The best DPS weapons for the Ghosts of the Deep Dungeon can make one of Destiny 2‘s best endgame experiences more manageable. Both of the dungeon’s bosses have more than 12 million HP, ensuring you’ll only manage one or two phases with the best DPS options. Our guide will examine the best three weapons for each boss so you can go in prepared.
Best Destiny 2 DPS Weapons for Ghosts of the Deep: Ecthar, Shield of Savathun
The first boss in the Ghosts of the Deep Dungeon, Ecthar the Knight, is all about being up close and personal. Here, you’ll want DPS weapons that can do massive burst damage at close range.
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Best Overall Ecthar DPS Weapon: Legend of Acrius
The first even Destiny 2 Raid Exotic, the Legend of Acrius has always been a top-tier choice, but its range is so low and its use case so niche that it was almost always overshadowed by more general options. This massive shotgun has found its home against Ecthar, especially during the Arc-focused Season of the Deep. You can easily one-phase Ecthar with three of them, especially if you have the Exotic Catalyst. Pair with Arc Surge mods for an even easier time.
Best Alternate Ecthar DPS Weapon 1: The Lament
The Beyond Light quest Exotic, the Lament Exotic Sword, is a DPS monster like Acrius despite some of the mild nerfs it’s received since its release. Don’t expect an easy one-phase, but if you and your fireteam are all using the weapon properly (using the Exotic ability, then standard swings while the guard refreshes) with Solar Surge mods, it’s a comfortable two-phase.
Best Alternate Ecthar DPS Weapon 2: Tractor Cannon and Titan Bonk Hammers
Solar Titan Throwing Hammers are a meme for a reason: they deal a downright criminal amount of single-target damage and can give you your health back quickly and easily. If you build up Roaring Flames x3 by taking out trash mobs with the Hammer, then equip Synthoceps, then use the Tractor Cannon to debuff Ecthar, you have a comfy four-phase solo fight and one of the wackiest one or two-phase kills with a team.
Best Destiny 2 DPS Weapons for Ghosts of the Deep: Simmumah Ur-Nokru, Lucent Necromancer
Simmumah is too far away and moves around too much for any of the above Ecthar DPS weapons to be effective. The catch for doing DPS to Simmumah is she tends to move around and teleport a lot, making her top DPS strategies inconsistent at best. You will, however, need long-range options, and luckily there are tons of them available in Destiny 2. Here are three of the best.
Best Overall DPS Weapon for Simmumah Ur-Nokru: Gjallarhorn and Hothead
Even with the Apex Predator Rocket Launcher getting the likes of Bait and Switch, Hothead with Explosive Light/Clown Cartridge getting Wolfpack Rounds from Gjallarhorn is still one of the best overall DPS choices in the game. You need Simmumah to stay relatively still for optimal DPS, and one-phasing her requires some series meta tactics (using Shoot to Loot to gather fallen Heavy bricks, for instance), but it is possible. Two phasing her is pretty comfortable with this combo, however.
Best Alternate DPS Weapon for Simmumah Ur-Nokru 1:Levaithan’s Breath
A seasonal Exotic from way back in Season 8, with its Catalyst, some Void Surge mods, and good aim, your team can have an excellent off-meta time one-phasing Simmumah. Leviathan’s Breath was a joke Exotic for a long time, and only a few people I ever knew sang its praises, and rarely as a top-tier PVE option. Now it’s getting a new lease on life four years after its release, and I’m happy for those who’ve always stuck by it.
Best Alternate DPS Weapon for Simmumah Ur-Nokru 2: Cataclysmic
I’ve talked about how great the Cataclysmic is here once before, and while it’s a boring choice these days, considering how ubiquitous it was in previous seasons, I say it’s a bad choice in the Simmumah fight, either. There are enough trash mobs to activate Bait and Switch and get Solar Surge rolling easily, so while there’s nothing flashy about using this Linear FUsion Rifle anymore, if you want something that just works, there are few better picks.
While the weapons and setups outlined here are probably some of the best DPS choices against the Ghosts of the Deep Dungeon bosses, some wild ones are going around, including Witherhoard/Malfeasance, of all things. Ultimately, what you use is up to what you and your fireteam are most comfortable/have fun with. If you’re looking for more content on Destiny 2, Season of the Deep, or the game more generally, we have a complete fishing guide, how to get Salvage and Deep Dive keys, and more in our D2 guides hub.
