With the release of Destiny 2’s Forsaken expansion in 2018, Bungie added a slew of powerful new exotics for players to chase. Forsaken exotics provide game-changing perks and abilities that can drastically improve your Guardian’s power in both PvE and PvP.
After combing through numerous Reddit threads, tier lists, and expert recommendations, we’ve compiled a definitive list of the 10 best Forsaken exotic weapons and armor pieces that you should target in Destiny 2.
What Makes a Good Exotic?
Before diving into the list, let’s go over what makes an exotic good in Destiny 2:
- Unique Perk – The exotic should have a perk that provides a novel gameplay mechanic you can’t get anywhere else. This will enable new builds and strategies.
- Power Boost – A great exotic should provide a noticeable boost in power, speed, damage resistance, etc. It should make content easier.
- Fun Factor – An exotic is best when it’s fun to use. The perk should provide interesting synergies and a “wow” moment.
- PvE & PvP Viability – Top exotics are useful in both PvE and PvP. Even better if it excels in one area while still being decent in the other.
With these criteria in mind, let’s jump into the 10 best exotics added in Destiny 2’s Forsaken expansion!
10. Cerberus+1
Cerberus+1 is an exotic auto rifle that fires four bullets per trigger pull. It has excellent short-range damage and excels at mowing down nearby targets in PvE and PvP.
What Makes It Good
- Fires 4 bullets simultaneously for high burst damage
- Shots split and track toward multiple targets
- Great for add clear and defensive play
Despite being an auto rifle, Cerberus+1 fills more of a shotgun role. The spread shot and target tracking gives it devastating short-range damage. While it has a very limited range, it dominates in close quarters.
This flexibility makes Cerberus a great exotic primary for Nightfalls and other PvE content with mixed engagements. And in PvP, it’s deadly for controlling chokepoints and defending capture points.
9. One Thousand Voices
The raid exotic fusion rifle One Thousand Voices unleashes a massive, lingering beam of Solar damage. It provides insane burst DPS for melting bosses and majors.
What Makes It Good
- Highest single target damage of any weapon
- Large AoE blast on impact
- Ammo efficiency through reservoir burst
While difficult to acquire, One Thousand Voices is worth the trouble. It has the highest damage potential in the game when used properly. The initial blast and lingering ground AoE can wipe out groups of adds. And against bosses or mini-bosses, the sustained beam melts away health bars in seconds.
One Thousand Voices excels in nearly all PvE content. Whether you need burst damage for majors or sustained DPS on raid bosses, this exotic fusion has you covered. The main downside is the charge time, which makes it less viable in PvP compared to other heavy options.
8. Ace of Spades
The exotic hand cannon Ace of Spades is a powerful and versatile primary weapon. It sports excellent stats and a perk set that boosts range, damage, and reload speed.
What Makes It Good
- High range, stability, and aim assist
- Radar while aiming down sights
- Firefly and Memento Mori damage boost
Ace of Spades is simply one of the best-feeling and most reliable hand cannons in Destiny 2. The radar and third eye perk improve situational awareness in PvP. Firefly and Memento Mori reward precision kills with bonus damage.
It’s easy to keep Memento Mori active with Ace’s great base stats. The gun just has so much going for it, making it excellent in both PvE and PvP. Ace of Spades is a safe choice you can build entire load-outs around.
7. Trinity Ghoul
The exotic combat bow Trinity Ghoul fires electrified arrows that spread lightning bolts between nearby enemies. With the catalyst, getting a precision kill fully charges it automatically.
What Makes It Good
- Excellent ad clear from chain lightning
- Great ammo economy
- Quickly recharges on precision kills
Trinity Ghoul provides some of the best add-clearing capabilities in the game. Once it’s charged up, you can wipe out entire groups of weak enemies at a time through the chain of lightning.
And with the catalyst granting an instant full charge on precision kills, it’s easy to keep the lightning storm going. Trinity Ghoul is incredibly ammo efficient and charges fast enough to use as a primary weapon.
In both PvE and PvP, Trinity Ghoul can potentially clear adds and weak guardians faster than any other primary ammo weapon. The exotic perk truly shines when taking on large swarms of enemies.
6. Black Talon
The exotic sword Black Talon has a unique heavy attack that launches a pair of devastating Void projectiles at long range.
What Makes It Good
- Long-range heavy attack
- Projectiles track and hit hard from afar
- Strong defense through guarding
Black Talon provides an exotic sword experience that actually encourages using it at long range. The heavy attack is like a quick-firing rocket launcher that seeks targets.
It’s amazing for surprise multi-kills in PvP and deals big damage to beefy targets in PvE from a safe distance. And up close, Black Talon still functions as a normal devastating sword. The flexible range and power make it one of the most unique and fun exotics in Destiny 2.
5. Malfeasance
The exotic 180 RPM hand cannon Malfeasance causes explosions after landing 5 shots, along with bonus damage against Taken enemies.
