Destiny 2: Best Raid Exotics, Ranked

Highlights

• Destiny 2 players can obtain the best exotic weapons through raids, but they need a competent fireteam to conquer the challenges and face the final boss.
• The Touch of Malice and One Thousand Voices are among the exotic weapons players can obtain in Destiny 2 raids, each with its own unique perks and abilities.
• Other notable raid exotics in Destiny 2 include Legend of Acrius, and Necrochasm, each offering their own strengths and advantages in various game modes.

Everybody loves loot, there’s no question about that. For Destiny 2 players, loot is the endgame reward for their weekly conquest of the game. Some of the best Destiny 2 loot comes in the form of exotic weapons and through raids, players can obtain the best exotic weapons in Destiny 2, as long as they have a competent fireteam to power through it.

There are many raids in Destiny 2, each featuring its mechanics, enemies, loot, and challenges to await the Guardians brave enough to enter. Within these raids, players have a rare chance of obtaining a specific exotic weapon exclusive to the final boss of the specific raid.

Updated by Jake Fillery September 29, 2023: A new reprized raid has returned to Destiny 2, bringing back the famed threat of Crota from the Destiny 1 raid. Players can expect many surprises and dangers within the Crota’s End raid, which has returned for Destiny 2 players with Season 22’s Season of the Witch. Now that Crota’s End has returned to provide players with a new threat, and yet another raid to enjoy in Destiny 2, another gun is added to the growing collection of the Guardians’ arsenal and pride, but, where does the Necrochasm rank among the best Destiny 2 raid Exotics?

11 Touch Of Malice

Potential Drop From Defeating Oryx Within The King’s Fall Raid

Exotic Perks:

• Touch of Malice – The final round in the magazine deals bonus damage, drawing from the wielder’s life force, and then regenerates itself. Rapidly defeating three targets restores health.
• Charged with Blight – Precision hits drain combatants’ life force and charge up a ball of Darkness. [Reload Button] Long Press and then fire to unleash the blight projectile, shrouding combatants in Darkness and temporarily blinding them.

It’s a feat in itself to claim the heart of Oryx, the Taken King. The Touch of Malice may not be the best exotic in Destiny 2, but it’s an accomplishment. It’s a rare drop from the final chest in the King’s Fall raid, which sees a team of six battle Oryx himself. However, despite the hardships, the Touch of Malice doesn’t have much use outside of its original design.

The final round in the magazine for the Touch of Malice deals bonus damage, and the user will not need to reload at the cost of their shield and health. However, defeating three enemies rapidly will restore health. With every 10th hit, they can fire a Blight to blind and poison enemies. It’s a fun gun, but not worth the slow DPS or health drain for this FPS shooter.

10 Collective Obligation

Chance Drop From Defeating Rhulk In Vow Of The Disciple Raid

Exotic Perks:

• Void Leech – This weapon leeches Void debuffs when damaging targets that are suppressed, weakened, or volatile. Once charged, [Reload Button] Long Press to swap firing modes. In this mode, damage from this weapon applies the same Void debuffs that were leeched.
• Umbral Sustenance – This weapon’s magazine is automatically reloaded when you gain Devour, a Void overshield, or become invisible.

As an Exotic Void Pulse Rifle, the Collective Obligation exotic is a rare reward for defeating Rhulk in the Vow of the Disciple raid. Despite the difficulty that comes from this raid and the fun, Collective Obligation is not the best raid exotic, nor is it even one of the best exotics in Destiny 2. One would think Rhulk’s exotic would be his glaive.

The unique perk for Collective Obligation is Void Leech, which will leech Void debuffs when damaging targets that have been suppressed, weakened, or made volatile. Players can hold the action button to swap firing modes, applying the same Void debuffs that were leeched. It’s not a very entertaining or interesting exotic outside of its Destiny 2 lore unless players are utilizing the underpowered and undervalued Void 3.0.

9 One Thousand Voices

Random Drop From The Final Chests In The Last Wish Raid

Exotic Perks:

• Ahamkara’s Eye – Charging this weapon unleashes a giant continuous beam of death.
• Unforeseen Repercussions – This weapon’s beam superheats its targets upon impact, causing delayed explosions.

Even though One Thousand Voices is a rare exotic that drops from the final chest in The Last Wish raid in the Dreaming City. It’s not exactly hard to farm. Killing Riven grants the player an Ethereal key which can be used to unlock the final chest. Players can stack the key to open five chests at the end of the raid, giving them more of a chance to gain this exotic, even after its nerfs.

