Widow’s Bite is a Solar Rapid-Fire Frame sniper rifle reintroduced to Destiny 2 in Season of the Lost. Unlike a limited-time event weapon, it is a world drop, making it an accessible and potent weapon for any player’s arsenal.
This sniper rifle fits well with agile, mobile playstyles that demand quick target acquisition. It shines in PvP for its ability to quickly body-shot wounded targets and challenge lanes aggressively thanks to perk options like Moving Target, Snapshot Sights, and Opening Shot, which synergize to create an incredibly “sticky” and responsive feel. In PvE, it is a reliable tool for clearing minor enemies and generating special ammo with Lead from Gold, while Demolitionist allows for powerful grenade-spam builds, especially for Solar Warlocks and Titans.
From this guide, you will know:
- How good is the Widow’s Bite SR
- How to get Widow’s Bite
- Stats and Perks of Widow’s Bite
- Widow’s Bite God Roll
- If Widow’s Bite craftable
If you enjoy a snappy, high-handling sniper that excels in PvP and supports ability-focused builds in PvE, Widow’s Bite is a versatile and powerful weapon worth keeping an eye out for.
Is Widow’s Bite SR Good?
Short answer: Situational. Widow’s Bite is a 
B-tier sniper in PvE, but can be a solid 
A-tier in PvP with the perfect roll.
Widow’s Bite Tier list:
- PvE: B-tier. Outclassed by other special weapons for add-clear and lacks the high damage of Adaptive or Aggressive Frame snipers for majors and bosses.
- PvP: A-tier. A top-tier dueling sniper in the right hands, thanks to its high handling and a best-in-class perk combination for aggressive play.
Why PvE B-tier: As a Rapid-Fire Frame, it has low per-shot damage, making it inefficient for dealing with champions or bosses. It can roll Demolitionist for grenade builds or Lead from Gold for ammo economy, but these are utility perks that don’t solve its core damage problem. It’s outshone by many other special weapons in the energy slot for general PvE content.
Why PvP A-tier: The standout combination is Moving Target and Opening Shot. This pairing massively boosts your aim assistance, bullet magnetism, and effective range on the critical first shot, making it incredibly forgiving and “sticky” for landing headshots. Its high base handling means it feels snappy and responsive for quick scopes, solidifying its role as a premier dueling sniper rifle.
How to Get Widow’s Bite in Destiny 2
Widow’s Bite is a Solar Rapid-Fire sniper rifle that has been reintroduced into the world loot pool. Unlike a limited-time event weapon, it’s permanently available, but its acquisition relies on the randomness of world drops.
Step 1: Engage in Core Playlists
Widow’s Bite is part of the world loot pool. This means it can randomly drop from nearly any activity in the game, but the most consistent sources are:
- Completing matches in the Vanguard Ops, Crucible, or Gambit playlists.
- Turning in Vanguard, Crucible, or Gambit Engrams to their respective vendors.
- Leveling up your reputation with Banshee-44 by turning in Gunsmith Materials.
Step 2: Focus Umbral Engrams
The most targeted way to farm Widow’s Bite is through the Gunsmith’s Focus at the Star Chart in the H.E.L.M.
- Collect Umbral Engrams and Gunsmith Engrams from gameplay.
- At the Star Chart, navigate to the Legacy tab and select the “Gunsmith’s Focus” option.
- This will decode one Umbral Engram into a guaranteed world drop weapon, giving you a chance at Widow’s Bite.
Step 3: Utilize Other World Drop Sources
Keep an eye out for other sources of world loot:
- Prime Engrams that drop from powerful enemies.
- Legendary Engrams found in the open world.
- Rewards from completing Dares of Eternity.
Fastest Way to get Widow’s Bite:
- Play core playlist activities to accumulate Umbral Engrams and Gunsmith Materials.
- Take all your Umbral Engrams to the Star Chart in the H.E.L.M.
- Focus them into “Gunsmith’s Focus” engrams for a targeted chance at the sniper rifle.
- Continue farming until you land a strong roll.
Widow’s Bite Farming Tips:
- Prioritize Playlist Bounties: Completing Vanguard, Crucible, and Gambit bounties is an efficient way to earn experience and engrams simultaneously.
- Public Events are Efficient: Rapidly completing Heroic Public Events on destinations like Europa or Nessus can be a quick way to farm legendary engrams.
- Dares of Eternity: A run of Dares of Eternity can reward multiple pieces of legendary gear, providing more chances for a world drop.
- Decode in Bulk: Save your engrams and decode a large number of Gunsmith Focuses at once to quickly assess your rolls.
Quick Summary
- Widow’s Bite is a permanent world drop, so there’s no time limit to acquire it.
- The best method is to farm activities for Umbral Engrams and focus them into Gunsmith’s Focus at the Star Chart.
- Look for perks like Moving Target and Opening Shot for PvP, or Demolitionist and Lead from Gold for PvE.
- Since it’s not a limited-time weapon, you can farm for it at your own pace while engaging in your favorite core activities.
Perks of Widow’s Bite SR
Column 3 Perks
This column focuses on handling, consistency, and reload utility.
- Moving Target: Increases target acquisition and movement speed while aiming down sights. A top-tier PvP perk for its dueling consistency.
- Firmly Planted: Greatly increases stability, handling, and accuracy when firing while crouched or sliding. An excellent choice for aggressive snipers who slide into lanes.
- Demolitionist: Kills with this weapon grant grenade energy. Grenade kills reload this weapon from reserves. A fantastic PvE perk for ability-spam builds.
