Mastering the Most Meta Rocket Launchers for Peak Damage in Destiny 2

Greetings, fellow Guardians! As a long-time Destiny raider and rocket launcher aficionado, I couldn‘t be more thrilled that these explosive heavy weapons are back on top of the meta. Delivering that perfect rocket shot into a boss‘s crit spot or against grouped up opponents in Crucible brings me no greater joy.

In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll be sharing my deep knowledge as an experienced player to breakdown the best legendary and exotic rocket launchers currently available, so you can obliterate enemies with maximum explosive carnage!

Recent Buffs Have Rockets Competing Again

While rocket launchers put up big damage numbers early in Destiny‘s life, other heavy weapons like swords, grenade launchers, and linear fusion rifles have dominated the power slot lately in terms of total damage output. But all that changed in the Season of the Splicer, when Bungie introduced some excellent rocket launcher buffs:

• ~30-45% damage increase depending on frame
• Improved tracking capabilities
• Increased aim assist and target acquisition
• Less severe penalty for inaccurate shots mid-air

These changes have rocket launchers competing once more for best-in-class power weapons when it comes to quickly burning down bosses. Swords still have great total damage thanks to unlimited swings before reloading, but you have to stand in melee range sustaining constant exposure. Rocket launchers allow more opportunity to fire from cover and avoid danger.

For example, according to damage testing from YouTuber Ehroar, the legendary Hezen Vengeance raid rocket launcher actually pulls slightly ahead of the popular Falling Guillotine sword for DPS against raid bosses! It can manage over 20k higher damage-per-second. Other rocket launchers still fall slightly behind the sustained damage of swords, but the gap has closed tremendously.

Comparing Rocket Launcher Stats

When determining which rocket launchers truly stand out from the rest, these are the key weapon stats and perks to examine according to the explosive connoisseur:

Stat	Description
Blast Radius	Size of the explosive damage. Wider radius hits more targets.
Velocity	Rocket flight speed after firing. Faster is better!
Reload Speed	Time it takes to ready another rocket. Faster reloads mean higher DPS!
Stability	Reduces recoil allowing more accurate follow-up shots.
Magazine Size	Most rockets get 1 round per reload. Some exotics differ!
Aim Assist	Helps rocket gameplay feel sticky on targets. Critical for precision hits!

Besides statistics, a rocket launcher‘s traits and intrinsic perks have an enormous influence on its potency too:

Crucial Rocket Launcher Perks

• Tracking Module – Rocket flies towards targets and around obstacles seeking enemies like a guided missile. Invaluable in PvP for finishing off weakened Guardians behind cover! Also great for nailing mobile bosses that like to dodge and teleport in PvE.

• Cluster Bomb – Rocket detonates and splits into smaller submunitions for extra area damage. Adds add clear utility.

• Vorpal Weapon – Significant damage increase against vehicles (think tanks walkers), bosses, champions, and enemy Guardians in their supers. Essential for burning down chunky raid bosses!

I consider blast radius, velocity, reload speed, and damage or utility-boosting perks as most important for both modes when selecting your ideal rocket launcher. Now let‘s get into the legendary and exotic weapon roll highlights dominating the Destiny 2 meta currently thanks to awesome combinations of statistics and perks.

Legendary Rocket Launchers

Legendary rockets don‘t generate headlines like the flashy exotic launchers, but thanks to origins like the Vault of Glass raid and Umbral Engram focusing, some new contenders have entered the scene ready to rival even exotic heavy hitters!

Hezen Vengeance (Vault of Glass)

Earning this rocket launcher requires some luck within the Vault of Glass raid‘s loot pool, but the grind pays off tremendously. As an experienced raider, I can confidently say the Hezen Vengeance stands clearly above other legendary offerings thanks to excellent base stats and synergistic traits:

• Well-rounded high velocity and blast radius
• Vorpal weapon to chew through boss health bars
• Overflow to keep rockets loaded through brick pickups

The ability to chuck multiple rockets without reloading makes Hezen Vengeance competitive with even exotic options for sustained DPS. Against Vault of Glass bosses, its velocity allows accurately leading shots on teleporting Templar without overcompensating. And during Atheon damage phases, Vorpal Weapon enables serious damage, especially if paired with adept big ones mod for further multiplied pain against vehicles/bosses!

I highly recommend all raiders repeatedly grind Vault of Glass trying to obtain this rocket launcher with the roll mentioned above. It will provide excellent returns for killing strike bosses, dungeon encounters, campaign missions… anywhere needing high AoE damage.

