When push comes to shove our kinetic weapons will give us the advantage as they do the most overall damage to our enemies, but what about our energy weapons? 

Energy weapons are aligned with a certain elemental power; Arc, Void, and Solar energy. They do higher damage to enemy shields, and if you match your energy weapons’ element with the same element of your enemy’s shield breaking through it will cause a powerful explosion. Some missions like the weekly Nightfall Strike or daily Heroic Mission will have modifiers that make certain elements do more damage. So it’s always good to have a nice selection of energy weapons at hand.

So now that you’ve had a long winded lesson on energy weapons here’s our top 10 list of energy weapons. We’ll list their intrinsic perks and curated traits to keep things nice and concise. If you want more info on a weapon we’ll link a full rundown for each weapon in it’s description.

 

Our Top 5 for PvE

• Riskrunner
• Gnawing Hunger
• Sunshot
• Loaded Question
• Coldheart

 

1. Riskrunner

Charge your soul and let the electrons sing.

Riskrunner is an exotic Arc damage SMG that lets loose a violent storm when the conditions are right. It’s exotic perk Arc Conductor increases the gun’s damage when you take Arc damage. That perk then procs the exotic trait Superconductor, which gives your shots a chance to become chain lightning and a chance to return bullets back into the magazine.

Exotic Weapon Stats:

Impact:20

Range:55

Stability:60

Handling:74

Reload Speed:24

Rounds/Min:900

Magazine:41

Exotic Perks:

• Arc Conductor: When taking Arc Damage, this weapon becomes more powerful and resists incoming Arc Damage. Kills extend the time in this overcharged state.
• Superconductor: When Arc Conductor is active, shots fired have the chance to become chain lightning and return ammo.

What makes Riskrunner good?:

• Good range
• Good stability
• Larger magazine
• Perks keep magazine mostly filled

Weapon Details:

https://destinytracker.com/destiny-2/db/items/3089417789-riskrunner#

How to get Riskrunner:

2. Gnawing Hunger

Don't let pride keep you from a good meal.

This beast doesn’t gnaw at you, it bites hard. This adaptive frame Void auto rifle handles nicely and has decent range and stability. With a good roll you have an even better time. Even if you don’t get the random perks you want, Gnawing Hunger will carve through enemies like a finely crafted knife through a slow roasted turkey.

Weapon Stats:

Impact:21

Range:53

Stability:49

Handling:77

Reload Speed:61

Rounds/Min:600

Magazine:48

Intrinsic Perks:

• Adaptive Frame: A well-rounded grip, reliable and sturdy.
• Overflow: Picking up Special or Heavy ammo reloads this weapon to beyond normal capacity.
• Rampage: Kills with this weapon temporarily grant increased damage. Stacks 3x.

What makes Gnawing Hunger good?:

• Good handling
• Decent range
• Good stability
• Good for DPS

Weapon Details:

https://destinytracker.com/destiny-2/db/items/821154603-gnawing-hunger#

How to get Gnawing Hunger:

You can acquire this gun inside Umbral engrams, specifically Dredgen-Focused or a Lead-Focused Umbral engram.

Gnawing Hunger in Action:

 

3. Sunshot

"Can't outrun the sunrise." —Liu Feng

Get the sunscreen kids. This Exotic Solar hand cannon packs a punch with an explosive surprise. Sunshot’s rounds explode and highlight targets that are hit in the case they don’t die right away. It’s exotic trait Sun Blast adds insult to injury by making  enemies explode when they are killed. This is a consistent gun that can chain kills in PvE.

Exotic Weapon Stats:

Impact:80

Range:47

Stability:51

Handling:92

Reload Speed:75

Rounds/Min:150

Magazine:12

Exotic Perks:

• Sunburn: This weapon fires explosive rounds and highlights targets that take damage from Sunshot.
• Sun Blast: Targets killed with Sunshot explode in Solar energy.

What makes Sunshot good?:

• Great handling
• Good reload speed
• Good stability
• Good for clearing groups with a few shots

Weapon Details:

https://destinytracker.com/destiny-2/db/items/2907129557-sunshot#

How to get Sunshot:

You can acquire this gun as a random exotic engram drop or purchase it from Xur if he has it in stock for 29 Legendary Shards.

