What Is a Kinetic Weapon in Destiny 2?

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Some Guardians want to know the difference between a Kinetic Weapon and other weapons in Destiny 2. Destiny 2 is known for having a large selection of armaments — an overwhelming number, to be honest. Yet each Scout Rifle, Grenade Launcher, or Sniper Rifle offers unique stats, abilities, and other practical mechanics for combat. With so many weapons in the game, it’s understandable if newer Guardians struggle to note the key differences between all of them. Kinetic Weapons in Destiny 2 serve a specific function in the game, being more useful in certain situations than the other weapons’ types.

How Can You Tell When a Weapon Is Kinetic in Destiny 2?

Image Source: Bungie via Screenshot by Nerd Stash

There are Kinetic Weapons and Energy Weapons in Destiny 2. To tell the difference between a Kinetic and an Energy weapon by the color of the weapon’s power level in the menu selection. The weapon doesn’t use any elemental damage if the power level is white. Non-elemental weapons are classified as Kinetic weapons.

What Do Kinetic Weapons Do in Destiny 2?

Whereas Energy Weapons have unique elemental powers and damage output, Kinetic Weapons are much more valuable against foes will little defense.

Arc, Void, and Solar are the three elemental types tied to Energy Weapons in Destiny 2. Energy Weapons are needed to go through enemies’ shields. Each enemy shield is connected to one of the elements. If you use the matching Energy Weapon to the shield, then that protection will get dispelled faster.

However, Energy Weapons are much weaker than Kinetic Weapons in PvE content. While Energy Weapons are good against shielded enemies, they cause less damage to unshielded enemies. Kinetic Weapons will cause more damage to enemies who’ve lost their protection.

When using a Kinetic Weapon against a shielded enemy, it will take you twice as long to go through the shield. A top-tier strategy would be to take out an Energy Weapon with an element type that matches the shield to remove its protective barrier. Afterward, you can switch back to a Kinetic Weapon to mow down the foe.

If you have a strong enough Kinetic Weapon, you may still be able to shoot down a shield without much trouble. Of course, the situation might differ if you’re facing a powerful enemy. Likewise, if you have a buffed Energy Weapon, you can deal damage equivalent to a Kinetic Weapon. Nonetheless, the best strategy is generally to use Kinetic against unshielded enemies and use Energy against shielded ones.

There’s also a third group of weapons called the Power Weapons. Power Weapons are heavy weapons that use rare ammo and can deal a large amount of damage against a group of enemies.