Shotguns are one of the strongest weapon categories for PvP in Destiny 2. These weapons pack a serious punch and can kill targets from surprisingly long distances with the right perks.
Each Shotgun in Destiny 2 can hold its own in Crucible, but there are a few that easily stand above the rest. This is thanks to their great perk pool, high base stats, or ease of use. Finding the right perk combination on a Shotgun can be the difference between a subpar Special weapon and a game-changing weapon. Whether a Crucible veteran or primarily a PvE player, here are ten Shotguns that will help you dominate in Destiny 2's Crucible.
Updated September 7th, 2022, by Charles Burgar: Season of the Plunder introduced a powerful Shotgun into the sandbox: The Inquisitor. Obtained from Trials of Osiris, this slug Shotgun has an absurdly good stat package that tops Heritage in almost every way. We've updated this list to include The Inquisitor, showcasing its unique perk combinations while discussing what makes it unique among the wide range of Shotguns currently in the Destiny 2 sandbox.
10/10 Ragnhild-D
How to obtain: World drop, or crafted at The Enclave
Aggressive Frames have become more viable after recent balance changes. With how scarce Special ammo is in the current meta, one-tap Shotguns have become more valuable. And since Lightweights are two-tap machines, Aggressives are worth considering again.
Ragnhild-D is a great Aggressive Frame since it's craftable, meaning you can get the exact roll you want on this gun. Perpetual Motion and Elemental Capacitor is a fantastic roll on this gun, allowing you to seriously boost the Handling of this gun. If you don't want to play an Arc subclass, you can replace Elemental Capacitor with Frenzy. It might not be as lethal as Found Verdict or well-rolled slugs, yet this weapon is easy to craft and has consistent one-taps in its effective range. Give it a try if you don't have a good Riiswalker or Wastelander.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Perpetual Motion
- Column Two: Elemental Capacitor, Frenzy
9/10 Without Remorse
How to obtain: Season of the Haunted activities, or crafted at The Enclave.
Without Remorse is the first craftable Lightweight Shotgun in Destiny 2, immediately making this one of the best Lightweights for the Crucible. If you can unlock the ability to craft this gun, you can make a roll that competes with the likes of Riiswalker.
Threat Detector and Elemental Capacitor is the roll most players will be crafting, as this gives you a ton of bonus Handling. If you don't want to play an Arc subclass, you might want to consider using Fragile Focus instead of Elemental Capacitor. Fragile Focus gives as much bonus range as Opening Shot, allowing you to compete with an Iron Reach Riiswalker in the right circumstances. Best of all, it's an Energy weapon, a weapon slot that doesn't have much competition in terms of Lightweights.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Threat Detector, Hip-Fire Grip
- Column Two: Elemental Capacitor, Fragile Focus
8/10 Riiswalker
How to obtain: Iron Banner matches and Engrams.
Riiswalker is a bit of an odd Shotgun. On the one hand, it's one of the only Shotguns in Destiny 2 that can reach over 90 range. On the other hand, it's a Lightweight Frame.
The Lightweight Frame is the main drawback of Riiswalker, preventing this weapon from one-tapping Guardians consistently past a very short range—around six meters with a good roll. While increasing the weapon's range does increase the damage of each pellet, it doesn't influence the gun's pellet spread, effectively hard capping the gun's effective one-hit kill range. And thanks to recent range nerfs, Leightweight Shotguns are tough to one-tap with. Riiswalker and Wastelander are the only two that can do so with some sort of consistency, provided you have a near-perfect roll.
The good news is that Riiswalker is a rather fast-firing Shotgun, so landing a two-tap on a Guardian shouldn't be a large hassle. Riiswalker is more than competitive in Destiny 2's current sandbox if you manage to obtain the perfect roll. Its Lightweight Frame allows you to sprint and strafe faster, giving it an edge over Precision Frames.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Firmly Planted, Quickdraw, Hip-Fire Grip
- Column Two: Iron Reach
7/10 Wastelander M5
How to obtain: Xur's Treasure Hoard
Inspired by a weapon from Marathon, Wastelander M5 is the first Legendary Tex Mechanica weapon in Destiny 2. And if you know anything about Tex Mechanica weapons, you'll know that they never make a bad gun. That holds true with Wastelander M5, a Lightweight Shotgun that gives Riiswalker a run for its money.
This Shotgun can roll with Slideshot and Opening Shot simultaneously, allowing you to kill Guardians from Precision Frame ranges. Its high handling also means Wastelander is a fantastic panic Shotgun for when enemies close the gap. If you'd rather use this Shotgun as a main weapon, you can run with Slideshot and Adagio to help extend this weapon's effective distance—something that gained more value after recent changes to Special ammo and Shotgun range. Of course, if you value handling on your Shotguns, feel free to replace Slideshot with Perpetual Motion. If you don't have a good Riiswalker, consider farming for a Wastelander M5. If you do, get one anyway.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Slideshot, Perpetual Motion
- Column Two: Opening Shot, Adagio, Harmony
6/10 The Inquisitor
How to obtain: Trials of Osiris matches and Engrams.