Royal Entry (Strikes/Vanguard)

For more casual players not ready to handle Master Vault of Glass but still wanting a tasty rocket launcher, the Royal Entry earned from strike completions holds its own too. It fires aggressive high velocity rockets for reliable long range hits.

While its perks fail to reach Hezen Vengeance peek burst damage levels, two traits provide minor synergies:

• Auto-Loading Holster – Automatically reloads stowed rocket over time.
• Lasting Impression – Rocket sticks to surfaces and detonates later for delayed explosions.

Auto-loading allows swapping to primary and special weapons, firing them until the launcher passively reloads itself. Then swap back to receive the Lasting Impression explosion after the original impact, sort of combining the damage into a later surprise burst.

While not game changing, and ineffective against more mobile bosses, it adds a tiny edge for strike boss melting. The Royal Entry fits best as an early game launcher before acquiring a heavy hitter like Hezen Vengeance.

Exotic Rocket Launchers

We‘ve analyzed a few of the awesome new legendary launchers found through activities like Vault of Glass and strikes. But Destiny‘s pedigree of creative exotic weapon designs continues driving intriguing launchers too powerful to ignore. Let‘s examine the top exotic rockets making plays currently.

Gjallarhorn

This fan favorite from Destiny 1 is back with a vengeance! Wolfpack Rounds – missiles that split from the initial rocket – dramatically increase total area damage against hordes of adds or chunky bosses. I‘m thrilled to wield this iconic launcher once more.

Beyond nostalgia, several perks have me salivating:

• Wolfpack Rounds – Rocket splits into tracking cluster missiles.
• Pack Hunter – Extra Wolfpack Rounds against tougher enemies. Even more damage vs majors/bosses!

Gjallarhorn also provides bonus reload speed intrinsically. While the initial rocket damage got toned down in PvP to avoid one-shots, PvE damage remains outrageously high thanks to those hungry Wolfpack Rounds!

Additionally, pairing with Wizard-burning solar builds thanks to the Gjally‘s intrinsic anti-wizard damage perk feels extremely potent. I foresee many Guardians rocket jumping eagerly into battle once more with Gjallarhorn in hand!

Eyes of Tomorrow (Deep Stone Crypt)

This exotic arc rocket launcher‘s Exotic perk, Unbridled Entropy, truly unleashes absolute chaos by firing the entire 6-rocket magazine simultaneously! I adore making it rain rockets and watching enemies disintegrate under the heavy barrage.

Some other blistering traits:

• Aggressive tracking on the barrage
• Buffed PvE-only damage
• Increased impact damage after successive kills

While the tracking gives it potential in PvP, Eyes truly shines PvE thanks to recent 50% damage buffs against minor enemies and champions. Rapid add clear security. Plus insane burst damage against chunky bosses and yellow/orange health bar majors thanks to those multiplicative rockets impacting simultaneously!

The recent PvE damage buffs have Eyes competing for top exotic heavy slot again. I can‘t get enough of simply erasing hordes of enemies off the field under meticulously coordinated rocket salvos!

Truth (Exotic Kiosk)

This exotic rocket launcher maintains fame in Gambit thanks to outrageously sticky tracking that will hunt down invaded players even hiding behind walls thinking they‘ve escaped doom. But the oppressive Truth excels in all PvP modes – its tracking offers easy kills even on wounded guardians taking cover.

With the improved target acquisition and aim assist on rockets in general, Truth feels better than ever. Slap Icarus Grip on this beauty for in-air accuracy too and missiles will chase airborne opponents across the map!

Between the generous blast radius, tracking, and reputation from Gambit, Truth continues seeing plenty of Crucible playtime when opponents least expect a sharp angle rocket curving around a wall. Plus, the black and white sheen oozes chaotic energy befitting its ruthless explosion radius.

Closing Thoughts

Thanks for joining me on this guided rocket launcher tour! I aimed to provide extensive details and analysis tailored to live-service looter fans wanting the most vital context around these explosive heavy weapons. After periods playing second fiddle to swords and linear fusions, rockets launchers have returned to peak meta status after excellent buffs prioritizing their burst damage numbers and ease-of-use.

My goal was crafting an engaging masterclass blog helping you grasp exactly why tools of destruction like Hezen Vengeance, Gjallarhorn, and Eyes of Tomorrow dominate the power slot once more. Let me know which rocket launchers you lean on currently! I‘m always open to civil rocket launcher discourse and discussion from fellow enthusiasts.

Now get out there and unleash volleys of explosive mayhem, Guardian!