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Summary
As with every new release inDestiny 2, Episode Heresy has brought a host of new and returning weapons for players to obtain over and over while searching for their perfect perk combination. With this newest release, Bungie has brought back the “shiny” weapon hunt; the new episodic weapons can drop with pre-masterworked rolls with multiple perks and a unique aesthetic. On top of this, all the episodic weapons can drop as Adept weapons, allowing them to slot adept weapon mods, while also having the King’s Fall raid origin trait, Runneth Over, present.
This list looks at all the new legendary weapons from the episode, with more to come with each act in the episode.Each of these weapons brings fun new perk combinations, or new perks entirely, and players are bound to find their vaults full of rolls of each one. This list ranks them in terms of relative power in comparison to what already exists in the game, and where they lie within the current meta.
Updated June 18, 2025, by Luke Brown:
With the release of Act 2 of Episode Heresy five new weapons were added to the episodic loot pool. Each of these weapons brings something new to the game, as well as giving players new loot to chase for in the Court of Blades activity, with some being more desirable than others. See below how they compare to the weapons of Act 1, as well as each other, and how they fare in the overall meta the game is currently in.
10Abyssal Edge
Strand Wave Frame Sword
Abyssal Edge is one of two heavy ammo Wave Frame swords, the other beingSummum Bonum from the Salvation’s Edge raid. As such, this is a great opportunity for more players to try out this fun weapon type, and find plenty of success with it. Despite being a unique weapon, Abyssal Edge doesn’t have a place in the current meta, thanks to the prevalence of Linear Fusion rifles and Grenade Launchers, and the lack of sword-based artifact mods in this episode.
The best perks for a player to hunt for on Abyssal Edge are Slice or Relentless Strikes, one offering an easy debuff on an enemy, the other offering ammo refunds on successive strikes. Both of these pair well with Surrounded or En Garde, which both offer a decent damage bonus. Surrounded is the best buff the weapon can get if the player can consistently activate it.
9Division
Arc Heavy Burst Sidearm
Despite playing well into the Episode Heresy artifact perks that utilize Arc damage and subclass verbs, Division falls short of many of the other weapons released in this episode. Many guardians will only look in the direction of a sidearm if it’s a Rocket Assisted Frame, which the Division isn’t. If a player does choose to use this weapon, however, it has the potential to be a room-clearing powerhouse if using Voltshot, which also plays into the episodic artifact and pairs well with Eddy Current.
If a player wants a more traditional damage roll, Pugilist and Sword Logic work well together in building up stacks of Sword Logic and consistently refunding melee energy and ammo, allowing for good upkeep on the possible 50% damage bonus from Sword Logic. Division is the sidearm equivalent of the fan-favorite Ikelos SMG, yet it doesn’t compare to the host of Volshot weapons already available in the game.
8Afterlight
Void Adaptive Frame Fusion Rifle
Afterlight is possibly the most accessible Void damage fusion rifle, which puts it in a great position for Episode Heresy thanks to the Void-focused artifact perks and Particle Reconstruction all making this weapon feel great in most content. Where Afterlight falls behind other fusion rifles is its identity as an ad-clear weapon as opposed to one predominantly used for single-target damage.
If a player wants to lean into the enemy-slaying identity of this weapon, combining either Ambitious Assassin or Lead From Gold with Destabilizing Rounds with this episode’s perks can cause an unbelievable amount of volatile explosions and weakening bursts spreading across a room. If a pure damage roll is preferred, Ambitious Assassin and Reservoir Burst is the closest this gun sees to a traditional DPS roll, however, there is a whole retinue of more powerful boss damage fusion rifles available in the game already.
7Watchful Eye
Arc Aggressive Frame Machine Gun
From this point on, all the weapons mentioned are great, and stand out within their respective archetypes, with each having a clear place in the meta. The Watchful Eye is a fantastic addition to the Aggressive Frame family,. Unlike these other examples, however, Watchful Eye is Arc and is by far the easiest Arc machine gun to attain.
The best perks available on the Watchful Eye include Overflow or Field Prep, which either overflow the magazine or increase reload speed and bump up reserve ammo respectively. Pairing these with Jolting Feedback allows Watchful Eye to not only thrive in general, normal enemy destruction but also offers it a roll to play in a damage rotation,able to easily activate jolt on a boss.
6Mirror Imago
Strand Adaptive Frame Submachine Gun
Mirror Imago is another one of few in its identity as a Strand SMG and feels underwhelming in PvE content when compared to Imminence, its older sibling that drops from the Salvation’s Edge raid. While Imminence is the better choice for players looking for an SMG to slot into a Strand build, Mirror Imago is infinitely more accessible thanks to dropping from episodic content as well as being focusable through the Tome of Want.
