Destiny 2 introduced a few new weapons types into the Destiny sandbox. These included Submachine Guns, Linear Fusion Rifles, Trace Rifles, and Grenade Launchers.
Grenade Launchers, in particular, have seen significant changes since the game's inception. Originally, the weapon category dealt little damage and brought little utility to justify using over Rocket Launchers. Since multiple expansions and updates have gone by, Grenade Launchers are considered by many as a fantastic Special and Heavy weapon archetype. While there is a good variety of Grenade Launchers to choose from, some are much better than others. Here are the ten best Grenade Launchers you should be using in Destiny 2.
Updated June 12th, 2022, by Charles Burgar: Grenade Launchers saw a new addition with Season of the Haunted. Lingering Dread is the first Stasis Breech-Loaded GL added to the game, and it comes with some interesting perks. We've updated this list to include Lingering Dread, and we've removed Ignition Code since it's no longer obtainable.
10/10 Pardon Our Dust
How to obtain: Xur's Treasure Trove
Pardon Our Dust is the second Kinetic Grenade Launcher to release in Destiny 2 this year. It might not beat Ignition Code, but this weapon does serve as an excellent PvE utility weapon that all players should own.
The best roll for this weapon would be Blinding Grenades, Auto-Loading Holster, and Danger Zone. Danger Zone will increase the blast radius of your Blinding Grenades, causing your GL to blind targets in a massive radius upon detonation. Swap to your other weapons, clean up the blinded enemies, then repeat. It's a potent weapon for Master and Grandmaster content where survivability is key. For add-clear, Deafening Whisper is far better. For PvP, you're better off with Truthteller, Empty Vessel, or Ignition Code.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Auto-Loading Holster, Ambitious Assassin
- Column Two: Danger Zone
9/10 Anarchy
How to obtain: Purchased from the Exotic Kiosk in the Tower. Costs 1 Exotic Cipher, 150,000 Glimmer, 240 Spoils of Conquest, and 2 Ascendant Shards.
Even after Season 15's nerfs to this tesla coil-firing GL, Anarchy still serves as a great GL for PvE content. This Exotic heavy weapon can be obtained from the Exotic Kiosk in the Tower and requires Spoils of Conquest to obtain.
Anarchy does very little damage on its own and relies on your special weapon to churn out DPS. Luckily, the grenades fired from Anarchy apply an electric damage over time effect for near ten seconds, giving you ample time to swap weapons and damage the enemy. When Anarchy is combined with a Sniper Rifle or Shotgun, you'll deal some serious damage. It isn't as good as Witherhoard or even the likes of Parasite, yet Anarchy's consistent DPS makes it a great choice for players that love double Special loadouts.
8/10 Lingering Dread
How to obtain: Duality dungeon
Lingering Dread is the first Stasis Breech-Loaded Grenade Launcher to release in Destiny 2. This weapon has the noteworthy perks you'd expect from a utility weapon, including Blinding Grenades and Auto-Loading Holster. If you're looking for an alternative to Pardon Our Dust, this is it.
For added utility, this weapon can get Steady Hands instead of Auto-Loading Holster, allowing you to instantly swap between weapons shortly after a kill. That can be quite strong in PvP if you have another means of reloading this weapon passively. Column two is disappointing for a weapon like this. Chill Clip sounds fantastic on paper, but most forget that Chill Clip only procs on direct hits. In PvP, a direct hit is a one-tap, making the usefulness of this perk incredibly situational. PvE sees better use of Chill Clip, but this perk is far stronger on a Fusion Rifle. Use Demolitionist or Danger Zone instead.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Auto-Loading Holster, Steady Hands
- Column Two: Demolitionist, Chill Clip (PvE), Danger Zone (with Blinding Grenades)
7/10 Fighting Lion
How to obtain: Exotic Engrams found through Xur or world drops.
There's a small yet dedicated group of Destiny 2 players that only use the Fighting Lion. This weapon seems subpar at first glance, yet there's one key feature Fighting Lion has over other Grenade Launchers: it uses Primary ammo. And since Primaries now have infinite ammo, this means that you can unleash a barrage of grenades around corners to your heart's content.
Well, there's a catch: this weapon's reload speed got butchered in Season of the Lost, so much so that you have to build entirely around this weapon to make it work. If you can use a GL Loader mod and an Exotic like Ophidian Aspects, Fighting Lion feels like a dream to use in PvE and PvP. But if you aren't able to build around Fighting Lion, this weapon is simply too clunky to use. Give this weapon a try yourself and see if it's up your alley. Once you get used to Fighting Lion, it's really hard to put it down.
6/10 Explosive Personality
How to obtain: PsiOps Battlegrounds and Risen Umbral Engrams.