Sunshot in Action:

 

4. Loaded Question

Hey. You see Cayde around, tell him his gun's ready. —Banshee-44

Loaded Question is an Arc fusion rifle with high impact and good range. It’s Reservoir Burst trait makes it so that when you fire with a full magazine it will do extra damage as well as make any enemies killed by it explode. This is a solid choice for you fusion rifle fans, or VOOP Nation as some of the more enthusiastic fusion fans call themselves.

Weapon Stats

Impact:95

Range:62

Stability:42

Handling:42

Reload Speed:10

Charge Time:860

Magazine:7

Intrinsic Perks:

• High Impact Frame: Slow-firing and high-damage. This weapon is more accurate when stationary and aiming down sights.
• Auto-Loading Holster: The holstered weapon is automatically reloaded after a short period of time.
• Reservoir Burst: When the battery is full, your next burst deals additional damage and causes enemies to explode on death.

What makes Loaded Question good?:

• High impact
• Good range for a fusion rifle
• Reservoir Burst perk Good for clearing groups

Weapon details:

https://destinytracker.com/destiny-2/db/items/580961571-loaded-question

How to get Loaded Question:

Loaded Question in Action:

 

5. Coldheart

​

The latest Omolon engineering leverages liquid fuel as coolant to keep weapon systems at biting subzero temperatures.

I’m going to be honest about this one, this Arc trace rifle is incredibly fun to play with. The exotic trait Longest Winter increases Coldheart’s damage the longer you keep hitting a target. It’s absolutely amazing at DPS, most bosses melt (or freeze?) under the power of this thing. The downside of this is that it feels like you’re cheating when you can cut a huge chunk of a major’s health bar. Which in hindsight, is something you can look past.

Exotic Weapon Stats:

Impact:6

Range:73

Stability:73

Handling:33

Reload Speed:37

Rounds/Min:1000

Magazine:101

Exotic Perks:

• Cold Fusion: This weapon shoots a steady cold fusion-powered laser.
• Longest Winter: Coldheart's laser does exponentially more damage the longer it remains on a target.

What makes Coldheart good?:

• Good range
• Good stability
• Great at DPS against majors and bosses
• Feel like Mr. Freeze when using it.

Weapon Details:

https://destinytracker.com/destiny-2/db/items/1345867571-coldheart

How to get Coldheart:

Previously a Pre-Order exclusive weapon, you can now acquire this gun as a random exotic engram drop or purchase it from Xur if he has it in stock for 29 Legendary Shards.

Coldheart in Action:

 

Our Top 5 for PvP

Last Perdition

The Recluse

Waking Vigil

Revoker

Galliard-42 XN7568

 

6. Last Perdition

Can't outrun the ending.

A personal favorite of mine, Last Perdition is a well-rounded Void pulse rifle that is great for mid to long range in PvP. It’s very consistent and stable yet I don’t often see people use it. This is a reliable gun that is a hidden gem among other pulse rifles. Most of its perks are random, but it plays great regardless, if by chance you roll some good perks you too will be wondering why players sleep on this pulse rifle.

Exotic Weapon Stats:

Impact:29

Range:58

Stability:63

Handling:55

Reload Speed:48

Rounds/Min:390

Magazine:38

Exotic Perks:

• Adaptive Frame: A well-rounded grip, reliable and sturdy.
• Rampage: Kills with this weapon temporarily grant increased damage. Stacks 3x.

What makes Last Perdition good?:

• Good range
• Good stability
• Good handling

Weapon Details:

https://destinytracker.com/destiny-2/db/items/188882152-last-perdition#

How to get Last Perdition:

Last Perdition in Action:

 

7. The Recluse

My bite will turn your sweet flesh to vile rot.

The Recluse is a Lightweight frame Void submachine gun. It’s trait Feeding Frenzy increases your reload speed when you get multikills. This trait makes it a very good option in PvE as well. It’s other perk, Master of Arms, increases the damage this weapon does when you get kills with ANY weapon that’s equipped, it’s currently one of the META weapons at the time of this article.

