Submachine Guns (SMGs) in Destiny 2 The Final Shape are highly valuable for PvE and PvP due to their high damage output and ease of use.
Compared to other weapon types, SMGs strike a balance between the power of shotguns and the precision of hand cannons. While they might lack the range of scout rifles or pulse rifles, their superior handling and quick DPS make up for it.
Best Submachine Guns for PvE: Top-5 Tier List
SMGs that have perks boosting reload speed or increasing damage after kills are especially valuable because they keep you in the fight longer without needing to reload often.
If the SMG also has elemental damage, it can be even more effective when paired with specific builds.
Overall, a good PvE submachine gun should be reliable, fast, and able to handle the constant flow of enemies you face in most PvE activities.
Shayura’s Wrath: Top-1 SMG for Void Builds
| Weapon Name: | Shayura’s Wrath |
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| Archetype: | Precision |
| Rarity: | Legendary |
| What Makes it a Meta Weapon? | Shayura’s Wrath is a highly regarded SMG in Destiny 2. As a Legendary weapon, it boasts a Void damage type and a rate of fire of 600 rounds per minute. The weapon’s handling and reload speed are also respectable, at 34 and 32 respectively, allowing for quick weapon swaps and efficient reloading.
One of the standout features of Shayura’s Wrath is its hidden stats, which include an aim assistance of 60 and an inventory size of 24. These attributes make it easier to land critical hits and provide ample space for additional weapons and equipment. The weapon’s zoom of 17 further enhances its effectiveness in combat. |
| How to Get it? | To get Shayura’s Wrath, you can obtain it from any Trials of Osiris Reward source, including the Weekly challenges for winning 7 matches and winning rounds, or from Trials engrams. The Adept version can only be earned by completing a flawless Trials of Osiris Passage by winning 7 matches without losing or by getting through a Passage of Persistence. |
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Ikelos_SMG-V1.0.3: Best Arc SMG
| Weapon Name: | IKELOS_SMG_v1.0.3 |
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| Archetype: | Precision |
| Rarity: | Legendary |
| What Makes it a Meta Weapon? | The IKELOS_SMG_v1.0.3 is an aggressive frame smg, which means it has a high impact and moderate rate of fire. This makes it a great weapon for taking down tougher enemies quickly.
As an arc weapon, the IKELOS_SMG_v1.0.3 can proc Voltshot, an intrinsic perk that causes chain lightning to jump between enemies. This makes it particularly effective in crowds of enemies. Some of the most popular perks on the IKELOS_SMG_v1.0.3 include Vorpal Weapon, which increases damage against bosses and vehicles, and Subsistence, which causes the magazine to reload faster when the weapon deals damage. |
| How to Get it? | To obtain the IKELOS_SMG_v1.0.3, players need to complete the Operation: Seraph’s Shield mission. Each completion of the mission on Normal or Legendary difficulty will award the Exotic Deepsight weapon associated with the mission, intrinsic upgrades, or a Catalyst upgrade for the crafted Exotic weapon. |
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Calus Mini-Tool: Great Craftable SMG
| Weapon Name: | Calus Mini-Tool |
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| Archetype: | MIDA Synergy |
| Rarity: | Legendary |
| What Makes it a Meta Weapon? | The Calus Mini-Tool in Destiny 2 is a highly regarded Solar damage Submachine Gun that utilizes Primary Ammo. It boasts impressive Stability and Handling stats, making it a reliable and efficient weapon in various combat situations.
The weapon’s appeal lies in its unique perks, such as Incandescent, which synergizes well with Solar 3.0 rework. It has a PvE-focused god roll with the Incandescent perk, which causes enemies to explode when defeated, igniting them and nearby targets. The PvP god roll features Moving Target and Tap the Trigger perks, enhancing target acquisition and stability while firing from the hip. |
| How to Get it? | To get the CALUS Mini-Tool, you can farm the Presage Exotic mission on any difficulty setting, which is part of the Exotic Mission Rotator. It is craftable after finding 5 red border versions. Farming this weapon requires ownership of either the Beyond Light DLC or Season of the Chosen. |
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Riskrunner: The Best Arc SMG
| Weapon Name: | Riskrunner |
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| Rarity: | Exotic |
| What Makes it a Meta Weapon? | Riskrunner is an excellent choice for PvE activities due to its unique perk, Arc Conductor, which makes the weapon more powerful and resistant to Arc damage when taking Arc damage. Superconductor causes shots to chain lightning and return ammo when Arc Conductor is active. This weapon excels in add-clearing and can be very effective in situations with consistent Arc damage. |
| How to Get it? | It can be obtained from Exotic engrams or extremely rare world drops. |
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Prolonged Engagement: Great Strand SMG
| Weapon Name: | Prolonged Engagement |
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| Archetype: | Lightweight |
| Rarity: | Legendary |
| What Makes it a Meta Weapon? | Its unique balance of power and adaptability allows players to make the most of every shot, making it a valuable addition.
