Summary
- Kepler introduces new legendary weapons in Destiny 2, available through objectives, missions, or public events.
- The Exhaustive Research trait common to all Kepler weapons allows for unique builds and synergies with various perks.
- Ulterior Observation, Last Thursday, and Precipial are standout Kepler weapons, offering diverse perks for different playstyles.
Destiny 2 continues to grow with The Edge of Fate expansion. Along with the new destination of Kepler and new seasonal content, the latest update to Bungie's long-running MMO FPS comes with an overhaul to gear and power progression. That means there's plenty for both new players and those revisiting the game to learn. The new destination offers a new set of Legendary destination weapons to farm, and there are a few ways players can earn the new gear.
Completing objectives on Kepler, as well as other missions and activities like public events, can get players the weapons as enemy drops or chest loot. All content will reward players with Kepler-specific Engram materials to use in Focused Decoding. By default, the Kepler gear can only drop at a maximum of tier 3 in the new loot system, though this can be increased later with vendor perks once players reach certain power thresholds.
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For players wondering which of the new Kepler weapons will perform the best in the hands of their Guardian, here's a ranking of the new offerings. This is based on general effectiveness (mostly in PvE) and applicable synergies, though players should also take their preferred playstyle into account when choosing their favorites.
6 Sublimation
Scout Rifle
- Damage Type: Arc
- Archetype: High Impact Frame (150 rpm)
- Perks 1: Sympathetic Arsenal / Shoot to Loot / Demolitionist / Eddy Current / Impromptu Ammunition / Rapid Hit / Moving Target
- Perks 2: Rolling Storm / Voltshot / Redirection / Precision Instrument / Explosive Payload / No Distractions / Adagio
- Origin Trait: Exhaustive Research
The new Scout Rifle, Sublimation, might appeal to some players due to a couple of appealing perk combinations. For players who want to use the scout rifle in extended fights or other situations where moving positions to get ammo isn't ideal, Shoot to Loot combined with Explosive Payload allows players to pick up ammo from range, even with the AoE damage from the explosive shots. On the other hand, since Sublimation is an Arc weapon, players can also make good use of Eddy Current and Voltshot for a nice damage synergy.
5 Agape
Handcannon
- Damage Type: Solar
- Archetype: Heavy Burst Frame (257 rpm)
- Perks 1: Pugilist / Encore / Outlaw / Rewind Rounds / Heal Clip / Snapshot Sights / Moving Target
- Perks 2: Precision Instrument / Burning Ambition / Incandescent / Fragile Focus / Master of Arms / Firefly / Vorpal Weapon
- Origin Trait: Exhaustive Research
The Agape Handcannon deals Solar damage and has some nice synergies for it with the new perk Burning Ambition, as well as the existing Solar-friendly perk Incandescent. Both these perks spread Scorch to enemies in different ways. The only downside is that both perks belong to the same pool, so they can't be on the weapon at once. With that said, this gives players the option to look for something like Rewind Rounds to keep up ammo generation, or Heal Clip for the restorative effect.
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4 Givers Blessing
Auto Rifle
- Damage Type: Kinetic
- Archetype: Rapid Fire Frame (720 rpm)
- Perks 1: Feeding Frenzy / Shoot to Loot / Demolitionist / Rewind Rounds / Impromptu Ammunition / Transcendent Moment / Moving Target
- Perks 2: One for All / Multikill Clip / High Ground / Adrenaline Junkie / Zen Moment / Kinetic Tremors / Adagio
- Origin Trait: Exhaustive Research
The Givers Blessing Auto Rifle could be a popular choice among the new destination weapons for Destiny 2. The high fire rate synergizes well with a number of perks, like Rewind Rounds, which refunds ammo when a clip is empty based on the number of hits, or Zen Moment for increasing stability. The weapon can also work well with Moving Target, which increases movement speed and target acquisition when aiming down sights, due to the origin trait Exhaustive Research.
All the Kepler weapons come with Exhaustive Research, which arms a homing micromissile over time when aiming down sights. Second column perks like Adrenaline Junkie, Kinetic Tremors, and Adagio can all work well with this weapon too.
3 Ulterior Observation
Machine Gun
- Damage Type: Stasis
- Archetype: Aggressive Frame (600 rpm)
- Perks 1: Feeding Frenzy / Built to Blast / Demolitionist / Subsistence / Headstone / Envious Arsenal / Moving Target
- Perks 2: Dynamic Sway Reduction / Binary Orbit / Dragonfly / Closing Time / Rimestealer / Adagio
- Origin Trait: Exhaustive Research
Ulterior Observation can be a powerful weapon. This machine gun, like all machine guns after the recent update, now comes with a multistaged reload, meaning players don't have to restart the entire animation if they cancel a reload mid-way through. This makes machine guns in general a much more appealing weapon pick, and the Ulterior Observation can roll with some useful perks to back it up.
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The new Binary Orbit perk is an interesting one. This perk means final blows of the opposite elemental types increase the damage of the elemental type on the weapon. (Stasis counts as dark, so Solar, Void, and Arc, are its opposites.) This can be used for some weapon swapping or artifact-assisted damage maximization with the right setup. Adagio is another perk option that suits the Ulterior Observation well. This reduces the fire rate of a weapon, but increases its damage in return, and triggers after a kill. For players that want to focus on the Stasis damage of the weapon, Rimestealer is a great perk and works very well with Headstone if players can find a version with both.
2 Last Thursday
Pulse Rifle
- Damage Type: Strand
- Archetype: Adaptive Frame (390 rpm)
- Perks 1: Strategist / Built to Blast / Demolitionist / Rapid Hit / Subsistence / Transcendent Moment / Moving Target
- Perks 2: Slice / Binary Orbit / Dragonfly / Frenzy / Elemental Honing / Headseeker / Hatchling
- Origin Trait: Exhaustive Research
The new Pulse Rifle, Last Thursday, is a great choice from the new destination weapons. The only reason players might prefer to look for other options is the wide variety of good Pulse Rifle archetypes that are already in the game.
Binary Orbit can have its uses with this weapon in a similar way to the Ulterior Observation. Players might want to look for a more standard sustain and damage combo like Subsistence and Elemental Honing, or Demolitionist and Hatchling. For players that like to focus on their class ability, Slice is a nice perk to boost damage, as this will cause hits to Sever enemies for a duration after using a class ability.
1 Precipial
Shotgun
- Damage Type: Void
- Archetype: Precision Frame (65 rpm)
- Perks 1: Proximity Power / Repulsor Brace / Reconstruction / Threat Detector / One-Two Punch / Lone Wolf / Moving Target
- Perks 2: Destabilizing Rounds / Discord / Swashbuckler / Slideshot / Opening Shot / Vorpal Weapon / Binary Orbit
- Origin Trait: Exhaustive Research
The Precipial Shotgun is one of the best destination weapons from Kepler, though whether players prefer this or other options will come down to their preferred playstyle in a lot of cases. This weapon is great for players that like to get up close with enemies and incorporate a lot of melee attacks, especially if combined with perks like Proximity Power and Swashbuckler.
When targets are nearby, Proximity Power grants increased melee stat on final blows, while Swashbuckler deals more damage as players get kills and melee kills. The weapon can make use of the new Binary Orbit perk, as well as other good damage perks like Vorpal Weapon for taking on bosses or Destabilizing Rounds to make nearby enemies Volatile after a kill.
Destiny 2: The Edge of Fate
- Released
- July 15, 2025
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