All 5 Destiny 2 Dawning Weapons Ranked By How Powerful They Are

The Dawning, Bungie's annual holiday event for "Destiny 2," may be over, but lucky players still have some great rewards to show for it with the best Dawning weapons. The event added lots of bounties, upgrades, and even ships for players to earn. Further, 2022-2023 Dawning added a new weapon and also gave players a chance to grab every previous Dawning weapon ever featured. This means that committed Guardians may have come out of the event with a total of five new weapons to use.

The Stay Frosty Pulse Rifle may be the only one that's truly new but some of the others might be new to many gamers, and this is the first time they've all been available at once. As such, this is a great opportunity for fans of experimentation to start trying out all the Dawning weapons and testing out different strategies and playstyles. While none of them are powerful enough to completely break the game, they're all deserving of consideration. 

Some, however, may want to skip the trial and error and simply jump to picking the one they want to roll with going forward. For those players, it will help to have a rundown of all the Dawning weapons and a ranking of their relative strength. Here's how the Dawning weapons rank in terms of raw power. 

Swords and other melee weapons may look cool, but the Zephyr just doesn't hold up in combat like the rest of the Dawning weapons. It's average in terms of swing speed and impact, making for mediocre damage output. While it can be fun to wield in PvE scenarios, it generally won't hold up against other human opponents, and there are far better options to roll with.

Guardians looking to bring the Zephyr into PvE battles should seek to maximize its potential with the right perks. Relentless Strikes to replenish ammo paired with a second perk to add some sort of damaging effect against enemies can make the Zephyr a bit more viable in raids like the new Root of Nightmares. For those gamers who prefer to go after other Guardians or want to deal out even more damage in PvE, the best option is to move down the list to other weapons.

Boasting solid damage and range for an SMG and firing at a blazing 750 rounds per minute, Cold Front is a solid option for both PvE and PvP scenarios. It won't necessarily outshine other Dawning weapons on this list, but, for players who favor SMGs, this weapon will serve them well.

Guardians looking to wield this cool (pun intended) weapon in combat will want to roll with perks like Tap the Trigger and Rangefinder to improve accuracy and range. These bonuses will be especially helpful for those trying to make Cold Front work against other Guardians or some of the tougher raids. Just don't expect it to hold up against some of the other weapons on this list.

Cold Front ranks above the Zephyr for its greater usefulness in PvP battles, but it also doesn't stand out anywhere in particular. A decent choice for both PvP and PvE, it's a good all-around weapon without the ability to excel. For greater specialization, players should look elsewhere.

Where Cold Front proves adequate in both PvE and PvP, Avalanche absolutely dominates in one area in particular. This machine gun won't show up in many PvP matches, but it has the power to bury foes under its chilling assault in raids.

Some fans would argue the Avalanche is the best of the Dawning weapons, and, while its lack of usefulness in PvP keeps it out of the top spots on the list, it's hard to argue with its firepower against AI opponents. Its impact and magazine size make it a great choice for taking out large waves of enemies, and it can be paired well with another weapon that specializes in dealing more targeted damage.

If they can, Guardians will want to go with Subsistence and Incandescent for perks on the Avalanche. These will keep the weapon firing longer and add the joy of mixing fire and ice by adding Scorch damage to this winter-themed machine gun.

The Glacioclasm earns the second place slot on the list of Dawning weapons for its incredible impact and high accuracy. Like the Avalanche, it will also serve Guardians well in PvE raids, but, unlike the Avalanche, it focuses more on targeting individual foes. This makes it a superb weapon for taking down hardened targets and bosses — and can even make the jump to PvP combat.

This fusion rifle can be enhanced with perks like Reservoir Burst or High Impact Reserves to make its first or last shots hit even harder — or with perks like Subsistence or Accelerated Coils to increase ammo or speed up recharge time. Whether one goes for max power or more speed, the Glacioclasm makes for a deadly, high-impact rifle for taking down hardened targets that might leave other players frozen in their tracks.

Of course, there's one more option among the Dawning weapons that boasts even greater effectiveness and power across all areas of gameplay.

The newest Dawning weapon is also, arguably, the best. Stay Frosty is a pulse rifle that offers excellent power and accuracy at medium range — and can easily make the jump between PvP and PvE. The Avalanche may slightly outshine in the latter category, but Stay Frosty's versatility makes it, by far, the more powerful and useful weapon.

Guardians looking to focus on PvE with Stay Frosty will want the perks Well Rounded and Desperado, which can be combined to increase the accuracy and fire rate of the rifle for mowing down mobs easily. Meanwhile, the PvP-focused player will likely want Moving Target and Kill Clip to improve accuracy when on the move and boost damage after reloading. Either route will make for a deadly weapon that will stand up to the stress of various combat scenarios.

Stay Frosty certainly stands at the top of the heap, but each of these weapons has its place in "Destiny 2." Guardians lucky enough to have earned all of them will want to experiment themselves to decide what works best for them.