What is a Kinetic weapon in Destiny 2?

Destiny 2 Kinetic Weapons are a unique kind of offensive tool. However, do you keep seeing them referred to and not know what they do? Don’t worry. We have you covered. 

Destiny 2 has more weapons than you could feasibly hold. The game is known for its immense arsenal, most of which can come in hundreds of different combinations of perks. There’s a lot to get your head around when it comes to understanding the game’s weapon systems. 

Adding further complexity is the notion of ‘energy types’ for each weapon. These types come into play in various ways, from breaking enemy shields to enabling certain builds you might run. They can also benefit from elemental surges, further increasing their output. From Arc, Solar, Void, Strand, and Stasis, weapons can come in all sorts of flavors.

However, some of the weapons don’t have an elemental charge on them at all. How do those work, and why would you ever want to use one? That’s what we’re here to answer today. Here’s everything you need to know about Kinetic weapons in Destiny 2.

Destiny 2 Kinetic weapons: What are they?

Kinetic weapons in Destiny 2 are guns with no element tied to them. You can identify them by seeing if a weapon’s power level has a color. If it is white, it’s Kinetic.  

Now, this is why you might be a little confused. Kinetic weapons go in the ‘Kinetic weapons’ slot on your character. This means it goes in your first weapon slot. However, with the introduction of Strand and Stasis, weapons with those affinities have also been put into the Kinetic slot too.

Despite that, they’re not, strictly speaking, Kinetic weapons. Destiny 2’s labeling is a bit confusing here. This is a holdover from when your first weapon was always Kinetic, though new Darkness powers have cluttered that slot.  

Why would you use a Kinetic weapon?

You may be wondering if they don’t have an element tied to them, surely Kinetic weapons are just worse than others in the game? They can’t match shields and they don’t tie into elemental synergies in your build.

Well, they do have their advantages in some areas to make up for it. For example, in PvE, Kinetic weapons do 10% more damage to unshielded enemies at their base. This means, while they lack some of the utility of other guns, Kinetic weapons always pack a punch. Keep in mind, this unshielded buff doesn’t apply in PvP.

On top of that, there are other benefits. Most notably, a new weapon perk called Kinetic Tremors. It’s a top-tier perk on weapons it can roll on, as sustained damage on a target can create three bursts of damage. This can be particularly potent against champions. 

That’s everything you need to know about Kinetic weapons, but if you’d like more Destiny 2 help, why no check out some of our guides below?

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