Destiny 2: The 10 Best Solar Weapons, Ranked

Destiny 2 has seen a rework to its subclasses throughout The Witch Queen and its subsequent seasons. These changes have highly encouraged monochromatic builds, loadouts that focus on using a single element. With Solar 3.0 being so powerful, now is the perfect time to find a good Solar weapon.

Recently released Solar weapons can roll with Incandescent, a Solar variant of Dragonfly that Scorches targets. It’s likely Solar weapons will see further Solar-exclusive perks in future seasons. But for now, these weapons serve as some of the most unique and powerful Solar weapons you can use in Destiny 2.

Updated January 25, 2025: Solar weapons have seen quite a few new additions in recent seasons, including some archetypes we’ve never seen before in Destiny. We’ve updated this list to include some of our favorite Solar weapons added since The Final Shape expansion.

Note:

This list focuses on PvE content. Entries are in no particular order.

10

Tyranny Of Heaven

How to obtain: Last Wish raid.

Tyranny of Heaven used to be the worst Bow in Destiny 2 without question. It had horrible base stats, was part of the worst Bow archetype, and had a lackluster perk pool. While Lightweight Frames still aren’t that great, Tyranny of Heaven’s reprisal in Season of the Deep gave this weapon a much-needed makeover.

This is the first Bow in Destiny 2 that can roll with Dragonfly and Incandescent, causing two simultaneous explosions upon landing a precision kill. This is Ticuu’s Divination but in Legendary form, and the Scorch applied by Incandescent makes this weapon perfect for Solar builds.

For more general add clear, Successful Warm-Up and Golden Tricorn makes this weapon a powerhouse in seasonal and Legend-tier content. Land a Bow kill, defeat a target with an ability, then enjoy your Bow that now charges near-instantly and deals 50% more damage. PvE players that want a good Bow can’t go wrong with Tyranny of Heaven.

Recommended Traits

Column One: Dragonfly, Successful Warm-Up, Explosive Head
Column Two: Incandescent, Golden Tricorn

9

No Hesitation

How to obtain: Pale Heart content.

No Hesitation is the first Support Frame Auto Rifle in Destiny 2. This weapon functions similarly to Lumina , buliding up charge that infuses your hipfire shots with restorative energy. Hipfire projectiles will seek allies to heal them, making this the first non-Exotic support weapon in Destiny history.

Its perk pool lets you double down on this playstyle. Physic grants x1 Restoration to your fireteam from rapidly healing allies, further improving your team’s survivability. You can pair this with Circle of Life to buff your gun’s damage output when you heal. Alternatively, run Incandescent to Scorch and Ignite your targets when you aren’t healing the team. It’s a highly versatile weapon that’s a staple in any support build.

Recommended Traits

Column One: Physic, Demolitionist
Column Two: Circle of Life, Incandescent

8

Dragon’s Breath

How to obtain: Exotic Kiosk in the Tower.

Dragon’s Breath has seen a complete makeover in Destiny 2, and it’s arguably one of the strongest Rocket Launchers in the game. This weapon fires a sticky explosive that will continuously inflict Scorch, a Solar debuff that deals damage over time. If the projectile is on the target long enough, they’ll Ignite, creating a massive explosion that deals a sizable amount of damage.

It’s best to use this weapon as an auto-loading rocket or passive DPS tool, similar to Witherhoard and Anarchy . Fire a rocket, swap to your Special, damage the target, then swap back to Dragon’s Breath after a few seconds pass. The DPS you can dish out is impressive, especially for solo content.

7

The Lament

How to obtain: “Lost Lament” quest.

What could be better than a hard-hitting Sword? What about a chainsword? The Lament is an Exotic Sword ripped straight out of the Warhammer 40K universe, ripping through your enemies with its chainsaw blade and absurdly high base damage.

Compared to Legendary Swords, Lament can break Barrier Champion shields, deal absurd damage with its light and heavy attack combo, and even heal you. It won’t dominate the Crucible Heavy meta, but this weapon has become a staple for close-range boss DPS.

6

Apex Predator

How to obtain: Last Wish raid.