What Makes It Good
- Excellent in Gambit against Taken
- Creates target detonations after 5 hits
- Great stats for a precision 180 RPM hand cannon
Malfeasance was designed with Gambit in mind, and it excels there. Against the Primeval and Taken enemies, Malfeasance shreds. And in any PvE activity with Taken, its damage and detonations synergize perfectly.
The 5 shot detonations are strong in standard Crucible as well. Malfeasance is just a great hand cannon all around, with the unique Taken perks adding icing on the cake. It’s reliable and potent in both PvE and PvP.
4. Chromatic Fire
The exotic chest armor Chromatic Fire causes your kinetic precision kills to release an elemental explosion based on your subclass. It boosts damage and area control.
What Makes It Good
- Adds AoE damage to kinetic guns
- An element matches your subclass for shields
- Big boosts to overall damage output
Chromatic Fire adds a splash damage effect to kinetic weapons that match your current element. This both amps up your damage significantly and makes your kinetic guns viable against shielded enemies.
The AoE blast is quite large, clearing out adds efficiently while also dishing out high damage. Chromatic Fire greatly increases the potency of your workhorse kinetic weapons in PvE without sacrificing their raw power.
3. Shards of Galanor
The Shards of Galanor gauntlets refund a large portion of your super energy when you hit targets with Blade Barrage knives in rapid succession.
What Makes Them Good
- Dramatically improves Blade Barrage uptime
- Easy to get 50-75% super back
- Excellent for add clear and single-target damage
Shards of Galanor can effectively turn Blade Barrage into an add-clearing roaming super. Against groups of weaker enemies, it’s easy to unleash back-to-back barrages to clear entire battlefields.
And even against bosses and majors, correctly aimed barrages can still return 50% or more super energy. This super regen capability makes an already strong super completely game-changing in PvE.
2. One Eyed Mask
The extremely powerful Titan exotic helmet One Eyed Mask marks enemies that damage you and grants bonus damage against those marked targets.
What Makes It Good
- Marks enemies that damage you
- Bonus damage against marked targets
- Full health/shield restore on kill
One-Eyed Mask often feels like an auto-win button in PvP. Having constant wall hacks on enemies that shoot you provides a massive tactical advantage.
And then you also get increased damage and instant healing whenever you win your 1v1s. This exotic greatly rewards an aggressive, punishing playstyle when pushing marked targets.
If you main Titan in Crucible, this is a must-have exotic that will consistently improve your performance and K/D ratio. It’s been a staple PvP exotic ever since Forsaken launched.
1. Lunafaction Boots
The Lunafaction Boots exotic empowers your whole fireteam by automatically reloading their stowed weapons and boosting reload speed.
What Makes Them Good
- Automatically reloads all stored weapons
- Massive boost to sustained damage
- Faster reload speed for all weapons
- Synergizes perfectly with damaged supers
Lunafaction Boots have long been a staple in end-game PvE content. Empowering rifts already improves damage output, but the auto reload takes it to another level.
Your whole team can continually fire e.g. rocket launchers or slug shotguns without reloading. And combined with a Well of Radiance, you get a damage buff bubble with infinite ammo.
This exotic enables insane damage phases against raid bosses and strike bosses. It’s a must-have for optimizing your fire team’s DPS. Even after many nerfs, Lunafaction Boots remain one of the most potent exotics in Destiny 2.
Honorable Mentions
While the above represents the cream of the crop, there are plenty more great exotics added in Forsaken. Here are 5 more top-tier options worth acquiring:
- Ursa Furiosa – Insane super regen for Sentinel Shield
- Lord of Wolves – Powerful close-range shotgun with burst mode
- Two-Tailed Fox – Versatile rocket great for boss DPS
- Contraverse Hold – Improves grenades and super for Voidwalkers
- The Queenbreaker – Very high aim assist sniper rifle/linear fusion
Any of these can be considered top-tier exotics under the right circumstances. Having a diverse set of exotic armor and weapons to choose from is key to maximizing your Guardian’s power.
How to Get Forsaken Exotics
So now that you know the best exotics from Forsaken, let’s go over how to get them:
- World drops – All Forsaken weapons have a small chance to drop from any activity or enemy.
- Lost Sectors (Beyond Light+) – You can target farm exotics by soloing Legend/Master Lost Sectors on rotation when the chest is dropping arms/legs/helmet.
- Xur – Each weekend Xur has a random collection of exotics which can include Forsaken gear.
- Monument to Lost Lights – The monument lets you buy exotics with materials. But you must have unlocked them already.
- Story Campaigns – Some exotics like Ace of Spades are quest rewards for completing campaign missions.
- Raids/Dungeons – End-game PvE content like Last Wish and Shattered Throne have rare exotic drops.
With the Season of the Lost changes, Lost Sectors are now the most reliable way to farm exotic armor. Make sure to check Xur each weekend and buy his new exotics. And complete Forsaken story missions and power up to run the Raids and Dungeons.
