Out of every Primary weapon in Destiny 2, Bows deal the most amount of damage per shot. These weapons can take down most Minor foes in a single hit compared to other archetypes. Most of the community dislikes their clunky attack pattern, but those who master it will swear on how strong they are.
That is, only some of them are. One issue Bows face is how familiar they can all seem yet vary wildly in actual usage. This extends to not just Legendary Bows but Exotics as well. If you find the right Bow for you, these weapons can reliably take down any foe you face. Use a weak Bow, however, and you’ll wonder why Bows even exist. Here are the 5 best and worst Bows in Destiny 2.
10 Best: The Spiteful Fang
As far as Kinetic Bows go, The Spiteful Fang is a solid option for any Bow enthusiast. It is easy to get and can come with great perk combinations.
Archer’s Tempo and Rampage are what many will try to obtain for PvE, but Explosive Head and even Hip-Fire Grip are solid alternatives to Rampage. This bow is tied to Ada-1’s Bounty frames at The Tower. Simply pick up a Bow frame and visit a Black Armory Forge to create one for yourself.
9 Worst: No Turning Back
The first Bow you’ll likely use, No Turning Back is a quest reward at the start of the Forsaken campaign. Petra Venj gives this to you as you start your quest across the Tangled Shore to slay all eight Barons.
What makes this bow subpar is its fixed roll. Explosive Head and Hip-Fire Grip is a solid combination, but that is the only roll you will find for this Bow. Snapshot Sights can replace Explosive Head, but that sacrifices a large chunk of your area clear. There are better Kinetic Bows you can use.
8 Best: Le Monarque
Before Thorn made its return, Le Monarque was the main method of applying damage over time effects to enemies. It’s a solid choice in PvE and a terrifying weapon to fight against in PvP.
While it lacks damage perks, every perfectly charged arrow or precision hit will apply a poisonous cloud that deals damage over time. Time your shots right and you can cover an entire area in poison. It turns the main negative of Bows—a lack of group clear—into a non-issue. If you are playing a Power enabled PvP activity, expect this weapon to kill targets in one headshot.
7 Worst: Point of the Stag
Originally planned for Season of Dawn, this Bow was seemingly delayed and released as Iron Banner’s Pinnacle Bow during Season of the Worthy.
The wait, unfortunately, didn’t fare well for this weapon. With the removal of Bow-based Artifact mods, this weapon is simply mediocre in PvE and PvP. Vorpal Weapon is a neat idea for a Bow, but it only serves to take down Supers in Crucible with a well-placed arrow. No Distractions takes too long to activate as well, meaning Archer’s Tempo will always be used instead.
6 Best: Subtle Calamity
If you were a fan of No Turning Back but were disappointed with its fixed roll, try farming a Subtle Calamity. This Bow is identical to the Kinetic variant but can also come with random rolls.
Dragonfly is a godsend on this weapon, clearing entire waves of fodder in a single shot. Better yet, Dragonfly can be paired with Explosive Head if you want to cover the battlefield with a barrage of explosive attacks. For PvP players, this Bow can also get Moving Target and Archer’s Tempo for some easy precision hits.
5 Worst: Leviathan’s Breath
Bows are hard to justify using in most circumstances, so having a Bow take both your Heavy and Exotic slots means it better be unrivaled in terms of power.
That is the polar opposite of what Leviathan’s Breath is. It can kill targets with one arrow regardless of health in Crucible, but any Legendary Grenade Launcher or Rocket Launcher can do the same. Its ability to stagger targets is underutilized at best when compared to Artifact mods, and its overall DPS is behind most weapons in its archetype. Leviathan’s Breath is a huge disappointment.
4 Best: Arsenic Bite-4B
As far as non-Pinnacle weapons go, Arsenic Bite-4B is the best of its archetype. For a Legendary, this weapon can deal a surprising amount of damage.
PvE players can use Rampage and Explosive Head at once for some incredible levels of damage per arrow. Alternatively, Dragonfly and Explosive Head can be used together to give Fatebringer a run for its money. As a Lightweight Frame, this Bow feels responsive and not as sluggish as most Bows. For PvP, Moving Target can be used in place of a damage perk. Even if you dislike Bows, Arsenic Bite might win you over.
3 Worst: Tyranny of Heaven
One of the rarest drops in the Last Wish Raid is also one of the worst weapons in the Bow category. Tyranny of Heaven is an objectively bad Bow that offers nothing unique to the sandbox.
It is the same archetype as Arsenic Bite-4B, only it deals Solar damage instead of Arc. While it might share an archetype, its base stats are dramatically worse than its competition. Tyranny of Heaven might be the prettiest Bow in the game, but its low stats and rarity leave a lot to be desired.
2 Best: Hush
Hip-firing with a Bow is an unorthodox way of using them, but some prefer it to aiming and waiting. Those in the latter category already know how incredible Hush is.
This Pinnacle Bow grants a massive reduction to draw times if you land a precision hip-fire arrow. While active, your draw times can rival slower-firing Hand Cannons in speed. Place a Freehand Grip Mod on Hush to make it easy to activate its unique perk. In any gamemode, Hush dominates enemies so long as you have good aim.
1 Worst: Trinity Ghoul
A Bow that fires three electric arrows that chain to targets should be one of the most powerful wave-clearing weapons in the Destiny franchise.
Trinity Ghoul proves this isn’t true. For an Exotic, this weapon does embarrassingly low damage. Arrows spread too much to use at medium to long ranges, the range Bows are supposed to shine. When you land all three hits, prepare for lackluster lighting damage that is slightly better than Riskrunners. As a Bow, it’s subpar. As an Exotic, it is hilariously underpowered and desperately needs a buff.
NEXT: Destiny 2: 10 Best Raid Weapons, Ranked
