Fusion Rifles are Destiny's take on energy guns, firing a burst of energy after a short wind-up time. These weapons might have longer ranges than Shotguns, but Fusion Rifles are rarely seen in PvE or PvP content.

Related: Destiny 2: The Best Hand Cannons For PvE

These weapons might not be as easy to use as most Special weapons, but Fusion Rifles offer a playstyle that no other weapon can offer. Thanks to its unique perks and Exotics, Fusion Rifles are great weapons to use against majors, most bosses, and function as solid holdout weapons in Crucible. Here are the best Fusion Rifles players should have in Destiny 2.

Updated September 7th, 2022, by Charles Burgar: The King's Fall raid brought Midha's Reckoning into the Destiny 2 sandbox, this time with a refreshed perk pool and unique origin trait. This weapon is absurdly strong in PvE with the right roll, capable of proccing Reservoir Burst multiple times in a row. We've updated this list to include Midha's Reckoning and our perk recommendations for this Fusion Rifle.

10/10 Delicate Tomb

How to obtain: Season Pass Reward.

Season of the Plunder's Delicate Tomb is a powerhouse of an add-clearing tool. This Fusion Rifle is similar to Coriolis Force, firing its shots in a horizontal spread when hip-fired. This makes it quite easy to hit multiple targets at once, playing nicely into its Exotic perk.

Defeating enemies has a chance of spawning an Ionic Trace, and collecting a trace overcharges your next shot to inflict Jolt. Grab a trace, fire a shot at a group of enemies, and watch them disintegrate before you. It's a devastating add-clearing tool if you don't mind using your Special ammo for killing fodder enemies. It has some amazing synergies with Stormcaller Warlocks as well, making it quite easy to have 100% uptime of your abilities while using this gun. For PvP, skip this Fusion; there are far better options.

9/10 Snorri FR5

How to obtain: Legendary world Engrams.

Do you like explosions? Do you want to disintegrate Guardians with one of Destiny 2's most accurate Fusion Rifles? If you answered yes to either question, you need to farm for a good Snorri FR5. This weapon has become the new king of Reservoir Burst Fusion Rifles thanks to one perk: Compulsive Reloader.

Snorri has the smoothest gameplay loop out of any Reservoir Burst Fusion. Fire a shot, reload in an instant thanks to Compulsive Reloader, and repeat. Paired with Volatile Rounds, this weapon can create a copious amount of explosions that can only be matched by Null Composure and Telesto. But since this weapon can roll with Compulsive Reloader, we find it to be a better add-clearing option than Null Composure. It's also part of a slower-firing archetype, making it much easier to kill someone in PvE.

As for PvP, Snorri is a competitive option thanks to its perk pool and great base stats. 65 base range, 17 zoom, and 79 recoil direction all make for a great foundation. Firmly Planted and Successful Warm-Up is hilariously powerful in 6v6 game types, allowing this weapon to fire like a Rapid-Fire Frame once it kills someone. If you're looking for more consistency, this weapon can roll with High-Impact Reserves to make your first few kills a little easier. Make sure your PvP roll has Arrowhead Break to give this weapon 100 recoil direction.

Recommended Traits:

  • Column One: Compulsive Reloader (PvE), Firmly Planted (PvP)
  • Column Two: Reservoir Burst (PvE), Successful Warm-Up, High-Impact Reserves (PvP)

8/10 Jotunn

How to obtain: Purchased from the Exotic Kiosk in the Tower. It costs 1 Exotic Cipher, 125,000 Glimmer, 200 Microphasic Datalattice, and 1 Ascendant Shard.

Jotunn is an Exotic Fusion Rifle that fires tracking Solar projectiles, instantly killing Guardians and most PvE enemies alike. It might look more like a toaster than a Fusion Rifle, but this weapon packs a serious punch.

