Breech-loaded grenade launchers are in good shape in Destiny 2 after the buffs introduced with the Into the Light update. It’s fitting, as the quest to earn a curated shiny Mountaintop grenade launcher asks Guardians to rack up multi-kills with the weapon type.
However, The Mountaintop isn’t the only breech-loaded grenade launcher currently worth its weight. There are plenty of options that can decimate swathes of enemies or pinpoint considerable damage in a small area.
Destiny 2‘s Into the Light update rebalanced some weapons and Perks, but it also added new content to the game. In addition to beloved Exotic missions reappearing and the new Onslaught horde mode, the update brought back several sunset weapons and a few Raid favorites to form the Brave Arsenal of weapons. The Mountaintop is part of this arsenal, and a path toward grinding it is paved by using other grenade launchers.
Naturally, some grenade launchers are better than others, whether because of Perk options or power creep. So, if you’re pursuing The Mountaintop’s quest or just want to beef up your arsenal, here are some of the best breech-loaded grenade launchers in Destiny 2.
Tusk of the Boar
- Element: Strand
- Source: Iron Banner
The main benefit of the Tusk of the Boar grenade launcher is having a Wave Frame grenade launcher in your first weapon slot. Wave Frame grenade launchers excel at horde control, easily wiping out several Minor foes with their forward-traveling energy. As such, players want to shoot the ground in front of targets so the grenade doesn’t bounce off foes and cause the wave to veer off course.
There are a few interesting rolls for Tusk of the Boar, but Guardians may have little choice in the matter because it’s the newest Iron Banner addition as of this writing. The grenade launcher can get Envious Assassin and Chain Reaction for something that excels at taking out groups. Envious Assassin overloads Tusk of the Boar based on kills with other weapons, and Chain Reaction creates a second elemental explosion wherever an enemy goes down. The gun has plenty of other good Perks too, like Slice, Hatchling, and Bait and Switch.
Prodigal Return
- Element: Arc
- Source: Season of Defiance (Season 20)
Prodigal Return represents a solid breech-loaded grenade launcher that can pack a wallop. It doesn’t rely on a Wave Frame to decimate packs of enemies; instead, it delivers a single grenade that players will want to impact the target. This grenade launcher is craftable, meaning that players can make a Prodigal Return with the stats they want after earning enough red-bordered versions of the gun. This also means the weapon can be upgraded with Enhanced Perks down the line.
Prodigal Return can work a few different ways depending on what players want. Despite not being a Wave Frame, if players want to add some respectable AOE potential to the grenade launcher, Voltshot is the Perk to look at. Paired with Envious Assassin, Guardians can overload the launcher while using other weapons and then unleash a storm of Arc damage. Alternatively, Envious Assassin and Rampage can turn Prodigal Return into a powerhouse, so long as enemies are around to keep Rampage running.
Forbearance
- Element: Arc
- Source: Vow of the Disciple Raid/Into the Light
Forbearance isn’t a newcomer to the scene. It was a long-popular choice for players who earned it in the Vow of the Disciple Raid. However, as part of the Brave Arsenal, Forbearance is being made available through another means for those who don’t own The Witch Queen expansion. Forbearance is the king of breech-loaded enemy clearing, and that’s the case regardless of where the weapon came from.
While the Raid version of Forbearance is craftable and comes with a different Intrinsic Trait, the two weapons are otherwise identical. The original version does have the benefit of being crafted, meaning players can change the Perks on a whim, but any Forbearance will do as long as it has Ambitious Assassin and Chain Reaction. Ambitious Assassin reloads the weapon based on the prior shots’ kill count, and Chain Reaction, of course, creates those big Arc explosions.
Witherhoard
- Element: Kinetic
- Source: Monument to Lost Lights (Tower)
The idea behind Witherhoard is to give players the power to create their own Blights. The weapon fires AOE splotches that continuously damage everything within — kind of like an anti-Wave Frame. Players get one shot in the launcher at a time, and upon impact, it creates a circular zone of constant AOE damage. If Guardians hit an enemy directly, it instead continuously damages the foe, dropping another Blight if they’re defeated. While the Exotic grenade launcher has a fixed roll, it can reliably fit into any Light Subclass build not already relying on an Exotic weapon.
Though Witherhoard doesn’t have a Perk pool like the other grenade launchers mentioned, players can get some additional utility out of its Exotic Catalyst. Once obtained and completed, the Catalyst bumps Handling to 100 and adds in the Auto-Loading Holster Perk. This means Witherhoard will reload itself after use when stowed and switching to the weapon becomes incredibly fast.
The Mountaintop
- Element: Kinetic
- Source: Into the Light
Of course, once Guardians use other grenade launchers to unlock the ability to start farming The Mountaintop, the weapon becomes fair game. The Mountaintop may not have an elemental affinity, but it more than makes up for it with a combination of power and new utility. The weapon’s frame, Micro Missle, has been reworked, allowing players to use the launcher to rocket jump. That’s in addition to the frame already providing rocket-assisted thrusters to the grenade, making it more like a mini rocket launcher akin to the Indebted Kindness sidearm.
While any shiny Mountaintop will look great, players want to target rolls that will turn the weapon into a wrecking ball. For a passive approach, Frenzy and either Auto-Loading Holster or Overflow add a near-constant damage buff and eliminate the need to reload. Alternatively, Impulse Amplifier pairs well with Frenzy, allowing faster shots and improved reloads. For a roll with a bit more risk and reward, Recombination instead of Frenzy can boost damage much higher but requires elemental weapons kills between each massive shot.
