Destiny 2 introduced a few new weapons types into the Destiny sandbox. These included Submachine Guns, Linear Fusion Rifles, Trace Rifles, and Grenade Launchers.
Grenade Launchers, in particular, have seen significant changes since the game's inception. Originally, the weapon category dealt little damage and brought little utility to justify using over Rocket Launchers. Since multiple expansions and updates have gone by, Grenade Launchers are considered by many as a fantastic Special and Heavy weapon archetype. While there is a good variety of Grenade Launchers to choose from, some are much better than others. Here are the ten best Grenade Launchers you should be using in Destiny 2.
Updated May 30, 2023, by Charles Burgar: Season of the Deep has added the first Stasis Wave-Frame Grenade Launcher to Destiny 2's sandbox. New Pacific Epitaph has been added to this list, showcasing its amazing perk combinations that make this gun worth chasing in PvE. We've also updated our Forbearance entry to better explain why Chain Reaction is so special on that weapon. Acquisition methods were also updated to include if the weapon is craftable.
10 Regnant
How to obtain: Season of Defiance activities and Engrams; craftable at the Enclave.
While Heavy Grenade Launchers aren't the strongest DPS options right now, Regnant is a fantastic weapon you'll want a good roll of in the event that Rockets or Linears get nerfed. This weapon can roll with the fantastic trait combo of Auto-Loading Holster and Explosive Payload, giving Regnant fantastic burst DPS for slaying Champions or Nightfall bosses. It's not a bad option for the Crucible either, especially since it's craftable.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Auto-Loading Holster, Envious Assassin
- Column Two: Explosive Payload
9 Fighting Lion
How to obtain: Exotic Engrams found through Xur or world drops.
There's a small yet dedicated group of Destiny 2 players that only use the Fighting Lion. This weapon seems subpar at first glance, yet there's one key feature Fighting Lion has over other Grenade Launchers: it uses Primary ammo. And since Primaries now have infinite ammo, this means that you can unleash a barrage of grenades around corners to your heart's content.
Well, there's a catch: this weapon's reload speed is slow. If you can use a GL Loader mod and an Exotic like Ophidian Aspects, Fighting Lion feels like a dream to use in PvE and PvP. But if you are attempting to use this weapon like a Primary, Fighting Lion might disappoint. Give this weapon a try yourself and see if it's up your alley. Once you get used to Fighting Lion, it's hard to put it down.
8 Wilderflight
How to obtain: Spire of the Watcher dungeon.
Tex Mechanica has yet to make a bad weapon. Wilderflight is a double-barreled Special Grenade Launcher tied to a new Double Fire archetype. This GL fires two grenades simultaneously with each trigger pull for twice the impact damage, and you can release the trigger to detonate the grenades mid-flight as with a Lightweight Frame. Your explosion damage is slightly lower on this gun to prevent easy one-taps in the Crucible, but having a wider AoE can prove useful in PvE.
As for perks, you're looking for Demolitionist and Frenzy for PvE. Generating grenade energy while buffing the weapon's reload speed is a sight to behold. The best part is Wilderflight is a Void weapon, allowing you to benefit from Volatile Rounds. This more than makes up for its lack of AoE perks like Chain Reaction.
As for PvP, you're looking for Auto-Loading Holster and Disruption Break. Fire the grenade at the start of a duel, watch your opponent's shields break, then finish them off with a Kinetic weapon that's now dealing 50% more damage. It won't top Explosive Personality or Fighting Lion for blinting—the act of firing a GL before hotswapping to a Primary—but it's a solid choice nonetheless.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Auto-Loading Holster, Demolitionist
- Column Two: Frenzy (PvE), Disruption Break (PvP), Lead from Gold (for double Special builds)
7 Explosive Personality
How to obtain: Occasionally sold by Xur; craftable at the Enclave.
Explosive Personality is one of the best Wave Frame GLs in the game. This Solar Grenade Launcher deals a ton of damage with each shot and even grants its wielder Resilience and damage resistance with each combatant kill.
Auto-Loading Holster and Disruption Break is a solid choice for a utility GL, but you can also turn this weapon into a workhorse with Stats for All and One for All. If you'd rather use Auto-Loading Holster, you can pair that perk with Frenzy for a smooth add-clearing machine. If you love using Special GLs at all, make sure you get a good roll of Explosive Personality.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Auto-Loading Holster, Stats for All
- Column Two: Frenzy, Disruption Break, One for All
6 New Pacific Epitaph
How to obtain: Ghosts of the Deep dungeon.
New Pacific Epitaph is Destiny 2's first Stasis Wave-Frame GL. While this can't roll with Chill Clip or Chain Reaction, this GL does have some unique perk combinations that not many GLs can roll with. The most interesting perk on this weapon is Redirection, giving it a major damage buff against majors and bosses after you've slain a few red bar opponents.
This is perfect for a Wave-Frame GL, as this archetype has no issue killing red bar enemies in the hardest content. Redirection allows it to clear tankier orange bar units with ease. You can pair this with Unrelenting for healing, Lead from Gold to improve its ammo economy, or use Demolitionist to quickly recharge your grenades. As Destiny 2's first Wave-Frame GL in the Kinetic slot, New Pacific Epitaph certainly impresses.
For PvP, this weapon is solid but nothing outstanding. Kill Clip and Harmony are interesting perks to use on a Grenade Launcher such as this, but the added damage isn't enough to make this weapon one-tap Guardians. There are better options for PvP Grenade Launcher users.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Unrelenting, Lead from Gold, Demolitionist
- Column Two: Redirection, Kill Clip or Harmony
5 Harsh Language
How to obtain: Legendary world Engrams.
