In Destiny 2, pulse rifles are a symbol of combat flexibility and mobility. These guns balance precision with rapid-fire capabilities, making them suitable for a variety of combat styles. From the meticulous precision of precision frame rifles to the never-ending barrage of rapid-fire versions, every category adds its distinct flavour to combat. Whether it's holding down lanes with pinpoint accuracy or pelting rivals with a never-ending flood of fire, pulse rifles equip Guardians with a dependable and effective tool for eliminating enemies at various distances.
What are the best pulse rifles in Destiny 2?
In Destiny 2, the arsenal includes over fifty pulse rifles, and the list grows with each new Season and DLC release. Here, we will go over the top 12 best pulse rifles in the game for a variety of activities.
12. BxR-55 Battler (Best for PvP)
The BxR-55 Battler in Destiny is inspired by the classic Halo 2 Battle Rifle, with perfect hip-fire accuracy and a unique sight reminiscent of Bungie's renowned Halo franchise. It performs exceptionally well, with above-average stats in all categories, a superb aim assist rating of 85, and the ability to attain 100 recoil directions with Arrowhead Brake.
The BxR has recently received a significant boost with the addition of the Incandescent perk, which players can now earn through crafting. This update reinforced its dominance across multiple parts of the game.
BxR-55 Battler Stats
- Impact: 23
- Range: 50
- Stability: 59
- Handling: 71
- Reload Speed: 63
- Reload Time: 1.84 seconds
- Aim Assistance: 85
- Inventory Size: 60
- Zoom: 20
- Airborne Effectiveness: 10
- Recoil: 70
- Rounds Per Minute: 450
- Magazine: 35
PvP God roll:
- Barrel: Arrowhead Brake
- Magazine: Ricochet Rounds
- Perk 1: Killing Wind
- Perk 2: Kill Clip
How to get BxR-55 Battler
You can get a BxR-55 Battler by playing the Dares of Eternity playlist. It's always there, but it's rare to get as a drop. You will need five Deepsight Resonance patterns to craft it. Sometimes, you might find The Other Half sword from Xur or in the weapon chest at Xur's Treasure Horde.
11. Graviton Lance (Best for PvP)
Graviton Lance had a huge alteration in a single balancing update during Season of the Deep. The change boosted its fire rate and altered its damage distribution, making each burst less front-loaded. This update thrust Graviton Lance into the forefront, but its increased power immediately drove Bungie to nerf it for balance. Nonetheless, the Graviton Lance remains a powerful weapon, recognized for its ability to take out groups of enemies with its explosive powers and synergize with specific character builds.
Graviton Lance Stats
- Impact: 29
- Range: 50
- Stability: 100
- Handling: 54
- Reload Speed: 57
- Reload Time: 1.94 seconds
- Aim Assistance: 60
- Inventory Size: 60
- Zoom: 17
- Airborne Effectiveness: 27
- Recoil: 65
- Rounds Per Minute: 300
- Magazine: 31
Exotic Perk:
The second shot of a burst rips a hole through space-time, doing serious damage and recoil with no falloff. Kills with this weapon cause enemies to detonate and spawn tracking Void projectiles.
How to get Graviton Lance
Each week, Xur provides himself with one exotic weapon and three more armour. Those hunting for the Graviton Lance should keep an eye on their inventory and buy the Pulse Rifle when it goes on offer. Obtaining the weapon via an Exotic Engram is also an option.
10. Horror's Least (Best for PvP)
Horror's Least stands out as one of the game's best pulse rifles, particularly in Crucible fights at mid-range. With amazing stats, including an Adept variation and a flexible perk pool, this weapon attracts attention and is a must-have for pulse rifle lovers. To achieve the best roll for (PVP) encounters with Horror's Least, prioritize improvement in range, handling, and damage output. By maximizing these attributes, players can easily dominate Crucible matches, making the effort to obtain this weapon worthwhile.
