Destiny 2‘s annual Halloween event, Festival of the Lost, has returned, bringing with it a bunch of new weapons and other rewards to chase, including an SMG that has incredible perks.
This year, Bungie has introduced two freshly minted weapons in the form of Gunburn and Hushed Whisper, as well as brought back Arcane Embrace from previous years with an updated perk pool.
As usual, every event weapon will be obtainable from the associated limited-time activity, which, this year, takes the form of Haunted Altars, a six-player activity accessed on the Moon.
Festival of the Lost 2025 start & end times
Festival of the Lost is available from October 21, following Destiny 2’s weekly reset, and runs until November 4.
All weapons & perks
Weapon | Archetype | Perk Column 1 | Perk Column 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
Gunburn  | Kinetic Submachine Gun (Lightweight) | Bewildering Burst Lone Wolf Threat Detector Stats For All Recycled Energy Pugilist Lead from Light | Attrition Orbs Kinetic Tremors Ancillary Ordinance Target Lock One For All Wellspring Binary Orbit |
Hushed Whisper  | Strand Bow (Precision) | Tear Impulse Amplifier Successful Warm-Up Lone Wolf Lead From Light Snapshot Sights Slice | Archer's Gambit Hatchling Explosive Head Collective Pugilism Collective Action Aggregate Charge Precision Instrument |
Arcane Embrace  | Arc Shotgun (Heavy Burst) | Fourth Time's The Charm Reconstruction Lone Wolf Rapid Hit Envious Assassin Dual Loader Grave Robber | Rolling Storm Voltshot Precision Instrument Surrounded Aggregate Charge Dragonfly Collective Pugilism |
Meta analysis
On paper, Bungie’s choice of rewards for this iteration of the event seems a little lackluster. In addition to the total number of available weapons being slimmed down to a modest three, two belong to weapon archetypes that aren’t particularly favored in the current meta.
Bows remain too slow for a sandbox that has become extremely fast in The Edge of Fate, unable to compete with other long-ranged primaries like Scout and Pulse Rifles. Likewise, Shotguns have largely been dethroned as the kings of close-quarters engagements due to the rise of Spread Shot Hand Cannons.
Not all hope is lost, however. Gunburn, a Kinetic SMG, boasts an incredible perk pool, with one particular combo likely to be a must-have for any serious PvE player. As Everburning Glitz already proved, Bewildering Burst and Kinetic Tremors are a fantastic pairing for add-clear.
And, if Multimach CCX‘s legendary reputation has taught Guardians anything, it’s that the latter perk is god-tier when used on SMGs.
That’s a wrap on Festival of the Lost’s weapon rewards for 2025 but before you go, be sure to check out the god rolls for some of Destiny 2’s best-performing Edge of Fate weapons, including Mint Retrograde and Phoneutria Fera.
