[Top 15] Destiny 2 Best Pulse Rifles and How To Get Them

Updated:

15 Aug 2022

Pulse rifles are the everyman’s weapons. These guns fire in 3 round bursts, giving you a little bit of a scout rifle’s accuracy but some of the fast firing rate of an auto rifle. This compromise of qualities makes pulse rifles some of the most versatile guns that can handle themselves in any activity. Here we’ll give you our top 15 pulse rifles and how you can snag them for yourself.

Our Top 15 Pulse Rifles

Outbreak Perfected
Stars in Shadow
Chattering Bone
Last Perdition
Sacred Provenance
Graviton Lance
Vigilance Wing
Bad JuJu
Jian 7 Rifle
The Time-Worn Spire
The Messenger
Cold Denial
Premonition
Hailing Confusion
The Third Axiom

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 its 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.

1. Outbreak Perfected (PvE, PvP, Gambit)

“-directive = KILL while enemies = PRESENT: executive(directive)-”

If you've played the Rise of Iron expansion in the first Destiny, you’ll remember Outbreak Prime, here’s its big brother. On precision kills and consistent hits upon an enemy, SIVA nanites will spawn, swarm, and attack your target. To make things worse for them, Outbreak Perfected will do more damage based on how many nanites are swarming an enemy. In essence, it’s practically wasps in a gun.

Exotic Weapon Stats:

Impact: 27

Range: 68

Stability: 46

Handling: 42

Reload Speed: 51

Rounds/Min: 450

Magazine: 35

Exotic Perks:

The Corruption Spreads: This weapon creates SIVA nanite swarms on rapid hits and precision kills.

Parasitism: This weapon does more damage to enemies based on the number of SIVA nanites that attach to them.

What makes Outbreak Perfected good?

Good Stability
Nanites track down a target; if they die, they will find attack another target
Exotic Catalyst for this rifle stacks nanites and damage
Good for PvE and PvP

Weapon Details:

https://destinytracker.com/destiny-2/db/items/400096939-outbreak-perfected#

How to get Outbreak Perfected:

Outbreak Perfected in Action:

2. Stars In Shadow (PvP, PvE)

Little is known about the early days of the Collapse. Signals vanished upon the arrival of the Darkness.

Stars in Shadow is a solid pick when it comes to pulse rifles. It is a 340 RPM archetype so it is a little on the slow side, but it makes up for it in stopping power and decent range and stability. It is a Crucible drop, so it’s not difficult to farm for a roll that you like. Pulse rifles aren’t meta right now but are in a pretty good place in terms of effectiveness.

Weapon Stats:

Impact: 33

Range: 73

Stability: 55

Handling: 31

Reload Speed: 41

Rounds/Min: 340

Magazine: 28

Perks:

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

Outlaw: Precision kills greatly decrease reload time.

Thresh: Killing combatants with this weapon generates a small amount of Super energy.

What makes Stars in Shadow good?:

Good perk rolls
Decent range
Easy to get

Weapon Details:

https://destinytracker.com/destiny-2/db/items/2050789284-stars-in-shadow

How to get Stars in Shadow:

Stars in Shadow in Action:

3. Chattering Bone (PvE, PvP)

“We have so much to discuss, o seeker mine.”

Check out this pulse rifle, o reader mine. The Chattering Bone is lightweight and versatile. It’s got great recoil control and if you’re lucky enough to get the curated roll for this gun, you’ll have a damage buff for a majority of the time. This is because the curated rolls for this weapon include Kill Clip, where you get increased damage if you reload after a kill, and High impact Reserves, where the last rounds in a magazine do more damage.

Weapon Stats:

Impact: 27

Range: 58

Stability: 61

Handling: 78

Reload Speed: 76

Rounds/Min: 450

Magazine: 33

Perks:

Lightweight Frame: Move faster with this weapon.

Kill Clip: Reloading after a kill grants increased damage.

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

What makes Chattering Bone good?

Good recoil control
Good reload speed
Great handling

Weapon Details:

https://destinytracker.com/destiny-2/db/items/568515759-chattering-bone

How to get Chattering Bone:

Grab some friends because to get this rifle you’ll need to go through the Last Wish Raid and get it through the Wishing Wall or in a raid chest. https://youtu.be/yUe8Izm188I?t=23

Chattering Bone in Action:

4. Last Perdition (PvE, PvP)

Can't outrun the ending.

