Master Destiny 2’s top SMGs for PvE and PvP with expert loadout strategies and gameplay tips
Why SMGs Dominate Close-Quarters Combat
Submachine guns deliver exceptional performance in Destiny 2’s close-range engagements, providing rapid damage output that can quickly eliminate targets. Their high rate of fire makes them perfect for aggressive playstyles where fast target acquisition matters most.
These weapons have evolved from backup options to primary tools in the current sandbox, especially with recent balance changes favoring close-quarters specialists. The key advantage lies in their time-to-kill potential within optimal ranges.
Choosing the appropriate SMG requires understanding your intended combat scenarios. Many players mistakenly dismantle powerful rolls because they don’t recognize the weapon’s potential in specific situations or builds.
As The Final Shape expands the arsenal, knowing which SMGs to prioritize will significantly enhance your combat effectiveness across all activities. This guide covers both immediate choices and long-term investments for your loadout.
Top PvE SMG Recommendations
Osteo Striga claims the premier position due to its unique Screaming Swarm capability. This exotic trait launches toxic projectiles that track targets automatically, creating area denial and sustained damage over time. Each precision hit or final blow triggers poison explosions that damage nearby enemies, making it exceptionally effective against grouped combatants.
While serviceable in player-versus-player scenarios, Osteo Striga truly excels in PvE content where its poison effects can chain through enemy ranks. The weapon has secured countless victory scenarios in difficult content where add control determines success.
Riskrunner operates on similar principles but utilizes Arc energy instead of poison. Its Arc Conductor perk activates when receiving Arc damage, providing damage resistance against Arc sources while supercharging the weapon. The Superconductor trait chains lightning between targets and automatically reloads the magazine from reserves.
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This creates one of Destiny’s finest add-clear tools, particularly when integrated with Arc subclass builds. Strategically damaging yourself with your own Arc grenade triggers the buff, allowing you to devastate enemy waves while maintaining survivability.
Manticore introduces vertical combat dimensions through its airborne damage enhancement. Firing while elevated increases damage output, while grounded combat charges antigrav repulsors that launch you upward. This creates unique positioning opportunities against ground-bound enemies.
The weapon excels at surprising enemies from unexpected angles, though the repulsors reduce mobility during activation. This movement penalty makes you vulnerable to accurate shooters, limiting Manticore’s PvP effectiveness despite its PvE strengths.
CALUS Mini-Tool specializes in mobility enhancement, providing movement speed and target acquisition improvements while aiming down sights. Simply equipping the weapon increases your overall mobility, and breaking enemy shields provides temporary kinetic damage boosts.
Superior battlefield mobility often determines survival in high-level content. The ability to reposition quickly while maintaining combat effectiveness makes this SMG invaluable in situations where positioning errors prove fatal.
No Survivors offers unique elemental adaptability based on your subclass selection. The weapon provides different stat enhancements depending on your equipped element:
Restoration Ritual allows instant reloads when reviving teammates or executing finishing blows. This synergy with support playstyles makes it excellent for team-based content where these actions occur frequently.
Elite PvP SMG Selections
Tarrabah dominates Crucible engagements through its Ravenous Beast mechanic. Dealing and receiving damage charges the weapon’s unique meter, which when activated provides significant damage amplification for eight seconds. This duration allows elimination of multiple opponents during a single activation.
Strategic meter management separates average from expert Tarrabah users. Build charge through tactical engagements rather than sustained combat, then activate when opponents are vulnerable for maximum impact.
Huckleberry provides consistent performance through its Rampage perk, stacking damage increases with each elimination up to three tiers. Ride the Bull enhances fire rate and recoil during sustained fire while partially reloading the magazine on kills.
Mastering the weapon’s recoil pattern unlocks its full potential, especially against wounded opponents. The combination of damage stacking and automatic reloads creates impressive snowball potential in team fights.
Funnelweb enhances combat mobility with improved accuracy during movement. Grenade eliminations or weapon kills provide temporary damage increases, while Veist Stinger randomly reloads the magazine and improves ADS movement speed.
These traits create exceptional evasion capabilities during firefights. The unpredictable movement patterns make you harder to hit while maintaining offensive pressure.
Rapacious Appetite strengthens your capabilities during ability downtime through Unsated Hunger. This trait boosts handling, reload speed, and stability when all abilities are on cooldown.
The extended ability cooldowns in Crucible make this enhancement particularly valuable. It transforms vulnerability periods into strength windows, providing counterplay against ability-focused opponents.
The Immortal stands out through its Alacrity trait, which enhances reload speed, aim assist, stability, and range when you’re the last living fireteam member or playing solo.
This clutch potential makes it invaluable in competitive scenarios where survival determines match outcomes. The stat enhancements allow aggressive play rather than passive hiding when teammates are eliminated.
Advanced Combat Strategies
Mastering SMG combat requires more than just weapon selection. Advanced movement techniques like slide-shotting and quick vertical positioning can dramatically increase your effectiveness. Practice incorporating slides into your engagements to make yourself harder to hit while closing distance.
Ability synergy represents another critical dimension. Pair SMGs with subclass fragments that enhance reload speed, handling, or movement. For example, Arc subclasses benefit from fragments that improve weapon performance after sprinting or dodging.
Common mistakes include engaging outside optimal range and poor ammo management. SMGs typically excel within 15-20 meters, beyond which damage falloff significantly reduces effectiveness. Learn to disengage when outside this range rather than committing to unfavorable fights.
Advanced players should focus on target prioritization and situational awareness. SMGs punish poor positioning but reward aggressive, intelligent plays. Use radar information to anticipate engagements and position yourself for optimal SMG effectiveness.
Destiny 2 continues evolving with The Final Shape, introducing new systems like Pathfinder and enemy types like the Dread. Staying current with meta shifts ensures your SMG selections remain effective through seasonal changes.
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