Burst-fire pulse rifles have remained towards the top of the Destiny 2 meta for years while virtually every other weapon type has ebbed and waned. A flexible blend of range and rate-of-fire, they’re useful across all types of content. Because they fire three or four-round bursts (even five in one special case), their damage output is more consistent than most other weapon types. Several of the best Exotic pulse rifles also have game-changing perks you can build your entire personality around. To top it all off, pulse rifles got a 12.5 damage buff against minors and elites with Season of the Wish.
Based on the current loot pool, here’s a look at the best pulse rifles based on the current meta.
About the Author
We’ve consulted various tier lists including one from Blueberries.gg and databases that rank the popularity of weapons such as Light.gg. Your Destiny 2 arsenal isn’t a popularity contest, but a gun’s popularity and its most-used rolls offer a solid way to determine if the weapon is “Good” or “Bad” at a glance. Perhaps the most important and underappreciated factor we consider is how easy it is to acquire a weapon right now. Nobody wants to read about a top-tier gun they can’t even get. We also factor in elemental synergy with PVE perks that synergize with subclasses.
Disclaimers About the Tier List
This tier list is designed to help you figure out the best pulse rifles to use in Destiny 2 for different activities, considering various factors that might influence the rankings. How easy it is to obtain a weapon and its god roll should be just as important when considering what is “best.”
Many raid weapons and exotics make virtually every tier list, but we endeavor to explore alternative options that are easier to obtain. We will endeavor to update the tier list whenever balance changes occur and after new seasons or expansions as our understanding of the metagame solidifies.
Tier List for Pulse Rifles
- S: These are best-in-class weapons that are the go-to options for anyone using the archetype.
- A: These weapons are popular overall, but are edged out for one reason or another by the truly top-tier weapons.
- B: These weapons usually have an inherent weakness or downside compared to the higher-tiered options usually due to things like perk pool.
- C: These weapons are just average. Nothing special to set them apart.
- F: These weapons are lackluster and mediocre. You’ll rarely see them used.
Tier List Ranks and Explanations
- BXR-55 Battler
- Oversoul Edict
- Graviton Lance
- Insidious
- No Time to Explain
- Outbreak Perfected
- Chattering Bone
- Phyllotactic Spiral
- Scalar Potential
- Autumn Wind
S Tier Pulse Rifles
BXR-55 Battler
Originally introduced as part of Bungie’s 30th Anniversary event in May 2022, the BXR-55 Battler is a nod to the iconic Halo Battle Rifle, and it packs a punch. Even as of 2024, there’s no sign of Bungie removing Dares of Eternity from Destiny 2 anytime soon, and the pulse rifle became craftable with Lightfall. Not only is it relatively easy to farm, but it’s only a matter of time before you can unlock the weapon pattern and work towards building one for PVE and another for PVP.
With excellent base stats and an impressive perk pool, the Battler boasts great hip-fire accuracy, excellent range, and great zoom capacity on its scopes. In other words, even the base model is top-tier at all ranges, but once you factor in the perks, you’ve got an absolute beast on your hands. Kill Clip shines across all content, but Incandescent is hard to beat for your best Solar builds.
- Excels in: PVE + PVP
- Source: Dares of Eternity
- Craftable: Yes
- PVE God Roll: Demolitionist + Incandescent / Outlaw + Kill Clip
- PVP God Roll: Killing Wind / Perpetual Motion + Kill Clip
Oversoul Edict
A reprised version of the Crota’s End raid launched as part of Season of the Witch in September 2023, and with it came some of the best raid weapons from the Destiny 1 era. Oversoul Edict’s unique Cursed Thrall perk makes it feel like an Exotic: after a melee kill, final blows trigger a Cursed Thrall explosion for 7.5 seconds. Voltshot is the real winner here, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a better weapon for melee-focused Arc builds. For more general use, Sword Logic grants stacking damage buffs based on kills. You have a few solid options to complement these top-tier perks, namely Demolitionist which synergizes with Voltshot and Sword Logic really well.
Oversoul Edict remains a decent choice over in PVP, albeit a little less sensational. At the very least, the Cursed Thrall explosions might scare enemy players.
- Excels in: PVE + PVP
- Source: Crota’s End completion and Bridge of Ir Yut encounter, final chest, and secret chest
- Craftable: Yes
- PVE God Roll: Demolitionist + Voltshot / Sword Logic
- PVP God Roll: Keep Away + Headseeker / Moving Target
A Tier Pulse Rifles
Graviton Lance
One of the oldest Destiny 2 Exotics, Graviton Lance received a huge buff in Season of the Deep that boosted damage 67 percent and increased its rate of fire. The intrinsic trait Black Hole causes the second shot in the burst to rip a hole in spacetime with extra damage and no falloff, and Cosmology causes enemies to explode when killed while also spawning Void projectiles with tracking.
The weapon is still perfectly viable in PVP despite a major nerf to Cosmology damage against other players, but it really shines in PVE as part of a Void build with Volatile rounds. Its one flaw is that with the Red War campaign in the content vault, you have to wait for Xur to sell it or for it to drop randomly from Exotic engrams.
- Excels in: PVE + PVP
- Source: Exotic Engram
- Craftable: No
Insidious
A rare four-burst pulse rifle, Insidious alone is worth venturing through the Vow of the Disciple raid. Arguably the best Arc-powered pulse in the game, it has an excellent perk pool and the intrinsic Souldrinker trait that grants health based on the number of hits before reloading. The Aggressive Burst archetype flinches enemies in PVP easily, and all-around great stats make the base model effective across all types of content.