A personal favorite of mine, Last Perdition is a well-rounded Void pulse rifle that is great for mid to long-range in PvP. It’s very consistent and stable.

Weapon Stats:

Impact: 29

Range: 58

Stability: 63

Handling: 55

Reload Speed: 48

Rounds/Min: 390

Magazine: 38

Perks:

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

Rangefinder: Aiming this weapon increases its effective range and zoom magnification. Increased projectile velocity while aiming Rocket Launchers and Grenade Launchers.

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

What makes Last Perdition good?:

Good range

Good stability

Good handling

Weapon Details:

https://destinytracker.com/destiny-2/db/items/188882152-last-perdition

How to get Last Perdition:

Last Perdition in Action:

5. Sacred Provenance (PvP, PvE)

"These gifts were not made for us, but we were meant to have them." —Rekkana, Warlock of the Kentarch 3

Here’s an aggressive frame pulse rifle that fires a 4 round burst. Sacred Provenance is smooth and has a nice range. It’s an overall reliable, no-frills weapon with a decent curated perk roll.

Weapon Stats:

Impact: 35

Range: 81

Stability: 61

Handling: 41

Reload Speed: 42

Rounds/Min: 450

Magazine: 49

Perks:

Aggressive Burst: Hard-hitting 4 burst fire

Rangefinder: Aiming this weapon increases its effective range and zoom magnification. Increased projectile velocity while aiming Rocket Launchers and Grenade Launchers.

Headseeker: Body shots landed with this weapon increase precision damage for a short time.

What makes Sacred Provenance good?:

Good range
Versatile

Weapon Details:

https://destinytracker.com/destiny-2/db/items/2408405461-sacred-provenance#

How to get Sacred Provenance:

To get your hands on Sacred Provenance you’ll have to play the Garden of Salvation raid. It can either drop from bosses or can be found in raid chests.

Sacred Provenance in Action:

6. Graviton Lance (PvE)

“Think of space-time as a tapestry on a loom. This weapon is the needle.

Hey look, a SPACE GUN. I’ll get straight to the point with this one, Graviton Lance shoots a two-round burst that creates Black Holes and makes your enemies explode; which then spawn void projectiles that track to other enemies. As I said, it’s a SPACE GUN.

Weapon Stats:

Impact: 29

Range: 73

Stability: 100

Handling: 54

Reload Speed: 61

Rounds/Min: 257

Magazine: 31

Exotic Perks:

Black Hole: Second shot of a burst rips a hole through space-time, doing high damage and recoil with no falloff.

Cosmology: Kills with this weapon cause enemy targets to detonate and spawn Void projectiles that track targets.

What makes Graviton Lance good?

Good stability
Good range
AOE damage from Black Hole perk
SPACE GUN

Weapon Details:

https://destinytracker.com/destiny-2/db/items/3628991658-graviton-lance

How to get Graviton Lance:

If he has it in stock, you can buy this pulse rifle from Xur. You can also get it in exotic engrams.

Graviton Lance in Action:

7. Vigilance Wing (PvP)

"The eye remains open. The Lighthouse remains lit." —Brother Vance

Vigilance Wing has a staggering 5-round burst and packs quite a punch. If you’re accurate enough to get headshots most of the time, you can take out an enemy with 2 bursts of this exotic rifle. This gun shines in gamemodes like Trials of Osiris thanks to its perks that boost your stats and gives you a fighting chance when you lose teammates. It also increases weapon performance if you’re the last player on the fireteam.

Exotic Weapon Stats:

Impact: 33

Range: 69

Stability: 73

Handling: 49

Reload Speed: 46

Rounds/Min: 530

Magazine: 3

Exotic Perks:

Harsh Truths: This weapon fires a 5-round burst. When a nearby ally is killed, gain health regeneration, and increased movement speed.

Last Stand: Improved weapon performance and greatly increased recovery when its wielder is the last living member of a fireteam.

What makes Vigilance Wing good?

High impact
Perks can save you when you’re at a disadvantage
5-round burst with good impact
Good Stability

Weapon Details:

https://destinytracker.com/destiny-2/db/items/3628991659-vigilance-wing#

How to get Vigilance Wing:

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.

