Destiny 2 Weapon Perks Guide (2024)

Damage Perks Chart

These are the most popular Damage perks currently in the game:

Weapon Perk	PvE Damage increase	PvP Damage increase	Duration	Activation \| Effects	Type	Weapons	Released
Killing Tally	1 Stack: 10% 2 Stack: 20% 3 Stack: 30%		-	Kills Increases weapon damage until the weapon is stowed or reloaded	General	Various	Season 17
Bait and Switch	35%		10s	Activates when dealing damage with all your weapons.	General	Various	Season 16
Focused Fury	20%		11s	Activates after scoring 50% of magazine as precision hits.	General	Various	Season 16
Blunt Execution Rounds	500%	100%	10s	Activates when damaging nearby combatants with melee abilities. +100 Handling bonus	General	Various	30th Anniversary
Golden Tricorn	10% on weapon kill 50% w/ matching grenade/melee kill	7.5% on weapon kill 45% w/ matching grenade/melee kill	7s - 10s	Activates on weapon kill, then requires grenade or melee kills of the same damage type.	General	Various	30th Anniversary
One for All	35%		10s	Hitting three separate targets.	General	Various
Multikill Clip	1 Stack: 17% 2 Stack: 33% 3 Stack: 50%		5s	Reloading after kills. Automatically refreshes on Reload.	General	Various
Kill Clip	33% precision hits 30% body hits		5s	Reloading within 3.8s after a kill.	General	Various
Adrenaline Junkie	1 Stack: 6.6% 2 Stack: 13.2% 3 Stack: 20% 4 Stack: 26.6% 5 Stack: 33.3%		4.5s	Gains 1 stack per weapon kill, gains all 5 stacks with a grenade kill.	General	Various
Swashbuckler	1 Stack: 6.6% 2 Stack: 13.2% 3 Stack: 20% 4 Stack: 26.6% 5 Stack: 33.3%		4.5s	Gains 1 stack per weapon kill, gains all 5 stacks with a melee kill.	General	Various
Surrounded	30% 40% w/ Spec mod		-	Activates when three or more enemies are within 8 meters. PS: Lower increase on Swords.	General	Various
Rampage	1 Stack: 10% 2 Stack: 21% 3 Stack: 33%		3.5s 4.5s w/ Spec mod	Activates and refreshes on kills.	General	Various
Frenzy	15%		-	Being in combat for 12 seconds. +50 Handling and Reload	General	Various
Explosive Payload / Head	15% on body shots	← PVE only	-	Projectiles create an area-of-effect detonation on impact.	General	Various
Timed Payload	16% on body shots	← PVE only	-	Projectiles attached to enemies explode after a short delay.	General	Various
Harmony	20%		7s	Ready weapon within 3s after a kill with another weapon. +15 Handling	General	Various	Season 15
Disruption Break	50%		5.5s	Breaking an enemy's shield makes them take 50% more Kinetic damage. Works on Barrier champions.	General	Various
Vorpal Weapon	20% Primaries 15% Specials 10% Heavies	20% Primaries 10% Specials 5% Heavies	-	Works against Minibosses, Champions, Bosses, and Vehicles in PVE. Works against Guardians in their supers in PVP.	General	Various
Adagio	20-27% as per on weapon type		5s	Getting a kill decreases rate of fire while increasing damage. 15% to 20% slower rate of fire, based on weapon type	General	Various
Box Breathing	31-37% Snipers		-	Aiming this weapon for 1.5s without firing grants bonus precision damage. Bonus Range and Accuracy	General	Various
Firing Line	20-21.5% as per weapon type	← PVE only	-	Activates when close to two allies.	General	Various
High Impact Reserves	12.1% to 25.6%	3% to 6%	-	Rounds at the end of the magazine deal increasingly more damage (starting at 50% of magazine).	General	Various
Headseeker	8%		-	Body shot increases precision damage for a short time.	General	Various
Armor-Piercing Rounds	5% To shields	← PVE only	-	Shoot at enemies with shields (works on Barrier Champions).	General	Various

📌A lot of this data comes from the excellent Destiny 2 Damage Buffs/Debuffs guide.

Specific perks chart: Damage perks

Whereas the table above covers general damage perks that can be found on a variety of weapon types, this table covers only the specific damage perks that can only roll on select weapon types:

Weapon Perk	PvE Damage increase	PvP Damage increase	Duration	Activation \| Effects	Type	Weapons	Released
Unstoppable Force	30%		4s	Gain projectile damage upon blocking damage with your Glaive Shield.	Specific	Glaives	Season 16
Explosive Light	25%		-	Picking up an Orb of Power increases the next projectile's blast radius and damage.	Specific	Rocket Launchers	Season 15
Lasting Impression	20%		-	Rockets attach on impact and detonate after a delay, increasing blast radius and damage.	Specific	Rocket Launchers
Cluster Bomb	24% Max		-	Rockets spawn 8 cluster bombs upon detonation.	Specific	Rocket Launchers
One-Two Punch	200%	← PVE only	-	Hitting an enemy with every pellet in a shot increases melee damage.	Specific	Shotguns
Trench Barrel	50%	← PVE only	5s or 3 shots	After a melee, weapon gains increased damage. Bonus Handling and Reload	Specific	Shotguns
Full Court	25% Max distance		-	Increases detonation damage as the projectile travels further before exploding.	Specific	Grenade Launchers
Spike Grenades	50% to Impact only		-	Direct hits do increased damage. Bonus Stability	Specific	Grenade Launchers
Kickstart	20%		-	Sprint for a short duration. Bonus Charge Time	Specific	Fusion Rifles
Reservoir Burst	25%		-	When the battery is full, weapon deals additional damage and causes killed enemies to explode.	Specific	Fusion Rifles
Desperado	Rate of fire increased 30%		6s	After Reloading within 6 seconds of a Precision Kill, the delay after shooting is reduced by 30% for 6 seconds. Can be refreshed.	Specific	Pulse Rifles
Incandescent	30 scorch		-	Kills apply scorch to nearby enemies. Killing Powerful enemies and Players increases the range to 8 meters.	Specific	Various	Season 17
Voltshot	Jolts targets		7s	Reloading after a Kill applies Jolt on the next hit. Chain lightning will release to enemies near it.	Specific	Various	Season 17
Kinetic Tremors	Sustained damage emits a shockwave that damages any nearby targets.		-	Scoring multiple hits against a single target emits 3 damaging shockwaves from its location at the time of activation.	Specific	Various
Destabilizing Rounds	Final blows cause nearby targets to become volatile.		-	Weapon Kills apply Volatile to other enemies in a 6.5-meter radius around the target.	Specific	Various
Repulsor Brace	Grants a 45 HP Void Overshield		8s	On Weapon Kill against an enemy affected by a Void Debuff.	Specific	Various

A piece of the puzzle

Having the right perks will make the difference between a great gun and a mediocre one. But weapons and perks are only a piece of the puzzle. In order to tackle the most challenging content Destiny 2 has to offer, you’ll need more than just a god-rolled weapon. You’ll also need a powerful build and a good usage of the different buffs and debuffs at your disposal. These are covered in separate guides:

Destiny 2 Armor Mods

Destiny 2 Buffs and Debuffs

Your turn

Hopefully, deciding what weapon rolls you should keep should be much easier than before. Do keep in mind that these tables only cover damage perks, which means only half of the picture is shown (nearly all weapons can only offer one damage perk per roll, with the other perk reserved to non-damage perks such as reload perks).

For a much more comprehensive look into these and all the other types of perks, Court’s Damage Buffs/Debuffs is a must.

So, what are your favorite perks? Let us know in the comments below!