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Destiny 2 players always have a soft spot thanks to their fantastic introduction in Destiny 1 and their continued streak of being great heavy weapons. However, Sword usage would either spike or decline as the game progressed, depending on the activities available in a Season. Swords are a solid option in the current sandbox but not a priority, unlike in previous Seasons. With that in mind, it’s time to discuss the best Swords for PvE & PvP in Destiny 2.
Best Swords for PvE in Destiny 2 (Season of Defiance)
LMGs | How to Obtain | Drop Rate |
Caretaker | Obtained from completing Season of Defiance activities. | Not Guaranteed |
Falling Guillotine | Obtained by purchasing from Banshee. | Only When Featured. |
Bequest | Obtained from defeating Taniks in the Deep Stone Crypt Raid. | Not Guaranteed |
Throne Cleaver | Obtained from completing Season of Defiance activities. | Not Guaranteed |
Lament | Obtained by purchasing from Exotic Kiosk. | Guaranteed |
Half Truths | Obtained from completing Dares of Eternity. | Not Guaranteed |
Hero of Ages | Obtained by completing encounters in the Grasp of Avarice Dungeon. | Not Guaranteed |
The Other Half | Obtained from completing Dares of Eternity. | Not Guaranteed |
Heartshadow | Obtained from completing encounters in the Duality Dungeon. | Not Guaranteed |
Crown Splitter | Obtained by purchasing from Banshee. | Only When Featured. |
Swords are currently in an odd place in the Season of Defiance sandbox, and they aren’t insufficient to use by any means for most PvE content in the game. However, like Shotguns or Sidearms, when Power Level is enabled in specific activities, running up to an enemy with a Sword isn’t the most fantastic idea when they can easily one-shot a player.
For Swords to be effective in high-end endgame content, a player would need a top-tier build that either gives them damage reduction or instant health back. That said, they’re still an excellent choice for ad clear in regular content or movement purposes.
The Other Half continues its reign as the best movement tool in the game with the infamous Eager Edge perk, giving players that quick speed boost when running around from location to location. While it’s mainly used for movement, it’s also a solid option to use in a Void build if the player has Volatile Rounds with it.
Recently introduced in the Season of Defiance, the Caretaker Sword is an excellent option for Solar builds rocking the Incandescent perk so players can scorch their enemies to dust. The same applies to the infamous Throne Clear Legendary Sword, which is making its long-awaited return from the Season of Opulence.
The powerful Exotic Sword, Lament, is still viable for DPS purposes against tough bosses like Atraks from the Deep Stone Crypt Raid.
Overall, Swords in PvE could use a proper buff once more, as they cannot reproduce what other heavy weapons like LMGs or Rockets can under most situations.
Best Swords for PvP in Destiny 2 (Season of Defiance)
LMGs | How to Obtain | Drop Rate |
Caretaker | Obtained from completing Season of Defiance activities. | Not Guaranteed |
Falling Guillotine | Obtained by purchasing from Banshee. | Only When Featured. |
Bequest | Obtained from defeating Taniks in the Deep Stone Crypt Raid. | Not Guaranteed |
Throne Cleaver | Obtained from completing Season of Defiance activities. | Not Guaranteed |
Black Talon | Obtained by purchasing from Exotic Kiosk. | Guaranteed |
Half Truths | Obtained from completing Dares of Eternity. | Not Guaranteed |
Hero of Ages | Obtained by completing encounters in the Grasp of Avarice Dungeon. | Not Guaranteed |
The Other Half | Obtained from completing Dares of Eternity. | Not Guaranteed |
Heartshadow | Obtained from completing encounters in the Duality Dungeon. | Not Guaranteed |
Crown Splitter | Obtained by purchasing from Banshee. | Only When Featured. |
Swords in PvP more or less serve the same purpose as other heavy weapons, where it’s hard to judge them due to their lack of usage properly. They’re by no means a bad option but not “the best” to use either, as LMGs are a far better option under most circumstances.
That said, the best options to use in PvP would be the Exotic Black Talon, The Other Half, or the Half Truths Swords with the Eager Edge perk. Black Talon allows the user to throw a projectile at the enemy, which will one-shot them, while The Other Half or Half Truths can be used to blitz an opposing team at high-speed thanks to Eager’s Edge.
Overall, Swords in PvP are a solid option but fall to the wayside in the wake of Grenade Launchers or LMGs.