Horror's Least Stats
- Impact: 23
- Range: 34
- Stability: 49
- Handling: 22
- Reload Speed: 35
- Reload Time: 2.36 seconds
- Aim Assistance: 82
- Inventory Size: 56
- Zoom: 17
- Airborne Effectiveness: 17
- Recoil: 55
- Rounds Per Minute: 540
- Magazine: 36
PvP God roll:
- Barrel: Hammer-Forged Rifling
- Magazine: Accurized Rounds
- Perk 1: Perpetual Motion
- Perk 2: Frenzy
How to get Horror's Least
You can get Horror's Least only if you complete a Nightfall activity, but only if it is the reward for the week. Furthermore, players who beat a GM Nightfall in Destiny 2 can get Horror's Least, which allows the weapon to take advantage of Adept weapon mods.
9. Piece of Mind (Best for PvP)
With a Time to Kill (TTK) of 0.80 seconds, Piece of Mind sticks as a tempting pick for PvP conflicts. Despite not being in the High-Impact Pulse category and not having the absolute best TTK, its performance remains impressive, and it is capable of effectively shredding opponents. Piece of Mind, classified as a Rapid-Fire pulse rifle, may not perform in optimum shooting conditions; nonetheless, its strength shines through when used firmly, allowing it to maintain supremacy in medium-range fights.
Piece of Mind Stats
- Impact: 23
- Range: 31
- Stability: 46
- Handling: 27
- Reload Speed: 32
- Reload Time: 2.43 seconds
- Aim Assistance: 82
- Inventory Size: 53
- Zoom: 18
- Airborne Effectiveness: 17
- Recoil: 58
- Rounds Per Minute: 540
- Magazine: 35
PvP God roll:
- Barrel: Arrowhead Brake
- Magazine: Ricochet Rounds
- Perk 1: Perpetual Motion
- Perk 2: Moving Target
How to get Piece of Mind
When the weekly Exotic quest Rotator is active, Piece of Mind can be obtained by completing encounters in the Exotic quest Vox Obscura. It is also a craftable weapon so that you can ensure a god roll.
8. New Purpose (Best for PvE)
New Purpose emerges as an appealing alternative for gamers who do not want to spend time getting The Messenger. While Desperado, its distinctive perk, has recently been nerfed, reducing its potency, it remains pleasant to use in both player versus environment (PvE) and player versus player (PvP) modes. Furthermore, New Purpose's inclusion of the Stasis element and the Headstone perk increases its versatility, making it an invaluable asset in PvE Stasis builds.
New Purpose Stats
- Impact: 33
- Range: 65
- Stability: 54
- Handling: 26
- Reload Speed: 31
- Reload Time: 2.45 seconds
- Aim Assistance: 32
- Inventory Size: 60
- Zoom: 18
- Airborne Effectiveness: 19
- Recoil: 70
- Rounds Per Minute: 340
- Magazine: 28
PvE God roll:
- Barrel: Arrowhead Brake
- Magazine: High-Caliber Rounds
- Perk 1: Feeding Frenzy
- Perk 2: Headstone
How to get New Purpose
The New Purpose pulse rifle is obtainable in the Duality dungeon. It will drop only from the last encounter of the dungeon. Once it is unlocked in your collections, you can also get it from secret chests.
7. Insidious (Best for PvE)
Insidious feels like the spiritual successor to the iconic Blast Furnace Pulse Rifle from Black Armory. Both weapons are Aggressive Frame Pulse Rifles, feature clean sights, and have excellent stat packages. Unlike Blast Furnace, however, Insidious is fully craftable and features some of the strongest perk combinations you'll find on a Pulse Rifle.
Insidious stands out for its unique blend of Dragonfly and One for All bonuses, providing an unequalled impact. Precision kills cause a cascading explosion that damages close ads, while each enemy damaged by Dragonfly helps to activate One for All, which provides a significant 35% damage increase.
Insidious Stats
- Impact: 35
- Range: 74
- Stability: 60
- Handling: 27
- Reload Speed: 34
- Reload Time: 2.38 seconds
- Aim Assistance: 44
- Inventory Size: 59
- Zoom: 18
- Airborne Effectiveness: 24
- Recoil: 78
- Rounds Per Minute: 450
- Magazine: 40
PvE God roll:
- Barrel: Arrowhead Brake
- Magazine: Tactical Mag
- Perk 1: Dragonfly
- Perk 2: One for All
How to get Insidious
You can get this weapon from the Vow of the Disciple (VoD) raid, specifically the raid's second and final encounter. Once the weapon drops, it can appear in secret chests hidden throughout the activity. You can easily farm the red borders of this weapon once this raid is the featured raid of the week.