If you never got a good Deafening Whisper during Beyond Light, fret not. Harsh Language is the second Legendary Void Wave-Frame GL to exist in Destiny 2, and this thing is nothing short of a powerhouse. Wellspring and Destabilizing Rounds is a great pairing for this gun, allowing you to regain ability energy and inflict Volatile with every kill. Bear in mind that Destabilizing Rounds does have an internal cooldown, so don't expect this to replace Volatile Rounds in its entirety.
If you already have Volatile Rounds and value utility, consider using Repulsor Brace in the second trait column instead, providing Void Overshields for killing debuffed targets. And if you don't plan on using this gun with Void, Golden Tricorn is an absurdly powerful damage perk. PvP players can even use Disruption Break for cheesy blint strategies with 120 Hand Cannons and other high-damage guns. Simply put, Harsh Language is a fantastic gun that deserves a place in your loadout.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Wellspring, Envious Assassin, Threat Detector
- Column Two: Destabilizing Rounds, Repulsor Brace, Golden Tricorn
4 Parasite
How to obtain: "Of Queens and Worms" Exotic quest.
Parasite is a Rocket Launcher disguised as a worm-launching GL. It only has one shot in the magazine, yet that single worm is enough to clear an entire wave of enemies. Parasite's main gimmick is Worm's Hunger, a perk that causes your shot to deal more damage and cover a wider area with each kill you land. Kill enough targets, and this worm deals substantial damage, capable of one-shotting Champions or seriously damaging bosses.
The real spice of this weapon comes from its synergy with armor mods. GL loader mods on your boots can give Parasite an auto-loading property, pairing nicely with its Worm's Hunger perk. Kill a few targets, quickly swap to Parasite, fire a shot to disintegrate every enemy near you, and repeat. It's a powerhouse of a PvE weapon for killing Champions and weaker Nightfall bosses. In PvP, however, Parasite is lackluster. Worm's Hunger is tough to build and maintain inside the Crucible and requires too much setup to get the same results as a single Gjallarhorn or Wardcliff Coil rocket.
3 Salvager's Salvo
How to obtain: Purchased from the Exotic Kiosk in the Tower. Costs 75,000 Glimmer, 100 Legendary Shards, 2 Enhancement Prisms, and 1 Ascendant Shard.
Every PvE fan needs to obtain Salvager's Salvo. This weapon might appear to be a Grenade Launcher, but this weapon carries the spirit of Loaded Question. This Grenade Launcher has a devastating set of perks that make it perfect for all PvE content. And if you love direct impacting Guardians with GLs inside PvP, Salvager's Salvo is just as good at that too.
Demolitionist and Chain Reaction make for a fantastic combination, giving this weapon a degree of crowd clearing potential that is usually reserved for Heavy weapons. Demolitionist means you'll always have a grenade at the ready. If you aren't using a grenade build, consider running Ambitious Assassin instead to fire two rounds before needing to reload. This weapon has everything you'd want from a Special weapon.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Demolitionist
- Column Two: Chain Reaction
2 Forbearance
How to obtain: Vow of the Disciple raid; craftable at the Enclave.
Forbearance is the Wave-Frame counterpart to Salvager's Salvo, firing waves of Arc energy with each grenade. We know this list already has quite a few Wave-Frame GLs, but Forbearance is truly special. It starts with this weapon's origin trait: Soul Drinker. Hits with this weapon cause your next reload to heal you slightly. The more targets you hit, the more healing you'll receive.
This healing turns into a miniature version of Unrelenting thanks to this gun's main traits. The star of the show here is Chain Reaction, causing slain targets to violently explode. This perk can trigger itself as well, so one well-placed shot can clear an entire wave of enemies all on its own. You can support this perk with Ambitious Assassin to give Forbearance two shots, sometimes three, if you kill enough targets. And remember that each hit builds up a stronger heal when you reload. All of this comes together to create a Special weapon that's highly ammo-efficient, creates chain explosions with each shot, heals you, and can load multple grenades each reload.
And if all of that wasn't enough, this gun is craftable. You can further enhance these perks to buff Forbearance's stats even further. Simply put, Forbearance is the best Legendary GL in Destiny 2 and easily one of the game's strongest add-clearing tools. Not many Exotic weapons can kill enemies as effortlessly as Forbearance.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Ambitious Assassin, Steady Hands
- Column Two: Chain Reaction
1 Witherhoard
How to obtain: Purchased from the Exotic Kiosk in the Tower. Costs 1 Exotic Cipher, 100,000 Glimmer, 150 Legendary Shards, and 1 Ascendant Shard.
This shouldn't come as a surprise to long-time Destiny 2 players. Witherhoard is S-tier in every activity, every build, and every playstyle imaginable. This Kinetic Grenade Launcher fires low-velocity globs of Taken energy at your foes, expanding into a Taken Blight on impact. Direct impacts will stick the blight onto the target and deal constant damage over time.
It might sound mundane compared to other Exotics, yet the simplicity of Witherhoard is its greatest strength. This Taken Blight can serve as an add-killing machine and single-target weapon simultaneously. It is the most ammo-efficient Grenade Launcher in the game, clears adds, boosts your single-target DPS, and it can help counter the more anchor-heavy meta that's dominating the Crucible. Few Exotics can match Witherhoard's sheer utility.