As a passionate Destiny 2 player with over 500 hours logged, I‘ve had the pleasure of testing out many exotic and legendary rocket launchers across PvE and PvP. Afterrecent buffs to rocket launchers and new additions like the Hezen Vengeance from Vault of Glass, the rocket launcher meta has changed significantly.
In this guide, I‘ll be counting down the 10 best rocket launchers for both PvE and PvP, analyzing their unique perks, stats, how to obtain them, and what makes them stand out from the competition. Whether you prefer aggressive tracking to take down evasive opponents in the Crucible, maximum blast radius to clear out hordes of enemies in PvE, or simple raw damage to melt bosses, there‘s something for everyone here.
Let‘s jump in!
10. Heretic
The Heretic is an aggressive frame legendary rocket launcher from the Pit of Heresy dungeon. It stands out for its cluster bomb perk which causes rockets to split into smaller explosives on detonation.
This extra area-of-effect damage makes the Heretic excel at clearing out large groups of minor enemies in PvE. It also rolls with tracking module for hitting slippery targets. The major downside is its recoil direction of 68, making it trickier to control.
Overall, the Heretic is a great legendary option for PvE ad clear, but recoil and slower reload make it less viable in PvP.
9. Code Duello
Available from Battlegrounds and world drops, Code Duello is a precision frame rocket launcher packing a hefty punch. It can roll perks like Lasting Impression which attaches sticky void detonators on direct impacts for huge damage.
Code Duello has excellent base stats like velocity, blast radius, and aim assist. The main drawback is stability — it has sideways recoil requiring you to adjust your aim between shots. Still, it‘s a fantastic legendary choice, especially for Nightfalls and other PvE content.
8. Tomorrow‘s Answer
This adaptive frame Nightfall-exclusive rocket launcher shines in PvP with perks like Tracking Module and Clown Cartridge. The tracking helps finish off wounded Guardians who attempt to flee behind cover. And Clown Cartridge overflows your magazine for extra rockets downrange.
With good velocity and blast radius paired with Tracking Module‘s slight auto-aim, Tomorrow‘s Answer is one of the most consistent performing rocket launchers in PvP.
7. Royal Entry
The Royal Entry precision frame rocket can roll the coveted Clown Cartridge and Lasting Impression perks for serious damage, especially when combined with a boss spec mod. It also has intrinsic tracking for hitting PvE targets.
While it lacks the velocity and blast radius of aggressive frames, Royal Entry makes up for it with excellent handling, allowing you to fire off rounds rapidly or quickly switch to another weapon. Fast follow up shots make it incredibly deadly in the Crucible too.
Overall, Royal Entry competes with top-tier exotics when you land the right rolls.
6. Deathbringer
This void exotic rocket launcher has a unique perk that allows you to remotely detonate projectiles mid-flight for aerial barrages. It also unleashes a volley of tracking void orbs on detonation which aggressively seek nearby enemies.
Deathbringer‘s indirect firing style gives it lethal area denial and damage over time, all while allowing you to remain safely behind cover. The recent 25% damage buff and increase to the void orb‘s tracking distance has made Deathbringer a top tier add clearing machine. It‘s especially nasty when combined with Orpheus Rig Nightstalkers.
5. Two-Tailed Fox
This fiery exotic simultaneously launches solar and void rockets for energy draining and burning fireworks. It received a massive 70% damage buff in Season of Plunder, cementing its spot as one of the best single target DPS heavy weapons in the game.
The solar rocket applies scorch stacks while the void rocket suppresses abilities. Together they melt through majors and bosses with additional vulnerability. Champion mods like Overload Rockets boost the suppression further.
While the Two-Tailed Fox has limited ammo, it‘s offset by respectable damage once you learn to leverage both rocket types for fiery detonations.
4. Eyes of Tomorrow
This impressive exotic from the Deep Stone Crypt raid unleashes a volley of 6 tracking rockets per shot for carpet bombing destruction. It essentially guarantees a kill each trigger pull in PvP — there‘s no escaping the swarm.
The rockets gain increased blast radius as you rack up kills, allowing you to quickly clear out packs of minor enemies between reloads. It also gets a 20% buff against powerful combatants in PvE end game content.
While the Eyes of Tomorrow takes some getting used to, once mastered, it‘s incredible at ad clear and shutting down roaming supers before they cause trouble. The downside is consuming your full reserves in 2 shots.
3. Hezen Vengeance
This aggressive frame raid rocket launcher drops from beating Templar in Vault of Glass. It can roll perks like Overflow, Cluster Bomb, Tracking Module, Impulse Amplifier and the coveted Vorpal Weapon.
Hezen Vengeance brings the pain in both PvP and PvE — it one shots guardians in Crucible if you land direct impacts. And Vorpal Weapon shreds majors while clusters clean up weaker red bars. With the right rolls it‘s a monster for DPS.
The intrinsic tracking gives it an edge over popularlegendaries like Royal Entry. While Hezen Vengeance lackslasting impression, the sheer damage and velocity put it a cut abovethe rest. It‘s the undisputed kingof legendary rocket launchers.
2. Wardcliff Coil
This exotic heavy shotgun fires volleys of mini rocketsthat aggressively track targets behind cover. It‘s devastating in PvP — easily netting multikills if enemies cluster together.
Recent buffs also increased its damage against bosses making it formidable for burning strike bosses and primevals in Gambit too. And with catalyst, its potential only grows.
The main limiting factor is heavy ammo reserves. You burn through shells rapidly. But if you learn to time shots for maximum effect, Wardcliff tears through packs of enemies like no other heavy. It‘s explosive ad clear abilities make it a popular Gambit invader choice for a reason.
1. Gjallarhorn
If there‘s one rocket that deserves the top spot for both PvE and PvP, it‘s Gjallarhorn. This fan favorite exotic from Destiny 1 returns with tracking Wolfpack rounds that still melt bosses faster than any other weapon.
Gjally greatly benefits your fireteam‘s damage output against raid bosses and champions. Plus recent changes allow the Wolfpack rounds to stack with weapon damage buffs like Well of Radiance for extreme DPS.
While exotic primaries like Outbreak Perfected and Vex Mythoclast output higher raw damage numbers, nothing compares to Gjallarhorn‘s ease of use and the extra firepower it brings to your fireteam‘s arsenal. It‘s worth every Ascendant Shard!
