Many Primary weapons exist in the Destiny universe to take down the enemies of Humanity. Ranging from Hand Cannons to Bows, there's a weapon type for everyone. Pulse Rifles are in a fantastic spot in Destiny 2, capable of countering Hand Cannons in PvE and most fodder enemies in PvE.
Pulse Rifles are burst-fire weapons that combine the precision of a Scout Rifle with the rapid damage output of an Auto Rifle. With a wide selection of perks for each weapon, it's easy to see why they are so sought after in PvE and PvP activities. No matter the playstyle, here are ten Pulse Rifles any player needs to use in Destiny 2.
Updated September 7th, 2022, by Charles Burgar: Pulse Rifles have become more commonplace in the Crucible and even most PvE loadouts. Season of the Plunder added a fantastic Pulse Rifle for players to chase as well, so this list warranted an update. We've added this season's Smite of Merain into the list, and we've reranked and replaced most entries to place far more emphasis on PvE viability.
10/10 Vigilance Wing
How to obtain: Exotic Engrams found through Xur or world drops.
Vigilance Wing is clearly tuned around 3v3 PvP playlists. Its Exotic perk, Harsh Truths, grants both a health regeneration and movement speed boost whenever a nearby ally dies. Its second perk also improves the gun's stats when you're the lasting living member of your fireteam.
Both of those perks are useful, but Vigilance Wing is fantastic due to its forgiveness. This Pulse Rifle fires in five-round bursts. Since the optimal TTK for High-Impact Pulses requires five crits and one body shot, this means you can only land body shots for an entire burst and still kill a Guardian in two bursts. Because of this, Vigilance Wing is the most forgiving Pulse Rifle in Destiny 2. PvP players have to try this gun. Don't bother using it in PvE.
9/10 Yesteryear
How to obtain: Gambit matches and Engrams.
Gambit's Yesteryear Pulse Rifle is the first Adaptive Frame to roll with Desperado, a perk originally found on High-Impact Frames. That alone makes this weapon worth chasing, yet the other 23 perks it can roll with shouldn't be so easily dismissed.
Subsistence and Golden Tricorn, Ambitious Assassin and Focused Fury, and Outlaw with Rampage are all perk combinations obtainable on this gun. And since this weapon deals Void damage, it can benefit from Void's Volatile Rounds buff from the Echo of Instability Fragment. Pair that with the excellent SUROS Synergy origin trait, and you have one of Destiny 2's best Pulse Rifles for any activity.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Subsistence, Ambitious Assassin, Perpetual Motion (PvP)
- Column Two: Desperado, Golden Tricorn, Multikill Clip, Eye of the Storm (PvP)
8/10 Piece Of Mind
How to obtain: PsiOps Battlegrounds and Risen Engrams.
This Kinetic Rapid-Fire Frame is a surprisingly good PvP weapon and a solid workhorse for PvE players. Overflow and Adrenaline Junkie is a solid combo in PvE, allowing you to cleave through hordes of fodder enemies with little issue.
For PvP, Overflow and Focused Fury isn't a bad option if you remember to grab Special bricks. Focused Fury can do wonders for this weapon's TTK if you can keep it up. Otherwise, a roll with Perpetual Motion and Elemental Capacitor makes it a dream to use while on the move. You can craft this weapon as well, so keep that in mind when looking at perk recommendations.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Overflow, Perpetual Motion, Heating Up (PvP)
- Column Two: Focused Fury, Adrenaline Junkie (PvE), Elemental Capacitor (PvP)
7/10 Graviton Lance
How to obtain: Exotic Engrams or from Xur.
It might be a surprise to see this here, but the buff to Exotic Primaries and Void in The Witch Queen expansion has given Graviton Lance new life, at least in PvE. This weapon has become an add-clearing monster, capable of turning a small pack of enemies into a symphony of explosions.
Volatile Rounds alongside this weapon's ability to create Void projectiles on kill can result in tons of chain reactions, leading to great add-clearing potential in PvE content. As for PvP, Graviton Lance is a tricky weapon to use since it fires in two-round bursts. But if you can get used to this gun's quirks, Graviton Lance can be surprisingly good in 6v6 and even duel Scout Rifles in 3v3 playlists.
6/10 Horror's Least
How to obtain: Nightfall reward (rotates weekly)
Horror's Least returned in Season of the Haunted, complete with a new perk pool and Adept variant. This weapon is a slightly worse Piece of Mind that resides in the Energy slot, featuring a plethora of good perks that make this weapon a monster in the Crucible.
The first thing you'll notice is that Horror's Least has terrible Handling, but you can fix this with the Steady Hands perk. Land a kill, and now all of your weapons have 100 Handling and an additional scalar for the next eight seconds. Pair this with Kill Clip, and you have one of the smoothest-feeling Pulse Rifles for 6v6 playlists. It's also a good roll for PvE content.