Vigilance Wing in Action:

8. Bad JuJu (PvE, PvP)

"If you believe your weapon wants to end all existence, then so it will." —Toland the Shattered

Bad JuJu’s exotic perk String of Curses refills your magazine, increases damage, and charges your super energy. It doesn’t stop there, because this effect can stack up to 5 times. In PvE, the effect can increase your critical damage by about 99% when the String of Curses is at its max.

Weapon Stats:

Impact: 27

Range: 46

Stability: 79

Handling: 60

Reload Speed: 52

Rounds/Min: 450

Magazine: 27

Exotic Perk:

String of Curses: Fires full-auto. Kills refill the magazine, increase damage for a short duration, and grant Super energy based on the strength of String of Curses.

What makes Bad Juju good?:

Good stability
Exotic perk generates and fills magazine on kill, but doesn’t draw on your ammo reserves. (More Ammo!)
The String of Curses perks stacks 5 times and increases critical damage to enemies by 99% when at max effect.
Helps charge your Super

Weapon Details:

https://destinytracker.com/destiny-2/db/items/2816212794-bad-juju

How to get Bad Juju:

You can buy Bad JuJu from the "Monuments to Lost Lights" exotics kiosk at the Tower.

Bad Juju in Action:

9. Jian 7 Rifle (PvP, PvE)

Come, brothers and sisters! Let us make way for the new ruler!

Jian 7 Rifle is an all-around decent weapon. It’s really handy in the Crucible, granted it is a Crucible reward after all.

Weapon Stats:

Impact: 29

Range: 59

Stability: 60

Handling: 52

Reload Speed: 43

Rounds/Min: 390

Magazine: 33

Perks:

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

Zen Moment: Causing damage with this weapon increases its stability.

Outlaw: Precision kills greatly decrease reload time.

What makes Jian 7 Rifle good?:

Decent stability
Decent perks
Versatile

Weapon Details:

https://destinytracker.com/destiny-2/db/items/1162247618-jian-7-rifle

How to get Jian 7 Rifle:

You can acquire this gun in Crucible drops and rank up packages.

Jian 7 Rifle in Action:

10. The Time-Worn Spire (PvP, PvE)

Forged in honor of Silimar, and persistence in the face of impossible odds.

This Iron Banner weapon is a favorite among many, and for good reason. The Time-Worn Spire is a rapid-fire pulse rifle that can roll some great perk combos and can be a beast in many activities.

Weapon Stats:

Impact: 23

Range: 35

Stability: 59

Handling: 47

Reload Speed: 46

Rounds/Min: 540

Magazine: 40

Perks:

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

Feeding Frenzy: Each rapid kill with this weapon progressively increases reload speed for a short time.

Outlaw: Precision kills greatly decrease reload time.

What makes The Time-Worn Spire good?:

Good perks
The fast fire rate is good for closer range
Good for PvE and PvP

Weapon Details:

https://destinytracker.com/destiny-2/db/items/3593598010-the-time-worn-spire#

How to get The Time-Worn Spire:

You can acquire this gun in Iron Banner drops and rank up packages.

The Time-Worn Spire in Action:

11. The Messenger (PvP, PvE)

The bearer of bad news.

Good news, this is one of the meta pulse rifles in the game! The bad news is that you have to play Trials of Osiris. One of the best things about this weapon is that it can have the perk, Desperado. However, please note that that we will only show the curated roll below.

Weapon Stats:

Impact: 23

Range: 35

Stability: 59

Handling: 47

Reload Speed: 46

Rounds/Min: 540

Magazine: 40

Perks:

High-Impact Frame: Long range, slow firing, and high damage.

Rapid Hit: Rapid precision hits temporarily increase stability and reload speed.

One for All: Hitting three separate targets increases damage for a moderate duration.

What makes The Messenger good?:

Good perks
Good for PvE and PvP
Part of the meta 390 RPM archetype

Weapon Details:

https://destinytracker.com/destiny-2/db/items/3658188704-the-messenger#

How to get The Messenger:

You can acquire this gun in Trials of Osiris as a reward for 3 wins.

The Messenger in Action:

12. Cold Denial (PvE)

A familiar tool in the face of failure.

Cold Denial is a high-impact pulse rifle that is a stable and accurate weapon that destroys in the Crucible and PvE. It isn’t the best in the game, but it’s way up there.