Destiny 2’s Exotics are staples in the ever-changing meta of Bungie’s looter shooter. With Exotic weapons being key pieces in a Guardian’s build, choosing the best Exotics for any given meta is important for Guardians who want to tackle some of Destiny 2’s harder content.
Multiple things can influence the Exotic weapon meta in Destiny 2, such as the style of an encounter and any weapon changes that may have happened in the current season. Currently, Season of the Splicer has an Exotic meta that is similar to previous seasons, with a couple of new Exotic additions.
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For Season of the Splicer, Exotics in the Power slot are still dominant for boss damage, with Deathbringer becoming a top-tier Exotic for boss damage. The introduction of the Deathbringer Catalyst in Destiny 2 has given the Deathbringer a buff to its damage capabilities, making it one of the highest single-target damage weapons in Destiny 2. The Season of the Splicer Seasonal Artifact Mod, Warmind’s Decree, allows for Void splash damage to create Warmind Cells; allowing Deathbringer’s Void orbs to not only create Warmind Cells but also detonate them for even more add clear capability on top of its incredible single target damage.
Anarchy is still the king of passive Damage Over Time, allowing Destiny 2 Guardians to damage a target with Anarchy while they swap to something like a slug shotgun to do more DPS. The new Breach and Clear mod makes Anarchy even more powerful, allowing it to also debuff its target. For more immediate damage and shield piercing capabilities, Guardians should still look to The Lament Exotic Sword, great for Barrier Champions in Destiny 2's endgame activities.
With the introduction of the Oracles in the Destiny 2 Vault of Glass Raid, Xenophage has become even more useful thanks to its ability to one-shot Oracles. Xenophage is also not a bad boss damage option when paired with Divinity, an Exotic trace rifle in the Energy slot, allowing Xenophage to hit critical shots. Divinity itself is still a top-tier Exotic in Destiny 2, mainly for its ease of use against targets with difficult critical spots.
With many top Exotic options occupying the Power slot, Guardians may want something in the Kinetic or Energy slots. This is where Witherhoard comes into view, with its Area of Effect being able to spawn Warmind Cells when used with another Warmind Cell spawning weapon only adds to its already lethal damage. Introducing the new Breach and Clear Mod from the Seasonal Artifact only further improves the Witherhoard’s capabilities.
For PVP, not much has changed with the Destiny 2 Exotic meta because nothing has really changed in the overall PVP sandbox. Exotics like The Last Word, Dead Man’s Tale, and Cloudstrike are still very strong in the current PVP meta. Wardcliff Coil still reigns supreme as the top Exotic heavy option for its ease of use, however, if used correctly, Deathbringer can be just as lethal in PVP.
Bungie has mentioned future PVP sandbox updates will focus more on gunplay, depending on those changes, the Exotic meta in PVP may shift. Guardians may see a meta shift as soon as Season 15 when new content and new Seasonal Mods enter the game, but for now, this is the general meta that Guardians can expect in Destiny 2 during Season of the Splicer.
Destiny 2: Beyond Light is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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