Destiny 2’s Witch Queen expansion is receiving high marks for its brilliant addition to the unwinding mysteries of Destiny 2's lore. Guardians gear up to take on Savathun, the Hive Queen, who has been pulling the strings of the Vanguard for quite some time. A new storyline walks players toward revelations with an extensive campaign, and an impending new raid becomes available.
The expansion also brings a new arsenal of exotic weapons and armors for Guardians to take into battle. These new exotic items are implemented with powerful abilities that will make big differences inside Strikes, Raids, and the Crucible. But, not all Exotics are created equal, so here are the best Witch Queen exotics, ranked.
Updated December 8, 2022, by C.M Edwards: Destiny 2 continues to power through as the dominant looter shooter of choice. Destiny 2 is in on one of the best inclines of its history, with Bungie reaching a partnership deal with Sony Interactive and new content being introduced to the game consistently with a new season every few months.
In addition, Destiny 2 has an all-new expansion quickly approaching release in the form of Light Fall; Light Fall will take guardians on a journey to Neptune to discover a hidden technological Utopia called Neomuna. Along with this, Destiny 2 continues to release new balance updates, sandbox changes, and exotic weapons. As the new and current roster of weapons are buffed and nerfed, the tier continues to change; here are more Witch Queen exotics, ranked.
13 The Grand Overture
The Grand Overture is the Season of the Risen exotic weapon that Guardians can get their hands on early if they purchase the season pass. The weapon's design is very future-tech inspired, having many rivets and pathways, quite similar to the weapons of Season of the Splicer. The Grand Overture is a slow-firing Machine Gun hitting 100 RPM with a 70-round clip size. The exotic perk is called Omega Strike, which loads separate projectiles in a secondary firing mode every time a player lands a hit on an enemy.
The projectiles can be fired off in a single volley to unleash maximum havoc on the battlefield. The Grand Overture had many players curious about a new Light Machine Gun that could take the place of current top weapons like Xenophage and Heir Apparent. Unfortunately, The Grand Overture faltered out of the gate for its hard-to-control recoil and sub-par damage numbers compared to other higher-performing choices. A buff will hopefully be in the weapon's future, but until then, it has been collecting dust in many Guardian's vaults among a sea of unused options.
12 The Parasite
The Parasite is an exotic Grenade Launcher that takes up a spot in the Power Weapon slot. It has a clip size of one and fires a volatile Hive parasite into groups of enemies, creating a fiery explosion of Solar damage. The exotic perk for this weapon is called Worms Hunger, which increases the damage the projectile does based on the number of hostiles the player has defeated before firing it.
In addition, the weapon's exotic trait, Worm’s Byproduct, will increase the damage of the weapon if the wielder inflicts any of the explosion damage on themselves. Guardians are sure to face hordes of thralls, and the Witch Queen's new Lucent Brude, the Parasite, will no doubt have a place for the Parasite to shine. However, the small clip size paired with the reload speed may turn some players away, placing this weapon at number nine on the list.
11 Collective Obligation
The Witch Queen Raid, Vow of the Desciple, was released with new legendary armor and weapons for guardians to obtain in an attempt to complete the challenging activity. However, like most Raids that are released into Destiny 2, there is a special reward awaiting fortunate guardians who find themselves standing victorious over Rhulk, Disciple of the Witness.
The Collective Obligation is an exotic raid pulse rifle that sits in the energy weapon sub-type; the weapon is a 390 RPM gun that deals void damage. The exotic perk of the Collective Obligation is Void Leech, which allows this weapon to absorb void debuffs placed on target enemies and then place these same debuffs on other enemies in a separate firing mode. While the weapon does perform as expected, many players are leaving it behind for less complicated options in Destiny 2's sandbox.
10 Loreley Splendor
Loreley Speldor is a new Titan exotic helm that was once a highly sought-after item for Titans. With the recent rework of the solar classes, Titans received a substantial buff while using the class that aided them in both PVP and PVE. Loreley Splendor aids Solar Titans who have the Sun Warrior perk equipped by adding a special effect while in a sunspot; paired with the solar aspect "Sol Invictus," players could ensure that any solar ability final blow would create a sunspot and provide a buff for players. Normally, the perk increases the rate at which melee and grenade energy recharge when standing in a Sunspot; this exotic helm also allows the Sunspot to heal the player.
In addition, when a guardian is critically wounded while wearing Loreley Splendor, it automatically creates a Sunspot where the player is standing. For a time, Lorely Splendor was on top of most exotics as the most sought-after helm for Titans; unfortunately, thanks to its increased usage, Lorely became the target of a series of detrimental nerfs that took it from top tier to reasonably useful. The number of sunspots appearing inside Crucible games has plummeted as players move on to bigger and better builds. However, Lorely is still exceedingly powerful in the game and comes in highly useful in other content, such as Nightfall Strikes and the new Witch Queen Raid, where a last-minute increase in survivability will be critical.
9 Hoarfrost-Z (Titan Armor)
The Hoarfrost-Z is a new piece of exotic armor for the Titan class; its exotic perk is called Glacial Fortification. This perk modifies the Titan Barricade ability; instead of summoning a shield of solid Light, the player will now create a towering wall of Stasis ice to protect themselves and fellow guardians from enemies.
This item will be extremely useful for setting up a bottleneck for approaching enemies and tearing them down as they try to force their way past the giant wall of defense, making it invaluable when taking on Destiny 2's content in PVE and PVP.
