Destiny is a game mainly known for its great PvE gunplay and Raids, but there is an equally large player base that swears by Destiny's PvP offerings. Trials of Osiris put Destiny on the competitive scene and made it a commonly viewed title on streaming platforms such as Twitch.
Part of its success was due to the great balance between all weapon categories. Many consider Destiny 2's Crucible to be less balanced, but there is still room for subpar weapon archetypes such as Scout Rifles to shine. As a powerful long-range option, Scouts are great for defending lanes or picking off targets from a distance. Ranging from Exotics to lesser-known Legendaries, here are ten Scout Rifles players should consider using in Destiny 2's PvP game modes.
Updated September 6th, 2022, by Charles Burgar: Scout Rifles received some major balance changes towards the end of Season of the Haunted, and Bungie introduced some new Scout Rifles with Season of the Plunder. These changes have made Scout Rifles substantially more forgiving, causing some Guardians to dust off their god roll scouts in the Crucible. We've updated this list to reflect recent balance changes, and we've replaced a few entries with some 150 and 180 RPM Scout Rifles that greatly benefited from these balance changes.
10/10 Staccato-46
How to obtain: Legendary world Engrams.
Staccato-46 is a special Scout Rifle. This weapon looks terrible on the surface, being part of the worst Scout Rifle archetype in Destiny 2. However, this weapon has a unique perk combination that makes Staccato worth chasing.
That roll is Shoot to Loot and Dragonfly. Killing a Guardian in PvP with a headshot will cause them to explode, damaging nearby targets. More importantly, Dragonfly procs Shoot to Loot, meaning you vacuum up any ammo in the area. This is S-tier for Sniper Rifle and Linear Fusion loadouts that struggle to get ammo after a gunfight. Incandescent is arguably better than Dragonfly, but we can't confirm if Incandescent procs Shoot to Loot. If it does, that is easily the best roll on this gun for PvP. Keep your eyes peeled for a good roll on this gun.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Shoot to Loot
- Column Two: Incandescent, Dragonfly
9/10 Tears Of Contrition
How to obtain: Season of the Haunted activities, or crafted at The Enclave.
Precision Frame Scout Rifles are off to a rough start, featuring subpar TTK values and mediocre stats. While Tears of Contortion doesn't have Box Breathing, this weapon does have some excellent consistency perks that help it in duels.
No Distractions and Explosive Payload is a great perk combination, granting 35% flinch reduction while your bullets flinch the enemy quite aggressively. With how much more flinch resistance is available in this meta, Explosive Payload is becoming more and more valuable for throwing your opponent's aim off. For anyone that attempts to throw your aim off, you have No Distractions active. This gun can't win 1v1 duels against most meta weapons, but Explosive Payload really helps ensure that your opponent will miss a shot or two. Best of all, this weapon is craftable, so feel free to experiment with rolls.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: No Distractions, Perpetual Motion
- Column Two: Explosive Payload, Focused Fury
8/10 Hung Jury SR4
How to obtain: No longer obtainable.
We avoid including unobtainable weapons in our lists as much as possible, but Hung Jury SR4 is so good that it warrants an exception. Originally obtained from Nightfalls, Hung Jury is a 180 RPM Scout Rifle with the best stat package out of any Legendary 180, and it can roll with an absurdly strong perk: Box Breathing.
Box Breathing allows Hung Jury to three-tap a Guardian, resulting in a shockingly fast 0.67s TTK. With how much range Hung Jury has, you can three-tap Guardians from across the map with ease. If you're looking for an alternative to this gun, farm for Vision of Confluence. But if you're lucky enough to have a Hung Jury in your Vault, give it a spin.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Surplus, Rapid Hit
- Column Two: Box Breathing
7/10 Touch Of Malice
How to obtain: King's Fall raid.
The Touch of Malice is a 260 RPM Scout Rifle that has great base stats and a strange Exotic perk. It functions as any normal 260 RPM for the first ten shots, but leaving one bullet in your magazine causes Touch of Malice to siphon your HP, granting a 30% damage buff to the next shot. You can keep this buff active until you either reload or lose HP. And yes, Touch of Malice can kill you.
Yet that risk can be offset with smart usage of Healing Grenades, Devour, Warlocks Rifts, and any other assortment of healing tools the Destiny 2 sandbox has to offer. Those who can build around Touch of Malice can land easy two head, two body kills. If you can stack a damage buff with the Touch of Malice, you can even three-tap for an absurd 0.47s TTK. Paired with Charged with Blight's absurd range, Touch of Malice is a monster for 6v6 modes. Just don't bring this weapon into Survival or Trials.
6/10 Trustee
How to obtain: Deep Stone Crypt raid (Crypt Security encounter).
The Deep Stone Crypt's Solar Scout Rifle is a beast of a weapon. This gun is the spiritual successor to Randy's Throwing Knife, firing at the same 260 RPM that Randy's was infamous for.
