Destiny 2 Guide - A Look At Some of the Best Vanguard Weapons

In Destiny 2, there are a few core changes to how loot works that undeniably makes it a bit harder to get that one dream weapon, or at least compared to the first Destiny. For starters, every gun now has a static set of perks, so your Pulse Rifle from the Crucible will always be the same as every other Pulse Rifle from the Crucible, and so on and so forth. While this does mean that there will never really be a garbage-tier set of perks that actually make your gun worse than if it never had any perks at all (unless Bungie was in a very unpleasant mood when creating the weapon), it also means that, for the most part, every gun is more or less equally usable. In addition, due to the fact that you can't buy any weapons from any of the vendors, as their loot can only be obtained randomly, it is much harder to actively seek out any weapon that you have your eye on.

Fortunately, the Vanguard in Destiny 2 seems to have felt pity for those who don't want to grind for hours only to get random rewards at every step of the process and thus have a stock of above-average (even by Destiny 2 standards) weapons that you can get your hands on by playing a few Strikes every once in a while. In a sea of mediocrity, the Vanguard have arguably the most well-rounded weapon archetypes that can be used for almost every activity, with some of the best perks that can possibly be obtained for that weapon archetype, so if you're looking for some reliable firearms, look no further than the Vanguard.

Nameless Midnight

Obtained by progressing through the main questline and completing two Strikes for Zavala as part of a Milestone

Notable perks: Explosive Payload

Scout Rifles are in a very good place in Destiny 2, being one of if not the most well-rounded types of weapons in the game. They are very ammo-efficient, they tend to hit hard enough so that you can kill every standard enemy in the game with just a couple of headshots, and they are generally quite usable in the Crucible. Among the more common Scout Rifles though, none stand out more than the Nameless Midnight, and that's not just because it has explosive bullets. It has a comfortable fire rate of 180 rounds per minute—which is only 20 less than the Exotic MIDA Multi-Tool—a decent selection of scopes, and a fair magazine size. In addition, the recoil is extremely manageable, so it's rather difficult to miss a volley of shots unless you are getting shot as well. If nothing else, even if the Nameless Midnight were to have no perks whatsoever, it is easily obtainable as a quest reward, so there is really no reason not to give it a chance.

Nightshade

Obtained by progressing through the main questline and completing two Strikes for Zavala as part of a Milestone

While Pulse Rifles may not be as well-rounded anymore in Destiny 2 due to the larger maps of Crucible, they are still a very solid choice if you're looking for a more close-range option. Of the wide selection of Pulse Rifles that are available to you, there are few that are as satisfying to use as the Nightshade. The blistering fire rate of 450 rounds per minute is very reminiscent of Halo 2's BR, and with its 33 round magazine, you're not going to be forced to reload every time you kill an enemy. The Nightshade may not have any particularly amazing perks, but the perks that it does have offer a fair increase in stats across the board, the most notable of which is its above average ability to mitigate recoil. Kill Clip, which increases the gun's damage if you reload after a kill, is nice to have if you need to mow down waves of adds, though it can potentially save your life in the Crucible as well by giving you an unexpected burst of damage. Once again, it is easily obtainable as a quest reward, so there is really no reason not give it a chance, but that's just icing on the cake.

Deadpan Delivery

Obtained via random drop by leveling up with the Vanguard (in other words, do Strikes)

Notable perks: Accurized Rounds

When you use a shotgun in Destiny 2, you're looking for two things: extreme amounts of damage that can stop an enemy in its tracks and a reasonable amount of range that won't get you killed if you misjudge the distance between you and an enemy by a couple of inches. The Vanguard's Deadpan Delivery offers both of these traits in spades, with not one but two range-increasing perks and a naturally high damage output. The rate of fire is somewhat lacking, but it won't matter when whatever you aim at dies. If, or rather when, your health drops down to dangerous levels, the Deadpan Delivery even reloads itself. The only downside is that you can't count on getting the weapon in any consistent manner as its ability to manifest itself in your inventory is entirely dependent on RNG.

Main Ingredient

Obtained via random drop by leveling up with the Vanguard (in other words, do Strikes)

If you're looking for a no-frills Fusion Rifle in Destiny 2 that offers consistently high stats for almost every category, then the Vanguard's Main Ingredient may be the weapon for you. It is a high-impact Fusion Rifle, so getting acquainted with the relatively slow charge time is a must to effectively use the weapon, but the amount of damage the Main Ingredient can do is almost unparalleled; only a couple of the weapon's bolts have to connect in the Crucible to eviscerate your fellow human players. You can choose to increase its damage further via the Liquid Coils perk, but once again, the main draw of the Main Ingredient is its high base stats. You're not going to be finding this weapon out in the wild, but it may be worth it to grind a few strikes to try to get this high-damage Fusion Rifle.