8 The Blight Ranger (Hunter Armor)
The Blight Ranger may change the game when it comes to the Arc Strider Hunter class in Destiny 2. The current tree for the Arcstrifder class allows Hunters to spin their staff and deflect incoming attacks while increasing the staff's damage.
This Blight Hunter helm will increase the damage of deflected projectiles that hit the attacker while, at the same time, generating more orbs of Light for teammates, similar to the Titan chest plate Chrest of the Alpha Lupi. More orbs of Light mean more super energy, which in turn means more damage going out, which will no doubt make this exotic a must inside strikes and Raids.
7 Secant Filaments (Warlock Armor)
The Secant Filaments are a new Warlock exotic leg armor that adds synergizing effects to the Devour ability in the Void subclass. The exotic perk Devouring Rift trigger when a warlock casts an empowered Rift. It will also grant the player and allies inside the Rift the Devour trait.
On top of this effect, any damage dealt to enemies from Guardians inside the Rift disrupts them naturally. This, paired with the game-changing reconstruction of void 2.0, make the Secant Filaments one of the most substantial exotic pieces in the game currently. The new fragment builds that can modify the Devour aspects complement this piece of gear tremendously.
6 Osmiomancy Gauntlets (Warlock Gloves)
Warlocks received an Exotic similar to Titan’s Armamentarium; this exotic gives an additional charge to Warlock cold snap grenades. Cold Snap grenades in Destiny 2 form an icy trail on the ground that tracks targets for a short duration, snare the first target hit by freezing them, and then spreads to nearby enemies.
This exotic buffs the duration and range of the ability, while also providing an additional charge for the grenade. This piece of gear will no doubt be extremely useful in PVE and extremely annoying inside PVP for Guardians on the other end.
5 The Osteo Striga
Osteo Striga is the new flagship exotic for the Witch Queen DLC paired with a new exotic catalyst and a new Ornament. Players who pre-ordered the Witch Queen will receive access to this weapon earlier than others, along with its ornament. The Osteo Striga has been compared to that of the Thorn as it fires toxic projectiles that poison and damage enemies it's fired at over time.
The exotic perk of the Striga, Screaming Swarm, fires sentient projectiles that track targets. Additionally, when landing a final blow with the Osteo Striga or landing several headshots on a target, this creates an explosion of toxic damage that heavily damage nearby foes. The numbers in the early weeks of testing the weapon are tremendous; paired with Warlocks Necrotic Grips, The Osteo Striga will surely shake up the Destiny 2 sandbox.
4 Renewal Grasps (Hunter Armor)
This new exotic armor for hunters is sure to rise to the top of most used; Renewal Grasps utilizes an exotic perk called Depth of Duskfield, which increases the range and duration of Duskfield grenades. This perk also weakens targets caught in the Duskfield’s grenade increased area of effect, reducing their damage output severely.
This exotic perk will make some big waves both inside PVE and especially PVP, making an excellent hunter ability even more menacing. The ability to reduce a target's damage makes this exotic arguably one of the most valuable exotics in the game currently.
3 Trespasser
A new edition to the weapon pool returns in the shape of the Trespasser sidearm from Destiny 1; A sleek and slender firearm with a laser dot equipped, the Trespasser is a highly damaging gun with a decent rate of fire and moderate time-to-kill. Where the weapon shines is in its exotic perk, Unrepentant; this perk provides a substantial damage buff to the weapon after a guardian reloads it after a kill.
The weapon fires a high burst of projectiles that can tare down an enemy or guardian in a single shot. The Trespasser has become a widely used weapon thanks to the recent Sidearm meta that is currently prevalent and remains a strong backup weapon that many players keep for special occasions.
2 The Dead Messenger
The Dead Messenger is an exotic grenade launcher that has a plethora of effects that Guardians will enjoy taking on Destiny 2’s content with. Dead Messenger's exotic perk is called Trinary Vision; this causes the projectiles fired from this weapon to create a wide-spreading fan of elemental damage instead of a single-point explosion, similar to Psion attacks.
In addition, the weapon can also change between the three original elements in the game: Void, Solar, and Arc. This weapon is sure to shake up the game in many facets with its functionality and ability to bring down multiple enemies. The Dead Messenger is seeing an increased use with the coming of the side arm and grenade launcher meta's in Destiny 2 and has been solidified as a staple in competitive use.
1 The Edge Exotic Glaives
One of the flagship exotics shipping with the Witch Queen is the class-specific exotic Glaives with three separate versions for Titan, Warlock, and Hunters. Each Glaive has a specific trait to pair with its Guardian and must be unlocked while completing the Witch Queen campaign. The Edge of Action is the Titan Glaive; it comes with the ability to shoot a barrier projectile that protects fellow Guardians from damage. The Edge of Concurrence is the Hunter Exotic Glaive which has the ability to shoot out projectile lightning that chains between enemies.
Finally, The Edge of Intent is the Warlock Exotic Glaive, which has the ability to lay down a healing turret. Each exotic Glaive is a strong utility item that would be highly valuable in the right situations. Glaives in general, have seemed to find their place in Destiny 2, but the exotic glaives have become a common appearance in crucible matches for their extra defensive options and low time-to-kill.
Destiny 2 is available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox series X/S, Xbox One, and PC
