Rocket Launchers have always been a fun and effective weapon to use in Destiny 2. Lately, they have topped many of the DPS charts and are widely used in PvE.
To prepare for your next Raid, Dungeon, or Solo Legendary Lost Sector, you are going to want a good Rocket Launcher. We have only the best Rocket Launchers on our list today.
Recommended Read: Destiny 2 – Best Scout Rifles
The best Rocket Launcher in Destiny 2 is Cold Comfort in terms of damage per second. Apex Predator is a close second, and Gjallarhorn is a must-have for the Fireteam.
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Best Rocket Launchers in Destiny 2
Rocket Launchers are essential to clearing some of Destiny 2’s end-game content.
They output a ton of damage and, with the help of any abilities that auto-reload your weapons, can quickly deal with Champions and Bosses.
When it comes to the best Rocket Launcher, we will be going off of both the total amount of damage a Rocket Launcher is able to output as well as the burst damage capabilities, as total damage won’t matter if your window for DPS is short.
Our list will be in descending order. If you don’t have the first Rocket Launcher on our list, then the next best thing will be right after it.
While we recommend getting the best Rocket Launcher if you can, it is better to come prepared for a PvE encounter with something rather than nothing.
Cold Comfort
This Rocket Launcher is currently number one on the list for burst DPS and, in many cases, outperforms just about every other entry on the list.
The two things that make a great DPS Rocket Launcher are ways to cheat reloading and damage buffs. This Rocket has both.
The Perk Bait and Switch will come up a lot in this list, as it is the damage-boosting Perk to have on a Rocket Launcher.
Dealing damage with all of your equipped weapons will grant your Rocket Launcher a 35% damage buff for seven seconds.
To make the most of those seven seconds, you will want to be firing as many rocket shots as possible without reloading.
This is where Envious Assassin comes into play. Defeating many enemies in a row with your other weapons before swapping to your Rocket Launcher will pull shots from the reserve, overflowing the magazine with up to 4 rockets in a single mag.
Envious Assassin alone would be enough to make this Rocket Launcher the best. It goes one step further when you add on its origin Perk, Restoration Ritual.
Reviving an ally or finishing an enemy will give you an emergency reload charge. When you fire your last shot in the mag, you will instantly reload one rocket shot.
Combine this with Envious Assassin, and you are able to fire five rocket shots without reloading.
There is no contest for the best burst DPS Rocket Launcher. Cold Comfort is the way to go. You can get this weapon from the Ghosts of the Deep Dungeon.
It is craftable, so it can take advantage of enhanced Perks as well. This is a Rocket Launcher that everyone should have when entering end-game PvE activities.
Apex Predator
Apex Predator was one of the first Rocket Launchers to roll with the Bait and Switch Perk along with a nice reloading Perk in Reconstruction.
This will reload the Rocket Launcher overtime and overflow the magazine with an additional rocket, letting you fire two rockets instantly that take advantage of the Bait and Switch damage.
Reconstruction is great for DPS rotations, as it will reload your Rocket Launcher for you while you continue to damage the Boss with your Primary or Special weapons.
As soon as you swap back to your Rocket Launcher, you will not only have two more rockets loaded and ready to fire, but you should also have activated Bait and Switch by now.
This is great for sustained DPS phases. For burst damage, you could use Bipod in place of Bait and Switch for an extra rocket shot, though this is build-dependent as there aren’t many encounters where this is optimal. In most cases, it is best to stick with Bait and Switch.
Apex predator drops from the Last Wish Raid, which is much easier to farm than the Ghost of the Deep Dungeon, making this a good replacement Rocket Launcher for those who don’t have a Cold Comfort.
It is also craftable with Enhanced Perks.
Gjallarhorn
When it is time to damage a Boss with Rocket Launchers, you will not find a Fireteam who isn’t using Gjallarhorn.
This is a good Exotic Rocket Launcher on its own with the Wolfpack Rounds Intrinsic Perk. This Perk creates cluster missiles upon rocket detonation that seek enemies and deal a lot of AoE damage.
Though not the best Rocket Launcher in terms of raw DPS, this Exotic is required in many cases due to the Pack Hunter Perk.
Firing this weapon near allies who are wielding non-Exotic Rocket Launchers grants your allies Wolfpack Rounds, massively increasing their damage per shot.
You will want to have one Guardian in your Fireteam use Gjallarhorn for the buff to everyone else’s Legendary Rocket Launchers for the most efficient damage.
The Catalyst increases your magazine size as well, which is always a plus in terms of burst damage.