Apex Predator received a massive perk refresh in Season of the Deep, now featuring the strongest single-target DPS perk combination we’ve seen on a Rocket Launcher. That combination is Reconstruction with Bait and Switch. Reconstruction is effectively Clown Cartridge and Auto-Loading Holster melded into one perk, allowing you to load two rockets in the magazine simply by holstering the weapon.

If you’re someone that frequently raids, Apex Predator can also roll with Bait and Switch, a massive 35% damage buff for ten seconds by landing an attack with all three of your weapons. This gives Apex Predator one of the highest single-target DPS values out of any Heavy weapon in Destiny 2, provided your weapon is buffed with Gjallarhorn’s Wolfpack Rounds . Simply put, Apex Predator is a meta option for virtually all PvE activities in Destiny 2.

Recommended Traits

Column One: Reconstruction, Demolitionist
Column Two: Bait and Switch, Explosive Light

5

Sunshot

How to obtain: Exotic Engrams and Xur.

Season of the Witch gave most Hand Cannons a 75% damage buff against majors, including Sunshot . This has morphed this already great Hand Cannon into a one-tapping machine in virtually all PvE content.

One or two shots can take down just about every red bar in the game, even on GM difficulty, causing their corpse to violently explode. These explosions can cause a chain reaction, clearing entire rooms in a couple of seconds. Pair this weapon with Radiant or some surge mods, and you can disintegrate just about every fodder enemy in the game.

4

Aberrant Action

How to obtain: Episode: Echoes content.

As far as rocket Sidearms go, it’s tough to find one better than Aberrant Action. This weapon can get Incandescent in the second column, causing each kill to detonate the target’s corpse to inflict Scorch. With Ember of Ashes and Enhanced Incandescent, you can trigger multiple Ignitions with ease.

Rocket Sidearms are so good that you don’t need any utility perks, so your first column options are quite flexible. Heal Clip is fantastic for increasing your survivability in harder content. If ammo is an issue, you can use Field Prep instead for deeper ammo reserves. No matter which perks you run with, Aberrant Action will surely impress with its monstrous damage output and excellent ammo economy.

Recommended Traits

Column One: Heal Clip, Field Prep
Column Two: Incandescent, Golden Tricorn

3

Cataclysmic

How to obtain: Vow of the Disciple raid (Acquisition and Caretaker encounters).

Cataclysmic is a hard-hitting Linear Fusion Rifle with great perks. Fourth Time’s the Charm is a first for an LFR, letting this weapon firing up to ten rounds before reloading. You can pair this with Bait and Switch—a massive damage buff that occurs when damaging a target with all three of your weapons—to deal some amazing DPS numbers in raids and GM Nightfalls. It’s also craftable.

Recommended Traits

Column One: Fourth Time’s the Charm
Column Two: Bait and Switch

2

Gjallarhorn

How to obtain: “And Out Fly the Wolves” quest.

Gjallarhorn needs no introduction. It’s arguably the most iconic Exotic in the franchise, cheesing bosses in Destiny’s original launch all the way to buffing Rocket Launcher DPS in Destiny 2. That’s right, Gjallarhorn buffs other Rocket Launchers now.

While the damage of Gjallarhorn isn’t the pinnacle of PvE DPS, it acts as a sort of support weapon, granting allied Legendary Rocket Launchers Wolfpack Rounds and vastly improved reload speed. So long as one person in your fireteam is using Gjallarhorn, everyone on your team is using Gjallarhorn. Don’t jump into Destiny 2’s endgame without this weapon in your inventory.

1

CALUS Mini-Tool

How to obtain: Occasionally sold by Xur.

Similar to Drang, CALUS Mini-Tool is a reprised version of the MIDA Mini-Tool that has a new perk pool. This version of the Mini-Tool can roll with some incredible perks, notably Incandescent. It works just as well as you’d expect on an SMG, creating multiple Ignites during a gunfight if enemies are packed together.

If you don’t like Incandescent, CALUS Mini-Tool has some great alternatives. Surrounded is a great perk for SMGs if you play in their intended range. Disruption Break can be useful in Master-tier content, and PvP players can get some mileage out of Eye of the Storm and Tap the Trigger. There’s nothing the CALUS Mini-Tool is bad at.