There was a time when One Thousand Voices was exotic to have, both for its rarity and uses. The fact that it was a heavy-ammo fusion rifle that fired a “continuous beam of death” meant that Guardians could wield hellfire. However, the subsequent perks have made it still a good exotic, just obsolete when compared to others.

8 Legend Of Acrius

Purchased From Monument To Lost Lights For 1 Exotic Cipher, 150,000 Glimmer, 240 Spoils Of Conquest, 2 Ascendant Shards

Exotic Perks:

• Shock Blast – This weapon fires blasts of high-damage Arc energy that overpenetrates enemies.
• Long March – Detect enemies on your radar from farther away.

The Legend of Acrius was not locked behind a final raid chest, but instead, was a raid-quest exotic that required players to complete “On the Comms” and “Destroyer of Worlds”. However, when the Leviathan raid was sunset, the Legend of Acrius was now purchasable through the Monument to Lost Light with a bout of raid tokens needed.

As the first raid exotic, the Legend of Acrius may harbor strong memories for hardcore Destiny 2 fans. It’s an Arc Cabal slug shotgun that deals a grandiose amount of damage from a long range. With a range of 100, the Legend of Acrius is mighty from a distance, but the fact that it’s a heavy weapon means that ammo is more limited, with more viable legendary weapons out there.

7 Anarchy

Purchased From Monument To Lost Lights For 1 Exotic Cipher, 150,000 Glimmer, 240 Spoils Of Conquest, 2 Ascendant Shards

Exotic Perks:

• Arc Traps – Grenades stick to surfaces and chain Arc bolts to other mines.
• Moving Target – Increased movement speed and target acquisition when moving while aiming down sights.

Originally from the Scourge of the Past raid, the Anarchy exotic is an Arc Grenade Launcher that can no longer be obtained through rare raid RNG. Since the Scourge of the Past raid has been sunset, players can obtain Anarchy from the Monument to Lost Lights vendor in the Tower. Anarchy was once a mighty Grenade Launcher and still harbors great strengths.

At the height of its power, Anarchy had a great balance of ammo and capability, able to deal a great amount of damage over time whilst ‘hot-swapping’ to another weapon to maximize the possible DPS. Anarchy was once a strong contender for damage phases on bosses but has since received a 30% damage reduction to bosses and a significant ammo capacity drop from 26 to 16.

6 Tarrabah

Purchased From Monument To Lost Lights For 1 Exotic Cipher, 150,000 Glimmer, 240 Spoils Of Conquest, 2 Ascendant Shards

Exotic Perks:

• Ravenous Beast – This weapon stores power when dealing or receiving damage. [Reload Button] Long Press to unleash the beast when full.
• Bottomless Appetite – Dealing continuous damage extends the duration of Ravenous Beast.

As an Exotic Submachine Gun, players might want to pick this one up during Season 20 of Destiny 2 due to the ongoing PvP meta in regards to SMGs. Originally, the Tarrabah was a rare drop from the final chest of the Raid lair Crown of Sorrow, but since that activity has been sunset, it can now be obtained from the Monument to Lost Lights.

When dealing or receiving damage, players can “unleash the beast” with the action button, which will unload a high amount of damage upon their target. Tarrabah is a decent SMG, but it is nothing special in regards to The Immortal (Adapt) due to its slower and more sluggish fire rate, but its Intrinsic Perk certainly helps it stand on its own.

5 Necrochasm

Random Drop From Defating Crota In Crota’s End Raid, Or Complete The Bottomless Pit Quest

Exotic Perks:

• Cursebringer – Precision final blows with this weapon trigger a Cursed Thrall explosion. Final blows with Cursed Thrall explosions refill the magazine.
• Desperation – Reloading after a precision final blow or a final blow with a Cursed Thrall explosion increases your rate of fire and improves stability and aim assist.

Necrochasm has returned to Guardians, and players simply need to complete Crota’s End to gain access to this simple Destiny 2 exotic quest. The Necrochasm is definitely worth picking up, and it can be a great prize to the Guardians out there who want to yield yet another of the Hive’s beautiful weapons, for its deadly capabilities and cool factor. The Necrochasm is capable of rewarding players for precision final blows, and if players can pull said feat off with the weapon, the Cursebringer perk will activate, and trigger a Cursed Thrall explosion.