In terms of rolls, Mirror Imago can be used as a general ad-clearing weapon with a roll like Overflow or Subsistence and Sword Logic allowing for increased ammo capacity and up to a 50% damage increase. If a player wants to lean into the Strand synergy, using a roll like Recycled Energy and Hatchling not only helps refresh abilities but also consistently spawns Strand Threadlings which can cause havoc across the battlefield.
5Adamantite
Strand Support Frame Auto Rifle
Yet another 1-of-2 weapon from Episode Heresy, Adamantite, is the second Support Frame auto rifle to grace the game and feels just as good as its Solar sibling. Similar toNo Hesitation, Adamantite has access to a roll that is hyper-focused on playing the support roll, with Reciprocity and Circle of Life benefitting the wielder for healing their allies.
It also has a roll with access to elemental synergy perks, with Slice and Tear or Hatchling providing sever and threadlings upon getting kills and dealing damage. Whether a player wants to zone in on the support fantasy or simply wants a gun to swap to when Rufus’s Fury gets boring, Adamantite feels great to shoot and is the Swiss-army knife of the Support Frame world.
4Anamnesis
Void Lightweight Frame Bow
Anamnesis is one of the very few Void bows inDestiny 2and the only one that can roll with Demoralize, making it a unique tool for players who enjoy harder content. Demoralize works in a similar way to Destabilizing Rounds, however, instead of spreading Volatile it instead spreads the Void debuff weaken, which can be quite potent in end-game PvE content.
Combining either Demoralize or Destabilizing Rounds with Repulsor Brace allows for a standard Void setup seen on many Void weapons, however, this weapon also rolls with Dragonfly and Archer’s Tempo which both offer this weapon a unique feeling when compared to other Void weapons. Combining Dragonfly with Demoralize or Destabilizing Rounds and the episodic artifact perks can cause a huge Void explosion which then spreads either weaken or volatile around the room, making for some powerful Void flavor mayhem.
3Eyes Unveiled
Void Precision Frame Linear Fusion Rifle
With Heresy bringing several fusion and linear fusion rifle mods and changes, Eyes Unveiled is set up to thrive for at least the next several months while players scour the game for the new damage meta.While Precision Frame linear fusion rifles aren’t the current chase, Eyes Unveiled is an easily available damage option that has two rolls that serve very specific rolls within a damage rotation.
With either Overflow or Triple Tap, a player can either double their magazine size upon ammo pickup or consistently refill their magazine upon hitting three consecutive precision hits. The main damage perk available on Eyes Unveiled is Reservoir Burst, which greatly benefits from the magazine overflowing capabilities of Overflow, dealing increased damage while the magazine is full or overflowed. The other clear option for this liner fusion is Withering Gaze, allowing a player to weaken an enemy on command, for the low price of simply aiming down sights for a moment before shooting.
2Refusal Of The Call
Strand Adaptive Frame Glaive
Refusal of the Call is yet another one-of-a-kind weapon on this list, being the only Strand glaive currently available, which already makes it a must-have for anyDestinycompletionist. Outside its unique position, Refusal of the Call can also roll with some great perks, making it a monster of a glaive for tearing through smaller enemies and dealing heavy damage to larger ones.
Discord and Envious Assassin both provide benefits for the playing getting kills with other weapons before switching to this glaive, with Discord refunding ammo after kills and Envious Assassin overflowing the magazine. Combining these with Sword Logic makes for a powerful weapon that can output a lot of damage, or a player could go for Close to Melee which causes projectile kills with the glaive to increase the damage of melee attacks. Another option is Slice in the first column, taking advantage of the Strand damage type to spread sever to enemies after using a class ability.
1Psychopomp
Arc Area Denial Frame Grenade Launcher
The final and best weapon from Heresy so far is Psychopomp, a new Area Denial frame grenade launcher that takes special ammo and pumps out large fields of damaging flames. Psychopomp is the first Arc Area Denial grenade launcher, putting it in competition with both the VS Velocity Baton, a Void Area Denial frame, andForbearance, the king of Arc grenade ad-clear.
Psychopomp occupies a different role to both of these. While VS Velocity Baton is best used as an orb of power generation tool, and Forbearance is best used as a room-clearing machine, Psychopomp is best used as a grenade energy generation or a Bolt Charge build up tool. While it may not be as destructive as other Area Denial frames, it enables an empowered Arc subclass build which will be potent within the meta this episode, thanks to the episodic artifact and new Arc subclass aspects.