For a more passive setup, you might want to use Perpetual Motion and Frenzy, granting this weapon max Handling and a plethora of other stats if you're in combat and moving. Perks that buff this weapon's stats are the best since Rapid-Fires have rather subpar stat packages despite their great TTK. Keep an eye out for a good roll on an Adept variant, as you can further boost this weapon's stats with Adept mods.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Steady Hands, Perpetual Motion
- Column Two: Kill Clip, Frenzy
5/10 Insidious
How to obtain: Vow of the Disciple raid.
There are only three four-round burst Pulse Rifles in Destiny 2, one of which is sunset. Sacred Provenance is a solid weapon, but it can't compete with Vow's Insidious. This weapon is a menace, capable of some truly amazing PvE and PvP perk combinations that will make any Pulse Rifle fan excited.
Rapid Hit and Rampage is a fantastic all-round perk for PvE and PvP, allowing this weapon to pump out tons of damage with minimal recoil. However, PvE fans might be surprised to hear that this weapon can get Dragonfly and One for All at the same time. And yes, Dragonfly procs One for All. Damage perks even buff the damage of Dragonfly, leading to a fantastic synergy.
PvP players will want to get Rapid Hit for their first column perk, but your second perk isn't as important. Rampage or Adrenaline Junkie are solid picks to make this weapon's TTK even lower, but consider perks like Vorpal Weapon as well. It might not beat Blast Furnace back in its prime, but this weapon comes close.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Dragonfly (PvE), Rapid Hit
- Column Two: Rampage, One for All (PvE)
4/10 Outbreak Perfected
How to obtain: Purchased from the Exotic Kiosk in the Tower. Costs 1 Exotic Cipher, 150,000 Glimmer, 250 Dusklight Shards, and 2 Ascendant Shards.
If you're looking for a reliable Pulse Rifle to use in GM Nightfalls and even the Crucible, Outbreak Perfected is for you. This 450 RPM Pulse Rifle is one of Destiny 2's most stable Primary weapons with virtually no recoil and solid aim assist stats for its archetype.
The best part about Outbreak is its Exotic perk, causing damaged targets to spawn SIVA nanites. This ramps up Outbreak's damage tremendously, allowing it to deal triple its usual damage when you spawn enough nanites. And just like Malfeasance, multiple Outbreaks share this nanite ramp-up, allowing your fireteam to dish out some fantastic sustained DPS against tougher foes. It's easy to use, chews through fodder and major enemies alike, and it can be purchased at any time from the Exotic Kiosk. If you need a good PvE Pulse Rifle, look no further.
3/10 Smite Of Merain
How to obtain: King's Fall raid.
Don't let its appearance fool you. This is the only Legendary Pulse Rifle in Destiny 2 not to have a bullpup design, making it appear closer to an Auto Rifle. It still fires in bursts, yet its visual design isn't the only thing exclusive to the Smite of Merain; this weapon can roll Focused Fury in the first perk column.
Double damage perks can roll on this weapon, notably Focused Fury and One for All. Focused Fury is typically a tough perk to recommend, but since this Pulse Rifle has Runneth Over as its origin trait, you have quite some leeway with triggering this perk. If you want better add clear, get a roll with Demolitionist and Firefly. And yes, Demolitionist triggers off Firefly kills. It's fantastic as a PvE workhorse weapon, although it won't outperform 540 RPMs in the Crucible. That said, you can get a roll with Moving Target and Eye of the Storm if you want a good mid-range dueling Primary for PvP.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Focused Fury, Demolitionist, Moving Target (PvP)
- Column Two: One for All, Firefly, Eye of the Storm (PvP)
2/10 BXR-55 Battler
How to obtain: Xur's Treasure Trove
The Halo 2 Battle Rifle has made its way into Destiny 2, and it's easily one of the best Pulse Rifles you can use—especially after the damage buff Lightweights received this season. Cleverly named the BXR, this weapon features a unique perk that mimics the effects of Trench Barrel—allowing you to release a massive burst of damage after a melee ability hit.
Of course, this weapon has a large range of perks you can chase. Perpetual Motion and Eye of the Storm make for the most consistent PvP Pulse Rifle you can find. Demolitionist and Adrenaline Junkie are fantastic for PvE. You can even use Demolitionist and Incandescent together for an explosive workhorse weapon. Best of all, this weapon intrinsically has excellent hip-fire accuracy, allowing you to stay mobile while landing headshots from medium range. The BXR-55 is effectively an Exotic weapon disguised as a Legendary. Get this weapon as soon as you can.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Demolitionist, Perpetual Motion, Outlaw
- Column Two: Incandescent, Blunt Execution Rounds, Kill Clip, Eye of the Storm (PvP)
1/10 No Time To Explain
How to obtain: Complete the Beyond Light campaign.
No Time to Explain is unquestionably one of the best Pulse Rifles in Destiny 2. This weapon has a fantastic stat package, absurd range stat of 73, and has a blazing fast optimal TTK of 0.67 seconds in PvP.
It gets better; No Time to Explain creates a time portal when you achieve ten precision kills, acting as a mobile turret that fires at any target in front of you. This can make melting majors and even strike bosses in PvE trivial. PvP players will appreciate the second gun by their side, and PvE players that want to use a good mid-range weapon will love No Time to Explain.
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