Vanguard weapons in Destiny 2 TFS are a special set of guns you can earn by completing Strikes and Nightfalls or by ranking up with Zavala, the Vanguard commander. You can also focus Vanguard Engrams at Zavala to get specific weapons.
Some of these weapons are known for their balanced stats and useful perks, making them great for both PvE and PvP activities. What makes Vanguard weapons special is their versatility and reliability.
In PvE, they excel in clearing out groups of enemies and dealing solid damage to bosses, thanks to perks that may enhance damage, reload speed, and stability (we’ll tell you all you need to know about them in this article).
In PvP, their consistent performance and perks that improve TTK may give you an edge in the Crucible matches.
In this text, we’ll explore the best Vanguard weapons, detailing their top perks, God Rolls rolls, and briefly explain how you can get them in Destiny 2 The Final Shape.
Top 5 PvP Vanguard Weapons
Hung Jury SR4 (Scout Rifle)
| Weapon Name: | Hung Jury Sr4 |
| Weapon Type: |  Scout Rifle |
| Tier Rank: |  A (PvE and PvP) |
| Slot: |  Kinetic |
| Ammo: |  Primary |
| Archetype: | Precision |
| Rarity: | Legendary |
| What Makes it a Meta Weapon? | It is a highly regarded scout rifle due to its excellent range and stability. It has been reissued multiple times and can be obtained from various activities or vendors. The weapon’s Kinetic Tremors perk is particularly noteworthy, as it increases the damage of the next shot after a miss. Additionally, it can roll with perks like Rapid Hit and Explosive Payload that further enhance its performance, making it a great choice for both PvE and PvP content. |
| How to Get it? | It can be obtained from various activities/vendors, including Nightfall activities, as well as from the Dead Orbit faction vendor, Arach Jalaal. |
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Buzzard (Sidearm)
| Weapon Name: | Buzzard |
| Weapon Type: |  Sidearm |
| Tier Rank: | A (PvE and PvP) |
| Slot: | Kinetic |
| Ammo: | Primary |
| Archetype: | Adaptive |
| Rarity: | Legendary |
| What Makes it a Meta Weapon? | The Buzzard is a kinetic sidearm in that has gained popularity due to its potential for excellent rolls and its adept version. It was previously a ritual weapon but has since been updated to have random rolls and an adept version.
It is considered a good PvE sidearm, with perks such as Perpetual Motion, Fourth Time’s the Charm, Kinetic Tremors, and Frenzy. It also has solid perks for PvP, including Perpetual Motion, Swashbuckler, and Rangefinder. Some of the best rolls for PvE include Smallbore, Ricochet Rounds, Perpetual Motion, and Kinetic Tremors, while for PvP, Smallbore, Ricochet Rounds, Perpetual Motion, and Swashbuckler are recommended. The adept version of Buzzard is worth farming for those looking for a challenge, as it provides more stats when masterworked, additional perks, and can accept unique adept mods. |
| How to Get it? | To obtain the Buzzard, players must complete Nightfall activities. Once unlocked in Collections, additional copies can be purchased from Zavala’s Focused Decoding screen using Vanguard Engrams, Legendary Shards, Glimmer, and 20,000 Glimmer for each weapon. |
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Strident Whistle (Bow)
| Weapon Name: | Strident Whistle |
| Weapon Type: | Combat Bow |
| Tier Rank: | A (PvE and PvP) |
| Slot: |  Energy |
| Ammo: | Primary |
| Archetype: | Precision |
| Rarity: | Legendary |
| What Makes it a Meta Weapon? | The Strident Whistle is a highly sought-after weapon for its unique combination of being a Solar bow and having an excellent perk pool. This Legendary weapon can be farmed through strikes and reputation rank rewards with Zavala, making it relatively accessible.