6. Phyllotactic Spiral (Best for PvP)
The Phyllotactic Spiral, the first pulse rifle to incorporate Voltshot, has received a lot of attention since its release alongside Lightfall. Its increased range allows for more consistent use of the Keep Away perk, which improves reload time when triggering Voltshot.
In Crucible battles, the synergy between Keep Away and Headseeker improves this weapon's performance significantly, especially when both perks are optimized. Keep Away significantly increases reload speed, range, and base accuracy, giving it an excellent complement to Headseeker's improved aim help and precision bonus.
Phyllotactic Spiral Stats
- Impact: 33
- Range: 58
- Stability: 44
- Handling: 26
- Reload Speed: 32
- Reload Time: 2.43 seconds
- Aim Assistance: 31
- Inventory Size: 48
- Zoom: 18
- Airborne Effectiveness: 16
- Recoil: 80
- Rounds Per Minute: 340
- Magazine: 28
PvE God roll:
- Barrel: Arrowhead Brake
- Magazine: High-Caliber Rounds
- Perk 1: Keep Away
- Perk 2: Headseeker
How to get Phyllotactic Spiral
There are multiple ways to farm Phyllotactic Spiral in the game. The weapon was released with the lightfall expansion, and the grind was tied to the new destination, Neomuna. You can get it from the Lightfall engrams and the chests of Terminal Overload activity. The fastest and easiest way to farm it is by completing the Heroic Petrols on Neumona.
5. Outbreak Perfected (Best for PvE)
Outbreak Perfected has long been regarded as the strongest Pulse Rifle for PvP in Destiny 2. The Exotic weapon is useful for Crucible and PvE activities since it increases damage output through sustained damage delivery to opponents. Outbreak Perfected's concept and excellent firing experience make it a popular PVE option. With increases to Exotic primary weapon damage, it's now an excellent choice for casual PVE content.
With its SIVA nanites attached to opponents, future hits deliver additional damage based on the number of SIVA nanites. This means that players who engage an opponent for too long with Destiny 2's Outbreak Perfected are more likely to be killed first.
Outbreak Perfected Stats
- Impact: 27
- Range: 44
- Stability: 40
- Handling: 45
- Reload Speed: 43
- Reload Time: 2.16 seconds
- Aim Assistance: 65
- Inventory Size: 54
- Zoom: 17
- Airborne Effectiveness: 29
- Recoil: 80
- Rounds Per Minute: 450
- Magazine: 35
Exotic Perk:
This weapon creates SIVA nanite swarms on rapid hits and precision kills and does more damage to enemies based on the number of SIVA nanites that attach to them.
How to get Outbreak Perfected
You can only get Outbreak Perfected from the Monument to Lost Lights weapon vault in the Tower. To craft the weapon, you’ll need to bring a hefty list of materials:
- 1x Exotic Cipher
- 150,000 Glimmer
- 2x Ascendant Shard
4. Chattering Bone (Best for PvE)
With a minor perk update, Chattering Bone has risen to become one of the game's best pulse rifles. Chattering Bone, which features the sought Kill Clip in column 3, a rarity among weapons, provides perk combinations that thrive across a wide range of content difficulties. Despite its initial appearance as a subpar Kinetic option to the BxR Battler, Chattering Bone reveals its worth with an outstanding perk pool. As a 450 RPM Kinetic Pulse Rifle with above-average stats and a commendable aim assist of 71, along with a dependable scope, Chattering Bone stays competitive, especially when engaged inside its intended range.
Chattering Bone Stats
- Impact: 27
- Range: 33
- Stability: 52
- Handling: 70
- Reload Speed: 63
- Reload Time: 1.84 seconds
- Aim Assistance: 71
- Inventory Size: 49
- Zoom:
- Airborne Effectiveness: 10
- Recoil: 57
- Rounds Per Minute: 450
- Magazine: 33
PvE God roll:
- Barrel: Corkscrew Rifling
- Magazine: Tactical Mag
- Perk 1: Kill Clip
- Perk 2: Kinetic Tremors
How to get Chattering Bone
To get Chattering Bone, you must complete the encounters of the Last Wish raid. The weapon can drop from any encounter of the game, and if you have unlocked it in your collections, you can get it from the secret chests as well. We suggest you farm the first encounter (Kalli, the Corrupted) as it is the simplest and the fastest to complete. This weapon is also craftable, so you will need five patterns to craft it. You can farm the raid once it is the featured raid of the week to get all the red borders of the weapon.