After a long charge time, this weapon fires a slow-moving projectile that kills almost every non-boss enemy in a single blast. If the target lives, a scorch DoT is applied to keep the damage going. Jotunn might not deal enough damage to use in pinnacle PvE content, yet its Catalyst makes this weapon nothing short of an add-slaying monster. It's even great for PvP. Set your sights on a target, fire a projectile, then wait for the fireball of death to make contact. From 6v6 Control to Trials of Osiris, Jotunn is a devastating pick.

7/10 Vex Mythoclast

How to obtain: Vault of Glass raid.

Talk about a complete 180. Vex Mythoclast originally released as a rather underwhelming raid Exotic in Destiny 2, suffering from a clunky Overcharge mechanic and low range. Bungie corrected that with Season of the Lost. Now, Vex Mythoclast stands as a great Exotic Primary that deals solid damage at all ranges.

Related: Destiny 2: A Complete Guide To Combat Style Mods

Unfortunately, Vex isn't the absolute king of Exotic Primaries anymore. This is for two reasons:

  1. Particle Deconstruction was removed from the seasonal Artifact.
  2. Vex Mythoclast did not receive the 40% damage buff in Witch Queen that all other Exotic Primaries got.

The end result is that Vex is a middle-of-the-road weapon. It doesn't have the absurd add clear of weapons like Trinity Ghoul or Riskrunner, but that's fine. Vex's excellent range, ability to snipe targets with its alt-fire, and its synergy with Charged with Light mods make it a phenomenal weapon for buildcrafters and Crucible mains alike. If you're one of the lucky few to get this to drop in the Vault of Glass, give it a spin. You won't be disappointed.

6/10 Burden of Guilt

How to obtain: Trials of Osiris matches and Engrams.

With recent nerfs to Rapid-Fire and Precision Frame Fusions, Adaptive Frames have become more appealing this season. Burden of Guilt is not only an Adaptive, but it also resides in the Kinetic slot since it deals Stasis damage. It charges quickly, has decent base stats, and it has a fantastic suite of perks to roll from.

Related: Destiny 2 The Witch Queen: A Complete Guide To Weapon Crafting

Elemental Capacitor and Successful Warm-Up is a great roll for this weapon, granting a massive stat boost that varies per subclass. Running Arc is recommended, allowing you to drastically boost this weapon's Handling stat. For PvE, Stats for All and Chill Clip is a solid per combination for Stasis builds. Non-Stasis builds might want to use Successful Warm-Up or Swashbuckler instead to increase this weapon's lethality. This weapon also comes with an Adept variant, allowing you to better tune the stats on your roll.

Recommended Traits:

  • Column One: Elemental Capacitor (PvP), Stats for All (PvE), Killing Wind
  • Column Two: Successful Warm-Up, Chill Clip (PvE), Swashbuckler

5/10 Riptide

How to obtain: Crucible matches.

Riptide is the first Rapid-Fire Fusion Rifle to reside in the Kinetic slot. Featuring great base Handling, this weapon works as a great backup weapon for when you get pushed. It might lack in terms of damage falloff when compared to other Fusion archetypes, yet the perks on Riptide more than make up for this.

Under Pressure and Successful Warm-Up is a great roll for general PvP gameplay, acting as a Stasis version of Likely Suspect. For PvE, you can get Field Prep and Vorpal Weapon to make Riptide a good DPS weapon. For those looking to down majors and adds with this weapon, consider a roll with Feeding Frenzy and Golden Tricorn. And of course, Chill Clip is always an option for Stasis builds. Regardless of which roll you go for, keep your eyes out for Arrowhead Brake to help reign in this weapon's recoil.

Recommended Traits:

  • Column One: Under Pressure (PvP), Field Prep, Feeding Frenzy (PvE)
  • Column Two: Successful Warm-Up, Chill Clip (PvE), Golden Tricorn (PvE)

4/10 Likely Suspect

How to obtain: Drops in Savathun's Throne World or crafted from The Enclave.

Likely Suspect is the closest replacement to Destiny's Pocket Infinity that we're going to get. This Rapid-Fire Fusion Rifle can roll with Successful Warm-Up, a perk added in the Witch Queen expansion that hastens your Fusion Rifle's charge time upon killing someone.