This Exoitc is obtained through the And Out Fly the Wolves Quest and is part of the 30th Anniversary Pack.
The Hothead
Many will remember not too long ago when The Hothead was the top dog for DPS before Bait and Switch was introduced.
While it is missing Bait and Switch, you have the option of using either Vorpal Weapon or Explosive Light as a replacement, though neither is considered the god-roll.
This weapon has plenty of ways to bypass reloading and allow you to continuously fire off rockets. Demolitionist instantly reloads your weapon after throwing your grenade.
Pair this with Clown Cartridge to load two rockets with every reload, and you have a great damage rotation. Fire one rocket, throw your grenade, fire another rocket, reload, fire two rockets, reload, and repeat.
This is still a fine Rocket Launcher to use and is much easier to obtain than the alternatives. You can get one by running Nightfall Strikes or by focusing Vanguard Engrams with Zavala.
Semiotician
A new addition to the Rocket Launcher pool in Season 22, Semiotician is a Legendary Strand Rocket Launcher that drops from the new seasonal activity.
This makes it an easy Rocket Launcher to farm for a god-roll. It is also craftable, so if your random drop luck isn’t the best, you can always make your own god-roll.
The downsides to this Rocket Launcher are its Perk pool and its Frame. It is a High-Impact Frame, which means it will be dealing 10% less damage than either an Aggressive or Adaptive frame Rocket Launcher.
For Perks, you’ve got Field Prep to increase your ammo reserves and reload speed along with Explosive Light for a damage buff after picking up an Ord of Power.
You could use Bipod for faster burst damage, though Explosive Light will equal more damage the longer the DPS phase.
As this Rocket Launcher is easy to obtain, it is a fine choice for anyone who doesn’t have a good Heavy weapon yet, though you should never choose it over the higher entries on this list if you have the chance.
Two-Tailed Fox
After finally receiving its Exotic Catalyst, Two-Tailed Fox has become a great DPS option and Champion slaying machine.
Originally, this Exotic Rocket Launcher fired two rockets, one Solar rocket that applies Scorch and one Void rocket that suppresses enemies.
The Catalyst adds a third rocket the the volley, an Arc rocket that Jolts enemies. This Jolt is very powerful and can be applied continually throughout a DPS phase for a lot of damage.
With the catalyst, this Rocket Launcher nears the top of the DPS charts in terms of Exotic Rocket Launchers, though it is beaten out by some of the Legendary variants.
It is, however, one of the best Exotic Rocket Launchers for DPS. If you don’t have any of the Legendary Rocket Launchers on this list, check your collections for the Two-Tailed Fox, and be sure to unlock its Catalyst for insane damage.
If you don’t have this weapon unlocked yet, be sure to check back with Xur every week to see if he is selling one.
Palmyra-B
This is one of the more common Legendary Rocket Launchers you will find. It is rewarded for rank-up packages with Banshee-44, and he even sells it on a regular basis.
This has led to many newer players picking one up as their early DPS weapon of choice.
Palmyra-B does not have a good Perk pool. The best you have is Auto-Loading Holster and Explosive Light.
This will give you the highest damage you can get with this Rocket Launcher while not having to worry too much about reloading in damage rotations.
While nowhere near the best, this Rocket Launcher can carry newer players through some of the game’s harder early-game encounters.
This weapon is craftable. With how many copies of this weapon you will find, it shouldn’t take you long to unlock the weapon pattern for it.
Be sure to check back with Banshee-44, as he usually has decent rolls for this Rocket Launcher on sale.
Royal Entry
The other Vanguard Rocket Launcher. Royal Entry had some decent Perks when it was released, though it is very much outclassed in the Legendary slot now.
If you happen to be doing Strikes and get one to drop, the rolls you want to look out for are Field Prep and Lasting Impression or Impulse Amplifier and Clown Cartridge.
Field Prep and Lasting Impression will give you the highest amount of total damage with this Rocket Launcher, though only in a long DPS phase.
For shorter, more burst-dependant DPS checks, Impulse Amplifier will give you some nice reload speed, and Clown Cartridge will reload multiple rockets at once.
You can get this Rocket Launcher as a Strike reward or from Engrams and rank-up packages with Zavala.
These are the best Rocket Launchers Destiny 2 has to offer. The best Rocket Launcher is changing every Season, so be sure to pick up the best while you can!
How many of these Rocket Launchers do you have god-rolls for already? Are there any Rocket Launchers on this list that you are still trying to get to drop? Let me know in the comments!
