Every Destiny 2 Exotic Shotgun ranked
Destiny 2‘s suite of Exotic Shotguns is remarkably small, but what the weapon category lacks in quantity it more than makes up for with top-quality firepower and incredible variety.
Barring one borderline dud, every Exotic Shotgun currently available in Bungie’s looter shooter maintains relevance in the sandbox to some degree, with a select few boasting such power that they’ve become meta-defining overnight.
An ever-evolving world in every sense, what’s considered top-tier in Destiny 2 shifts frequently and often drastically.
However, as of Episode Revenant, we’ve tried and tested every single Exotic Shotgun in the game’s core PvE and PvP activities with builds intended to complement their strengths and gauge their performance, and the results aren’t without a few surprises.
New arrival Slayer’s Fang can’t quite dethrone the long-sitting king of Exotic Shotguns, but it comes ever so close…
8. Lord of Wolves
Bungie- Element: Solar
- Exotic Perks: Shrapnel Launcher, Release the Wolves
- Catalyst: Fang and Claw
- Debut Season: Season 4
- Best Use: PvE
Once a staple DPS Exotic due to its built-in high fire rate compared to other Shotguns, the absence of any rework to accommodate for years of power creep has seen Lord of Wolves become severely outdated.
The Fallen-themed weapon predates the introduction of ability verbs, meaning it has no synergy with modern class design, namely Solar’s Radiant, Scorch, and Ignition effects. Even its unique Exotic perks and Catalyst – full auto fire rate and raw stat boosts – are outclassed by contemporary Legendary Shotguns that have access to top-tier options like Closing Time and Lone Wolf.
Lord of Wolves is best left in your Vault to continue collecting dust until it receives a much-needed update.
7. Tractor Cannon
Dexerto- Element: Void
- Exotic Perks: Repulsor Force, The Scientific Method
- Catalyst: Deeper Pockets
- Debut Season: Season 1
- Best Use: PvE
No longer one of the only sources of inflicting Weaken on enemies, Tractor Cannon’s original status as a must-have support Exotic no longer holds true, but it’s far from useless.
For what it’s worth, the displacing shockwave Tractor Cannon emits remains unique, and its ability to reliably, continuously inflict Weaken still makes it an invaluable tool in Raid encounters with enrage timers where DPS optimization is important.
6. Legend of Acrius
Dexerto- Element: Arc
- Exotic Perks: Shock Blast, Long March
- Catalyst: Deeper Pockets, Trench Barrel
- Debut Season: Season 1
- Best Use: PvE
A relic from Destiny 2’s formative years when Special Weapons – Shotguns, Sniper Rifles, and Fusion Rifles – were restricted to the Heavy slot only, Legend of Acrius remains the only Power Shotgun.
Having received numerous buffs over the years to justify using a Shotgun over the likes of Heavy Grenade Launchers, LMGs, and Rocket Launchers, Acrius packs one hell of a punch, able to delete groups of enemies thanks to its ability to overpenetrate targets via Shock Blast.
It’s not quite strong enough to outcompete traditional Power weapons, but it’s certainly able to pull its weight, especially if you’ve unlocked the Catalyst.
5. Duality
Bungie- Element: Solar
- Exotic Perks: Compression Chamber, On Black Wings
- Catalyst: +20 Range, +2 Magazine Size
- Debut Season: Season 12
- Best Use: PvP
A hybrid Shotgun able to fire a traditional spread or precision slug, Duality’s versatility is a huge boon for PvE where, as the name suggests, it can pull double duty as an add-clear and single-target DPS machine.
However, where it shines brightest is PvP. In skilled hands, Slug Shotguns can dominate in the Crucible, but they’re also not great in close-quarters engagements. For these situations, you can switch over to spread shot, as Duality provides both in one slot with zero penalty.
4. The Fourth Horseman
- Element: Arc
- Exotic Perks: Thunderer, Broadside
- Catalyst: And Its Name Was Death
- Debut Season: Season 10
- Best Use: PvE
A one-trick pony it may be, but The Fourth Horseman is damn good at doing its job – delivering close-range damage faster than any other weapon in the game. In theory, at least.
In practice, the quad-barreled boomstick is kept in check by its four-round magazine and slow(ish) reload speed, but if you need a lot of damage fast, Fourth Horseman is a slept-on DPS weapon that makes mincemeat of any encounter where aiming or range isn’t required.
3. The Chaperone
Dexerto- Element: Kinetic
- Exotic Perks: Precision Slug, The Roadborn
- Catalyst: N/A
- Debut Season: Season 4
- Best Use: PvP
Forever the king of slug Shotguns, Chaperone makes up for its lack of versatility à la Duality with absolutely monstrous Range and Aim Assistance stats, as well as one of the strongest Exotic perks in the form of Roadborn.
Assuming you can reliably land headshots, Chaperone will consistently one-shot another player from 10 meters. By proccing Roadborn with a single precision kill, this increases to around 15 meters, transforming Ol’ Chappy into a psuedo one-shot Scout Rifle.
2. Slayer’s Fang
- Element: Void
- Exotic Perks: Nightsworn Sight, Heart Piercer
- Catalyst: Repulsor Brace, Loose Change, Stats For All, Cascade Point
- Debut Season: Season 25
- Best Use: PvE & PvP
Packed with an absurd amount of utility and boasting commendable DPS to boot, Slayer’s Fang is the Swiss Army Knife of Shotguns.
With the built-in ability to Weaken enemies, Slayer’s Fang grants Truesight (wallhacks) on kills, delivers eye-watering single-target damage, and deletes entire rooms of rank-and-file enemies via its splintering pellets.
To top it all off, it can be outfitted with one of four Catalysts, each providing additional benefits depending on your needs, which makes it surprisingly versatile for a Shotgun.
1. Conditional Finality
Dexerto- Element: Stasis
- Exotic Perks: Split Decision, Paracasual Pellets
- Catalyst: N/A
- Debut Season: Season 20
- Best Use: PvE & PvP
You can’t improve on perfection, and that, without hyperbole, is exactly what Conditional Finality is. One of the few weapons infused with multiple Elements, the Raid Exotic causes guaranteed Ignitions and Freezes with its alternating Solar and Stasis shells, granting unparalleled versatility in PvE.
With its superb handling granting ease of use and ability to one-shot Guardians in their Supers, Conditional is as much of a menace in PvP as the rest of the sandbox.
That’s a wrap on on this ranking, but be sure to check out our tier list of all the best Shotguns and Exotics you should be on the lookout for in Destiny 2 in 2025.