Auto Rifles have seen dozens of changes throughout Destiny's history. Arguably the strongest weapon archetype for the first year of the original game, they have seen many balance changes to give other weapons a chance to shine.
Most Auto Rifles fire quickly, deal solid damage per shot, and have respectable range. They're a jack of all trades in Destiny's sandbox, perfect for new players and veterans alike. They do great when a player can land all of their shots, but they could potentially be top-tier with the right rolls. Here are the best Auto Rifles you should own in Destiny 2.
Updated August 24th, 2022, by Charles Burgar: Bungie released two new Auto Rifles with Season of the Plunder, one of which is making waves in PvE and PvP. The Quicksilver Storm Exotic is shaping up to be a powerhouse this season and one of Destiny 2's most versatile and consistent Auto Rifles. We've updated this list to include Quicksilver and explain why this gun is so great.
10/10 Krait
How to obtain: Legendary world Engrams.
In terms of quality, Veist might be the most consistent weapon manufacturer in Destiny 2. Just about all of their weapons are easy to use, fire quickly, and have good perk pools. Krait is no exception. This 720 RPM Stasis Auto Rifle might not have the add-clearing potential of Funnelweb, but that doesn't mean you should ignore it.
Overflow and One for All is a blast to use on this gun. Overflow allows this weapon to achieve a 100+ round magazine, and One for All gives this weapon a much-needed damage boost. If you're OK with a damage perk that requires a kill to activate, Adagio is especially good on Krait since it doesn't reduce the weapon's RPM while active. And for all Stasis lovers out there, this gun can also roll with Headstone for some absurd add clear or utility. PvE players will want to keep their eyes peeled for a good Krait roll. As for PvP, it's a solid weapon but can't compete with Suros Regime, Scathelocke, or even Tommy's Matchbook.
Recommended Traits
- Column One: Overflow, Subsistence
- Column Two: One for All (PvE), Adagio, Headstone
9/10 Sweet Sorrow
How to obtain: PsiOps Battlegrounds and Risen Umbral Engrams.
Sweet Sorrow is a 720 RPM Auto Rifle that comes with a great stat package and perk pool. It has one more zoom than other ARs, has a whopping 81 aim assist, and has the Land Tank Origin Trait—granting you damage resistance and Resilience for each PvE combatant kill.
As for perks, Sweet Sorrow can get Stats for All and One for All for a great feeling PvE Primary. For Crucible players, Killing Wind and Tap the Trigger is fantastic for turning this weapon into a laser. Just be sure to straighten out the recoil with Arrowhead Brake or a Counterbalance mod.
Recommended Traits
- Column One: Stats for All (PvE), Killing Wind
- Column Two: One for All (PvE), Tap the Trigger (PvP)
8/10 The Last Breath
How to obtain: Prophecy dungeon.
At first glance, The Last Breath is a lackluster Adaptive Frame that will struggle to compete with fan-favorite Auto Rifles. It's somewhat true that it isn't the best for PvP, but for PvE, The Last Breath is simply amazing. That's thanks to a unique perk combination it can obtain: Demolitionist and Adrenaline Junkie.
If you love throwing grenades, The Last Breath is easily the best Auto Rifle for your playstyle. This weapon can chew through adds on its own, granting you an immense amount of grenade energy. Throw a grenade, gain a damage boost with The Last Breath, then repeat the process. If you don't like grenade builds, you can obtain a classic Subsistence and One for All roll—Frenzy instead of One for All if you prefer that.
As for PvP, The Last Breath is sadly a disappointment. It doesn't have the range of Scathelocke, lacks the lethality that Gnawing Hunger can achieve due to its perk selection, and is far harder to obtain than either weapon. It won't dethrone meta ARs, but it will definitely find a home in the inventories of PvE players that love spamming their abilities.
Recommended Traits
- Column One: Demolitionist, Subsistence, Killing Wind
- Column Two: Adrenaline Junkie (PvE), Rangefinder (PvP), One for All (PvE)
7/10 Tommy's Matchbook
How to obtain: Purchased from the Exotic Kiosk in the Tower. Costs 1 Exotic Cipher, 100,000 Glimmer, 150 Spinmetal Leaves, and 1 Ascendant Shard.
Tommy's Matchbook has more in common with Submachine Guns than Auto Rifles in terms of its intended use. Players are meant to spray as much lead into an enemy as possible, regardless of accuracy.
That is because its Exotic perk, Ignition Trigger, will light the player on fire through sustained fire. It will slowly destroy your shield but never your health, granting double damage while the player is lit aflame. Needless to say, double damage on a Rapid-Fire Frame Auto Rifle is a terrifying sight in any activity. Tommy's Matchbook also intrinsically has Hip-Fire Grip to help with spraying down targets from afar without aiming, also granting it excellent in-air accuracy when shot from the hip. It's a solid weapon for PvE and PvP, although you'll really want to build around this gun for pinnacle PvE content to make it viable.
6/10 Gnawing Hunger
How to obtain: Legendary world Engrams.
Introduced in Season of the Drifter, Gnawing Hunger is an Adaptive Frame Auto Rifle that has stood the test of time. Years later, this gun still shreds opponents in PvE and PvP alike.
