Deepsight Resonance is a precious and time-gated resource in Destiny 2 tied to the crafting system. Extracting it grants Deepsight Harmonizers used to unlock enhanced perks on weapons. This leads to an obvious question – which weapons actually benefit the most from those bonus perks?
As a Destiny 2 PvP and PvE expert with over 3000 hours played, I‘ve tested out Deepsight upgrades across countless guns. In this definitive guide, I‘ll share the cream of the crop – the absolute best weapons to invest harmonizers into.
Let‘s start with an overview of Deepsight Resonance and crafting before diving into the recommendations.
A Crash Course on Deepsight Resonance and Crafting
Newer Destiny 2 players may not be familiar with weapon crafting and Deepsight Resonance. Introduced in 2022 with The Witch Queen expansion, crafting allows players to level up a weapon to unlock enhanced traits, then build a custom "god roll" from available perks.
But what is Deepsight Resonance exactly? Occasionally, you‘ll acquire a random drop of a weapon marked as "Deepsight" version. Deepsight weapons have red border highlighting around their icon, indicating they contain a unique crafting material inside.
Dismantling the Deepsight weapon extracts Deepsight Resonance – this serves as rare currency spent to purchase Deepsight Harmonizers from the Relic Conduit vendor.
These harmonizers are then invested into crafted weapons to unlock enhanced traits and origin perks. Without enough harmonizers, you cannot access a crafted weapon‘s full potential.
And sources of Deepsight weapons are time-gated! They mostly come from seasonal content that expires after a few months. So harmonizers need to be spent wisely where they will make the biggest impact.
Now that crafting basics are covered, let‘s get into the definitive list of the best weapons to use harmonizers on in Destiny 2 for both PvE and PvP.
Top PVE Weapons for Deepsight Harmonizers
PvE encompasses a wide range of content, whether slaying hordes of enemies in altars of sorrow, bursting down strike bosses, or optimizing DPS on raid bosses.
Let‘s explore the top weapons where enhanced perks and origins traits really pay dividends across various PvE niches.
Retrofit Escapade
The Season of the Seraph ritual machine gun Retrofit Escapade is my first universal recommendation for Deepsight Harmonizers.
Why prioritize this machine gun? Because ritual weapons from past seasons become unobtainable. Once Season of the Seraph ends in early 2023, no more Deepsight versions of Retrofit Escapade will drop.
So now is the only window to extract Deepsight Resonance and build a craftable god roll, making it a brilliant long-term investment compared to weapons that remain farmable in the future.
For PvE, here is the ideal perk setup:
- Barrel: Corkscrew Rifling (Universal boosts to range, stability, handling speed)
- Magazine: Accurized Rounds (Major range boost)
- Perk 1: Subsistence (Reload portion of magazine after kill)
- Perk 2: Danger Zone (Bonus damage when magazine is full +30%)
- Masterwork: Reload Speed
This combination has tremendous synergy, with Subsistence continuously reloading your ammo after kills to activate the Danger Zone buff. Combined with the Seraph Rounds origin trait granting a brief damage boost after reloading, Retrofit absolutely shreds through lower health red and yellow bar enemies.
The boosted range and stability from barrel and magazine help control recoil across long lanes too. Overall Retrofit Escapade stands on its own as a phenomenal primary ammo machine gun even without Deepsight upgrades. But gaining access to enhanced Dragonfly and Golden Tricorn perks via harmonizers pushes it to an S-Tier option.
In fact, according to Destiny analytics tracker Charlemagne, Retrofit Escapade currently ranks #4 out of all legendary machine guns for PvE usage. And that‘s before the future craftable perk boosts! Suffice to say, don‘t sleep on this Season of the Seraph gem.
Thoughtless
Let‘s move onto a surprise standout – the ritual Crucible sniper rifle Thoughtless. Despite being branded for PvP, Thoughtless has carved out a top-tier role in PvE thanks to excellent synergy between perks and its intrinsic origin trait.
The god roll PvE setup looks like:
- Barrel: Extended Barrel (Major range boost)
- Magazine: Appended Mag (Magazine size increase)
- Perk 1: Triple Tap (Returns ammo directly to mag after rapid precision hits)
- Perk 2: Firing Line (20% precision damage buff when near allies)
- Masterwork: Reload Speed
Triple Tap feeds directly back into your magazine while Firing Line pulses out the highest precision damage buff in the game alongside Cranial Spike‘s intrinsic 30% buff after reloading. This allows insane DPS uptime against chunkier enemies and majors.