- Feeding Frenzy: Reload speed increases for a short time after each kill. Stacks up to 3x. A solid PvE perk for chaining kills on minor enemies.
Column 4 Perks
This column is all about enhancing the critical first shot or providing key utility.
- Opening Shot: Improved accuracy and range on the opening shot of an attack. This is the premier PvP perk for snipers, making headshots significantly more forgiving.
- Lead from Gold: Picking up Heavy ammo also grants ammo for this weapon. The best-in-slot PvE perk for ensuring you always have special ammo.
- Vorpal Weapon: Increased damage against bosses, vehicles, and Guardians with their Super active. A strong choice for PvP to shut down Supers or for PvE sustained damage on champions.
Origin Traits
Widow’s Bite is a world drop weapon and does not have a unique Origin Trait. It will randomly roll with one of the standard world pool Origin Traits, such as:
- Omolon Fluid Dynamics: Increased stability and reload speed when the magazine is half full or more.
- Hakke Breach Armaments: Increased damage against vehicles, shields, and constructs.
These provide minor benefits but are not build-defining.
Quick Take
- For PvP (God Roll): Moving Target + Opening Shot.
This combination maximizes aim assistance and bullet magnetism, creating the most forgiving and consistent dueling sniper possible. It’s the reason to chase this weapon for Crucible use. - For PvE (God Roll): Demolitionist + Lead from Gold.
This creates a perfect utility loop — you never run out of ammo thanks to Lead from Gold, and you constantly cycle your grenade ability with Demolitionist.
For pure damage against champions, swap Lead from Gold for Vorpal Weapon.
Widow’s Bite God Roll
The Widow’s Bite shines because it can achieve a level of aim assistance and consistency that few other sniper rifles can match. Let’s look at what makes its PvE and PvP rolls worth chasing.
Widow’s Bite PvE God Roll
In PvE, your focus for a Rapid-Fire Sniper is typically utility and ammo economy, as this archetype lacks the high burst damage of its Aggressive or Adaptive counterparts.
- Demolitionist – The best utility option. Kills grant grenade energy, and throwing your grenade automatically reloads the weapon. This creates a powerful loop for ability-spam builds, especially on Sunbracer Warlocks or other grenade-focused setups.
- Lead from Gold – The premier ammo economy perk. Picking up Heavy ammo also grants Special ammo for this weapon, ensuring you rarely run out of bullets for your sniper.
- Vorpal Weapon – A strong damage option against bosses, vehicles, and Champions. If you don’t need the ammo from Lead from Gold, this is your pick for increased damage output.
- Feeding Frenzy – A solid reload perk that synergizes well with clearing groups of minor enemies.
Together, these perks let you build the weapon around your playstyle. The most comfortable and sustainable roll is Demolitionist + Lead from Gold, which keeps your abilities and ammo full. For more direct damage on Champions or minibosses, Demolitionist + Vorpal Weapon is a powerful alternative.
Widow’s Bite PvP God Roll
In the Crucible, Widow’s Bite‘s value is all about consistency and making that first, critical shot as forgiving as possible.
- Moving Target – The clear winner for consistency. It increases aim assistance and movement speed while aiming down sights, making your reticle “stickier” to enemy heads and allowing for better strafing in duels.
- Opening Shot – The best-in-slot perk for snipers in PvP. It improves accuracy and range on the opening shot of an attack, dramatically increasing bullet magnetism and making headshots much more forgiving.
- Firmly Planted – A powerful alternative to Moving Target. When you fire while crouched or sliding, it grants massive boosts to stability, handling, and accuracy, perfect for aggressive players who slide into lanes.
- Snapshot Sights – A classic sniper perk that maximizes handling speed for lightning-fast aim-down-sights time, though the high base handling of Widow’s Bite makes this less essential than on other frames.
For barrels and magazines, focus on handling and range: Arrowhead Brake is top-tier to control recoil, paired with Accurized Rounds for extra range (which extends aim assistance fall-off) and a Handling or Range Masterwork.
This combination makes Widow’s Bite one of the snappiest and most consistent dueling snipers in the energy slot.
Can you craft Widow’s Bite?
You cannot craft Widow’s Bite. It does not drop with Deepsight (red borders) and has no pattern tied to it, so there’s no way to craft a personalized version at the Enclave.
The only way to get this Sniper Rifle is as a random world drop. It can appear from various sources, including activity completions in Vanguard Ops, Crucible, and Gambit, as well as from turning in engrams to vendors like Banshee-44 or from the “Gunsmith’s Focus” at the Star Chart in the H.E.L.M. This means if you want a specific god roll, you’ll need to rely on luck and consistently engage with core activities to have a chance at it dropping.
Conclusion
The Widow’s Bite is a standout sniper rifle that excels in one key area: PvP consistency. It brings together high base handling with a best-in-class perk combination in Moving Target and Opening Shot, creating an incredibly “sticky” and forgiving weapon for landing critical shots. In PvE, it serves as a reliable utility tool for grenade-focused builds with Demolitionist, though it is outclassed in raw damage by other sniper archetypes.
Because it is a world drop and not craftable, acquiring a god roll is entirely down to luck. Players who are aggressive snipers in the Crucible, value high handling, and want the most consistent dueling experience should absolutely keep an eye out for a good roll. If you prefer slower, higher-impact snipers for PvP or have no use for a Rapid-Fire Frame in PvE, you can safely pass on it — but for Guardians seeking a top-tier, energy-slot dueling sniper, a well-rolled Widow’s Bite is absolutely worth the vault space.
