As Destiny 2’s Episode Heresy enters its second act, so too does the arrival of 2025’s Guardian Games, where Guardians must compete in a mix of PvE and PvP activities to represent their class.

Both Act 2 of Episode Heresy and Guardian Games drop unique weapons old and new, each with their respective god rolls and activities that they’ll perform the best at in the current meta.

However, you’ll soon find that not all weapons released in this Act will be perfect for you, so we’ll be ranking them based on how they feel during gameplay, and whether their use will extend beyond the current meta.

We won’t be looking at the first two columns of these weapons, as they only make minor gameplay differences. We’ll only be focusing on the unique weapon rolls on the third and fourth columns, along with the weapon Masterwork you should be looking for.

10 Lotus-Eater (Adept)

Void Rocket Frame Sidearm – Grandmaster Nightfalls

While the Lotus-Eater is not a weapon that drops from either Guardian Games or Court of Blades, this weapon is too good to exclude from this list, so let’s consider the first one on this list an honorable mention.

The Lotus-Eater is a weapon that drops from Grandmaster Nightfalls from March 11th to 18th and may be on the rotation again before the season ends.

One of the biggest drawbacks for any rocket sidearm is the reload speed, but with Reconstruction, you’ll never have to reload this weapon.

Combine this with Withering Gaze’s Weaken effects or volatile from Destabilizing Rounds, this weapon can make short work of enemies in much harder difficulties. This episode’s artifact perk can also give it anti-barrier rounds, making it a must-have this season.

9 Division

Arc Heavy Burst Sidearm – Court Of Blades

I’ll be honest–I’m not a fan of sidearms that aren’t of the rocket variety. Ever since we were introduced to Rocket Sidearms in the form of Warlord’s Ruin dungeon weapon Indebted Kindness, we’ve been spoiled rotten. Thanks to their hard-hitting shots, rocket sidearms were the perfect PvE weapons in add-clearing and DPS.

The other sidearm archetypes, on the other hand, leave much to be desired. Even with a heavy-burst archetype, normal sidearms just don’t cut it anymore. With minimal range and bullets that scream “peashooter rounds,” they don’t excel in endgame activities like raids or GM Nightfalls.

Still, with the right perks and the right hands, Division can perform as an add-clearing tool for low to mid-tier content. Perks like Eddy Current and Voltshot are great for playing PvE activities on an Arc subclass, especially when you’re constantly Amplified.

If you’re a PvP sweat, then Hip-Fire Grip and Kill Clip might be a decent choice, though TTK is rather low on this weapon. Might be better to stick with pre-existing sidearms like Drang (Baroque) or Heliocentric QSc.

8 Taraxippos

Strand Lightweight Scout Rifle – Guardian Games

While scout rifles don’t do insane amounts of damage or are great at add-clear, they are amazing at popping heads across the map. Taraxippos is no exception, as it is currently rated the fourth most popular scout rifle in light.gg, with the likes of Vault of Glass’s Vision of Confluence.

Making a return from Guardian Games 2023, Taraxippos now rolls with some solid utility perks that allow you to engage enemies from a distance. Keep in mind that it’s not built for fast-paced fights or tight spaces, and is best reserved for mid to long-range engagements.

Taraxippos is decent for both PvE and PvP. For PvE, you’ll want to focus on the ammo-refunding perk Fourth Time’s The Charm and any strand-based perk like Tear or Hatchling. Tear is great if you’re just looking to sever targets, but if you’re a Warlock looking to gather an army of Threadlings, then Hatchling is the perk for you.

As for PvP, Keep Away is great for larger maps with open areas like Vostok or Altar of Flame, while Zen Moment is more of an all-around perk that helps you stay accurate during a gunfight. The added flinch inflicted by Explosive Payload can also help make your opponent miss their shots more.

TTk isn’t fast, but it’ll get the job done if you’re accurate enough, so Stability might be the best masterwork for this weapon.