Furthermore, precision kills spawn Stasis shards via Headstone. Collecting these shards highly augments shield breaking capabilities and feeds into more damage buffs like Font of Might.
In all, the unique synergies of Thoughtless combined with powerhouse perks like Triple Tap and Firing Line give it equally immense PvE and PvP potential. Harmonizers should be spent crafting flawless versions of both universal god rolls.
Thoughtless currently charts as a top 10 used special weapon in endgame PvE alongside mainstays like Taipan, Stormchaser, and FILO according to Charlemagne‘s analyzed data. The stats speak for themselves!
Defiance of Yasmin
Moving to heavy slot favorites, the newest raid sniper rifle Defiance of Yasmin has already cemented itself as a top choice for endgame PvE and raiding.
Here is the god roll:
- Barrel: Extended Barrel (Major range boost)
- Magazine: Tactical Mag (Stability + reload speed)
- Perk 1: Fourth Time‘s the Charm (Returns ammo directly to inventory after rapid precision hits)
- Perk 2: Firing Line (20% precision damage buff when near allies)
- Masterwork: Handling Speed
Much like Thoughtless, pairing Fourth Time‘s the Charm and Firing Line allows endless streams of heavy precision damage ideal for dumping into raid bosses and Champions. The Cranial Spike origin perk gives an additional 30% buff after reloading too!
Factor in the intrinsic anti-Barrier rounds piercing all Champion defenses, and you have an absolute powerhouse heavy weapon equally viable across all PvE modes.
According to Destiny 2 stats tracker DestinyTracker, Defiance outpaces all legendary heavy snipers for total damage in the Vow of the Disciple raid thanks to its origin perks and champion stun capabilities. Basically essential for raiding!
With damage potential on par with sleeper meta options like Stormchaser or Taipan but more utility for stunning champions, Defiance should be every PvE player‘s priority for Deepsight weapon grinding. Maxing out enhanced perks like Bait and Switch or Focused Fury via harmonizers pushes it to top tier.
Ammit-AR2
Let‘s briefly change pace and look at a standout primary exotic auto rifle – Ammit-AR2. Part of the Season of Plunder, Ammit takes a bit more luck to initially acquire through solo flawless dungeon completion or world drops. But the firepower payoff merits chasing it down.
Ammit truly soars in PvE thanks to the combination of two major perks:
- Unforgiven intrinsic trait: Shots pierce targets and refunds ammo on kills
- Incandescent (Volatile detonations spread scorch after kills)
These two perks fuel each other phenomenally. Unforgiven piercings allow kills lined up behind an initial target, which then spread scorch and volatile effects to nearby enemies via incandescent. Add in anti-barrier rounds to shred through champion defenses too!
In all, Ammit-AR2 provides add clear power on par with exotic heavies but in a primary slot. Unforgiven refunds keep your uptime near 100%, while Incandescent explosions pair perfectly with increased Scorch effectiveness from the seasonal artifact.
I predict Ammit retaining a top 10 usage spot for seasons to come unless significantly nerfed. And being an exotic, no need to worry about wasted Deepsight Harmonizer investments either!
This covers my essential shortlist, although plenty of other options like Thoughtless exist too for PvE firepower. Next let‘s shift gears to dominant picks for the Crucible.
Best PVP Weapons for Deepsight Upgrades
Destiny 2 PvP ultimately comes down to lethal efficiency during in-the-moment duels. When enemies collapse on points or push for map control, wasting shots is never an option.
As such, let‘s explore PvP god roll weapons where enhanced perks grant tight accuracy, quicker response times, or better dueling impact.
Thoughtless
I have to kick things off by reiterating that Thoughtless reigns supreme as a Crucible sniper option even months after its initial debut. The mix of Snapshot Sights, Opening Shot, and the precision Cranial Spike buff harmonize perfectly for aggressive counter-sniping.
Here is the god roll PvP combo:
- Barrel: Hammer-Forged Rifling (Major range boost)
- Magazine: Accurized Rounds (Major range boost)
- Perk 1: Snapshot Sights (Very fast ADS speed)
- Perk 2: Opening Shot (Bonus accuracy and range on opening shot of attack)
- Masterwork: Handling
Combined with the instant swap speed intrinsic, Thoughtless allows lightning fast drag scopes and reactions to movements thanks to Snap + Opening Shot. The enhanced accuracy and aim assist on follow up shots keep your reticle glued for sequencing kills too.
