With each season of Destiny 2, there is usually a sandbox change where developer Bungie readjusts weapons and abilities in the game. This can shift the meta (that is, the most powerful and popular weapons to use) in PvP, which draws out the pursuit of the best weapons in order to get a competitive edge against other players. In Season of the Undying, changes to the sandbox have allowed some new weapon classes to rise to the top.
In addition to weapon rebalancing, the Shadowkeep expansion and Season of the Undying also offers a new collection of weapons for players to chase. And, as with any new content added to Destiny 2, there are bound to be some standout weapons that players will want to grind for this season. These are the best weapons for PvP this season that are worth grinding for.
Sacred Provenance
For the past year, Destiny 2 has had a hand cannon meta with weapons like Luna's Howl, The Last Word, Ace of Spades, and others having a huge presence in the Crucible. But many players will say that Destiny 2 is now shifting towards a pulse rifle meta. Pulse rifles received a buff in the game update that accompanied the new expansion and season. And The Garden of Salvation raid's Sacred Provenance is one of the best pulse rifles in Destiny 2 right now.
There are some great perks that some players may prefer to suit their particular playstyle, such as Full Auto, Snapshot, or Quickdraw. But our recommended roll is Chambered Compensator, High-Caliber Rounds, Rapid Hit, and Kill Clip with a Stability Masterwork.
Optative
The Optative is a 180 RPM hand cannon, which is an archetype of hand cannon particularly popular on consoles because of the low recoil and fast fire rate. Luna's Howl and Not Forgotten were orginally 180 RPM hand cannons prior to their nerf that made them 150 RPM. Players who could not get Luna's Howl or preferred a similar weapon in their kinetic slot sought out the Service Revolver. And the Optative can roll the same perks as Service Revolver, albeit Optative is in the energy slot instead of the kinetic.
Still, Optative is a strong weapon for use in the Crucible and is a must-have for those who enjoy 180 RPM hand cannons. The most desired roll for Optative is Full Bore, Accurized Rounds, Rapid Hit, and Kill Clip. Getting Kill Clip activated can make this a three-hit kill, which is what makes it a stand-in for Luna's Howl.
The good news is Optative is one of the easiest weapons to farm this season. It is available from Vex Offensive and can drop from any three of the chests, and players can also pick up a bounty for it from Ikora Rey to guarantee a drop of it at the end of a Vex Offensive run. Just be sure to farm for this one during Season of the Undying, as Vex Offensive will disappear as an activity at the end of the season.
Adhortative
Like Optative, the Adhortative comes from Vex Offensive and also has a weapon bounty that players can pick up from Ikora. Like the raid's Sacred Provenance mentioned above, pulse rifles are in a good spot right now, which means Adhortative is especially good in the current meta. It shares the same archetype as Bygones, a Gambit pulse rifle that is extremely popular in PvP as well. The roll to look for is Chambered Compensator, High-Caliber Rounds, Feeding Frenzy, and Multikill Clip with a Stability Masterwork.
Prophet of Doom
The Prophet of Doom is the shotgun that players can earn from the raid, and it shares the same archetype as the popular Dust Rock Blues shotgun from the Forsaken expansion. Except for Prophet of Doom has better stats in every category than the already insanely good Dust Rock Blues. The good thing about these shotguns is how deadly they are from extreme ranges. So the roll players want is all about maxing out the range as much as possible. That roll is Full Choke, Accurized Rounds, Slideways, and Opening Shot or Rampage with a Range Masterwork.
Randy's Throwing Knife
Randy's Throwing Knife is a niche choice, but it makes the list because it is easily one of the best scout rifles in the game. It is the only 260 RPM scout rifle in the game, and with it being one of the new ritual weapons for the Crucible, its roll was curated by Bungie. The problem with Randy's Throwing Knife is that scout rifles, in general, are not the best weapons for PvP and the quest to get it is arduous. So, players should judge for themselves how much they actually want this weapon based on if they think they will use it and how willing they are to go through the grind to get it.
Destiny 2: Shadowkeep is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One, with a Stadia version in development.