Weapon Stats:

Impact:15

Range:54

Stability:70

Handling:67

Reload Speed:35

Rounds/Min:900

Magazine:36

Intrinsic Perks:

• Lightweight Frame: Superb handling. Move faster with this weapon equipped.
• Feeding Frenzy: Each rapid kill with this weapon progressively increases reload speed for a short time.
• Master of Arms: Kills with any weapon improve this weapon's damage for a short time.

What makes The Recluse good?:

• Decent Stability
• Effectiveness increases as you accumulate kills
• Master of Arms perk lets you combo with any other weapon

Weapon Details:

https://destinytracker.com/destiny-2/db/items/3354242550-the-recluse#

How to get The Recluse:

 

The Recluse in Action:

 

8. Waking Vigil

"We have a duty to this solar system that goes deeper than blood, deeper than oaths." —Paladin Devi Cassl

Waking Vigil is a lightweight frame Arc hand cannon that presents itself as a strong and steady choice for PvP. It’s recoil is not all over the place like other hand cannons. It’s pretty snappy but smooth, like the perfect glass of lemonade. However most lemonades aren’t this lethal.

Weapon Stats:

Impact:80

Range:45

Stability:47

Handling:70

Reload Speed:60

Rounds/Min:150

Magazine:12

Intrinsic Perks:

• Lightweight Frame: Superb handling. Move faster with this weapon equipped.
• Outlaw: Precision kills greatly decrease reload time.
• Snapshot Sights: Faster time to aim down sights.

What makes Waking Vigil good?:

• Good impact
• Consistent recoil
• Decent handling

Weapon Details:

https://destinytracker.com/destiny-2/db/items/334171687-waking-vigil#

How to get Waking Vigil:

Waking Vigil in Action:

 

9. Revoker

When they have your back to the wall, when all seems lost—steel yourself! Command your future!

Here’s a solid choice for PvP. Revoker is an aggressive frame rifle that’s surprisingly forgiving when you miss, thanks to one of it’s perks. Reversal of Fortune, which gives you back the rounds that missed, theoretically (emphasis on theoretically) giving you infinite ammo. Though that really only applies to people with bad really aim.

Weapon Stats:

Impact:90

Range:80

Stability:34

Handling:31

Reload Speed:37

Rounds/Min:72

Magazine:3

Intrinsic Perks:

• Aggressive Frame: High damage, high recoil
• Snapshot Sights: Faster Aim-Down-Sights speed
• Reversal of Fortune: Missing a shot returns the bullet to the magazine after a short duration

What makes Revoker good?:

• High Impact 
• High Range
• Recover missed shots

Weapon details:

https://destinytracker.com/destiny-2/db/items/654608616-revoker#

How to get Revoker:

This is a Crucible Pinnacle weapon, so you’ll need to first obtain the In Your Sights quest from Shaxx and complete it. Get ready because this might take some time. Here’s a guide for you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igM2DcmMsOc

Revoker in Action:

 

10. Galliard-42 XN7568

A Black Armory experimental prototype.

This Void auto rifle is a sturdy and effective gun. Even if you were to get a bad roll, Galliard would still serve you very well. It’s one of the few autos that can outperform exotics like Hardlight and when rolled with the right perks like Dynamic Sway Reduction (see weapon details link) and you’ll have one of the most dominant guns in the 600 rpm class.

Weapon Stats:

Impact:21

Range:46

Stability:59

Handling:69

Reload Speed:48

Rounds/Min:600

Magazine:44

Intrinsic Perk:

• Adaptive Frame: A well-rounded grip, reliable and sturdy.
• Rampage: Kills with this weapon temporarily grant increased damage. Stacks 3x.

What makes Galliard-42 XN7568 good?:

• Good handling
• Consistent shooting
• Good sights
• Decent stability
• Good mag size

Weapon details:

https://destinytracker.com/destiny-2/db/items/1775804198-galliard-42-xn7568#

How to get Galliard-42 XN7568:

 

Galliard-42 XN7568 in Action:

 

Like our list? What energy weapons do you think should be on here? Let us know in the comments below!

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