Perks for this weapon might not be on par with Kill Clip's lethality, although High-Impact Reserves comes close. When you reach the last third of your magazine, High-Impact Reserves will allow this weapon to three-tap, giving it a TTK that exceeds most Primaries. Pair this with Under Pressure for a laser beam of a gun. It even has a clear scope to track targets with. Trustee has it all.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Killing Wind, Zen Moment, Under Pressure
- Column Two: High-Impact Reserves, Eye of the Storm
5/10 Dead Man's Tale
How to obtain: Sold by Xur during weekend visits.
Dead Man's Tale needs no introduction. This is the Last Word of Scout Rifles, featuring perfect hip-fire accuracy and a fast TTK for this weapon archetype. While aiming, you'll fire at 120 RPM, capable of three-tapping a Guardian from over 70 meters away. With the Catalyst, you can hip-fire DMT to fire at 180 RPM at max Cranial Spike stacks. These shots deal less damage, and the ramp-up mechanic from Cranial Spike is gone, yet this weapon is still a versatile option in the hands of a good player.
Oh, did we mention that this weapon comes with random rolls? Just like Hawkmoon, Dead Man's Tale can get a second trait and miscellaneous perks at random. Some of these perks are absurd, mainly High-Caliber Rounds and Vorpal Weapon. With Vorpal, you can two-tap Golden Gun or three-tap every other Super in the game. And thanks to High-Caliber Rounds, most enemies will struggle to hit you in a 1v1 duel. If it wasn't clear, Dead Man's Tale is the ultimate Scout Rifle. It fulfills every role, does so exceptionally well, and has a unique aesthetic you'd come to expect from Tex Mechanica.
Recommended Trait:
- Column One: Vorpal Weapon, Moving Target, Killing Wind
4/10 Jade Rabbit
How to obtain: Exotic Engrams.
Most Crucible players know that Jade Rabbit's Exotic perk is practically useless. It's a variant of Headseeker that doesn't always work. So why is Jade Rabbit on the list? It has one of the best stat packages out of any Scout Rifle in Destiny 2.
With 80 aim assist, 85 range, and 80 stability when Masterworked, Jade Rabbit is nothing short of a stat monster. No 150 RPM Scout Rifle comes close to competing with Jade Rabbit's base stats. It mitigates flinch extremely well, lands headshots with ease, and has a clear sight. For general dueling and long-range gameplay, it's tough to top Jade Rabbit.
3/10 MIDA Multi-Tool
How to obtain: Exotic Engrams found through Xur or world drops.
Back when Destiny 2 was first released, Crucible and Trials of the Nine were filled with MIDI Multi-Tool users. Its boost to mobility and always-active radar was too good to pass up.
With Beyond Light's changes to aim assist on Scout Rifles, MIDA is easily one of the easiest Scouts to use in the entire game. Better yet, this weapon's fast fire rate and stable recoil pattern make it a solid choice at medium-range engagements in any PvP scenario. Should someone get close to you, you'll be notified by your radar that persists even while aiming. It won't beat a Hand Cannon or SMG at close range, but MIDA is surprisingly lethal at medium ranges and beyond. Don't sleep on this gun.
2/10 Transfiguration
How to obtain: Last Wish raid.
With the right perks, Last Wish's Transfiguration Scout Rifle can become a two-tapping machine after a single kill. This is thanks to its unique ability to roll with Kill Clip and Rampage simultaneously.
A single kill followed by a reload will give you Kill Clip's 33% damage buff on top of Rampage's 11%. Since they're multiplicative with each other, the gun gets around a 47 to 50% damage increase, allowing it to two-tap Guardians with headshots. Couple this with its absurdly high range stat, no Guardian will have a chance to get near you when this weapon's perks are active. It isn't as easy to use as other Scout Rifles, yet Transfiguration's consistent two-tapping potential makes it worth chasing. You'll top the scoreboard in every 6v6 match with this gun.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Rampage
- Column Two: Kill Clip
1/10 Vision Of Confluence
How to obtain: Vault of Glass raid.
Precision Scout Rifles have never been better in the PvP sandbox, and the best example of that is Vision of Confluence. What was originally an underwhelming PvP Scout has quickly become one of this meta's best-performing Scout Rifles thanks to its excellent base stats and perk pool.
Surplus and Frenzy is a fantastic perk combination if you value weapon consistency above all else. Frenzy turns this weapon into a three-tap machine, and Surplus makes this weapon virtually immune to flinch. If you want a better roll for general 6v6 slaying, try Tunnel Vision and Kill Clip. If you love Scout Rifles at all, Vision of Confluence should be on your radar. This weapon will not disappoint.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Surplus, Killing Wind, Tunnel Vision
- Column Two: Frenzy, Kill Clip