3. Collective Obligation (Best for PvE)
Collective Obligation is a separate archetype among Exotic weapons, defined by its dependence on synergy cooperation with Void subclasses. As a 390 RPM Void Pulse Rifle, it skips traditional individual perks in favour of relying on Void-related traits to improve its performance. Its ultimate potential is realized when deployed with teammates using Void subclasses, catalyzing its transformation into a devastating Primary weapon. Collective Obligation is revered for its unrivalled ability to completely clear enemies.
Collective Obligation Stats
- Impact: 29
- Range: 49
- Stability: 55
- Handling: 41
- Reload Speed: 41
- Reload Time: 2.24 seconds
- Aim Assistance: 67
- Inventory Size: 58
- Zoom: 17
- Airborne Effectiveness: 26
- Recoil: 76
- Rounds Per Minute: 390
- Magazine: 36
Exotic Perk:
This weapon leeches Void debuffs when damaging targets that are suppressed, weakened, or volatile. Once charged, damage from this weapon applies the same Void debuffs that were leeched. The weapon automatically reloads when you gain Devour, a Void overshield, or become invisible.
How to get Collective Obligation
You can only get Collective Obligation from the final chest of the Vow of Disciple raid. You have three chances of dropping it in a week by completing the raid on three different characters. You can also farm this weapon when this raid is the featured raid of the week.
2. No Time to Explain (Best for PvP)
Despite Bungie's numerous attempts to limit its strength, No Time to Explain continues to dominate the Crucible. It is the Exo Stranger's iconic Pulse Rifle, with a high-impact frame kinetic archetype and exceptional starting attributes such as an 80-range and 60-stability. Its sleek projected sight and excellent sound design make for a thoroughly enjoyable shooting experience. However, what truly distinguishes No Time to Explain as a deadly force in player versus player-( (PvP) battles is its Exotic perk.
Exotic Perk:
Precision shots and shots against combatants slowed or frozen by Stasis will return to the magazine.
No Time to Explain Stats
- Impact: 33
- Range: 60
- Stability: 55
- Handling: 42
- Reload Speed: 60
- Reload Time: 1.89 seconds
- Aim Assistance: 40
- Inventory Size: 57
- Zoom: 17
- Airborne Effectiveness: 24
- Recoil: 73
- Rounds Per Minute: 340
- Magazine: 24
How to get No Time to Explain
To get the "No Time to Explain" pulse rifle in Destiny 2, all you need to do is complete the Beyond Light campaign and then visit the Exo Stranger on Europa. They'll award you the rifle and provide you with a quest called "Soon." This means owning or having access to the Beyond Light expansion is necessary to obtain this fantastic pulse rifle.
1. The Messenger Adept (Best for PvP)
The Messenger had a tremendous impact on the Crucible meta when it was first released during the Season of the Chosen. Despite following reissues, they have yet to truly equal the Season of the Deep iteration in terms of increasing the weapon's power. While its great basic numbers and unique features remain, the most recent edition of The Messenger introduces appealing perk combinations designed for both 6v6 and 3v3 duels. Although Desperado, which was once specific to this pulse rifle, has since been made available on other weapons and has received multiple nerfs, The Messenger's popularity has suffered as a result.
The Messenger Stats
- Impact: 33
- Range: 66
- Stability: 54
- Handling: 31
- Reload Speed: 38
- Reload Time: 2.3 seconds
- Aim Assistance: 37
- Inventory Size: 49
- Zoom: 18
- Airborne Effectiveness: 20
- Recoil: 60
- Rounds Per Minute: 340
- Magazine: 31
PvP God roll:
- Barrel: Chambered Compensator
- Magazine: Ricochet Rounds
- Perk 1: Moving Target
- Perk 2: Headseeker
How to get The Messenger
The Messenger is one of the most difficult weapons to obtain as it is linked with the Trials of the Osiris activity. You can only obtain it from the lighthouse chest, which you can only unlock by going flawless in trials. Once you open it in your collections, you can buy another one from Saint-14 by sacrificing your card and a few other resources.
