What Are The Best Pulse Rifles in Destiny 2?
Guardians looking for the best way to wreak burst damage from afar need look no further.
This comprehensive list of Destiny 2’s top Pulse Rifles provides all the knowledge you need to have the best Pulse Rifle on hand for any situation and where to find them.
5. Vigilance Wing
The Vigilance Wing is the original exotic Pulse Rifle for Destiny 2 and through all of the seasons and changes, this weapon still deserves a seat at the table. Being the only 5 round burst Pulse Rifle in the game this weapon dominated the crucible in Destiny 2 year one. While it saw an increase in competition upon the release of the Forsaken DLC, it’s team-based perks along with its devastating team shot capability makes it a force to be reckoned with.
Weapon Stats:
- Rounds per Minute: 530
- Impact: 33
- Range: 64
- Stability: 64
- Handling: 39
- Reload Speed: 46
- Aim Assistance: 60
- Recoil Direction: 79
- Zoom: 17
What makes this one of the best Pulse Rifles?
- Exotic Perk, Harsh Truths: This weapon fires a 5-round burst. When a nearby ally is killed, gain health regeneration and increased movement speed.
- Synergizing Perk, Last Stand: Improved weapon performance and greatly increased recovery when its wielder is the last living member of a fireteam.
- This weapon builds upon the core principle of teamwork in PvP. Sticking with your allies, helping create initial damage on enemies, and being the last Guardian alive on your Fireteam. This weapon demands both skill and tactical decision making and rewards it in kind.
How to get Vigilance Wing:
4. Bygones
The Bygones Pulse Rifle first hit the scene at the drop of the Forsaken DLC as the Drifters weapon of choice. Whereas other Pulse Rifles aim at hitting hard and fast, the Bygones excels and dealing damage in rapid succession. This 390 RPM Pulse has no problem cutting down Guardians and the enemies of humanity alike.
Weapon Stats:
- Rounds Per Minute: 390
- Impact: 29
- Range: 53
- Stability: 60
- Handling: 51
- Reload Speed: 51
- Aim Assistance: 61
- Recoil Direction: 69
- Zoom: 17
- Magazine: 37
What makes this one of the best Pulse Rifles?
- The God Roll, The weapon has the potential to roll Outlaw, the quickest reload speed perk in the game, along with either Rampage or Kill Clip, two of the top tier damage buff perks in the game. Scoring one of these rolls with give a potential PvP Guardian melting machine and makes dispatching Minor PvE enemies a breeze.
- Drifter has you Covered, this weapon is extremely easy to get via completing the Drifters initial bounties for Gambit.
How to get Bygones:
3. Go Figure
During the early days of the Forsaken DLC, the Go Figure Pulse Rifle immediately stood out to the community as being one of the first of its kind as an aggressive frame 4 round burst damage Pulse Rifle. With Go Figure being in the world loot pool and with so many people able to get their hands on competitive drops it dethroned the Scout Rifle PvP meta overnight and ushered in a new age, The age of the Pulse Rifle.
Weapon Stats:
- Rounds Per Minute: 450
- Impact: 35
- Range: 72
- Stability: 61
- Handling: 32
- Reload Speed: 39
- Aim Assistance: 40
- Recoil Direction: 69
- Zoom: 18
- Magazine: 40
What makes this one of the best Pulse Rifles?
Everyone gets one eventually. With this weapon being listed world loot pool, you can acquire from doing just about anything. This helps increase the chance of getting a god roll whilst also letting you potentially grind for more specific activity-based loot simultaneously.
Much like the Bygones, this weapon has the potential to roll Outlaw, the quickest reload speed perk in the game, along with either Rampage or Kill Clip, two of the top tier damage buff perks in the game. Scoring one of these rolls with giving a potential two tapping menace in the Crucible while making end game PvE content a breeze with both range and power.
How to get Go Figure:
2. Blast Furnace
This 4 round burst Pulse Rifle first came onto the scene in the season of the Black Armory. Due to this Pulse Rifle being one of the major Black Armory Forge Weapons it’s base stats are all on par if not better than that of our number three slot, the Go Figure pulse rifle. These solid base stats along with the potential god rolls and high farmability drop rate has this finely tuned piece of art beating all other Pulse Rifles, all but one.
Weapon Stats:
- Rounds Per Minute: 450
- Impact: 35
- Range: 81
- Stability: 67
- Handling: 31
- Reload Speed: 42
- Aim Assistance: 42
- Recoil Direction: 65
- Zoom: 18
- Magazine: 38
What makes this one of the best Pulse Rifles?
Rollable Perks. This gun can roll Outlaw and Feeding Frenzy, two of the top reload time reducing perks in the game, along with Kill Clip and Outlaw, the two premiere damage buffing perks.
Availability. Many weapons on this list have a chance to drop given in certain situations, where this weapon has a guaranteed drop upon completion of a Pulse Rifle Frame inside of one of the Izanagi Forges. Details on how to complete this are linked below.
How to get the Blast Furnace:
1. Outbreak Perfected
Much like the Whisper of the Worm, the Outbreak Perfected quest dropped with little warning and much to the communities pleasant surprise. Destiny veterans were thrown back in time as you fought your way through the original tower space while the lore fanatics experienced major development in the Fallen story Arc in order to acquire what is arguably the best Pulse Rifle in-game.
Weapon Stats:
- Rounds Per Minute: 450
- Impact: 27
- Range: 49
- Stability: 46
- Handling: 50
- Reload Speed: 50
- Aim Assistance: 65
- Recoil Direction: 80
- Zoom: 17
- Magazine: 34
What makes this the top Pulse Rifle?
- Exotic Perk, The Corruption Spreads: This weapon creates SIVA nanite swarms on rapid hits and precision kills. This Perk applies to all SIVA nanite swarms created by the party.
- Synergizing Exotic Perk, Parasitism: This weapon does more damage to enemies based on the number of SIVA nanites that attach to them.
- These perks were designed to create an exponential damage loop for any boss damage phase and the target seeking SIVA swarms will wreak havoc in the Crucible.
