Hey Guardians, grab your Ghost and some glimmer — I’m diving deep into a nostalgia-fueled rabbit hole. Back in Season of the Witch (yeah, way back in 2023), Bungie brought back four iconic Red War weapons, and honestly, I still see a few of them popping off in Crucible and Nightfalls even now in 2026. Whether you’re a veteran who remembers the Red War campaign before it got sunset or a New Light who just scored these from a random engram, let’s rank them from worst to best based on how they hold up today. Spoiler: some are pure meme material, others are low-key meta.
🥉 4th Place: Deadpan Delivery
If you’ve ever thought “maybe I can make an aggressive frame shotgun work in PvE in 2026″ — no, just no. Deadpan Delivery is an Arc aggressive frame shotgun, and in the current sandbox, it feels like a relic… from a time when shotguns didn’t need damage perks to clear adds. It’s not completely useless, but it’s definitely hanging by a thread.
In PvE, you can roll One-Two Punch + Overflow which is a solid combo for melee builds. Pair it with a Liar’s Handshake Hunter or a Wormgod Titan, and you’ll punch your way through content. But let’s be real, rapid-fire shotguns or even lightweight frames outshine it for general use. In Crucible, I used to think Surplus + Killing Wind might save it, but without Opening Shot or range-boosting perks, my pellet spread feels like confetti at 7 meters. The origin trait Nadir Focus helps with accuracy after sustained fire, but who sustains fire with a shotgun? Exactly.
👍 Best PvE roll: One-Two Punch / Overflow
👎 Crucible viability: Low — you’ll get mapped by Matadors
🥈 3rd Place: Persuader
A rapid-fire Void sniper rifle, Persuader is that weapon you either hate with a passion or secretly enjoy. I’m in the second camp. Stats-wise it’s decent, with a super low 35 zoom — great for aggressive sniping, terrible if you’re used to 50+ zoom and need training wheels. In 2026, sniper usage in PvE is still pretty niche unless there’s an anti-barrier mod, but Persuader has one combo that makes it stand out: Repulsor Brace + Destabilizing Rounds. Volatile explosions everywhere, and you get overshields for just existing near a debuffed enemy? Pure Void 3.0 chaos.
For PvP, it’s trickier. Opening Shot and Keep Away together can make it sticky, but rapid-fire snipers still double-body, which feels sad when you miss the headshot. If you master the cadence, though, you can chain kills with Discord and Triple Tap — infinite ammo on precision kills? Yes please. I’ve seen a few madlads use it in Trials with decent success, but overall, it’s a fun off-meta pick, not a hard carry.
🔮 Dark horse perk: Repulsor Brace + Destabilizing Rounds (PvE)
🎯 PvP god roll: Keep Away + Opening Shot with max handling
🥇 2nd Place: The Showrunner
Now we’re talking. The Showrunner is a kinetic lightweight SMG that still feels incredible in 2026. Lightweight SMGs have always been popular, but this one cranks things up with perks you normally don’t see together. For Crucible, the combination of Well-Rounded + Fragile Focus can push range into borderline absurd territory, and with Nadir Focus kicking in during sustained fire, your accuracy becomes a laser. I’ve outgunned auto rifles from 30 meters away — not even joking.
In PvE, The Showrunner has a party trick no other SMG can boast: Kinetic Tremors + Overflow. Every few precision hits causes a shockwave that clears hordes, and overflow keeps your magazine fat. It’s an add-clearing monster that also does respectable boss DPS due to the tremors ticking through shields. The only downside? It’s kinetic, so no elemental synergy, but in 2026 with the right build that hardly matters. This weapon is still a workhorse — if you haven’t crafted one yet, do it.
🔥 Must-try roll: Overflow + Kinetic Tremors
⚡ Crucible star: Dynamic Sway Reduction + Target Lock
💥 1st Place: Nightshade
From a generic kinetic pulse to a Strand Lightweight Frame, Nightshade’s glow-up is real. I remember grinding the original Red War and thinking “this pulse is okay”, but the Season of the Witch version? It’s borderline cracked. Lightweight pulses have been buffed multiple times since 2023, and in 2026 they’re legit meta selections for both PvE and PvP thanks to high handling and movement speed.
For Strand builds, Nightshade can roll Outlaw + Hatchling — spawning threadlings on precision kills is so satisfying. But where it truly shines is PvP. I’ve gotten a roll with Encore + Keep Away, and after a single kill, the range, stability, and accuracy bonuses stack so high that I’m mapping people from pulse rifle distances that normally belong to high-impact frames. Kill Clip or Headseeker in the right column turns it into a dueling monster. This weapon actually feels like it power-crept some of the legendary pulses released in later expansions. Seriously, if you see someone slaying with a lightweight pulse in 2026, check the kill feed — it’s probably Nightshade.
🌱 Strand dream: Outlaw + Hatchling
🏆 Crucible all-star: Encore + Keep Away or Headseeker
Final Blast
So there you have it! Deadpan Delivery is basically a nostalgia decoration, Persuader is a quirky sniper that can work, The Showrunner is a practical beast, and Nightshade is the undisputed king of this batch. Even three years after Season of the Witch, at least two of these weapons are still top-tier choices, which is crazy considering how often Bungie shifts the sandbox. Hit the Vanguard playlist, farm those engrams, and if you get a god roll Nightshade, cherish it. See you in the Crucible, Guardians — I’ll be the one laser-beaming you with The Showrunner. 😉