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Destructoid
Destructoid
Pedro Peres

Best weapons to get before Renegades in Destiny 2

Destiny 2's next expansion looms, and some guardians are already engaging in their usual rituals before the new content drops. If you didn't get everything you wanted, you can still farm some weapons before Renegades kicks off on Dec. 2.

Our usual pre-expansion rituals include getting our builds ready, keeping a clean inventory, and figuring out the seasonal fashion—arguably the most important part. Farming gear is a part of the preparations: it's a good way to guarantee certain items before their drop sources see potential alterations, and it also offers powerful gear that should be in any guardian's arsenal.

For instance, you shouldn't drop into Renegades without a Mint Retrograde in your vault, after all, even if you're probably swapping it out for some of the Star Wars-inspired guns in the expansion. Here are the top weapons we recommend farming before Renegades lands on Tuesday, Dec. 2.

Mint Retrograde

The Mint Retrograde pulse rifle in Destiny 2, which uses the same model as the Hailing Confusion pulse rifle from Europa.
We couldn't leave this one out of the list. Screenshot by Destructoid
  • Source: Pinnacle Ops

The gun that's at the top of the food chain in the current Destiny 2 sandbox is, unsurprisingly, at the top of our list of the best weapons to farm before the next expansion. Mint Retrograde will maintain its high damage but take a nerf to its ammo economy in Renegades, so you can still keep it glued to your Kinetic slot—just like the other 45 percent of guardians using this weapon, as per Bungie's own stats.

Unfall

Unfall, a Drang-inspired rocket sidearm with the Vanguard logo.
The cooler Drang. Screenshot by Destructoid
  • Source: Portal

Rocket sidearms may not be as much of a big-ticket item as they were when the archetype was born in late 2023, but they're still in quite a comfortable place in the sandbox. Bungie added Unfall in the Ash & Iron update, bringing with it a new perk pool, synergy with Sturm, and a New Gear tag. This weapon performs just fine without its Exotic counterpart, though. It doesn't roll Voltshot like Indebted Kindness, but it does bring Jolting Feedback and Master of Arms to the mix.

Returned Memory from the Crucible is another great option—good enough to make the cut into the list, thanks to a little help from Zavala.

MIDA Mini-Tool

The MIDA Mini-Tool SMG, a compact weapon with "MIDA" engraved onto it.
Return of the King. Kind of. Screenshot by Destructoid
  • Source: Portal

After the reissued CALUS Mini-Tool made a splash in Season of the Haunted, it's time for the post-Edge of Fate MIDA Mini-Tool to shine. This SMG is a powerful workhorse weapon with some best-in-slot perks and Solar synergy. Heal Clip and Incandescent, the usual suspects, now have a new sibling in Burning Ambition, and the Mini-Tool can roll with all of those—plus old favorites such as Attrition Orbs, Frenzy, and Master of Arms.

The MIDA Mini-Tool is a good weapon to get before Renegades, especially if you're using a Solar build. Odds are you won't ditch a god-rolled Yeartide Apex for it, but this SMG is the best option if you missed Solstice's most coveted gun.

Outrageous Fortune

The Outrageous Fortune heavy grenade launcher, with the red hue from Pinnacle ops.
Don't blow yourself up. Screenshot by Destructoid
  • Source: Pinnacle Ops

Grenade launchers have stayed steady in the meta for a couple of years now, so Outrageous Fortune is a great option to bring into your first run of the Renegades campaign. This powerful heavy weapon can roll Envious Arsenal paired with Bait and Switch, which is top-tier for damage, and it comes with a New Gear tag to match.

Submersion or Synanceia

The Call to Arms weapons aren't farmable, but they're still obtainable. Opening the daily event chest in the Tower awards all sorts of gear, with a chance of dropping your attuned weapon. Change your attunement by speaking to Devrim.

Out of the event weapons, Submersion is arguably the most important, though we're getting a Void heavy crossbow with Renegades based on videos from content creators. Synanceia is also a good option for a New Gear sword with Eager Edge (y'know, in case you need to endlessly run Salt Mines again for the next Call to Arms).

Returned Memory

The Returned Memory rocket SMG in Destiny 2, with the Crucible logo.
No PvP required. Screenshot by Destructoid

Rocket sidearms are never out of style, and Returned Memory is another entry to this weapon family. This Crucible gun comes with great perks such as Heal Clip and Impulse Amplifier paired with Redirection, Incandescent, Burning Ambition, and One For All.

If you'd rather not set foot in PvP, however, Zavala is selling this as the featured weapon this week. While none of his rolls have all those perks at the same time, the offerings are still quite spicy.

Theodolite

The Theodolite breech-loading grenade launcher with the red pattern from Pinnacle Ops.
It's not The Mountaintop, but it'll do. Image via Bungie
  • Source: Pinnacle Ops

The Mountaintop has a younger sibling, and this time, it goes on your Energy slot. Theodolite is the new Arc-aligned micro-missile frame with strong damage potential for Majors. Aim for Reconstruction or Blast Distributor with Voltshot, Reaper's Tithe, Frenzy, or Elemental Honing for big damage numbers.

Lionfish-4FR

The Lionfish-4FR VEIST fusion rifle in Destiny 2.
Lives up to the Veist name. Screenshot by Destructoid
  • Source: Portal

Even now, over three years after its debut, Riptide is basically synonymous with Stasis fusion rifles, so Lionfish-4FR has some big shoes to fill. And it seems up to the task.

Lionfish has Reconstruction paired with Chill Clip, an improvement on Riptide's Auto-Loading Holster/Chill Clip. It also rolls with Controlled Burst, Elemental Honing, or Reservoir Burst in the fourth column, which you can use for a more damage-based role.

Honorable mention: Smoke Jumper armor

A Warlock clad in Smoke Jumper armor in Destiny 2.
The little sirens light up, in case you were wondering. Screenshot by Destructoid

The Smoke Jumper armor is, by most definitions of the word, not a weapon. That said, it's one of the most popular and powerful new sets in Edge of Fate. Community figure TheAegisRelic put this "disgustingly OP" set in the S-Tier in their endgame list, which is high praise. Since this list is about grabbing good gear before Renegades, Smoke Jumper couldn't be off the menu, even if just as an honorable mention.

The best part of the Smoke Jumper set by far is Ride Together, Die Together, its two-piece bonus. It gives a short-lived damage reduction when picking up orbs of power, which are easy to generate in the current sandbox. The four-piece isn't bad (Aegis gave it a B), but grab at least two well-rolled pieces of armor before Renegades.

The post Best weapons to get before Renegades in Destiny 2 appeared first on Destructoid.

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