If players get a kill with this Cursed Thrall explosion, their magazine will refill. Even better, the rate of fire and stability is increased for those that reload after a precision final blow or a Cursed Thrall final blow, so players can chain up their kills for a devastating effect. It’s a great weapon for clearing out ads and is a dominator of the PvE market. Its stats and perks also make it a fairly competent choice for the Crucible.

4 Eyes Of Tomorrow

Random Drop From Defeating Taniks In The Deep Stone Crypt Raid

Exotic Perks:

• Eyes on All – This weapon is capable of tracking and firing at multiple targets simultaneously.
• Adaptive Ordnance – Defeating 4 or more combatants in a single volley increases the damage of the next volley and refunds ammunition.

The exotic Solar Rocket Launcher, Eyes of Tomorrow, is exclusively obtained from the Deep Stone Crypt raid. It may be ugly, but what isn’t ugly, is the damage it can deal with when used correctly. Players might want to pick this one up to add to their best Rocket Launchers in Destiny 2 collection.

What makes the Eyes of Tomorrow special is the fact that it has tracking and fires multiple rockets to hit a multitude of targets. The aggressive tracking makes it hard for the weapon to miss and if at least 4 targets are hit, the next volley of six rockets will deal extra damage.

3 Vex Mythoclast

Random Drop From Atheon In The Vault Of Glass Raid

Exotic Perks:

• Timeless Mythoclast – This weapon fires full auto when in its default firing mode.
• Temporal Unlimiter – Defeating targets builds stacks of Overcharge. [Reload Button] Long Press swaps firing modes when fully Overcharged. In alternative firing mode, hold the trigger to charge up and fire more powerful linear fusion shots.

The Vex Mythoclast is unique for a multitude of reasons, but the fact that it is a Vex Goblin weapon is what makes it so interesting. Players can only obtain this from a random chance after defeating the final boss in the Vault of Glass raid in Destiny 2, and it’s an exotic worth farming for.

Despite being labeled as an Exotic Fusion Rifle, the Vex Mythoclast acts like a Solar Auto Rifle thanks to its fire rate and infinite ammo. It’s certainly an exciting weapon to own and with its Solar element, it makes short work of those elemental shields. It’s a unique weapon that recently received a buff as of Season of the Wish, so the linear fusion rifle shots in the alternative firing mode deal a whopping amount of damage for critical hits. It’s a must-have raid weapon.

2 Conditional Finality

Chance Drop From Nezarec In The Root Of Nightmares Raid

Exotic Perks:

• Split Decision – Dual barrels split into Stasis and Solar damage.
• Paracausal Pellets – Landing nearly all Stasis pellets will freeze targets; landing nearly all Solar pellets will ignite targets.

One of the newest raid exotic comes from the Root of Nightmares. Players will have to face the Final God of Pain, Nezarec. This exotic can drop upon the boss’ death and it’s certainly one that everyone will want. It’s an exotic shotgun that goes in the kinetic weapon slot and has an Intrinsic Perk that makes it fun for PvE and PvP, regardless of whether players prefer Nightfalls or Trials of Osiris.

With the Conditional Finality shotgun, players will have two barrels, with the first shot firing Stasis, and the second Solar. This means that players can effectively freeze and burn their foes at the same time. It’s a viable weapon for PvP, and great for Nightfalls and Strikes thanks to its ability to quickly freeze champions.

1 Divinity

Complete Divine Fragmentation Quest In The Garden Of Salvation Raid

Exotic Perks:

• Judgement – Sustained damage with this weapon envelops the target in a field that weakens and stuns them. Strong against Overload Champions.
• Penance – Targets under the effects of Judgment long enough are struck with a burst of damage.

Unlike other raid exotics, Divinity is set to a quest, although players will need to complete the Shadowkeep raid, Garden of Salvation, to obtain the weapon. The quest itself is rather lengthy, but the final step involves a large bout of six-player puzzle rooms in each encounter of the Garden of Salvation raid. Every raid team usually has a member with Divinity, albeit, crudely named by the team. This essential weapon may not cause damage on its own, but its traits and perks make it near essential; it’s just a shame Warlocks drew the support end of the stick with Cenotaph Mask, which pairs great with Divinity.

The cursed user that must wield Divinity is often teased for being the support Guardian, as Divinity will create a critical-hit bubble-cage around the enemy it is fired upon, allowing the remaining Guardians to deal extra damage if they fire their weapons into the crit spot. It makes damage phases go by in a flash, and it’s especially useful to enemies with a small crit spot.