Its perks include Incandescent, which causes enemies to explode when killed with this weapon, and Vanguard’s Vindication, which increases reload speed and grants ability energy when defeating enemies with precision final blows. These perks make the Strident Whistle a powerful weapon for both PvE and PvP, allowing players to clear entire rooms with a few arrows while keeping themselves topped off. Its high impact and accuracy make it a reliable choice for dealing damage. |
| How to Get it? | To get the Strident Whistle, you need to complete strikes and earn rank-up packages from Commander Zavala. The weapon is a reward for reaching higher ranks with Zavala, so you will need to earn XP by completing strikes and turning in bounties to increase your rank and unlock the package that contains the Strident Whistle. |
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Plug One.1 (Fusion Rifle)
| Weapon Name: | Plug One.1 |
| Weapon Type: |  Fusion Rifle |
| Tier Rank: | A (PvE and PvP) |
| Slot: |  Energy |
| Ammo: |  Special |
| Archetype: | Precision |
| Rarity: | Legendary |
| What Makes it a Meta Weapon? | The Plug One.1 is highly regarded due to its versatility in both PVE and PVP gameplay.
In PVE, it offers damage-boosting perks like Feeding Frenzy and Reservoir Burst, making it an effective weapon for dealing with large groups of enemies. In PVP, it shines with a focus on charge rate, allowing for quicker shots and increased mobility, making it a formidable weapon in Crucible matches. |
| How to Get it? | The Plug One.1 can be obtained as a Nightfall drop in Destiny 2. Players are encouraged to grind Nightfalls to increase their chances of obtaining the Plug One.1 Adept, which is the version with enhanced stats. |
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Fortissimo-11 (Shotgun)
| Weapon Name: | Fortissimo-11 |
| Weapon Type: |  Shotgun |
| Tier Rank: | A (PvE and PvP) |
| Slot: | Kinetic |
| Ammo: | Special |
| Archetype: | Pinpoint Slug |
| Rarity: | Legendary |
| What Makes it a Meta Weapon? | The Fortissimo-11 is a legendary kinetic shotgun featuring the Pinpoint Slug Frame, which fires a single-slug round with a predictably vertical recoil pattern.
This weapon is unique in its ability to roll with the Adagio perk, which allows for body-shot kills after an initial kill, with the timer refreshing for each subsequent kill, enabling players to chain bodyshot kills indefinitely. The Fortissimo-11 excels in both PvE and PvP scenarios, serving as a major clearing weapon and a boss damage dealer in PvE while offering competitive time-to-kill (TTK) rates in PvP. |
| How to Get it? | It can be obtained by completing strikes and earning rank-up packages from Commander Zavala. |
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Top 5 PvE Vanguard Weapons
Prolonged Engagement (SMG)
| Weapon Name: | Prolonged Engagement |
| Weapon Type: |  Submachine Gun |
| Tier Rank: | A (PvE,PvP) |
| Slot: |  Kinetic |
| Ammo: | Primary |
| Archetype: | Lightweight |
| Rarity: | Legendary |
| What Makes it a Meta Weapon? | Its unique balance of power and adaptability allows players to make the most of every shot, making it a valuable addition.
Prolonged Engagement comes with various desirable perks, including Subsistence, Retrofit Escapade‘s god roll, and Target Lock. Subsistence allows for automatic reloading after defeating enemies, while Retrofit Escapade’s god roll enhances stability and reload speed. Target Lock is particularly flavorful, as keeping your aim on a target grants increased accuracy and target acquisition. Prolonged Engagement has a min-max impact of 15, stability of 46, handling of 68, and a magazine size of 36. It boasts a rate of fire of 900 RPM and deals Stasis damage. |
| How to Get it? | To get Prolonged Engagement, you can acquire it from Vanguard Operations or by ranking up with Commander Zavala. Resetting your Vanguard rank provides multiple perk choices per slot, increasing the chances of obtaining a specific roll. |
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Empty Vessel (Grenade Launcher)
| Weapon Name: | Empty Vessel |
| Weapon Type: |  Grenade Launcher |
| Tier Rank: | A (PvE,PvP) |
| Slot: | Energy |
| Ammo: | Special |
| Archetype: | Lightweight |
| Rarity: | Legendary |
| What Makes it a Meta Weapon? | The Empty Vessel is versatile and has gained popularity in the Destiny 2 community, with some players praising it for changing their PvE game style and helping them achieve high scores in activities like Dares.
