Destiny 2 Best Exotics and Builds After the Final Update

The best exotics in Destiny 2 after the final update are the ones Bungie buffed hardest in update 9.7.0: The Jade Rabbit, Vex Mythoclast, Anarchy, Divinity and Heirloom on the weapon side, and reworked armor such as Caliban's Hand, Hallowfire Heart and Peregrine Greaves. Because Monument of Triumph (June 9, 2026) was the last planned content update and only hotfixes have followed, these numbers are effectively the final sandbox. This guide lists the biggest exotic buffs and nerfs, the sandbox changes that shape every build, and build ideas for each class.

Checked against update 9.7.0 coverage of Bungie's patch notes and Bungie's news feed on November 12, 2026.

The weapon and armor numbers come from press summaries of Bungie's 9.7.0 notes. The "best" picks and build ideas are editorial recommendations based on those changes, not official rankings or measured clear times.

What are the best exotics in Destiny 2 right now?

Start with the exotics that gained the most from 9.7.0. The table lists editorial picks and the change behind each one.

Exotic	Type	Key 9.7.0 change	Why it stands out
The Jade Rabbit	Weapon	Magazine 10 to 15; Fate of All Fools cap 15, precision kills add stacks and refill the magazine; new catalyst fires a Micro Missile	An exotic primary in a sandbox that now favors primaries
Vex Mythoclast	Weapon	Stronger Rewind Rounds in full-auto; Linear Fusion precision kills ignite; catalyst triggers from sustained damage	Two modes, both improved
Anarchy	Weapon	Trap lifetime 10s to 15s; trap damage to combatants up 30%; detonation damage doubled	Hands-off damage over a longer window
Divinity	Weapon	Penance damage up 20%; activation 4s to 3s; cage needs 10 shots instead of 14	Faster team damage support
Heirloom	Weapon	Charge rate up 20%; +20% vs minibosses and Champions; +10% vs bosses; catalyst adds Incandescent	Strong all-round PvE gains
Caliban's Hand	Hunter armor	Bigger melee recharge bonus; scorch damage refunds melee; ignition kills can fully refund knife energy	Loops Solar knives
Peregrine Greaves	Titan armor	Shoulder charge base damage doubled in PvE	Simple, high single-hit damage
Hallowfire Heart	Titan armor	Reworked around Sunfire Furnace stacks, healing, ability regeneration and Super damage	Fits the new Sunbreaker kit

Which exotic weapons got the biggest buffs?

Beyond the picks above, several exotics became much more usable in 9.7.0. Bungie adjusted 28 exotic weapons in total.

• Wardcliff Coil: max ammo 8 instead of 5, Mechanized Autoloader works while stowed, and a bug that blocked Bolt Charge was fixed.
• Centrifuse: magazine refilled per trigger rose from 4% to 10%.
• Truth: hitting with every round in a magazine returns one ammo and powers up the next magazine.
• The Lament: about 70% of its previous nerf was reverted, restoring most of the final combo damage and self-healing.
• Touch of Malice: final round damage up 10% and a faster special reload; its catalyst swaps Rapid Hit for Precision Instrument.
• Prometheus Lens: scorch per trigger rose to 20 stacks, plus 10 with Ember of Ashes.
• Arbalest: 33% more damage to Champions.
• Hierarchy of Needs: seekers apply 15 scorch and track targets recently hit by precision damage.
• MIDA Multi-Tool: PvE kills needed to unlock all modifications fell from 40 to 27.

Which exotics were nerfed in the final update?

A few long-time favorites lost power, so check these before building around them.

Exotic	Change
Outbreak Perfected	Max Nanite damage bonus 4.5x to 4x
Thunderlord	Ammo refunded by the lightning strike 7 to 5
Praxic Blade	Less ammo from light attacks; no infinite blocking with Strongholds and Special ammo swords
Lucky Pants	About 33% less bonus damage to bosses
Sunshot and Graviton Lance	Explosion damage shifted toward close range and away from long range

Outbreak Perfected and Thunderlord remain usable; the cuts reduce their ceiling rather than removing their role.

How did the sandbox change for builds?