Explosive Personality is one of the best Wave Frame GLs in the game. This Solar Grenade Launcher deals a ton of damage with each shot, can spawn Warmind Cells with the Wrath of Rasputin mod, and even grants its wielder Resilience and damage resistance with each combatant kill.
Auto-Loading Holster and Disruption Break is a solid choice for a utility GL, but you can also turn this weapon into a workhorse with Stats for All and One for All. If you'd rather use Auto-Loading Holster, you can pair that perk with Frenzy for a smooth add-clearing machine. If you love using Special GLs at all, make sure you get a good roll of Explosive Personality.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Auto-Loading Holster, Stats for All
- Column Two: Frenzy, Disruption Break, One for All
5/10 Empty Vessel
How to obtain: Strikes and Vanguard Engrams.
Empty Vessel is very similar to Truthteller, both in function and potential rolls. The major difference is that Empty Vessel is a Solar weapon, allowing it to generate Warmind Cells if the Wrath of Rasputin mod is installed. This makes Empty Vessel the best add-clear Special Grenade Launcher in Destiny 2.
This weapon also has a much larger perk pool, containing unique perks like Vorpal Weapon and One for All. Classic perk combinations such as Auto-Loading Holster and Disruption Break are still possible on this weapon, making it a devastating weapon in PvE and PvP alike. If you're a Grenade Launcher fan that's getting tired of using Fighting Lion, this is a solid replacement.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Auto-Loading Holster (PvP), Feeding Frenzy (PvE)
- Column Two: Disruption Break, One for All (PvE), Swashbuckler (PvE)
4/10 Parasite
How to obtain: "Of Queens and Worms" Exotic quest.
Parasite is a Rocket Launcher disguised as a worm-launching GL. It only has one shot in the magazine, yet that single worm is enough to clear an entire wave of enemies. Parasite's main gimmick is Worm's Hunger, a perk that causes your shot to deal more damage and cover a wider area with each kill you land. Kill enough targets, and this worm deals substantial damage, capable of one-shotting Champions or seriously damaging bosses.
The real spice of this weapon comes from its synergy with armor mods. GL loader mods on your boots can give Parasite an auto-loading property, pairing nicely with its Worm's Hunger perk. Kill a few targets, quickly swap to Parasite, fire a shot to disintegrate every enemy near you, and repeat. It's a powerhouse of a PvE weapon that can compete with the likes of Gjallarhorn. In PvP, however, Parasite is lackluster. Worm's Hunger is tough to build and maintain inside the Crucible and requires too much setup to get the same results as a single Gjallarhorn or Wardcliff Coil rocket.
3/10 Witherhoard
How to obtain: Purchased from the Exotic Kiosk in the Tower. Costs 1 Exotic Cipher, 100,000 Glimmer, 150 Glacial Starwort, and 1 Ascendant Shard.
Witherhoard is the Special weapon version of Anarchy. This Grenade Launcher shoots blights that deal damage over time to any enemy that stands in the blight. If you hit a target with Witherhoard, the blight will stick to them and deal constant damage over time.
Area denial and passive DPS are the two major strengths of Witherhoard. Every weapon setup in PvE can benefit from a Witherhoard granting passive damage over time. Every Crucible player can also benefit from a ground degen that can block entryways or critical locations. This weapon has everything you'd want from an Exotic.
2/10 Salvager's Salvo
How to obtain: Purchased from the Exotic Kiosk in the Tower. Costs 75,000 Glimmer, 100 Legendary Shards, 2 Enhancement Prisms, and 1 Ascendant Shard.
Every PvE fan needs to obtain Salvager's Salvo. This weapon might appear to be a Grenade Launcher, but this weapon carries the spirit of Loaded Question. This Grenade Launcher has a devastating set of perks that make it perfect for all PvE content. And if you love direct impacting Guardians with GLs inside PvP, Salvager's Salvo is just as good at that too.
Demolitionist and Chain Reaction make for a fantastic combination, giving this weapon a degree of crowd clearing potential that is usually reserved for Heavy weapons. Demolitionist means you'll always have a grenade at the ready. If you aren't using a grenade build, consider running Ambitious Assassin instead to fire two rounds before needing to reload. This weapon has everything you'd want from a Special weapon.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Demolitionist
- Column Two: Chain Reaction
1/10 Forbearance
How to obtain: Vow of the Disciple raid.
Salvager's Salvo finally has competition. Vow of the Disciple's Forbearance Grenade Launcher is the best Special GL in the game. It's a Wave Frame GL that can roll with Chain Reaction, a first in Destiny 2. You can pair Chain Reaction with Ambitious Assassin to fire two high-powered shots in quick succession, giving you unprecedented add-clear for a Legendary weapon. Add to that the Souldrinker Origin Trait, and it's easy to see why this GL is so special. It might not be the best for PvP, but for PvE, it's hard to top Forbearance.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Ambitious Assassin, Steady Hands
- Column Two: Chain Reaction
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