[Top 10] Destiny 2 Best Pulse Rifles And How To Get Them

Updated:

20 Oct 2022

10. BxR-55 Battler (Good in PvP/PvE)

You Must Try BXR This Season (it's hot)

The BxR-55 Battler is a great place to start this list as it is a reliable, free-to-obtain, and fun pulse rife. This weapon's reliability comes from its unique archetype of lightweight pulse rifle known as a Legacy PR-55 Frame. This gives the weapons additional accuracy when firing from the hip, evoking the feel of the classic Halo Battle Rifle. It’s a great option for newer players still looking for new guns that can be used in a variety of activities.

Weapon Stats

*NOTE - Weapon stats are subject to change due to the various perk combinations within Destiny 2. The stats listed here are based off of the example version of the gun from the in-game Destiny 2 Collections tab.

Impact - 23
Range - 60
Stability - 59
Handling - 71
Reload Speed - 63
Rounds Per Minute - 450
Magazine - 36
Element - Solar
Frame - Legacy PR-55

BxR-55 Battler full details: https://www.light.gg/db/items/2708806099/bxr-55-battler/

What makes The BxR-55 Battler awesome

Easy to Obtain (Low effort for high reward)
Unique sight and aesthetic (Modeled after the Battle Rifle from the Halo series)
Great and unique perk combinations (Perpetual motion and Blunt execution rounds are my favorites at the moment.)
Solar element (Helpful in endgame content with lots of solar shields or solar elemental burns)
Anti-Champion capabilities (This is true of all pulse rifles due to the anti-barrier pulse artifact mod)

How to Get The BxR-55 Battler

Possible end-of-match reward from Dares of Eternity activity completions
Possible Treasure Chest Reward from Xur’s Treasure chest
Possible Paraveral Haul Reward
Possible Rank up reward from Xur

How to get the BXR-55 Battler (Halo Battle Rifle) Plus God Roll Guide in Destiny 2

9. Horror’s Least (Best for PvP, but good in PvE)

The BEST Rapid-Fire Pulse Rifle (Horror's Least Review) Destiny 2 Season of the Haunted

The Horror’s Least is the first rapid-fire frame pulse rifle on this list and is a great option for players looking to shred guardians in PvP or combatants in PvE. The reason that it’s this low on the list is that the weapon is only obtainable on select weeks each season though, so obtaining it can be somewhat difficult. Aside from that though, the rapid-fire frames are a great option to tear through enemy players, and Horror’s Least is one of the best-in-class options to do so. The weapon also has an adept variant, meaning that it can slot adept mods that further increase its stats and power.

Weapon Stats

Impact - 23
Range - 44
Stability - 49
Handling - 22
Reload Speed - 35
Rounds Per Minute - 540
Magazine - 36
Element - Arc
Frame - Rapid-fire

Horror's Least Full Details: https://www.light.gg/db/items/216983039/horrors-least/

What makes Horror’s Least awesome

Fast firing, Rapid-fire frame
Vanguard and Nightfall origin traits (Either grant small health increase on kills or increase stats after stunning champions)
Adept variant (Increased stats and adept mod options)
Strong PvP perk options (Heating up and Kill Clip feed into each other to increase weapon damage and stats)

How to Get Horror’s Least

Rotating Nightfall Completion reward (Weapon options rotate weekly)
Grandmaster Nightfall completion (Adept variant reward)

How to get Horror’s Least (Legendary Pulse Rifle) Plus God Roll Guide in Destiny 2

8. OGMA PR6 (Best for PvE)

Destiny 2: Ogma PR6 is THE PvE workhorse. It's one of the greatest weapons in Destiny 2

The Ogma PR6 is another solar pulse rifle, however, this one is most notable for its PvE performance. The Ogma PR6 is a world loot pool weapon, meaning that the main way players will obtain it is by finding legendary engrams and just playing the game. The gun performs remarkably well this season due to a slew of powerful PvE perks (such as adaptive munitions, one for all, and dragonfly to name a few.) It also has the advantage of launching with the Witch Queen expansion and has the intrinsic Omolon origin trait, which increases reload speed and stability in the top half of the magazine.

Weapon Stats

Impact - 27
Range - 37
Stability - 67
Handling - 80
Reload Speed - 55
Rounds Per Minute - 450
Magazine - 33
Element - Solar
Frame - Lightweight

Ogma PR6 Full Details: https://www.light.gg/db/items/2342054803/ogma-pr6/

What makes the Ogma PR6 awesome

Omolon Foundry trait (Increased stats in the top half of the magazine)
Amazing PVE perk combinations (Mentioned above)
Incredible handing (Weapon feels very fluid in combat)
Free and obtainable to all players
Can be target farmed by focusing umbral engrams at the Crown of Sorrow in the H.E.L.M.