Primaries got much stronger and Supers got much slower in boss fights. Those two changes shape every build in the current sandbox.

• Primary damage: Legendary primaries deal 30% more damage to base combatants, and the Exotic primary bonus rose from 30% to 40%. Non-Blaster primaries also deal 15% more to elites.
• Super regeneration: energy from damaging bosses fell by 60%, so builds that relied on Super cycling during damage phases need a new plan.
• Special ammo: Special weapons gain less ammo progress from minor enemies at 100 Ammo Gen, which weakens double-Special add clear.
• Weapon archetypes: High Impact Auto Rifles moved from 360 to 400 RPM with lower damage per shot; Lightweight Pulse Rifles, Rapid-Fire Scout Rifles and Aggressive Hand Cannons were trimmed.
• Grenades: Lightning Grenade detonation damage rose 25%, and grapple melee bonuses against bosses were cut.
• Artifacts: anti-Champion mods moved off the artifact and into weapons, and seven older artifacts returned.

What are good builds for each class?

These are editorial build ideas that combine buffed pieces. They are starting points, not tested damage rankings.

Hunter: Solar knife loop

Run Solar with Caliban's Hand. Scorch damage refunds melee energy and ignition kills can fully refund knife energy, so the build chains ignitions into more knives. Pair it with an exotic Solar weapon only if your armor slot is already set; otherwise use a strong Legendary primary, which now gets 30% more damage on regular enemies.

Titan: Sunbreaker with Shieldburst

Run Solar with the new Shieldburst aspect, which adds Solar effects to barricades, and Hallowfire Heart for Sunfire Furnace stacks, healing and ability regeneration. Hammer Strike now deals 100% more damage to combatants, and the reworked Ward of Dawn is a larger dome you can fight inside that gives allies Weapons of Light and weakens enemies. For a simpler setup, Peregrine Greaves doubles PvE shoulder charge base damage.

Warlock: Void with Soul Siphon

The new Soul Siphon Void aspect is the main Warlock addition in the final update. Pair Void with Divinity in team content, since its Penance damage rose 20% and it now activates faster, or with The Jade Rabbit for solo play where primary damage carries the build.

How do you build around Tier 5 gear?

Pair your exotic with Tier 5 Legendary gear and a matching armor set bonus. Any weapon can now be upgraded to Tier 5 with resources to unlock stronger perks, and crafted weapons can reach Tier 5 through level-ups at the Relic.

Armor matters as much as the exotic itself. Set bonuses activate at 2 and 4 pieces, Bungie toned down the strongest older bonuses and added many new ones, and raid and dungeon armor can carry unique set bonuses. Six new armor archetypes arrived in 9.7.0, and Ghost mods raise the drop chance of the one you want. Attunement raises the drop chance of weapons you already own, and vendors let you focus Tier 3 and 4 weapon rewards, which makes chasing a specific roll much faster than before.

A practical order: lock in the exotic first, then farm the armor set whose 2-piece bonus helps that exotic's element or ability, then upgrade your two Legendary weapons to Tier 5. Leave the 4-piece bonus for last, since it needs the most drops.

How do you get exotics and catalysts now?

Pinnacle Ops is the main source. The Exotic mission rotator was removed, most Exotic missions moved into Pinnacle Ops, and Exotic rewards drop directly from completions, while old seasonal rewards remain available through modifiers.

Every Exotic armor piece now drops with Tier 5 stats and accepts all modern tuning mods, and Legendary ornaments can be applied to Exotic armor. Glowing engrams can be targeted. The update also added 25 new and 9 improved Exotic catalysts. Featured raids and dungeons rotate weekly, two of each, with farmable top-tier gear, which makes them the best place to finish armor sets that pair with your exotic.

Will the Destiny 2 meta change again?

Probably not in a big way. Bungie called 9.7.0 its final major patch, with maintenance patches and hotfixes still possible, and its news feed shows only hotfix-numbered updates since, through 9.7.0.6 on October 20, 2026. Builds you finish now should stay viable. New and returning players should read the Destiny 2 beginner guide first for subclass unlocks and gear tiers.

Related guides

• Destiny 2 beginner guide 2026: free content, classes and Power
• Destiny 2 hub
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