Bows are classic and beautiful weapons of choice that regardless have been difficult to implement inDestiny 2due to their slow rate of fire. It would be difficult to see a reality where most players would be using a bow as their primary weapon, without Bungie having some sort of artifact mod in place to enforce their usage. This alone goes to show that bows have been in a precarious state for some time now.
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Though bows have their limited uses mostly in either some PVP scenarios or high-end PVE activities like Grandmaster Nightfalls that force certain champion mods on players, a recent TWAB published by Bungie has given a couple of Exotic bows intrinsic anti-champion capacities and made them far more interesting options in endgame PVE. With season 18 on the horizon as well and bows have been weak for a few seasons now, there’s a possibility this archetype is also returning. With this in mind, here areDestiny 2’sbest bowsavailable as of now.
Updated on June 12, 2025, by Anastasia Maillot:Bows still need quite a bit of help in Destiny 2, even in the early era of Lightfall. While Season of Defiance has introduced two new bows into the game, the PVE meta still favors weapons like grenade launchers and SMGs far more than combat bows. That being said, since Bungie has increased the difficulty of endgame PVE content and running the right weapons and the right subclasses to match surges and overcharges is key especially for solo players, having good rolls of certain weapon archetypes is more important than ever. As such, this ranking of thebest bows in Destiny 2: Lightfallhas been updated to include a few new picks, and older entries have received a brush-up regarding any nerfs of buffs they may have endured.
16Verglas Curve
Newin forLightfallis the Exotic bow Verglas Curve, which is a Stasis bow perfect for any Stasis-centric builds. Any final blows will charge the Verglas Curve with special Stasis bolts that can be fired from the hip to freeze enemies, as well as spawn crystals. The crystals alone make the bow worthwhile as a primary weapon option for Stasis builds.
The weapon also comes with a Catalyst quest, which is highly recommended to complete to get a slight boost to draw time whenever Verglas Curve’s Stasis bolts freeze targets. It’s a small quality-of-life improvement for an otherwise somewhat heavy-feeling bow, but one that is already making waves in Stasis builds around the community.
15Tripwire Canary
In the selection of Arc weapons, Tripwire Canary is a decent Arc bow option for players who were around during season 19 just beforeLightfall. But worry not, because Tripwire Canary is also likely to appear in Banshee-44’s weapon selection at some point, given that he has previously sold items from Season of the Riseand Season of the Seraph. So, keep an eye out for this one, just in case.
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Ideally, PVE players will want to try and get the Explosive Head and Dragonfly combination to increase this weapon’s ad-clearing capabilities. In any activity where Arc surge is a part of the gameplay, it might be a good idea to have Tripwire Canary around as an option, especially if bows are the seasonal flavor of anti-champion weapons.
14Raconteur
Back to Stasis,the Season of Defiance weapon poolintroduced a Legendary Stasis bow called Raconteur. An alternative for this one would be the Lunulata world drop, but since players can craft the Raconteur and get the perks they want quite easily, it deserves its spot on this list over a randomized world drop.
Raconteur can roll with Headstone, which makes it an interesting pick for any Stasis builds. Its downside is the Origin Trait which doesn’t necessarily pair well with combat bows in general, increasing handling and reload speed when players assist their teammates with buffs, revives, and healing.
13Hierarchy Of Needs
This Exotic combat bow that comes in Solar is the newest and probably the strongest addition to the bow category inDestiny 2. It drops as the dungeon Exoticfrom the final boss of Spire of the Watcher, so some degree of RNG is required to get this weapon. That said, it’s well worth the grind, and with a few Triumphs unlocked, players can increase their chances of getting it from the dungeon.
Hierarchy of Needs charges a Guidance Ring when damage is dealt with it. Once charged, players can shoot the ring in the air, and shooting through this ring creates seeking projectiles that track to enemies and deal more damage. Pair this up with a catalyst that boosts the bow’s draw time and reload speed, and it’s quite a beastly tool despite being a combat bow.