Collecting the Headstone Stasis shards creates momentum snowballs with overshields, crowd control from coldsnap grenades, and supers to seal off points. Truly a complete package.
Thoughtless has retained its #1 K/D ratio amongst all Crucible snipers for months running now, with nearly double that of beloved options like Uzume RR4 or Adored. The craftable enhanced perks will likely cement its dominance through Year 5 too.
Wastelander-M5
For shotgun aficionados, look no further than the tried and true Wastelander-M5 – particularly the adept version from Trials of Osiris. With the wide availability of Deepsight Resonance options from world drops, it‘s easy to grind out the necessary five red border extracts to unlock enhanced perks.
The god roll looks like:
- Barrel: Full Choke (Tighter spread)
- Magazine: Accurized Rounds (Range boost)
- Perk 1: Perpetual Motion (+Stability, handling and reload speed when moving)
- Perk 2: Opening Shot
- Masterwork: Range
This honed pairing maximizes lethal consistency inside the shotgun‘s effective range thanks to the enhanced cone accuracy from Opening Shot and Full Choke. Perpetual Motion keeps your handling snappy for quick draws during close quarters movements too.
Combined with the intrinsic Slideshot perk to auto-reload partial magazine while sprinting + sliding, you have high uptime to continually push with Wastelander drawn.
In terms of usage rates, Wastelander has over triple the equipped usage percentage of any other legendary shotgun. And the release of adept mods to further boost range and opening shot stats cements its top slot moving forward.
I highly recommend investing harmonizers to unlock enhanced Feeding Frenzy or Eye of the Storm as additional options to build around too.
Fatebringer
Let‘s close out PvP primary options with the iconic Fatebringer 140 RPM hand cannon. Despite being a raid weapon re-issued before crafting existed, Fatebringer continues to rule as the most used legendary primary weapon across all Crucible modes by a large margin.
The god roll includes:
- Barrel: Full Bore (Max range boost but stability loss)
- Magazine: Accurized Rounds
- Perk 1: Explosive Payload (Projectiles deal bonus damage and flinch)
- Perk 2: Opening Shot
- Masterwork: Range
Fatebringer already boasts excellent base range and burst damage enabled by explosive payload. But the enhanced accuracy on opening shot weapon engagements combined with max range barrel and magazine perks gives it crispy 3-tap precision potential at surprising distances.
In a precision dominant 140 RPM meta, those factors drive Fatebringer‘s continued dominance as the primary hand cannon option. Plus the iconic Firefly + Osmosis origin traits add tactical considerations for team fights too!
Destiny players covet the Outlaw + Explosive Payload god roll, but crafting unlocks the flexibility to build alternatives like Eye of the Storm, Rangefinder, or Encore as well.
While Fatebringer took luck to acquire initially from raid drops last year, it remains well worth the Deepsight Harmonizer investment.
This wraps up my curated list of the most lethal Destiny 2 weapons truly elevated to pinnacle status via craftable enhancements. Let‘s recap the key takeaways:
In Summary
- Deepsight Harmonizers should be invested into weapons where enhanced perks provide definitive advantages that noticeably augment their gameplay potency.
- For PvE, I highly recommend the machine gun Retrofit Escapade, sniper rifle Thoughtless, Defiance of Yasmin, and exotic auto rifle Ammit-AR2 as top choices.
- For PvP, the quickswap sniper Thoughtless, shotgun Wastelander M5 and iconic hand cannon Fatebringer lead their weapon archetypes.
- Remember ritual weapons like Retrofit Escapade become unobtainable each season, so spend harmonizers while you still can extract Deepsight versions.
- With the flexibility of the crafting system, both PvE and PvP "god rolls" can be custom built around enhanced traits to match your style.
Let me know if you have any other questions! I‘m happy to offer guidance to fellow Guardians looking to amplify their arsenal with careful Deepsight Harmonizer investments. Feel free to check out my expert Destiny 2 weapon guides for additional recommendations too.
Cheers and enjoy the expanded crafting potential! Let‘s vaporize the Darkness together.