Trace Rifles have received a major buff thanks toDestiny 2’s Episode Heresy Act 2 update, which includes a plethora of Artifact Perks that are specifically related to Trace Rifles. Whether it’s increasing their overall damage or potential to heal players with kills, Trace Rifles are must-have weapons forDestiny 2: Episode Heresy.
The best Trace Rifles to use in Episode Heresy can be found below so that players have a wide range of options when it comes to support weapons and viable DPS options in the endgame content that will see themdominate the darkness with ease.
1Chronophage
The Void Trace Rifle to Grant Volatile Rounds
Chronophage is a Void Trace Rifle that can be obtained from Episode: Echoes activities, and it’s a weapon that players are going to want for Episode: Heresy. Chronophage can be crafted into the perfect Trace Rifle thanks to its perk combo of Repulsor Brace and Destabilizing Rounds, which grants immense synergy this season.
Not only does Destabilizing Rounds annihilate targets with explosive bursts thanks to final blows, but the season’s Artifact Perks benefit Void weapons to grant further damage to volatile targets and shielding so that players will never die.
2Lodestar
The Exotic Arc Trace Rifle that Uses Primary Ammo
An absolute blast to use in PvE, Lodestar is a recent Exotic Trace Rifle that makes use of Primary Ammo so that players can always reload without fearing an empty magazine. The Arc synergy it has with Episode: Heresy makes it a top-notch pick, especially when everyone can get this Exotic, regardless of whether they have the Premium Season Pass or not.
Arc and Prismatic users will benefit greatly from Lodestar, as its Arc beam will be further enhanced by things like Bolt Charge, and its synergy with Trace Rifle Artifact perks means it is superior when Jolting targets to provide debuffs to enemies and buffs to players with ease.
3Wavesplitter
An Exotic Void Trace Rifle to Suppress and Explode Enemies
It’s time to dust off the Wavesplitter from the Vault, as Episode: Heresy is the perfect time to bring back this classic Void Trace Rifle. As an Exotic, Wavesplitter obviously grants further benefits to players thanks to its unique intrinsic traits, since not only will it provide Void damage with three power levels, but the ability to reload and suppress.
Suppressing targets provides a debuff that will see their damage output reduced, along with an amazing synergy with Artifact Perks to cause even more damage with this Trace Rifle. Wavesplitter is a great choice for ad-clear and for debuffing mini-boss andboss enemies, especially with an abundance of Orbs of Power.
4Keraunios
The Arc Trace Rifle to Jolt Targets Thanks to Guardian Games 2025
Keraunios is a Trace Rifle that players are going to have to be quick about claiming, as this exclusive weapon to the Guardian Games will leave the loot pool on April 1st, and won’t be back until 2026. As such, it’s now or never to claim this Arc Trace Rifle that benefits greatly from a new set of revamped perks to make for theperfect weapon in Episode: Heresy.
Keraunios delights with its shocking perks, providing players with a choice between three great perks: Detonator Beam to explode targets with sustained damage, Jolting Feedback to Jolt enemies with sustained damage, and Rolling Storm to gain Bolt Charge on sustained damage. Each perk is a treat, so it’s the buyer’s choice with this Arc weapon.
5The Navigator
The Exotic Strand Trace Rifle to Grant Woven Mail and Sever
The Navigator is immensely fun to wield, for it is both a Trace Rifle that can be used as a support weapon and as a DPS weapon. The Navigator will grant Woven Mail to the user and the targeted player that is shot, which in turn grants a reduction to damage taken so players can really tank out the harshest of hits.
What makes The Navigator so good this season is that sustained damage severs targets, providing a debuff on enemies that will benefit the Artifact Perks by allowing this Trace Rifle to deal more damage and to grant Supers extra damage too.
6Coldheart
An Arc Trace Rifle to Generate Ionic Traces
Coldheart is another Exotic Trace Rifle, benefiting players from the Arc energy slot for Episode: Heresy. With Coldheart equipped, players will not only provide themselves with a cold-fusion-powered Arc laser to shoot that deals more damage with sustained fire, but they will also generate Ionic Traces.
Ionic Traces are great for restoring melee, grenade, and class ability energy, and they really benefit Warlocks in particular for the Stormcallers out there. Being able to use an Arc Super is always an electrifying blast, so synergizing that with Coldheart makes for a fun build indeed.
7Microcosm
The Heavy Kinetic Trace Rifle to Damage Shields and Grant Supers
Microcosm is the first Exotic Trace Rifle in the Power Weapon category, providing a Heavy Trace Rifle that the competition can only aspire to be like. This heavy weapon is adevastatingly powerfulchoice for content like the Court of Blades or Rushdown due to its ad-clearing potential, and how easily it willeradicate endgame bossesand mini-bosses with its devastating beam.
Not only can it eradicate Subjicators and Tormentors thanks to its extra damage to shielded enemies, but by pairing it with Storm’s Call and Bolt Charge, players can easily debuff enemies from behind their Titan’s shields to provide extra damage, sustained fire, and immense Super damage.
8Unsworn
The Strand Trace Rifle to Sever Targets with Ease
Unsworn is found exclusively in the encounters from the Sundered Doctrine dungeon, and it is definitely a weapon worth trying to obtain through farming for a few reasons. Unsworn is a Strand Trace Rifle, which is always a nice touch for players, especially since with perks like Tear, they will be able to sever targets after precision final hits.
Severing targets for the debuff, and then pairing it with the devastating explosions from sustained damage with Detonator Beam, makes Unsworn a must-have Trace Rifle, especially in a season so heavily focused on sustained damage and debuffs to make Trace Rifles the mostfun aspect of the PvE meta.
