As a seasoned Guardian who's danced through every meta shift since the Red War, I felt that familiar surge of adrenaline when Episode Heresy's second act dropped alongside the 2025 Guardian Games. The Tower buzzed with renewed energy—Titans flexing, Hunters vanishing into smoke, and Warlocks debating optimal builds over ramen. Both updates brought fresh arsenals: Court of Blades offered sinister trophies while Guardian Games resurrected classics with new twists. But let's be honest—not every shiny new toy deserves vault space. So I spent weeks testing every drop in Grandmaster Nightfalls, sweaty Crucible matches, and that godforsaken Vesper's Host dungeon. What follows isn't just stats; it's my lived experience with these weapons—where they shine, where they whimper, and why some will outlast this season's meta.
10. Lotus-Eater (Adept)
Okay, I'll confess—this Void beast doesn't technically come from Heresy or Games, but excluding it would be criminal. During Grandmaster runs last week, Lotus-Eater became my safety net against swarming Shadow Legion. Rocket sidearms usually suffer from brutal reloads, but Reconstruction? Pure genius. Never manually reloading while spraying volatile explosions via Destabilizing Rounds felt like cheating. And with this season's artifact granting anti-barrier? It shredded champions like tissue paper. The catch? Limited availability—only drops from March 11-18 Nightfalls. If you missed it, pray to RNGesus for its return rotation.
9. Division
After the dopamine rush of rocket sidearms, Division's Arc bursts felt... underwhelming. Like firing confetti at Cabal. Don't get me wrong—with Eddy Current and Voltshot, it chains lightning beautifully during public events when you're Amplified. But in endgame content? Those "peashooter rounds" barely tickle majors. I tried forcing a PvP build with Hip-Fire Grip and Kill Clip, but the TTK left me weeping. My advice? Use it for bounties, then swap back to Drang. At least it looks cool.
8. Taraxippos
Ah, the 2023 Guardian Games relic reborn! Taraxippos won me over during Exodus Garden patrols. That crisp crack when dome-shotting a Vandal from 100 meters? Chef's kiss. Light.gg ranks it fourth among scouts for good reason. Fourth Time's The Charm kept my ammo flowing, while Hatchling summoned Threadling armies as my Broodweaver. In PvP? Zen Moment stabilized my panic-shots on Vostok. Explosive Payload flinched snipers off angles. Not a CQC monster, but on open maps? It's a surgeon's scalpel.
7. Hullabaloo
Heavy ammo on adds? Normally I'd call you mad. But Hullabaloo? This meme cannon has one glorious niche: deleting Raneiks Unified in Vesper's Host. Watching Envious Arsenal auto-reload while Chain Reaction zapped clones? Chef's kiss. Outside that? It's overkill for red-bars. Volt Shot electrifies crowds, but wasting heavy bricks on thralls hurts my soul. Farm it during Guardian Games if you missed Dimensional Hypotrochoid—just don't expect versatility.
6. Refusal Of The Call
Glaives. Oh, glaives. Forever stuck between "why?" and "meh." But artifact perks like Hold The Line made me reconsider. Syncing Replenishing Aegis with Triton Vice? Suddenly I was a harpoon-wielding demigod in Altars of Summoning. Still, in PvP? Avoid. Special ammo scarcity + slow projectiles = frustration. For the five glaive enthusiasts out there: this Strand variant's your crown jewel. For others? It's a novelty.
5. Afterlight
Fusions melt majors, but Afterlight? It melts crowds. Ambitious Assassin/Destabilizing Rounds became my go-to for Europa battlegrounds. One burst kills? Volatile spreads. Combine with Maligned Harvest mod? Weakening pulses erupted everywhere. Gyrfalcon's Hauberk turned me into a void-slinging apocalypse. PvP rolls like Under Pressure felt consistent, but Zealot's Reward still outshines it. Solid, not spectacular.
4. Mirror Imago
This Strand SMG devours adds like a starved Thrall. Overflow gifted me 80-round mags—absurd for spraying Tormentors. Subsistence + Hatchling? Strand butterflies everywhere. In Crucible? Recycled Energy helped, but Target Lock's TTK boost couldn't compete with meta staples. Court of Blades exclusive? Worth grinding for PvE chaos. PvP? Meh.
3. Anamnesis
Bows aren't dead! Anamnesis proved it. Archer's Tempo/Demoralize turned me into a weakening machine during Heist Battlegrounds. Dragonfly explosions? Repulsor Brace overshields? Chef's kiss. But in Trials? One missed headshot meant death. Keep it for PvE where precision pays dividends.
2. Keraunios
Trace rifles got love this season! Keraunios' Eddy Current/Rolling Storm combo turned Amplified uptime into 100%. Jolting Feedback zapped Overloads silly. But PvP? Don't. Against Guardians, it's a tickle beam. Still, with Bolt Charge artifact mods? It's arc-wizardry incarnate.
1. The Title
The OG Guardian Games legend returns! This Void SMG's slower fire hides its secret: laser-beam accuracy. Repulsor Brace/Destabilizing Rounds gave me overshields for days in Gambit. As a PvP-phobe? Perpetual Motion + Rangefinder let me actually win duels. Steadier than Recluse, harder-hitting than Funnelweb. The undisputed king.
People Also Ask
❓ "Which Heresy Act 2 weapon is easiest to farm?"
Court of Blades drops four weapons (Division, Refusal, Afterlight, Mirror Imago) with generous rates—prioritize Mirror Imago for add-clear dominance.
❓ "Is Keraunios better than Exotic trace rifles?"
Situational. Against waves? Keraunios' Rolling Storm outshines Wavesplitter. For single-target? Coldheart still wins.
❓ "Can Taraxippos replace Hung Jury in GMs?"
Yes—with Hatchling for Strand synergy. But bring both for elemental coverage!
❓ "Why rank glaives at all?"
Artifact mods make them viable—barely. Fun novelty, not meta.
My Personal 2026 Wishlist
Staring at the Traveler now, I dream of sandbox shifts. Trace rifles deserve intrinsic champion mods—overload traces feel inevitable. Rocket sidearms? Make Reconstruction standard! And glaives... oh, glaives. Either buff melee damage massively or rework them entirely. Most of all? Stop locking god rolls behind FOMO events. Guardians deserve reliability in this endless war. Here's hoping The Final Shape's echoes bring smarter loot.