Heritage finally has some competition, at least as far as PvP Legendary slugs are concerned. The Inquisitor has a monstrous stat package, exceeding Heritage in every way excluding aim assist. Does that make Inquisitor the new top slug for PvP? Not quite.
What Inquisitor does have is a solid perk pool. Perpetual Motion and Opening Shot is a great neutral game roll, while you can use Tunnel Vision and Swashbuckler for a more aggressive playstyle that somewhat offsets this weapon's low aim assist of 35—further buffed if you're a solo player and have Alacrity active.
Max Swashbuckler stacks or x2 Golden Tricorn can one-tap Guardians to the body, making this weapon incredibly dangerous if you build around it. And if you just need a good panic Shotgun, don't sleep on Pulse Monitor. It isn't quite as consistent as Heritage or Chaperone due to the lower aim assist, but the excellent perk pool of The Inquisitor makes it more than worth chasing.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Perpetual Motion, Pulse Monitor, Tunnel Vision
- Column Two: Opening Shot, Swashbuckler
5/10 Found Verdict
How to obtain: Vault of Glass raid (Conflux, Oracle, and Gatekeeper encounters).
Vault of Glass' Found Verdict is part of the same archetype as Felwinters but with more handling and range. With the right perks, Found Verdict has close to the same range as Felwiner's Lie but with much more handling.
Aggressive Frames have become more appealing with recent Shotgun and Fusion Rifle changes. Most Lightweight Shotguns are two-taps now, making them somewhat tricky to use if you're just looking to shutdown Shotgun rushers or other CQC engagements. Out of all Aggressive Frames, Found Verdict is the best. It can get some absurd range for consistent one-taps, and it can get a surprisingly high Handling stat if you farm for a Timelost variant. If you're willing to farm raids for this gun, Found Verdict is a fantastic Shotgun for players that want to one-tap Guardians up close.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Slideshot, Surplus
- Column Two: Opening Shot, Killing Wind
4/10 Duality
How to obtain: Purchased from the Exotic Kiosk in the Tower. Costs 1 Exotic Cipher, 125,000 Glimmer, 150 Glacial Starwort, and 1 Ascendant Shard.
Duality is easily one of the most overlooked Exotic Shotguns in Destiny 2. This gun combines the usability of a typical Shotgun with the lethality of a slug variant. Its versatility is unrivaled.
Hip-firing this gun will release multiple pellets. When you aim, the gun turns into a slug Shotgun, drastically increasing its range. It doesn't compete with god roll slugs or Chaperone in its ADS form, although the versatility Duality offers is hard to overstate. Whether you love Shotguns for slaying or defense, Duality is an excellent choice.
3/10 Heritage
How to obtain: Deep Stone Crypt raid.
Heritage is the king of Legendary slugs in Destiny 2. This weapon's stat package is absurd, featuring better stats than Blasphemer. That alone makes this weapon worth chasing, yet it's the perks Heritage can roll with that make it comparable with the likes of Chaperone and Duality.
If you solely care about range, a roll with Slideshot and range-boosting perks will give Heritage 100 range, making it just under Duality's effective slug range. However, you can hit this range cap with the right barrels, mag perks, and Masterwork. Should you be lucky enough to get range on all three, you'll want a roll with Hip-Fire Grip and either Snapshot Sights or Moving Target. Hip-Fire Grip seems strange for a gun like this, but Heritage's stats are so absurd that Hip-Fire Grip makes hip-firing this gun extremely consistent, even if you're in the air. You won't find a more forgiving slug Shotgun than this.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Hip-Fire Grip, Slideshot, Auto-Loading Holster
- Column Two: Snapshot Sights, Moving Target
2/10 The Chaperone
How to obtain: Complete the "Blast from a Past" Exotic quest. It can be obtained from Shaw Han in the Cosmodrome.
Chaperone has seen repeated nerfs throughout the past few seasons. Shotguns don't have as much range anymore, and Fusion Rifles have slowly crept into the meta. While Chaperone can't cross-map people anymore, this is still one of the strongest Shotguns you can use in the Crucible right now.
Even after a range nerf, Chaperone still comes on top of every other Shotgun in Destiny 2, even Duality. Chaperone can headshot targets from close range to proc Roadborn, giving it yet another range bump. Landing headshots is a breeze with Chaperone thanks to its rather high aim assist value and great range. Don't use this weapon in the air, remember to respect the distance of Fusion Rifles, and you'll be surprised just how strong this weapon can be.
1/10 Lord Of Wolves
How to obtain: Exotic Engrams.
Even with various ammo and range nerfs this season, Lord of Wolves still stands as the best buckshot Shotgun in Destiny 2's Crucible. It's easy to use, starts with effectively three shots instead of two, and it has more range than just about every buckshot Shotgun in the game. It can be outranged by Chaperone or a perfect Heritage roll, yet Lord of Wolves stands above them because it's so easy to use. Look remotely near your target, pull the trigger, and watch your enemy disintegrate. If you don't like slugs but need a good Shotgun in your loadout, you can't top Lord of Wolves.
