Summary
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The Slayer's Fang shotgun is the latest addition to Destiny 2, offering crafting and unique catalyst perks for endgame content.
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The Conditional Finality Shotgun excels in both PvE and PvP with Freeze and Ignite abilities, but it's only available as a random drop.
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The Tractor Cannon increases the team's damage during raids, making it a valuable support weapon in Destiny 2.
With act 3 of Destiny 2's Episode Revenant, the exotic quest Kell's Fall has been released, and with it comes the Slayer's Fang exotic shotgun. Thanks to this latest addition, there are now 8 exotic shotguns in the game, each with a unique place in players' arsenals. Each gun in this category has a specific use case, from the wolf lord with its absurd solar blasts to the tractor cannon with its weakened spread.

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Here's a look at each of the exotic shotguns i Destiny 2ranks them focusing on their power in PvE content. Some of the shotguns are predominantly PvP powerhouses, but this doesn't factor into their ranking. As such, some fan favorites may end up lower than expected.
8
Lord of the Wolves
Flaming blast damage
The Lord of the Wolves
was an absolute PvP monster for a while, consistently able to melt opponents with ease before Bungie addressed its power and brought it back in line with the competition. Now, thanks to the time it takes to fire a full burst, Lord of Wolves has been left behind and feels underwhelming in both PvP and PvE.
It is hard to recommend using Lord of Wolves in any content. Despite its decent damage output, it struggles with its ammo economy and doesn't dish out enough damage to warrant being used over any other options in the exotic shotgun category.
7
Chaperone
PvP champion
Chaperone
is again a gun that has ruled the PvP landscape but never made any particular waves in the PvE meta. The gun fires a single precision slug, which is no longer a unique selling point, making it difficult to use in content where the player is overwhelmed by enemies.
While the precision damage that Chaperone does is powerful, its accuracy requirements put it at a disadvantage for most players trying to use it. Other than having an impressive one-shot kill range in PvP, there is little to compliment about this gun.
6
Duality
The best of both worlds
Another precision based shotgun, Duality
offers the player the precision damage of The Chaperone along with the ability to fire a standard shot while shooting from the hip. Duality is another weapon that thrives in PvP; but thanks to its exotic perk, there's an argument to be made for its use in PvE.

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Duality has the “On Black Wings” perk, which allows stacking of precision damage and reload speed buffs gained when getting kills with the pellet spread mode. This is a fun shotgun to use in lower level content, but it can struggle in endgame content due to the fact that it requires kills to activate its full potential.
5
The Legend of Acrius
Packs a hell of a punch
The Legend of Acrius
was one of the first exotic shotguns in the Destiny 2 and is now one of two remaining in the heavy weapons site. Legend of Acrius fires a large arc shockwave and can hit any enemy with an unbeatable amount of damage per shot. If a raid boss can be reached safely, there is an argument to be made for a team to use this gun to clear it.
With its Exotic Catalyst, Legend of Acrius has increased magazine and stock sizes, as well as access to the “Trench Barrel” perk, which pumps up the damage further for three shots after hitting an enemy with a melee attack, making this gun even more powerful.
4
The Fourth Horseman
Uncontrollable recoil and unbeatable damage
The Fourth Horseman
is one of the most ridiculous weapons in Destiny 2shoots faster than most players can handle. Holding down the trigger unleashes the entire magazine in seconds, with each subsequent hit increasing the damage of the subsequent shot. If an enemy is close and has a very short damage duration, this gun is one of the easiest ways to pump out absurd amounts of damage.
While not useful in most of the content, The Fourth Horseman is undeniably fun and can destroy most enemies if the player can get into melee range. The main issue this gun will run into is ammo, which burns through all of its reserves at lightning fast speeds, but with the right build it can easily be useful in a variety of content.
3
Tractor cannon
Debuff on command
Another gun from Destiny 2s bass playing, Tractor cannon
is not a spammer or ad scrubber. This shotgun is more of a support weapon, sacrificing one player's damage to greatly boost the damage of the rest of the team. Although no longer as powerful as it once was, the Tractor Cannon was a must-have for any raid group.

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Even now, if a player wants to support their team or is facing boss mechanics that don't allow them to damage effectively, this gun is the perfect option to simply help their teammates deal extra damage for very little input.
2
Slayer's Fang
The New Kid On The Block
As the latest addition to the exotic shotgun list, the Slayer's Fang hasn't quite found its place in Destiny 2 yet. Despite this, it's easily one of the strongest options for endgame content, with its built-in awesome abilities for champions and free void weakens. Unlike all other weapons in the exotic shotgun category, the Slayer's Fang is manageable, offering not only a curated experience for each player, but also a choice of four exotic catalyst perks.
If a player wants more damage, they can use the “Cascade Point”, or if they would prefer survivability, they can take the “Repulsor Brace”. There is no really right choice. While it may take some getting used to, thanks to its unique shooting style, if a player can handle the Slayer's Fang, they will do well in even the hardest content.
1
Conditional finality
A Swiss Army shotgun
This will come as no surprise to most people Destiny 2 veterans. The Conditional finality
is a powerhouse in both PvE and PvP, able to freeze and ignite targets with a single magazine. Although this gun requires the player to get very close to the enemy, there is no real danger thanks to its ability to instantly freeze any target.
The only downside to this gun is its method of acquisition, as it is available a random drop from the final boss of the Root of Nightmares Raid. On top of this, it's a gun that many players have struggled to put down from the moment they got it, and it's arguably the most versatile weapon in Destiny 2with incredible damage potential, subclass synergies and amazing abilities.

- Released
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August 28, 2017
- OpenCritic Rating
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Powerful