The classic Demolitionist and Adrenaline Junkie combination has excellent synergy with grenade builds. Kills generate grenade energy, using your grenade reloads the weapon, and getting kills with that grenade boosts damage and handling. It’s not elemental, so you can run a subclass other than Arc and even consider a piece of Exotic armor that grants a second grenade charge. Alternatively, Dragonfly’s elemental explosions can trigger One for All as another way to boost damage output.
- Excels in: PVE + PVP
- Source: Vow of the Disciple Raid
- Craftable: Yes
- PVE God Roll: Demolitionist + Adrenaline Junkie / Dragonfly + One for All
- PVP God Roll: Rapid Hit + Rampage
B Tier Pulse Rifles
No Time to Explain
The Exo Stranger’s signature weapon, No Time to Explain, is an easy-to-obtain powerhouse with some very fun perks. You get it at the end of the Beyond Light campaign, which is an easy process worth pursuing considering how closely it’s tied to fully unlocking your Stasis subclass. Precision shots and shots against enemies impacted by Stasis abilities are refunded to the magazine, and when you stack this 10 times, a portal opens firing bullets from an alternate timeline. The catalyst adds Blast from the Side which causes time portal bullets to shoot more frequently, but it drops randomly so it may take some time to get it.
The unique perks factor into PVP less frequently, but excellent base stats still make it worthwhile to wield against other players. Integrate it into a Stasis build for easier PVE content, and you’ve got a loadout worth using across all timelines.
- Excels in: PVE + PVP
- Source: Beyond Light campaign
- Craftable: No
Outbreak Perfected
Once acquired through an Exotic quest, Outbreak Perfected is a jazzy Kinetic pulse rifle with a totally unique perk: The Corruption Spreads generates SIVA nanite swarms on rapid hits and precision kills, and the more nanites that attach to enemies, the greater the damage output. It hits hard with great stability and precision, and if you can get the catalyst from random drops, then it boosts damage and increases the spread of nanites.
While there may be better, more nuanced options out there if you want to cook up a complex build, you’d be hard-pressed to find a pulse rifle with this kind of straightforward damage output and utility against groups of lesser enemies.
- Excels in: PVE
- Source: Exotic Kiosk
- Craftable: No
Chattering Bone
Chattering Bone has one of the coolest weapon designs in the entire game, and its stellar perk pool is even better. Reintroduced with a perk refresh during Season of the Deep, it’s one of the only guns that can get Kill Clip in the third column rather than the fourth, which opens up some interesting options.
You really can’t go wrong with Kill Clip and Rampage as they both boost damage with kills and reloads after kills. Because it’s a lightweight frame, Chattering Bone lacks in range, accuracy, and stability and isn’t great for PVP, but if you get the right perks for PVE, it’s an absolute beast.
- Excels in: PVE
- Source: Last Wish raid
- Craftable: Yes
- PVE God Roll: Kill Clip + Rampage / Kinetic Tremors
- PVP God Roll: Rangefinder + Headseeker
C Tier Pulse Rifles
Phyllotactic Spiral
Yet another solid Arc pulse rifle, Phyllotactic Spiral is far easier to obtain than Oversoul Edict or Insidious through Neomuna activities but has some pretty clunky perks. Voltshot is the hero perk for PVE content, triggering Jolt with its shots when you reload after a kill. Like most High-Impact pulse rifles, it has good range, so something like Keep Away works well in all content.
Overall, it’s better suited to PVP rather than PVE, but it’s perfectly suitable in either depending on your roll.
- Excels in: PVE + PVP
- Source: Neomuna activities
- Craftable: Yes
- PVE God Roll: Compulsive Reloader / Keep Away + Voltshot
- PVP God Roll: Tunnel Vision + Kill Clip / Headseeker
Scalar Potential
Introduced in Season of the Wish, Scalar Potential joins a crowded pool of Arc pulse rifles. There are definitely better options to look for, especially if you run raids, but it’s easily obtained through seasonal activities. The Dragon’s Vengeance origin trait refills the magazine while boosting range and handling whenever an ally dies or you reach critical health, so it’s very useful in PVP activities like Trials of Osiris when the pressure is on.
There are far better options in PVE, but Overflow and Golden Tricorn work well on Arc builds. Rapid-Fire pulse rifles remain popular in PVP if you can get used to the sweet spot at medium range, but you need Keep Away to boost the weapon’s relatively low range to make it work.
- Excels in: PVP
- Source: Season of the Wish activities and engrams
- Craftable: Yes
- PVE God Roll: Overflow + Golden Tricorn / Attrition Orbs
- PVP God Roll: Keep Away + Headseeker
D Tier Pulse Rifles
Autumn Wind
This Rapid-Fire Kinetic pulse rifle comes straight from Lord Shaxx by ranking up in the Crucible and occasionally from completing matches. If you play Crucible at all, you’re bound to get plenty of them, and Autumn Wind makes for a great starting PVP pulse rifle before you move on to better options. Its stats are fairly average so you probably won’t go on any wild killing sprees with it, but it’s a reliable weapon that’s easy to get. Getting a good roll, however, can take a long time due to its large perk pool. If you don’t get a roll you like, save your Crucible engrams and get another from Shaxx’s Focused Decoding. If you’ve already got a solid Riptide, there’s not much else to spend those engrams on anyway.
Rangefinder in the third column is the must-have perk here for PVP to boost its range, then either Headseeker or Moving Target is a serviceable complement. For PVE? Don’t bother.
- Excels in: PVP
- Source: Crucible match rewards, Lord Shaxx vendor reward, and Crucible Focused Decoding
- Craftable: No
- PVE God Roll: Demolitionist + Adrenaline Junkie / Pugilist + Swashbuckler
- PVP God Roll: Rangefinder + Headseeker / Moving Target
