[Top 10] Destiny 2 Best Auto Rifles and How To Get Them

Updated:

23 Dec 2020

Tried and true, the auto rifle is a staple weapon for unloading on your enemies. Not to long ago, autos were given a buff, making them an even more effective weapon. Today we’re going to take you through our top 10 best auto rifles in Destiny 2 and how to get them.

How the List Works:

Most of these weapons have either a predetermined (curated) perk roll as a random perk roll. Since naming every possible perk for each weapon would be a pain to read, we’ll list it’s curated traits/perks and its stats when it has the curated roll. Don’t worry though, we’ll provide a link to the full weapon breakdown in the Weapon Details section for each weapon.

Our Top 5 for PvE

Monte Carlo
Ringing Nail
False Promises
Sweet Business
Breakneck

1. Monte Carlo

There will always be paths to tread and methods to try. Roll with it.

Starting us off is the exotic Monte Carlo. This auto rifle is great for PvE thanks to its powerful perks that revolve around amping your melee ability. This is a great choice for players who like to close the distance.

Weapon Stats:

Impact: 21

Range: 55

Stability: 69

Handling: 82

Reload Speed: 81

Rounds/Min: 600

Magazine: 43

Exotic Perks:

Monte Carlo Method: Dealing damage with this weapon reduces your melee cooldown and grants a chance to fully charge your melee ability with each kill.

Markov Chain: This weapon gains increased damage from melee kills and kills with this weapon. Melee kills grant ammo for this weapon.

What makes Monte Carlo good?

Good stability
Great handling
Perks synergize for a strong melee combo

Weapon Details:

https://destinytracker.com/destiny-2/db/items/4068264807-monte-carlo#

How to get Monte Carlo:

Monte Carlo in Action:

2. Ringing Nail

Strike while the iron’s hot.

Ringing Nail is a Black Armory weapon that's got good range for an auto rifle and it’s curated roll has both Dragonfly and Rampage, which makes it a solid choice for PvE and PvP.

Weapon Stats:

Impact: 29

Range: 71

Stability: 60

Handling: 63

Reload Speed: 52

Rounds/Min: 450

Magazine: 32

Perks:

Precision Frame: This weapon's recoil pattern is more predictably vertical.

Dragonfly: Precision kills create an elemental damage explosion.

Rampage: Kills with this weapon temporarily grant increased damage. Stacks 3x.

What makes Ringing Nail good?:

Good Range
Decent stability
Decent handling
Effective in PvE and useful for PvP

Weapon details:

https://destinytracker.com/destiny-2/db/items/93253474-the-ringing-nail#

How to get Ringing Nail:

Ringing Nail in Action:

3. False Promises

Gripped in the hands of the desperate many.

I’d be lying if I said this is the perfect auto rifle, but I’d also be lying if I said this isn’t a good one. False Promises is a high-impact gun with good range for an auto. It’s surprisingly easy to control despite it’s lower stability stat and makes a fine weapon for Gambit or any game mode.

Weapon Stats:

Impact: 33

Range: 79

Stability: 43

Handling: 37

Reload Speed: 44

Rounds/Min: 360

Magazine: 32

Perks:

High-Impact Frame: Slow-firing and high-damage. This weapon is more accurate when stationary and aiming down sights.

Killing Wind: Final blows grant increased mobility, weapon range, and handling for a short duration.

Sympathetic Arsenal: Reloading after a final blow also reloads stowed weapons.

What makes False Promises good?:

Good range
Controllable recoil
Precise shooting for an auto rifle

Weapon Details:

https://destinytracker.com/destiny-2/db/items/3143732432-false-promises#

How to get False Promises:

False Promises in Action:

4. Sweet Business

"…I love my job."

Let’s get down to business, to defeat the Huns. Or in this case, anything that stands in our way. Thanks to some recent buffing Sweet Business is great for clearing mobs once you get this baby spinning. It also good for PvP, though something to note is that you’ll want to start firing before the enemy is in front of you.

Exotic Weapon Stats:

Impact: 18

Range: 42

Stability: 60

Handling: 15

Reload Speed: 10

Rounds/Min: 360

Magazine: 45

Exotic Perk:

Payday: Larger magazine. Increased accuracy when firing from the hip. Picking up ammo for this weapon immediately reloads it.

Business Time: Sustained fire boosts range and rate of fire.

What makes Sweet Business good?:

Mows down groups better than a lawnmower fresh out the factory
Exotic perk reduces the need to reload
Can perform well in PvP

Cons: You can’t dual wield one in each hand

Weapon Details:

https://destinytracker.com/destiny-2/db/items/1345867570-sweet-business#

How to get Sweet Business:

You can acquire this gun as a random exotic engram drop or purchase it from Xur if he has it in stock for 29 Legendary Shards.

Sweet Business in Action:

5. Breakneck

"They don't make Dark Age tech like this anymore. Lucky for you I kept all mine." —The Drifter

A gambit pinnacle weapon, Breakneck is best suited for PvE more than it is PvP. Nonetheless, it’s an all-around effective weapon whose perks include rampage and onslaught which both work together to make an effective killing machine.