Once you've defeated a target, Likely Suspect effectively has no charge time; it fires near-instantly. Coupled with Volatile Rounds from Void 3.0 or this season's Volatile Flow mod, you have yourself one of the strongest add-clear weapons for PvE and one of the most fun PvP Fusions you can use currently, a Fusion that you cancraft. Just beware that Rapid-Fire Frames got nerfed in PvP recently, so you'll want to put Firmly Planted or Perpetual Motion on this weapon to help counteract the recent changes.

Recommended Traits:

  • Column One: Firmly Planted (PvP), Perpetual Motion, Heating Up
  • Column Two: Successful Warm-Up

3/10 Midha's Reckoning

How to obtain: King's Fall raid.

Midha's Reckoning is a powerhouse inside of PvE partly due to its origin trait. Reloading near allies overflows the magazine, acting as a more restricted version of Clown Cartridge. This alone isn't anything to get excited about, yet this trait drastically improves the strength of one perk: Reservoir Burst.

This Fusion Rifle can shoot upwards of four Reservoir Burst rounds before the perk needs to be refreshed, making this Fusion an absolute powerhouse for add clear and DPS against majors/Champions. Paired with Unrelenting or Pugilist, you're practically unstoppable with this gun in group content. And for solo players that want a hard-hitting Special weapon, consider a roll with Field Prep and Golden Tricorn.

Recommended Traits:

  • Column One: Unrelenting, Pugilist, Cornered
  • Column Two: Reservoir Burst, Golden Tricorn

2/10 Deliverance

How to obtain: Vow of the Disciple raid.

Vow of the Disciple introduced the first Legendary Fusion Rifle to go in the Kinetic slot. That fact alone makes this Fusion Rifle worth chasing, yet its perk combinations are what makes this weapon worth chasing. PvE players can turn Deliverance into a crowd-control machine, and PvP players can turn Deliverance into a consistent killing machine.

By far the most interesting perk on Deliverance is Chill Clip, causing the top half of your magazine to release slow AoEs with each projectile hit. Not only does this provide excellent crowd control, but Chill Clip also synergizes with Stasis Aspects and Fragments. Paired with Demolitionist in the first column, you can create a build with infinite ability charges using just this weapon with Stasis. For non-Stasis wielders, Successful Warm-Up and Cornered turns this weapon into a Rapid-Fire Frame, or you can use Cornered with Surrounded to barrel stuff targets with Stasis projectiles.

For PvP, Deliverance is one of the only Fusion Rifles that can roll with Tap the Trigger, granting this weapon a great deal of consistency. You can pair this perk with Heating Up or Perpetual Motion as well, making your shots incredibly easy to land. And if you're looking for a fun 6v6 weapon, give Successful Warm-Up a try. It might not top Main Ingredient or other Fusion giants in the Crucible, although the fact Deliverance is in the Kinetic slot opens up new weapon combos that were previously impossible.

Recommended Traits:

  • Column One: Demolitionist (PvE), Heating Up (PvP), Perpetual Motion
  • Column Two: Chill Clip (PvE), Tap the Trigger (PvP)

1/10 Telesto

How to obtain: Exotic Engrams found through Xur or world drops.

Telesto fans frequently call it the "besto" of Fusion Rifles, and they have a point. Telesto is an Exotic Fusion Rifle that, when it's not breaking Destiny 2 in some obscure way, stands as one of the best Special weapons in the game.

This is thanks to its Exotic perk causing Telesto to fire Void projectiles that stick to objects. This technically gives Telesto infinite range. Better yet, Telesto auto-loads itself upon landing a double kill, making it one of the best Special weapons for add-clear in the entire game. Telesto's power was further amplified in the Witch Queen with the introduction of Volatile Rounds. That's right, Telesto can now cause enemies to explode solely by hitting them. This weapon's potential for mayhem is endless and is definitely worth the Exotic slot.

Next: Destiny 2: Top Linear Fusion Rifles, Ranked