With some strategic farming and a bit of luck, you’ll assemble a top-tier collection of Forsaken exotics to dominate Destiny 2’s end-game PvE and PvP!
TL;DR Summary
Here’s a quick recap of the absolute best exotics added in Destiny 2’s Forsaken expansion:
Best Forsaken Exotic Weapons
- One Thousand Voices
- Ace of Spades
- Trinity Ghoul
- Black Talon
- Malfeasance
Best Forsaken Exotic Armor
- Lunafaction Boots
- One-Eyed Mask
- Shards of Galanor
- Chromatic Fire
Prioritize chasing down these exotics first to maximize your Guardian’s power with must-have perks and game-changing abilities not found anywhere else in Destiny 2.
Using Forsaken’s Best Exotics to Master End-Game Content
Now that you know the top exotics from Destiny 2’s Forsaken expansion, let’s look at how to use them to conquer the hardest end-game activities.
The innovative perks on these weapons and armor pieces enable new strategies and load-outs. Taking full advantage of them is key to success in raids, dungeons, prestige activities, and Trials of Osiris.
Here are some recommended load-outs and tactics when using these exotics to master Destiny 2’s most challenging PvE and PvP content:
Raids and Dungeons
One Thousand Voices – The insane burst damage from One Thousand Voices is perfect for taking down raid bosses. Make sure to land the initial blast then keep the beam centered on the crit spot for maximum DPS.
Lunafaction Boots – Pair these with Well of Radiance to enable your entire fireteam to unleash continuous damage with auto reloads. Combine with One Thousand Voices for ultimate raid boss melts.
Shards of Galanor – Use Blade Barrage strategically during encounters to take out key majors or groups of adds to generate Orbs of Light for your team. Time it to get the most targets for super regen.
Chromatic Fire – The elemental explosions will clear out adds quickly while boosting your kinetic weapon damage against shielded enemies.
Nightfalls
Trinity Ghoul – Unleash chain lightning arrows to clear entire groups of adds spawn at once. Trinity Ghoul can work as a primary weapon in lower-level Nightfalls.
One-Eyed Mask – The wall hacks and damage bonus give you a major advantage in Nightfall boss DPS phases. Rush in to mark the boss and melt them down.
Black Talon – Clear shielded majors safely from range with the projectile heavy attack. Use swords for burst boss damage too.
Controversy Hold – Spam-charged vortex grenades at chokepoints to control add spawns. With the exotic perk, they recharge extremely fast.
Trials of Osiris
Ace of Spades – This meta hand cannon is a staple in any Trials loadout. Team shoot with Memento Mori active and clean up kills.
One-Eyed Mask – Aggressively push weak targets you’ve marked for overshields and instantly heals on kills. OEM greatly punishes uncoordinated teams.
Shards of Galanor – Build super fast to secure early orb advantage. Look for opportunities to wipe teams on cap points with Blade Barrage.
The Queenbreaker – Equip this exotic heavy sniper for invasions in Trials. The aim assist makes it extremely easy to pick off opponents.
Master Difficulty Campaigns
Trinity Ghoul – Absolutely demolishes groups of minor enemies. Makes adding dense missions much more manageable.
Malfeasance – Wrecks Taken enemies in missions like The Corrupted. Five-shot explosions are also great against majors.
One-Eyed Mask – Overshields and healing let you play very aggressively against deadly enemies. Mark majors and bosses then burst them down.
Lunafaction Boots – Empower your fireteam for bosses with extended Wells and auto reloads. Makes shorter work of difficult boss fights.
The key is to synergize these exotics with your subclass trees and legendaries to maximize their unique benefits. Forming the right loadout and strategy for each activity type will lead to much easier completions and farming.
Experiment with mixing and matching Forsaken’s most powerful exotics to overcome Destiny 2’s hardest challenges!
Conclusion
Thanks for reading our guide on the top exotics added in Destiny 2’s Forsaken expansion! We hope this breakdown gives you a target list to chase and helps you dominate both PvE and PvP with these awesome new tools.
Here are some key takeaways:
- Prioritize chasing exotics like One Thousand Voices, Shards of Galanor, and Lunafaction Boots first to massively amplify your Guardian’s power.
- Lost Sectors, Xur, story missions, and raids are the best sources for acquiring Forsaken exotics.
- Lean heavily on unavoidable exotics like One Eyed Mask and Ace of Spades for competitive Crucible.
- Combining oppression exotics empowers new strategies for tackling challenging end-game PvE activities.
- Know which exotic to use when based on the key mechanics and enemies of each Nightfall, dungeon, or raid encounter.
Equipping the right overpowered Forsaken exotic for the job will give you an edge across all of Destiny 2’s endgame. Build crafting is key to maximizing their unique benefits. Wield these top-tier exotics well and you’ll rise to the top of the Guardian ranks!