Destiny 2: Best Anti-Barrier Weapons to Use Against Champions Tier List

Put those pesky Barrier Champions in the ground with the top-tier Anti-Barrier Weapons in this Destiny 2 tier list.
Put those pesky Barrier Champions in the ground with the top-tier Anti-Barrier Weapons in this Destiny 2 tier list.

Champions in Destiny 2 are mini-boss level enemies with special abilities that make them particularly hard to kill. Barrier Champions periodically throw up an invincible barrier you need an Anti-Barrier weapon to overcome. Lightfall introduced additional Anti-Barrier methods, and we’ll cover the best options currently available in the game.

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The Best Anti-Barrier Weapons in Destiny 2

For our tier list of the best Anti-Barrier weapons in Destiny 2, we’re accounting not only for current season anti-Champion artifact mods but also the various effects that allow other types of weapons to stun Champions: Void volatile effects and Strand unraveling rounds.

Note that Strand suspend effects and Stasis also freezes technically bypass an Anti-Barrier’s defenses by robbing them of the ability to raise their shield in the first.

S-Tier Anti-Barrier Weapons


Screenshot by GameSkinny

Arbalest Linear Fusion Rifle

The premiere Anti-Barrier weapon, the Arbalest Exotic Linear Fusion Rifle, will break any Barrier Champion shield in a single shot no matter the difficulty, comes with a healthy ammo supply and is also usable as a backup DPS option should you run out of Heavy ammo.

While not as ubiquitous as something like Witherhoard, if you need something to cut through shields, Arbalest is your go-to.

How to get the Arbalest

The only way to get Arbalest is either from Xur or as a random drop from an Exotic Engram.

Wish-Ender Exotic Bow

Bows have always been a niche pick in Destiny 2, but the Wishender is one of the best. It’s a solid option for its stopping power, intrinsic Anti-Barrier traits, and ability to see enemies through walls.

Its slow draw time and general bow-ness will always make its use situational, but it can keep almost any enemy in high-difficulty content locked down while delivering solid primary DPS.

How to get the Wish-Ender

You’ll need to own the Forsaken pack and complete an Exotic quest that takes you through the Shattered Throne Dungeon.

Commemoration Legendary LMG

A craftable drop from the Deep Stone Crypt Raid, Commemoration was recently reissued with a new, even more powerful Perk pool.

With more ways to activate Volatile rounds these days, most Barrier Champions won’t know what hit them. You’ll want Reconstruction and Killing Tally for best results, but most Perk combinations work.

How to get the Commemoration

The only way to get a Commemoration is to play the Deep Stone Crypt and beat the final boss: Taniks, the Abomination. It’s well worth the effort, though.

A-Tier Anti-Barrier Weapons

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Eriana’s Vow Exotic Hand Cannon

Released in Shadowkeep as a Seasonal Exotic, Eraina’s Vow is a high-powered Hand Cannon. While it doesn’t have the utility of Arbalest or even the Wishender as a secondary option, it functions admirably. With a Solar build that boosts it, Eriana’s Vow can still shine.

How to get Eriana’s Vow

You can buy Eriana’s Vow from the Exotic Archive at the Tower for an Exotic Cipher, 150,000 Glimmer, 250 Legendary Shards, and one Ascendant Shard.

Quicksilver Storm Exotic Auto Rifle

Provided you have the Catalyst for Quicksilver Storm, it’s easily one of the best Strand-element weapons in Destiny 2.

Combined with the Thread of Propagation Fragment that gives you Unraveling Rounds for a powered melee final blow, you probably have the best all-around Auto Rifle in the game and one of the more reliable Anti-Barrier weapons as well.

How to Get the Quicksilver Storm

Currently, the only way to get the Quicksilver Storm is to purchase the Lightfall expansion and Annual Pass bundle, which retails for $100. A steep price, but one you may not mind paying. You’ll receive the weapon from Master Rahool in the Tower.

Funnelweb Legendary SMG

Probably the best and easiest-to-get Void SMG in Destiny 2, the Funnelweb has a solid perk pool, a deep 40-round mag, and is a dream to use in almost any PvE activity. If Anti-Barrier SMG is available as an artifact mod, it’s a top-tier choice.

How to get the Funnelweb

The Funnelweb is a world drop, so any Legendary Engram you find while playing has a chance to drop one. Banshee-44 at the Tower also sometimes sells it for Legendary Shards.

B-Tier Anti-Barrier Weapons

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Outbreak Perfected Exotic Pulse Rifle

The Outbreak Perfected has always been a top-tier choice for day-to-day content and was once an endgame DPS option.

Pulse Rifles have been in an odd spot for a while now, but if Anti-Barrier Pulse Rifle is available during a season, the Outbreak can fulfill its old role admirably while breaking Barrier Champion shields in a few bursts.

How to get the Outbreak Perfected

Without the Zero Hour Exotic mission, the only way to get Outbreak Perfected is through the Red War section of the Exotic Archive in the Tower near the Vault.

You’ll need to pay one Exotic Cipher, 150,000 Glimmer, 250 Legendary Shards, and 2 Ascendant Shards.

Rufus’s Fury Legendary Auto Rifle

One of the newest weapons in Destiny 2, the Rufus’s Fury, is a drop from the Root of Nightmares Raid and is also craftable once you find and decode five Deepsight versions of the gun.

It’s got a very deep magazine, some of the best damage Perk combinations for Strand currently available, and is even solid in PvP.

How to get Rufus’s Fury

Rufus’s Fury is only available from the third Planets encounter from the Raid, but you can also purchase them from Nezerec’s reward scythe for 20 Spoils once you’ve gotten it once.

Hero’s Burden Legendary SMG

The Hero’s Burden is an Iron Banner-exclusive SMG, and while it comes with Destabilizing Rounds, that’s not the main reason it appears here. Instead, it’s the base quality of the gun putting it on our list. It’s not Funnelweb good, and its refreshed Perk pool is a little less viable than previously, but it’s a good backup option nonetheless.

How to get the Hero’s Burden

Whenever Iron Banner week rolls around in Destiny 2, you can either Focus Iron Engrams for it or receive it randomly as a drop at the end of a match.

Those are our picks for the top three tiers of Anti-Barrier weapons currently available in Destiny 2. There are dozens of other choices if you want to get a little spicy or just prefer the feel of different weapons. For more content on the game, check out our guides to the Regnant Grenade Launcher, Imperial Decree, and Immortal god rolls, and even more in our D2 guides hub.

Featured image via Bungie


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John Schutt
John Schutt has been playing games for almost 25 years, starting with Super Mario 64 and progressing to every genre under the sun. He spent almost 4 years writing for strategy and satire site TopTierTactics under the moniker Xiant, and somehow managed to find time to get an MFA in Creative Writing in between all the gaming. His specialty is action games, but his first love will always be the RPG. Oh, and his avatar is, was, and will always be a squirrel, a trend he's carried as long as he's had a Steam account, and for some time before that.