Destiny 2 Season of the Drifter Pinnacle weapons promise to add even more variety to your arsenal of guns. They are the only three weapons to be revealed for Season of the Drifter and will each be tied to a specific type of gameplay from PvP to Strikes.
At the time of writing we only know what the new Destiny 2 Pinnacle weapons for Season of the Drifter look like and the factions they belong to, but we’ll be updating this with information on how to get each one and any key stats as soon as we get our hands on them.
So, what are Destiny 2 Pinnacle weapons? Pinnacle weapons are legendary tier weapons that function a lot like Destiny 2 Exotics. They have unique traits and perks, which makes them much more valuable than most legendary weapons, but as you can’t equip two Exotics at the same time in Destiny 2 Pinnacle weapons are the next best thing. Oh, and better yet this is the first time we’re getting a Pinnacle LMG.
The Season of the Drifter Pinnacle weapons are tied to the Vanguard, Crucible, and Gambit factions, and if the unlock process is similar to previous seasons then you will need to complete a quest objective for each faction that runs throughout the season. These objectives tend to be simple and geared more towards grinding than complex actions, for example, the quest to get Loaded Question during Season of the Forge required you to get 500 fusion rifle kills, earn 1,000 Arc kills, and complete a total of 40 strikes.
Season of the Drifter Pinnacle weapons
Here are the three currently revealed Season of the Drifter Pinnacle weapons:
Oxygen SR3 – Vanguard faction
- Weapon type: solar precision scout rifle
- Perk: Meganeura – Dragonfly deals more damage based on the number of precision hits made beforehand
- Source: Talk to Commander Zavala in the Tower to pick up the Redeployment quest
Designer’s notes:
Scout rifles have had a long history with Dragonfly and its predecessor over the history of Destiny. This weapon seeks to double down on that history and improve upon it in a simple and effective way. The general design ethos of a pinnacle weapon is that if it approaches an Exotic-esque effect, it must work conditionally – such as activating on a kill event or asking you to risk getting into melee range – and if it works in a neutral setting, then it must only change the way you can do something, not necessarily what you can do. This is an example of the former.
The Recluse – Crucible faction
- Weapon type: void lightweight submachine gun
- Perk: Master of Arms – kills with any weapon improve this weapon’s damage for a short time.
- Source: Visit the tower and speak to Lord Shaxx to pick up the From the Mouth of the Babes quest
Designer’s notes:
Submachine Guns are in a contentious spot in the game after the Forsaken release. With Shotguns occupying a similar engagement range while also offering that one-shot-kill potential that is so highly valued, alongside always being in competition with Sidearms and even the Last Word as the close-quarters primary weapon of choice, submachine guns have fallen slightly to the wayside. So we created the “Master of Arms” perk so it could find its place in any given loadout. We look forward to seeing people experiment with it.
21% Delirium – Gambit faction
- Weapon type: Arc rapid-fire machine gun
- Perk: Killing Tally – kills increase this weapon’s damage until it is stowed or reloaded.
- Source: Make your way to the tower and chat to The Drifter and he’ll give you the By Your Bootstraps quest
Designer’s notes:
This will be our first rapid-fire machine gun for Destiny 2 – how many of you out there guessed the archetype, but not the sub-archetype? With the reintroduction of bullet-hose-style machine guns, we figured a perk that played with their large magazine sizes and dealing with waves of enemies would be appropriate. Unlike the other two weapons, this one also has one of the new weapon perks we’re introducing in Season of the Drifter – “Overflow,” to kick the magazine size out even further for true spray ’n pray action.
Naturally, there will be plenty more changes to Exotics and Pinnacle weapons when Season of the Drifter launches in full, including the requirements for unlocking all of the new Destiny 2 Pinnacle weapons, so check back then for more details.