The Destiny 2 Nightfall weapon changes on a week-by-week basis, giving you the chance to delve into enemy-infested lairs across the system and grab yourself a special gun. The only way to get a Nightfall weapon is by completing the activity, and even then, there's only a limited chance. You can also get adept versions of each weapon, though these are solely a guaranteed reward for the much-harder Grandmaster Nightfalls.
A couple of Nightfall weapons were retired last season, including the Horror's Least pulse rifle and D.F.A hand cannon. If you don't want to miss out on any weapons that might disappear by season's end, it's always a good idea to keep a weather eye on what's coming up next. Here I'll explain what Nightfall weapon is up for grabs this week, its best roll, as well as how Grandmaster Nightfalls work.
What is the Nightfall weapon this week?
The Nightfall weapon from February 28 - March 7 is Hung Jury SR4, a kinetic, precision-frame scout rifle. While scouts aren't especially great in PvP, this is a fantastic option for a PvE kinetic primary, especially if you can get the adept version and slot in Adept Big Ones for that blanket damage buff.
The roll you'll likely want for barrel and magazine is Corkscrew Rifling and Flared Magwell, granting a buff to stability, range, handling, and a faster reload. In terms of perks, I'd say Subsistence and Explosive Payload are the best, making shots deal 30% increased damage in PvE, and partially reloading your mag whenever you kill an enemy.
If you enjoy making things explode, then Rapid Hit and Firefly might also be fun, boosting your reload and stability with successive precision hits, and making enemies blow up when you land a precision kill. Since Firefly further buffs reload speed when you explode an enemy, it can be a strong combo provided you're getting those kills.
Nightfall weapon rotation for the Season of Defiance
With each new season, some Nightfall weapons are retired to make way for new ones, meaning it's often your last chance to grab them. Since the Season of Defiance has just begun, the exact Nightfall rotation isn't known yet, though the full weapon list is.
I'll add the strike you can get each weapon from and the overall order once they are confirmed:
- Hung Jury SR4 (Kinetic scout rifle) - Proving Grounds
- Buzzard (Kinetic sidearm)
- THE SWARM (Arc machine gun)
- Wendigo GL3 (Arc power grenade launcher)
- The Militia's Birthright (Kinetic breech-loading grenade launcher)
- Mindbender's Ambition (Solar shotgun)
The two new Nightfall weapons this season are Buzzard and THE SWARM, while the ones that left the rotation last season were the arc pulse rifle, Horror's Least, and the kinetic hand cannon, D.F.A.
How to get Adept nightfall weapons
You can earn adept versions of each weekly Nightfall weapon by completing the strike on Grandmaster difficulty. Adept weapons are strong because they can equip adept mods, which are superior to regular weapon mods. Adept Big Ones for example, effectively combines Boss Spec and Major Spec into a single mod that allows extra damage for both bosses and powerful enemies. You can earn adept mods by completing Grandmaster Nightfalls.
Bungie announced last season that they would be making some changes to Grandmaster Nightfalls: reducing the entry requirement by 25 power, so you don't need to worry about getting the full 15 power on your seasonal artifact, and the ten power through pinnacles.
Nightfalls also now have Surges, Threats, and Overcharged weapons, which replace the previous Match Game and Burn modifiers. Surges and Overcharged Weapons grant increased damage for certain elements and weapons during the activity, while Threats increase enemy damage of a certain element. You can view these modifiers by mousing over the icons when you select the activity in the Vanguard destination, though Grandmaster Nightfalls won't go live until April 11.
Completions also have a chance to reward you with a Nightfall Memento. These items are mainly cosmetic, and can be slotted into new weapons that you craft. When you reach level 20 with that weapon it'll unlock a title, and when you reach 30, you'll get a special shader for it. The Nightfall Memento shader is a shiny orange colour with tessellated vanguard symbols that move.
