Destiny 2 is back on the menu thanks to a brilliant new horde mode called Onslaught. As players return to the sci-fi shooter MMO in droves following the free Into The Light update that’s been showering them with loot, a lot of you are no doubt behind on the latest top gear. Fortunately, Apex Predator is arguably the best legendary rocket launcher in the game and it’s really straightforward to get, making it the perfect piece of loot to grind for ahead of The Final Shape.
A reprised version of Apex Predator arrived in Destiny 2’s Last Wish raid last year and remains the gold standard in high-damage rocket launchers thanks to brand new perks like Reconstruction and Bait and Switch.
The first slowly increases reload speed over time while the second provides a damage boost shortly after firing all weapons back to back. Bipod for more ammo and Explosive Light for higher damage and blast radius after picking up an orb of light are also decent perks.
While some of Destiny 2’s best guns are a pain to get, Apex Predator isn’t one of them. It can drop from any encounter in the Last Wish raid, making it easy to hop in, get to the first checkpoint, and then fight the first boss, Kalli, over and over until you finally get Apex Predator to drop. Here’s a quick guide from Destiny 2 YouTuber Datto on how to complete that encounter:
If you’re lucky, you’ll get one with some version of the above perks earlier on. If not, however, don’t worry: Apex Predator is also craftable. Unlocking the craftable frame for Apex Predator requires collecting five deepsight versions of the weapon (also known as red borders). That can take a lot longer but it will also allow you to level the solar rocket launcher up and equip enhanced versions of its perks to boost its stats even more. Players can also take part in the recently added Riven Wishes quests to unlock weekly tokens that let them automatically earn one randomly rolled Apex Predator.
Now, perhaps you’re just getting back into Destiny 2 and really want a great rocket launcher people won’t make fun of you for but all of this sounds like way more work than you were counting on. Good news: Hothead is another decent rocket launcher and it doesn’t require any raiding. You can get one directly from Zavala in The Tower. All you need in order to buy it is to give him three Vanguard Engrams and 25,000 Glimmer.
Hopefully you land one with Auto-Loading Holster, Explosive Light, Demolitionist, Clown Cartridge, Field Prep, or Vorpal Weapon. Still, if you plan on going hard once Destiny 2’s climactic The Final Shape expansion arrives on June 4, it’s probably worth chasing Apex Predator. It’ll be a great day-one raid weapon and will no doubt serve you well in the expansion’s challenging main campaign.