7 Hullabaloo

Arc Compressed Wave Frame Grenade Launcher – Guardian Games

As of 2025, there are only two heavy wave-frame grenade launchers. Much like Lightfall’s Dimensional Hypotrochoid, Hullabaloo is a bit of a meme gun, as wave-frames are mostly used for add-clear, and nobody wants to waste their heavy ammo on adds unless you’re getting it in spades.

Wave frames, much less heavy wave frames, are NOT recommended for PvP.

Like its brethren, Hullabaloo is an extremely niche weapon that performs exceptionally well depending on the situation. Of course, if you really enjoy making a ruckus with this weapon by taking out adds, then Volt Shot and Chain Reaction are perfect for you.

But Hullabaloo is the perfect DPS weapon for one specific encounter: melting Raneiks Unified in the Vesper’s Host dungeon.With Envious Arsenal for instant reloads and a 35% damage increase if you hit 3 or more separate enemies at once, you can make short work of the Servitor boss and its tiny clones.

If you’re having trouble farming deepsight patterns for Dimensional Hypertrochoid, then Hullabaloo is a great substitute. Just make sure to farm for this weapon now, as it only drops from Guardian Games.

6 Refusal Of The Call

Strand Adaptive Glaive – Court Of Blades

Glaives have always been in a weird spot in the Destiny 2 meta ever since they came out in Witch Queen. In a game where guns reign supreme, the melee damage output of glaives has always underperformed in comparison. Thankfully, with the new seasonal artifact mods, glaives have been enjoying quite a resurgence in usage.

Thanks to artifact perks like Hold The Line and No Bell, which increase reload speed and stability while surrounded and grant special ammo on kills respectively, the five people who enjoy using glaives can rejoice now that their favorite weapon is seeing some positive changes.

Unless you’re married to the idea of using glaives, I wouldn’t recommend using them in PvP. Special ammo is scarce, their projectiles are slow, and you have to risk getting up close and personal to deal any damage.

According to light.gg, the perks Slice and Sword Logic are the most popular combos. While an excellent perk, Sword Logic only applies to glaive projectiles and not melee hits, and we’re not sure whether Slice also applies to melee hits.

As the first Strand glaive, this harpoon-looking weapon can roll with great perks like Replenishing Aegis and Close to Melee which can synergize well with the Hunter gauntlet Triton Vice, or any armor with the Synthoceps perk, allowing you to give your enemies the ol’ one-two.

5 Afterlight

Void Adaptive Fusion Rifle – Court Of Blades

Because of the sheer amount of burst damage they can do per shot, fusion rifles are top-tier major killers, and some can be absolute beasts at PvP. However, they’re not that great at hitting multiple enemies due to their tight spread. Afterlight is a fusion rifle that can roll with perks that make up for the lack of add-clear potential.

While the Lead from Gold/Reservoir Burst combo is a solid choice for any fusion rifle, the best perk combo might be Ambitious Assassin/Destabilizing Rounds. By killing one enemy with a single pull of the trigger, you can easily proc volatile on enemies, landing you quick and easy multi-kills.

This specific combo can even proc other void-related buffs from Episode Heresy’s artifact mods and let you reload with a much larger magazine. Combine that with your favorite void-based armor like Gyrfalcon’s Hauberk, and you’ll get a monster at clearing groups of enemies. Here are some mods you should look out for with this weapon:

• Volatile Marksman: Rapid Void weapon final blows grant Volatile Rounds. Upgrade: Volatile detonations grant class ability energy.
• Maligned Harvest: Rapidly applying Volatile causes your next instance of Void damage to create a Weakening pulse.
• Void Flux: Defeating Weakened targets with a Void weapon applies Volatile to nearby targets.
• Particle Reconstruction: A returning fan favorite. Sustained damage from Fusion Rifles and Linear Fusion Rifles debuff the target, increasing all damage they receive. The weapon is also partially reloaded from reserves.

As for PvP, Under Pressure and Successful Warm-Up are great perks for this weapon. Similarly, Garden of Salvation’s Zealot’s Reward can roll with the same perks and is craftable, if you’re looking to farm this specific raid. If not, then Afterlight might be a more convenient option, as it drops from Court of Blades.

