from the event. However, that wasn’t the case, with the Stasis Pulse Rifle being better suited to PvE and Glacioclasm turning out to be the surprise main act.
This superb weapon has put Fusion Rifles back in the meta, with Under Pressure and Closing Time both being passive perks that are always active in the Crucible. While these are procced, Glacioclasm receives huge boosts to stability and range. The result of this is that this reprised energy weapon now provides the most consistent one-shot kill of any Fusion Rifle in Destiny 2.
3. Deadlock
- Weapon type: Stasis Shotgun
- Archetype: Precision Frame
- PvP God Roll: Lone Wolf + Closing Time
At this point, there are so many good Shotguns to pick from that it’s hard to know which is best. It’s a tight call, but Deadlock takes the top spot because it not only rolls both Lone Wolf and Closing Time, but is also a Precision Frame. This archetype is the best for PvP, as it makes each shot’s spread align vertically, which happens to be just the right shape to deal with opposing Guardians.
Its perks provide passive boosts to range and handling, which are the two most impactful stats on a Shotgun. Being able to improve these without having to do anything is incredible, leaving past meta options like Opening Shot and Threat Detector out of luck. It’s not that these are bad by any means, but rather that the intense power creep this season makes it hard to not switch to Deadlock.
4. Scavenger’s Fate
- Weapon type: Void Shotgun
- Archetype: Precision Frame
- PvP God Roll: Lone Wolf + Closing Time
Simply put, Scavenger’s Fate is Deadlock but easier to get. Everything we’ve said for the above entry applies again here, so it only felt natural to include this as well. Rather than being available from Competitive, this is a seasonal reward that can be gotten from drinking Tonics and completing runs of Tomb of Elders.
One big difference is that Scavenger’s Fate is an energy weapon, so it doesn’t fill the same slot as Deadlock. Ideally, you’ll want to farm god rolls for both of these guns. That way, you can switch them around depending on what other weapons you want to use, giving you some extra flexibility to tweak your loadout as you wish.
5. Rose
- Weapon type: Kinetic Hand Cannon
- Archetype: Lightweight Frame
- PvP God Roll: Slideshot + Explosive Payload
Rose is not new at all, but it became much more accessible to your average player thanks to Banshee giving the god roll away as compensation for Weight Gate. As a result, it has become one of the most popular weapons in the Crucible, which is no surprise given how strong it still is despite last being reprised over two years ago.
While its perks are great, the real selling point of Rose is that it is a Lightweight Frame. That means you get a passive 6.25% movement speed buff, which is perfect for traversing maps quickly and pushing enemy players. To this day, this remains the only Hand Cannon in this archetype, so it’s no wonder so many Guardians can’t stop using it.
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6. Zealot’s Reward
- Weapon type: Void Fusion Rifle
- Archetype: Rapid-Fire Frame
- PvP God Roll: Under Pressure + Closing Time
While Glacioclasm might be taking the headlines, Garden of Salvation’s refreshed loot pool saw Zealot’s Reward get reprised too, and it’s become a really good weapon. In fact, this actually rolls the exact same god roll as its Dawning rival, with both Under Pressure and Closing Time being as good as ever. That alone is reason enough to farm this, and it even has some unique strengths.
For one, Zealot’s Reward is craftable, so you can guarantee the roll you want by just farming Red Borders from the raid. Additionally, this uses a Rapid-Fire Frame, which has a higher skill ceiling thanks to this archetype’s fast charge time. It will be harder to consistently land one-shot bursts, but experienced PvP players will be able to dominate using this meta weapon.
7. Yesterday’s Question
- Weapon type: Arc Hand Cannon
- Archetype: Heavy Burst
- PvP God Roll: Lone Wolf + Headseeker
Heavy Burst HCs made their debut back in Lightfall with the reprised Warden’s Law. While that gun was extraordinary when paired with Lucky Pants, it was otherwise underwhelming. That extended to PvP, where you would practically never see anybody using it. However, this archetype is becoming much more popular these days thanks to Yesterday’s Question.
This gun rolls Headseeker, a meta perk that makes it far more forgiving than its predecessor. You no longer have to deal strictly precision damage to reach this frame’s optimal TTK of 930 ms. Admittedly, you are still probably better off using Crimson, but this is a competitive option that’s at least worth considering if you don’t want to use an Exotic weapon.
8. Prophet of Doom
- Weapon type: Arc Shotgun
- Archetype: Precision Frame
- PvP God Roll: Threat Detector + Closing Time
It turns out that Zealot’s Reward wasn’t the only weapon from Garden of Salvation that PvP players will want to farm. Bungie also reprised Prophet of Doom, turning this classic Shotgun into an objectively superior version of Matador 64. That’s a big statement too, considering Matador 64 dominated the PvP meta for three years.
Prophet of Doom has some big advantages over its forerunner. While they both share the same archetype and element, only Prophet of Doom can roll Closing Time, is craftable, and gets access to enhanced perks. When all of these factors are taken into account, it becomes impossible to deny that Matador 64 has been replaced at last, and its successor is right here.
9. Crimil’s Dagger
- Weapon type: Kinetic Hand Cannon
- Archetype: Aggressive Frame
- PvP God Roll: Slideways/Air Trigger + Precision Instrument
120 RPM Hand Cannons saw a big buff in Revenant Act 2, bringing Aggressive Frames back into the meta. That buff aligned perfectly with Iron Banner returning and Crimil’s Dagger becoming available yet again. Given its popularity in The Crucible, it’s fair to say that Guardians did not hesitate to get their god roll and take advantage of the buff.
We’re not surprised either, as Crimil’s Dagger is an extraordinary weapon that is very forgiving thanks to Precision Instrument. Also, it can reload remarkably fast if you use Air Trigger or even not need reloading at all if you get a roll with Slideways. Between this and Igneous Hammer, it’s a close call, and you can’t go wrong using either, so feel free to try both and see what works best for you.
10. Legato-11
- Weapon type: Solar Shotgun
- Archetype: Pinpoint Slug Frame
- PvP God Roll: Lone Wolf + Closing Time
That’s right, this is yet another Shotgun that rolls Lone Wolf and Closing Time. Don’t look away yet! Legato-11 has a trick up its sleeve that differentiates it from the others on this list – this uses a Pinpoint Slug Frame. That’s right, the reprised Solar Shotgun fires slugs, meaning it has far superior range but requires precision damage to be effective.
This definitely raises the skill ceiling to use this weapon, as body shots aren’t going to be enough. Nonetheless, if you master this archetype and get good at flicking up close, Legato-11 is a genuine meta contender on par with The Chaperone. It won’t be for everyone, yet there’s no denying that this can be unbeatable in the hands of a skilled PvP main.
At least for now, those are the 10 weapons that have broken the PvP meta in Episode Revenant. With more updates certain to come, you can expect the sandbox to continue evolving, and eventually even these will be phased out. Until then, keep using these and watch as you rack up kills and wins with ease on your next trip to The Crucible.
