Destiny 2's newest weapon type is the Glaive, a Special weapon that can melee targets and fire energy projectiles. They fit a role similar to Swords, capable of absorbing enemy fire before laying out a few powerful melee strikes. Unlike Swords, Glaives can also deal damage from afar, making them a jack of all trades weapon type.
Similar to Bows when Forsaken was released, there aren't many Glaives to choose from currently. Yet the Glaive you use will have a large impact on your playstyle and overall opinion on this weapon type. Today, we'll be looking at all five Glaives in The Witch Queen expansion and ranking them from worst to best.
Updated June 11th, 2022, by Charles Burgar: Glaives saw some major buffs in Season of the Haunted. Range now impacts projectile speed, projectile speed itself got buffed, and some Exotic Glaives saw some changes—notably the Hunter-exclusive Glaive. We've updated this list to include this season's Nezarec's Whisper Glaive and rerank the Exotic Glaives to account for recent buffs.
6/6 Edge Of Action
How to obtain: "The Evidence Board" Exotic quest or The Wellspring activity.
The Titan Exotic Glaive is Edge of Action, a Void Glaive that can create a miniature Ward of Dawn with its Exotic perk. That sounds fantastic on paper, but it has some major drawbacks:
- The bubble does not grant Weapons of Light or any damage buff.
- The bubble doesn't last as long as Ward of Dawn.
- Edge of Action's bubble is smaller and has less HP.
You're effectively spending your entire guard counter for a small piece of cover that requires Helm of Saint-14 to have any real use. For all of that work, you could just as easily project your Glaive's frontal shield to absorb much more punishment. It might have some niche uses in the Crucible, but this Glaive is simply not worth running in PvE over a Legendary variant.
5/6 Edge Of Intent
How to obtain: "The Evidence Board" Exotic quest or The Wellspring activity.
Exclusive to Warlocks, this Solar Glaive can expend its guard energy to create a healing turret, restoring HP and shields to nearby allies. It doesn't provide overshields like Dawnblade healing grenades can, yet it can proc Ember of Benevolence on Dawnblade—making this a fantastic PvE Glaive for support-oriented builds. Beyond that, this is just an inferior Legendary Glaive that takes up your Exotic slot. Only use Edge of Intent if you want to support your team.
4/6 Edge Of Concurrence
How to obtain: "The Evidence Board" Exotic quest or The Wellspring activity.
Edge of Concurrence saw a massive buff with Season of the Haunted. Its projectiles are faster, you can use its alt-fire more freely, and the alt-fire itself now deals triple damage. Hunter mains can use this Glaive as a sort of Sword and Trinity Ghoul hybrid, accumulating energy to release a devastating lightning blast with an overcharged shot.
The damage from this lightning strike is fantastic, far more than it was last season. Most majors will fall if the lightning touches them, and this hit can clear out a group of enemies with ease. Beyond that, the Glaive itself is useful for blocking hits and getting close. It's the only Exotic Glaive released in The Witch Queen that's worth farming for. Give this weapon a try, and keep it in your Vault for when Arc 3.0 releases next season.
3/6 The Enigma
How to obtain: Crafted at The Enclave.
Destiny 2's first Glaive is also one of its best. The Enigma is the first Glaive you'll acquire during The Witch Queen campaign, crafted at The Enclave after the first mission. This weapon serves the traditional role of a Glaive quite nicely, in part due to the perks it can be crafted with.
Grave Robber and Frenzy is a fantastic combo, allowing you to reload your Glaive with each melee kill while gaining a noticeable boost to damage, reload speed, and handling. The damage boost only affects the projectile portion of this weapon, but the other stats make using the Glaive so much easier. If you want to tank projectiles, you can make a roll with Subsistence and Unstoppable Force. Projectile kills will refill part of your magazine, allowing you to keep your shield up for longer. It's easy to make, deals good damage, synergizes with Void 3.0, and is just fun to use in both PvE and PvP.
Recommended Traits
- Column One: Grave Robber, Subsistence
- Column Two: Frenzy, Unstoppable Force
2/6 Nezarec's Whisper
How to obtain: Season of the Haunted activities; can also be crafted.
Despite having Nezarec in the name, Nezarec's Whisper is an Arc Glaive that focuses on utility. This weapon can roll with Impulse Amplifier and Frenzy if you just want to slay out, yet that disregards some of this weapon's more interesting perk combinations that make it stand out from its competition.
Genesis and Adaptive Munitions is quite the combo, allowing you to cleave through shields with your Glaive with ease while auto-reloading it. If you're looking for a block-focused playstyle, Tilting at Windmills and Unstoppable Force can be used together. Finally, if you want to go all-in on abilities, you can get Demolitionist and Adrenaline Junkie on this Glaive. You have tons of options, it's craftable, and it works with just about every build you can think of. It might not top Lubrae's Ruin, but it comes close.
Recommended Traits
- Column One: Impulse Amplifier, Demolitionist, Genesis
- Column Two: Frenzy, Adrenaline Junkie, Adaptive Munitions
1/6 Lubrae's Ruin
How to obtain: Vow of the Disciple raid; can also be crafted.
Lubrae's Ruin looks and feels like an Exotic Glaive disguised as a Legendary. If you only care about looks, this might be your new favorite weapon in Destiny. And if you're someone who just wants a good Special weapon, Lubrae's Ruin might surprise you.
This Glaive can roll with a plethora of useful perks. Grave Robber and Swashbuckler is a great combo that means you never have to reload and deal 33% more damage with your projectiles—it doesn't impact your melee damage. For more utility, you can get Steady Hands and Wellspring. Immovable Object and Unstoppable Force make this the ultimate weapon for tanking, even in PvP. There are a ton of options here, and just about all of them are good. Lubrae's Ruin deals good damage, can tank incoming damage, and looks incredible.
Recommended Traits
- Column One: Grave Robber, Steady Hands, Immovable Object
- Column Two: Swashbuckler, Unstoppable Force, Wellspring