4 Mirror Imago

Strand Adaptive SMG – Court Of Blades

Destiny 2’s submachine guns have solidified themselves as one of the most undisputed weapon archetypes for add-clear and close-range combat, as their rapid-fire can make short work of any minor enemy caught in range.

Like the new exotic SMG Barrow-Dyad, Mirror Imago is no exception, as it comes with a variety of strong rolls that make it a great contender for both PvE and PvP.

What puts Mirror Image higher than the rest on this list is the fact that any combination of its possible perks can work well depending on what you’re looking for. However, this weapon is best suited for PvE.

Picking up any ammo block procs Overflow, giving you twice the magazine size, and can give you an average of 80 rounds whenever you proc it. However, this is reliant on ammo blocks, so Subsistence might be a preferable option as it procs from any kill. Sword Logic and Hatchling are both strong add-clear perks related to add clear, so this is completely at your discretion.

As for PvP, the options are a little bit more limited, though Recycled Energy and Target Lock seem like solid picks; the latter can increase TTK while To The Pain can provide a small boost in handling during a skirmish.

This weapon can only be dropped from the Court of Blades activity.

3 Anamnesis

Void Lightweight Bow – Court Of Blades

Like the previous entries on this list, Anamnesis can roll with some amazing perks that can mix and match rather well together, making it a powerful weapon for add-clearing, depending on what you’re trying to achieve with it when combined with Episode Heresy’s artifact mods.

For survivability, Repulsor Brace/Destabilizing Rounds work wonders, as you can get overshields with almost every kill. Meanwhile, Dragonfly/Destabilizing Rounds give your headshots an extra oomph with a secondary void explosion, while Archer’s Tempo/Destabilizing Rounds can make you draw much faster.

However, if you’re a good shot and can easily land headshots, then Archer’s Tempo/Demoralize is the combo for you, as you can quickly and easily weaken groups of enemies caught in the AOE.

Like glaives, I wouldn’t really recommend using a bow in PvP unless you’re confident and accurate in your shots.

This weapon can only be dropped from the Court of Blades activity.

2 Keraunios

Arc Adaptive Trace Rifle – Guardian Games

Trace rifles, most specifically arc trace rifles, have been enjoying quite the glow-up since their introduction in the base game, with Act 2’s new artifact mods giving them a boost in utility, and trace rifles have been used more along with the new Unsworn trace rifle from Sundered Doctrine dungeon.

It looks like Bungie really wants us to use trace rifles, as the new Guardian Games weapon is Keraunios, an arc trace rifle with a solid perk combo.

We can all agree that Bolt Charge is one of the best additions to the game. With that said, the Eddy Current/Rolling Storm combo is perfect for any arc build. You’ll be consistently Amplified while you acquire more Bolt Charge per kill. Alternatively, Jolting Feedback may be a good perk if you’re fighting against stronger enemies or Overload Champions.

Avoid searching for any PvP rolls for this weapon; besides Lodestar, trace rifles are perhaps the worst weapon you could use against other Guardians.

1 The Title

Void Aggressive Submachine Gun – Guardian Games

The Title is a returning Guardian Games weapon that made its debut in Season of the Risen during the Witch Queen expansion and is quite the sleeper pick for both PvE and PvP.

While it has a slower rate of fire than its SMG brethren, The Title has a steady recoil and much harder-hitting bullets, making it a weapon that prioritizes accuracy over spraying bullets.

For PvE, you’ll want to look out for a Repulsor Brace/Destabilizing Rounds combo, as it is heavily focused on inflicting void debuffs to give you overshields in return. It’s a solid pick for mid-tier content, especially when there are tons of adds (perfect for Rushdown, too!).

As a player who tends to avoid PvP, The Title makes fighting Guardians much more tolerable, as I’m able to land more kills with this weapon than any other SMG. Perpetual Motion and Rangefinder aren’t flashy by any means but are workhorse perks that give you a small edge that makes the difference between life and death.