Prolonged Engagement comes with various desirable perks, including Subsistence, Retrofit Escapade‘s god roll, and Target Lock. Subsistence allows for automatic reloading after defeating enemies, while Retrofit Escapade’s god roll enhances stability and reload speed. Target Lock is particularly flavorful, as keeping your aim on a target grants increased accuracy and target acquisition. Prolonged Engagement has a min-max impact of 15, stability of 46, handling of 68, and a magazine size of 36. It boasts a rate of fire of 900 RPM and deals Stasis damage. |
| How to Get it? | To obtain Prolonged Engagement, you can acquire it from Vanguard Operations or by ranking up with Commander Zavala. Resetting your Vanguard rank provides multiple perk choices per slot, increasing the chances of obtaining a specific roll. |
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Best Submachine Guns for PvP: Top-5 Tier List
It should have good stability to keep your shots accurate while firing, and a decent range to still be effective if your target isn’t right in front of you.
Perks that increase your aim assist or handling speed make the gun easier to use, helping you win duels.
Overall, the best PvP submachine is one that’s quick, accurate, and can handle the fast-paced action of competitive matches.
The Immortal: The Best SMG for PvP
| Weapon Name: | The Immortal |
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| Archetype: | Aggressive |
| Rarity: | Legendary |
| What Makes it a Meta Weapon? | The Immortal is known for its impressive perks, such as Rangefinder in the third column, which increases its range, and damage-enhancing perks like Target Lock or Kill Clip in the fourth column.
The Immortal SMG has a god roll that is particularly effective in PvP, making it a popular choice among players. Its short time-to-kill (TTK) and great perk combinations make it a powerful weapon in the Crucible. Its Strand damage makes it unique, as it is one of the few SMGs that deals this type of damage, sitting in the Kinetic slot. |
| How to Get it? | It can be obtained exclusively from playing Trials of Osiris on the weekends. Once you acquire your first roll, you can focus it using extra Trials engrams. To unlock it, you can either get lucky with a random drop or reach rank 10 with Saint-14. An Adept version of The Immortal is occasionally available, which requires going flawless or getting 7 wins on your Trials card and then trading the card in at Saint-14. |
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Multimach CCX: Best Kinetic SMG
| Weapon Name: | Multimach CCX |
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| Archetype: | Lightweight |
| Rarity: | Legendary |
| What Makes it a Meta Weapon? | The Multimach CCX is a returning fan-favorite submachine gun that was arguably the best in its class for several seasons.
In PvE, Multimach CCX excels due to its potent perks that allow it to perform well even without an elemental affinity. It is not likely to replace personal favorites, but it offers an easy transition towards weapons that prioritize raw power. In PvP, Multimach CCX is slightly less potent than before due to a recent nerf to Target Lock, but it still offers competitive stats and perks that make it a viable option in the current meta. |
| How to Get it? | To obtain Multimach CCX, you’ll need to play matches in the Iron Banner playlist. If you don’t get lucky enough to have one drop randomly, you can always use engrams at Lord Saladin in The Tower to receive guaranteed copies. |
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The Recluse
| Weapon Name: | The Recluse |
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| Archetype: | Lightweight |
| Rarity: | Legendary |
| What Makes it a Meta Weapon? | The Recluse is a Void smg with the Feeding Frenzy perk, which increases reload speed after kills, and the Master of Arms perk, which boosts weapon damage after kills. This makes it highly effective in both PvE and PvP.
Its Lightweight Frame trait provides superb handling and allows players to move faster with the weapon equipped. Its Desperate Measures and AP rounds are often highlighted as strong points, and it remains a popular choice for players seeking a powerful submachine gun. |
| How to Get it? | To get The Recluse, you need to participate in the Onslaught Activity, which is part of the free-to-play Into the Light update. Additionally, you can complete a quest through Arcite in the Hall of Champions to unlock The Recluse’s weapon attunement, which increases the drop chance of The Recluse by 50%. |
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Imminence
| Weapon Name: | Imminence |
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| Archetype: | Lightweight |
| Rarity: | Legendary |
| What Makes it a Meta Weapon? | Imminence is a highly regarded Submachine Gun in Destiny 2.
In PvE, it can be paired with perks like Demolitionist, Enlightened Action, Slice, Chaos Reshaped, and Desperate Measures, which provide utility or boost its raw stats and damage. In PvP, it offers a formidable choice in close-range engagements, especially with a god roll and the right perks. Its unique strengths and weaknesses, influenced by over a dozen stats, make it a stand-out pick in an already-powerful set of weapons. Imminence is a top-tier weapon, fitting perfectly into a Strand build or an endgame-focused workhorse, offering versatility and power to players. |
| How to Get it? | To get Imminence, you need to complete the Salvation’s Edge Raid and defeat The Witness for the price of 20 Spoils of Conquest. Additionally, you can buy one red-border version of the weapon a week from the Raid cache. |
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Adjudicator
| Weapon Name: | Adjudicator |
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| Archetype: | Precision |
| Rarity: | Legendary |
| What Makes it a Meta Weapon? | The Adjudicator is a reissued submachine gun. This weapon has an archetype of Precision and uses primary ammo, making it a versatile choice for both PvE and PvP. The Kinetic element allows it to synergize well with various builds, and the Crossing Over origin trait enhances its performance.
Adjudicator is considered an A-tier weapon in both PvE and PvP due to its raw power and unique rolls. In PvE, the combination of Subsistence and Onslaught, along with the Crossing Over trait, can easily wipe out waves of enemies. For PvP, Threat Detector and Fragile Focus provide consistency, despite the recent nerf to Target Lock. |
| How to Get it? | To get the Adjudicator, players must complete The Cube (Tetrahedron) encounter in the Prophecy dungeon. It can also drop from the two secret chests located inside the dungeon after being obtained once before. |
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