The damage from Hierarchy of Needs is so good that it was disabled for the world’s first race of Root of Nightmares, which goes to show that it’s a must-have primary Exotic weapon for those moments when players are unable to find enough heavy ammo to deal with a boss and need to switch to a primary Exotic instead.
12Whistler’s Whim
Whistler’s Whim was the talk of the community at the beginning of Season of the Plunder. It showed a lot of promise for a simple combat bow, which comes in the Kinetic form in the first weapon slot. The downside is, players would have to grind Trials of Osiris to even get a chance of this weapon dropping, and Adept versions required players to reach the Lighthouse on its respective week.
Following the season 19 nerfs introduced to Kill Clip, its previous godroll may not be as good as it once used to be. That said, it still has a few great perks worth playing around with, namely Rangefinder and Adrenaline Junkie.
11Strident Whistle
Weapons with Incandescent are always an interesting pick, especially for any Solar subclasses. Bows won’t typically make an appearance in most seasonal content, but when Grandmaster Nightfalls roll around, players will need to sometimes dig deep in their vaults to find weapons that match the anti-championmods of the season.
Strident Whistle is the perfect pair for any Solar builds thanks to its ability to gain the highly coveted Incandescent perk. It may seem like a humble world drop, but it might be worth keeping a Strident Whistle with Incandescent around for any future occasions.
10Whispering Slab
The Whispering Slab is an older weapon inDestiny 2but is nothing to scoff at. In fact, its strength as a bow comes from the fact that it can be slotted into the Kinetic weapon slot, which is a rarity when it comes to the majority of bows. Kinetic bows are sort of a necessity every player should have at least one, for endgame PVE purposes.
This bow has a lightweight frame, which also increases its appeal. Players will be able to draw it fast and move quickly with it equipped, and when that’s paired with some of the perks it can drop it, it’s hard to say no to it. For PVE purposes, Vorpal Weapon is a must-have and can be paired with Archer’s Tempo for a draw-time boost. In order to get this bow, keep an eye out for the Dares of Eternity loot pool rotation, as well as on Xur’s inventory when he arrives on Fridays to sell his wares.
9Under Your Skin
Introduced in season 16, Under Your Skin is a fantastic Void combat bow that is occasionally sold by Banshee-44 now that a year has passed since its introduction. Players who crafted this back in Season of the Risen will want to level it for its remarkable perks.
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Now, the downside with this bow is its long draw time, but it does do increased damage. To counteract its long draw time, players should get the Archer’s Tempo perk in the first column, and Explosive Head in the second. Explosive Head pairs wonderfully with any Void builds that include Volatile Rounds—perfect for Season of Defiance where Volatile Flow is a passive artifact perk.
8Wish-Ender
On to some Exotic bows now, the Wish-Ender is a weapon that players can unlockby completing its unique quest in the Shattered Throne dungeonlocated in the Dreaming City. The Wish-Ender is a pretty heavy Exotic bow and has a significant draw time, which can make it feel sluggish, but it does deserve its spot on this list for several reasons.
First of all, its unique perk allows it to see through walls when the player draws the bow fully. This is a niche feature but can be helpful in some endgame PVE, especially since the Wish-Ender is now also receiving an intrinsic anti-barrier trait, making it ideal for Grandmaster Nightfalls. It also gained an increased damage buff in 2022, which is why it’s one of the best weapons to pull out for any endgame Lost Sectors or Nightfalls.
Better yet, the Wish-Ender naturally does additional damage against Taken enemies, so when brought along to any activities that feature Taken.
7Le Monarque
Another Exotic bow that’s much more famous is Le Monarque, which comes in the flavor of Void in the Energy weapon slot. Typically, this bow has seen a ton of use in PVP, due to its ability to poison enemies on hit and therefore hinder their health regeneration. It’s likely Le Monarque will remain a favorite in PVP as well due to this very reason.
That said, PVE players shouldn’t forget about this Exotic either, because Bungie is determined to make Le Monarque more interesting in endgame PVE content as well. It received an intrinsic anti-Overload perk in 2022, which means it can be a fantastic addition to a player’s arsenal when tackling those pesky Overload champions.