Weapon Stats:

Impact: 29

Range: 77

Stability: 60

Handling: 43

Reload Speed: 33

Rounds/Min: 450

Magazine: 40

Perks:

Precision Frame: This weapon's recoil pattern is more predictably vertical.

Rampage: Kills with this weapon temporarily grant increased damage. Stacks 3x.

Onslaught: This weapon's rate of fire increases as you stack Rampage.

What makes Breakneck good?:

Good range
Decent stability
Rampage and Onslaught synergize

Weapon Details:

https://destinytracker.com/destiny-2/db/items/324382200-breakneck#

How to get Breakneck:

Breakneck in Action:

Our Top 5 for PvP

Galliard-42 XN7568
Gnawing Hunger
Scathelocke
Misfit
SUROS Regime

1. Galliard-42 XN7568

A Black Armory experimental prototype.

One of the best of the auto rifle meta Galliard is a consistent killer. It’s simple and reliable and does very well in PvP. It’s one of the best performing in the 600 RPM class autos, an archetype that is already dominating the game.

Weapon Stats:

Impact: 21

Range: 46

Stability: 59

Handling: 69

Reload Speed: 48

Rounds/Min: 600

Magazine: 44

Perks:

Adaptive Frame: A well-rounded grip, reliable and sturdy.

Rampage: Kills with this weapon temporarily grant increased damage. Stacks 3x.

What makes Galliard-42 XN7568 good?:

Good handling

Consistent shooting

Good sights

Decent stability

Good mag size

Weapon details:

https://destinytracker.com/destiny-2/db/items/1775804198-galliard-42-xn7568#

How to get Galliard-42 XN7568:

Galliard-42 XN7568 in Action:

2. Gnawing Hunger

Don't let pride keep you from a good meal.

While you have to get this gun as a reward from playing Gambit, this adaptive frame Void auto rifle handles nicely and has decent range and stability. Even if you don’t get the perks you want, Gnawing Hunger will carve through enemies like a finely crafted knife through a slow-roasted turkey.

Weapon Stats:

Impact: 21

Range: 53

Stability: 49

Handling: 77

Reload Speed: 61

Rounds/Min: 600

Magazine: 48

Perks:

Adaptive Frame: A well-rounded grip, reliable and sturdy.

Overflow: Picking up Special or Heavy ammo reloads this weapon to beyond normal capacity.

Rampage: Kills with this weapon temporarily grant increased damage. Stacks 3x.

What makes Gnawing Hunger good?:

Good handling
Decent range
Good stability
Good for DPS

Weapon Details:

https://destinytracker.com/destiny-2/db/items/821154603-gnawing-hunger#

How to get Gnawing Hunger:

You can acquire this gun inside Umbral engrams, specifically Dredgen-Focused or a Lead-Focused Umbral engram.

Gnawing Hunger in Action:

3. The Forward Path

Forged in honor of Weyloran, and roads yet traveled.

The Forward Path is a kinetic auto rifle that is a solid weapon that can be used for most activities. The powerful advantages lie in its perk Iron Gaze which boosts your aim assist substantially at the cost of range. It can also roll with Iron Grip which increases stability in exchange of reload speed.

Weapon Stats:

Impact: 21

Range: 53

Stability: 49

Handling: 77

Reload Speed: 61

Rounds/Min: 600

Magazine: 48

Perks:

Adaptive Frame: A well-rounded grip, reliable and sturdy.

Dynamic Sway Reduction: Improves accuracy and stability while continuously holding down the trigger.

Iron Gaze: Massively improves weapon target acquisition at the cost of weapon range.

What makes The Forward Path good?:

Good handling
Decent reload speed
Strong perks

Weapon Details:

https://destinytracker.com/destiny-2/db/items/1690783811-the-forward-path

How to get The Forward Path:

The Forward Path in Action:

4. Misfit

Nowhere else to go.

A personal favorite of mine, this rifle does surprisingly well even though it’s not a 600 RPM archetype, which is currently the best at the time of this article. My bias aside this gun has mostly random perks so it can be a grab bag of benefits and drawbacks. Overall, it’s a solid choice for PvE and an underrated pick in PvP.

Weapon Stats:

Impact: 18

Range: 35

Stability: 58

Handling: 47

Reload Speed: 81

Rounds/Min: 720

Magazine: 51

Perks:

Rapid-Fire Frame: Deeper ammo reserves. Slightly faster reload when magazine is empty.

Drop Mag: Magazine drops on reload, wasting ammunition but greatly increasing reload speed.

High-Impact Reserves: Rounds at the end of the magazine deal more damage.

What makes Misfit good?:

High magazine size
Good for PvE and PvP
Good perk pool

Weapon Details:

https://destinytracker.com/destiny-2/db/items/819441402-misfit#

How to get Misfit:

You can acquire this weapon in random rewards or rank-up packages from the Gunsmith.

Misfit in Action:

5. Suros Regime

Nostalgia as a weapon of war. Style as a hallmark of victory.

This beloved exotic featured in the first Destiny is around and kicking. The SUROS Regime is consistent and dominates in PvP. Its exotic perk SUROS Legacy adds bonus damage and can heal you when you reach the bottom half of your magazine, making you quite the beast.