The Empty Vessel has a one-shot handheld Grenade Launcher design with remote detonation, making it a potent weapon in the right hands. The weapon has a PvE God Roll with the One For All perk, which increases damage through rapid three-shots. |
| How to Get it? | It can be obtained by earning rank-up packages from Commander Zavala. |
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Loaded Question (Fusion Rifle)
| Weapon Name: | Loaded Question |
| Weapon Type: | Fusion Rifle |
| Tier Rank: | A-tier in PvE,  B-tier in PvP |
| Slot: | Energy |
| Ammo: | Special |
| Archetype: | High-Impact |
| Rarity: | Legendary |
| What Makes it a Meta Weapon? | The Loaded Question is a high-impact fusion rifle, making it a popular choice for PvE content due to its Stunning Recovery origin trait. This trait, combined with the Unstoppable Fusion artifact perk, makes it an effective weapon against Champions in endgame activities. However, it is not as highly rated for PvP due to other fusion rifles being more accessible and better suited for that mode
Keep in mind that the Loaded Question’s PvP perks are not as strong as other fusion rifles, making it less suitable for that mode. However, its PvE capabilities make it a valuable addition to your arsenal for endgame content. |
| How to Get it? | To obtain the Loaded Question, you need to participate in Nightfall: The Ordeals, with higher difficulty levels increasing your chances of obtaining the weapon. Once you have acquired a copy, you can purchase it from Zavala for a Vanguard Engram and 20,000 Glimmer. |
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Scintillation (Linear Fusion Rifle)
| Weapon Name: | Scintillation |
| Weapon Type: |  Linear Fusion Rifle |
| Tier Rank: |  S-tier for PvE,  C-tier for PvP |
| Slot: |  Power |
| Ammo: |  Heavy |
| Rarity: | Legendary |
| What Makes it a Meta Weapon? | Scintillation is an Adaptive archetype weapon that uses Heavy ammo and has the Strand element. Scintillation is expected to be an S-tier weapon in PvE and a C-tier weapon in PvP.
In PvE, it excels due to its unique perk, Rewind Rounds, which refunds a portion of the magazine when a precision hit is scored. This perk, combined with Bait and Switch or Surrounded, makes Scintillation a formidable weapon in PvE activities. In PvP, however, Scintillation faces challenges due to its ammo slot and weapon type. Linear Fusion Rifles are generally less popular in PvP, and the heavy ammo slot further limits its usefulness. Nevertheless, with the right perks, such as Arrowhead Brake, Accelerated Coils, Rapid Hit, and Hatchling, Scintillation can still perform reasonably well in PvP. |
| How to Get it? | It is part of the Nightfall loot pool and follows the Nightfall loot rotation, only appearing once every few weeks. After getting the first copy of the weapon, you can purchase additional copies from Zavala in the Tower. |
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Ascendancy (Rocket Launcher)
| Weapon Name: | Ascendancy |
| Weapon Type: |  Rocket Launcher |
| Tier Rank: | A (PvE,PvP) |
| Slot: | Power |
| Ammo: | Heavy |
| Archetype: | Precision |
| Rarity: | Legendary |
| What Makes it a Meta Weapon? | The Ascendancy is a precision frame weapon, meaning it fires smaller rockets that auto-lock onto targets. This makes it easier to use and more forgiving than other rocket launchers.
Ascendancy also has built-in tracking, which further enhances its ease of use. It does more damage per shot than other rocket launchers, making it a powerful option in any situation. It also has a static roll, meaning everyone gets the same one, and it is a great weapon. Explosive Light, one of its perks, was buffed and now does 25% extra damage, making it even more formidable. |
| How to Get it? | It can be obtained by ranking up in Vanguard Strikes, Crucible, or Gambit. |
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