This gun can get perks like Overflow, Rampage, Subsistence, and Demolitionist. With Subsistence and Rampage, this gun becomes a legendary Huckleberry Auto Rifle that never has to reload. For PvP, perks like Demolitionist can be fantastic choices as well to keep the gun always reloaded and grant plenty of grenades for unfair fights. Alternatively, Zen Moment or Tap the Trigger make Gnawing Hunger an Auto Rifle with zero recoil. This weapon has clean sights, great recoil, and a time-to-kill that can rival most meta Primary weapons in PvP. And for all PvE mains out there, put Volatile Rounds on this gun; it's amazing.
Recommended Traits
- Column One: Subsistence (PvE), Tap the Trigger (PvP)
- Column Two: Rampage, Kill Clip, Demolitionist
5/10 Scathelocke
How to obtain: Legendary world Engrams.
Gnawing Hunger finally has some serious competition. Scathelocke is an Adaptive Frame that resides in the Kinetic slot, featuring an excellent selection of perks and the best stat package out of any AR in Destiny 2. An above-average range stat, excellent handling, and 20 zoom raise Scathelocke well above most Adaptive Frames. But it gets even better.
Scathelocke can roll with some of the best perks for an AR—Tunnel Vision, Subsistence, Multikill Clip, and even Heating Up. It can roll with Accurized Rounds as well to further boost this weapon's effective range into Hand Cannon distances, allowing you to comfortably outduel most PvP players. For PvE, the weapon's excellent range and ability to roll damage perks make it an excellent weapon to pair with anti-Champion mods. If you like using Auto Rifles in any capacity, you need a good Scathelocke in your arsenal. This weapon will not disappoint.
Recommended Traits
- Column One: Subsistence (PvE), Tunnel Vision (PvP), Heating Up (PvP), Surplus
- Column Two: Multikill Clip, Rampage, Eye of the Storm (PvP)
4/10 Monte Carlo
How to obtain: Exotic Engrams and Xur.
Monte Carlo has proven itself to be one of Destiny 2's best Auto Rifles with the recent 30th Anniversary changes. With the nerfs to ability cooldowns, anything that bypasses your cooldowns has become infinetly more useful.
That's where Monte Carlo comes in. This weapon effectively gives you infinte melee charges, both in PvE and PVP. Unload a magazine into a target to get constant melee energy. Killing an enemy might give you a charge outright, allowing you to spam abilities like Withering Blade or shoulder charge. Markov Chain also gives Monte Carlo the damage boost it needs to serve you well in most PvE content, making this a fantastic all-rounder Exotic for all game types. It's especially deadly in the Crucible.
3/10 Quicksilver Storm
How to obtain: Preorder bonus for Lightfall + Annual Pass edition.
If we were ranking Auto Rifles solely on fun factor, Quicksilver Storm would take the top spot on this list. This 720 Auto Rifle periodically fires heat-seeking missiles and has an alt-fire mode that launches grenades. If you love explosions, this gun is for you.
The homing missiles fire frequently enough to be a reliable add-clearing perk in PvE and even a decent option for damaging majors. The alt-fire can clean up large waves with ease, and the gun's excellent stat package makes it a joy to use.
In PvP, Quicksilver Storm is nothing short of a monster. A .077 optimal TTK that's further lowered by its homing missiles is nothing short of incredible. Even better, this gun's perfect 100 stability 83 aim assist, and High-Caliber Rounds make it the most consistent Auto Rifle in the Crucible; nothing comes close. It feels like Season of Dawn's Steelfeather Repeater but with an underbarrel grenade launcher. You might find lower TTK values on other competitive Autos, but no Auto Rifle can match Quicksilver's consistency.
2/10 SUROS Regime
How to obtain: Exotic Engrams and Xur.
Once a monster in Destiny's first year, the SUROS Regime has remained a sleeping giant of an Exotic compared to the rest in its class. With a fast TTK and great sights, the SUROS Regime is perfect for PvP content.
This gun has two fire modes: a slow-firing but hard-hitting mode or a much faster mode that hits for less. Both modes are fantastic thanks to some recent changes. The fast-firing mode turns SUROS into a large SMG that melts through Guardians and PvE enemies with ease. Its other fire mode is a menace in the Crucible, picking targets off from Pulse Rifle distances with virtually no recoil. Crucible players need to give SUROS a try, and PvE players might enjoy using this weapon for more casual content.
Recommended Trait
- Column One: Spinning Up
1/10 The Summoner
How to obtain: Trials of Osiris matches and Engrams.
The Summoner was reintroduced in The Witch Queen expansion, complete with a new suite of perks. This weapon has quickly become one of the strongest Auto Rifles in Destiny 2 thanks to some of this weapon's perk combinations.
For PvE, Overflow and Golden Tricorn is nothing short of S-tier. This gun melts through enemies in Master-tier content when Golden Tricorn x2 is active, something that's easy to do thanks to the Solar 3.0 rework. When you pair this with Radiant and other damage buffs, enemies don't stand a chance.
Crucible mains might want to get The Summoner as well, as it's one of the few Auto Rifles in Destiny 2 with an Adept variant. Rangefinder with either Rampage or Elemental Capacitor is recommended, allowing you to duel close to Hand Cannon ranges with the right roll. It's easy to use, has a clean scope, and excels in both PvE and PvP. If you want a good workhorse AR, this is it.
Recommended Traits
- Column One: Rangefinder (PvP), Overflow (PvE)
- Column Two: Golden Tricorn (PvE), Rampage, Elemental Capacitor (PvP)
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