Highlights
- Destiny 2 Season of the Witch introduces new seasonal and returning Red War weapons, including the Nightshade Pulse Rifle, Persuader Sniper Rifle, Deadpan Delivery Shotgun, and The Showrunner Submachine Gun.
- The Red War weapons come with two Origin traits, Vanguard Vindication and Nadir Focus, which enhance accuracy and range after sustained fire, making them powerful in certain situations.
- While Deadpan Delivery is underwhelming in PvE due to the lack of traditional perk options, it can be solid when equipped with One-Two Punch or Trench Barrel perks. Persuader, a rapid-fire Sniper Rifle, offers interesting perk combinations for both PvE and PvP. The Showrunner Submachine Gun excels in PvP with its high range and unique perks, while Nightshade Pulse Rifle is versatile with perk options for both PvE and Crucible gameplay.
Destiny 2 Season of the Witch was released with a brand-new set of seasonal weapons and old Red War weapons. These weapons were initially available from the Red War campaign, which was sunset with the release of Beyond Light expansion as Red War was no longer in the game.
The four returning Red War weapons are the Nightshade Pulse Rifle, the Persuader Sniper Rifle, the Deadpan Delivery Shotgun, and The Showrunner Submachine Gun. All these weapons come with two Origin traits, one being the old Vanguard Vindication and the second a brand new one called Nadir Focus, which increases accuracy and range after sustained fire. Nadir Focus comes into play a lot for all these weapons as, combined with the correct range perks, it can help these weapons reach some incredible ranges while also providing them with increased accuracy.
4 Deadpan Delivery
Deadpan Delivery is an aggressive frame shotgun that has Arc affinity. Aggressive frame Shotguns are a reliable Shotgun archetype in The Crucible, but in PvE, they are weak, just like every other Shotgun. Deadpan Delivery also does not have traditional perk options like Opening Shot and Threat Detector, which makes Shotguns pretty good in The Crucible, leaving Deadpan Delivery a bit underwhelming.
In the left column, Deadpan Delivery has some good perks like Surplus, Discord, and Elemental Capacitor for The Crucible. In the right column, however, there are no good perks that provide instant range benefits; but it does have perk options like Killing Wind and Barrel Constrictor. For PvE, One-Two Punch Shotguns are always a good thing to have, and Deadpan Delivery being able to roll with One-Two Punch and Overflow makes it solid in PvE. You can also go the route of Trench Barrel and Frenzy on this Shotgun.
3 Persuader
Persuader is a rapid-fire-frame Sniper Rifle that has a Void affinity. Sniper Rifles are not popular in PvE, to begin with, and rapid-fire Snipers are the least popular out of them in PvE. In Crucible, Snipers depend more on the player preference than on their actual stats, but Rapid-fire is also the least popular Sniper Rifle archetype in PvP. Stats-wise, Persuader comes with a decent stat package with a low zoom of 35. This low zoom depends a lot on player preference, as they might love it or hate it.
Persuader has some really interesting perk combinations for a Sniper Rifle. For PvE, it has the ultimate Void combo of Repulsor Brace and Destabilizing Rounds. With Persuader, you can also go the route of Rapid Hit and Triple Tap, so you keep on shooting with lightning-fast reload speed. It also has perk options like Discord in the left column and perks like Triple Tap, Precision Instrument, and High Ground in the right column. For Crucible, in the right column, Opening Shot is the only worthwhile perk option, with Keep Away complementing it in the left column.
2 The Showrunner
The Showrunner is a kinetic lightweight frame Submachine Gun with no elemental affinity. Lightweight frame Submachine Guns are the most popular Submachine Gun family in Destiny 2, and The Showrunner brings a lot to the table for both PvE and PvP. For PvP, it can reach almost the maximum range possible, and in PvE, it brings perks never seen before on an SMG.
For PvP, the range is the most important stat on a Submachine Gun, and The Showrunner, with the combination of Well-Rounded and Fragile Focus, can get an insane amount of range. The origin trait Nadir Focus also shines here, further improving range and accuracy. For PvP, we have other great perk options like Dynamic Sway Reduction and Target Lock. For PvE, The Showrunner is the only SMG that has access to perk Kinetic Tremors. In combination with Overflow, this perk makes it an incredibly unique and fun weapon.
1 Nightshade
Nightshade used to be a kinetic weapon, but now Nightshade is a Lightweight frame Strand Pulse Rifle. Lightweight frame Pulse Rifles are becoming more and more popular in both PvP and PvE thanks to the buffs they have received over the years. Lightweight frame Pulse Rifles come with the intrinsic trait of faster movement and higher handling.
For PvE, Nightshade can roll with Outlaw in the left column with Hatchling, Collective Action, and Kill Clip in the right column. Nightshade has incredible perk options for The Crucible. In the left column, it has Under Pressure, Keep Away, and Heating Up, while in the right column, you'll find some amazing perk options like Moving Target, Encore, Headseeker, and Kill Clip. With the perk combination of Encore and Keep Away Nightshade, you can reach a range never seen before on a Lightweight Pulse Rifle. You can also go the dueling route by using Headseeker or Kill Clip in the right column.