How to Get the Ogma PR6

World loop drops (hope to get lucky)
Occasionally sold by Banshee-44 in the tower
Possible reward for Gunsmith Rank ups
Purchasable legendary engram at the cryptarch
Worldly weapons umbral focusing at the Crown of Sorrow

How to get Ogma PR6 (Legendary Pulse Rifle) Plus God Roll Guide in Destiny 2

7. Graviton Lance (Best for PvE )

Graviton Got a BUFF, and I Love it (Future Proof Build) | Destiny 2 Season of the Haunted

The Graviton Lance has been a staple of Destiny 2 ever since the game’s launch back in 2017. Thankfully though, this particular exotic has been tweaked and buffed over time to allow it to still be relevant in the game today. This is also the first exotic pulse rife on our list. The main thing that makes the Graviton Lance stand out is its crowd control capabilities. The exotic Cosmology perk causes enemies to detonate and spread void projectiles that seek out other opponents, which will then explode and chain the effect if they are weak enough. This ability is strong with Void 3.0 builds, or low-level add clear.

Weapon Stats

*NOTE - Exotic Weapons have fixed stats, but are often tweaked by Bungie so numbers are subject to change. This exotic also has a catalyst, so the stats represented here are with the catalyst fully upgraded.

Impact - 29
Range - 90
Stability - 100
Handling - 49
Reload Speed - 57
Rounds Per Minute - 257
Magazine - 31
Element - Void
Frame - N/A

Graviton Lance Full Details: https://www.light.gg/db/items/3628991658/graviton-lance/

What makes Graviton Lance awesome

Exotic weapon primary (Additional Damage against Red Bar Combatants)
Crowd Control capabilities (Void projectiles track and chain explosions)
Synergizes with void 3.0
Unique two-burst firing (With second shot dealing increased damage)
Incredibly cool lore and aesthetic

How to Get the Graviton Lance

Exotic Engram world drops
Occasionally sold by Xur
Xur weekly engram has the possibility to drop the weapon, will drop an unobtained exotic until all are collected.

HOW TO GET THE GRAVITON LANCE AND ITS CATALYST IN DESTINY 2 *Cosmology Kills

6. No Time to Explain (Best for PvP)

No Time to Explain Dominates (2 Burst King) | Destiny 2 Season of the Haunted

The No Time To Explain is a fantastic pulse rifle for taking out opponents in the Crucible. Its exotic perk makes it so that rapid precision shots (Not just kills, but shots) return the bullets to the magazine and also stack up to create a small rift in spacetime that fires bursts of the weapon. This allows the already hard-hitting pulse rifle to tick away at the opponent’s health passively, while the player wielding it is still shooting. With damage stacking abilities such as the Solar Radiant buff, or warlock empowering rift, the gun can also two burst shot guardians if all shots land on the head.

Weapon Stats

Impact - 33
Range - 80
Stability - 60
Handling - 57
Reload Speed - 60
Rounds Per Minute - 340
Magazine - 24
Element - Kinetic
Frame - High Impact

No Time to Explain Full Details: https://www.light.gg/db/items/1594120904/no-time-to-explain/

What makes the No Time to Explain awesome

A great archetype for fast time to kill in Crucible (Can two burst in the right scenarios)
Exotic perks help in both one on one and longer gun fights (Passive damage is always helpful)
Easy to acquire (Complete the Beyond Light Campaign)
Also works great with stasis in PVE (Exotic perk also refunds bullets on enemies affected by stasis)

How to Get the No Time to Explain

Purchase the Beyond Light Expansion
Complete the Beyond Light Campaign
Talk to the Exo Stranger to acquire the weapon

Destiny 2 – How to get No Time To Explain (Exotic Pulse Rifle) plus catalyst, weapon review and lore

5. Bad Juju (Best for PvE)

The Bad JuJu is now the Good JuJu

The Bad Juju has had a long and storied history within Destiny 2. Originally appearing in Destiny 1, the Bad Juju was brought into Destiny 2 during the season of Oppulance, and has recently become a top contender in PvE due to buff to a series of buffs that affected its archetype, its status as an exotic, and nerfs to the super cooldown rate. The weapon’s exotic perk makes it so that rapid kills increase damage, refill the magazine, and grant an increase to super regeneration. This makes it an ideal weapon for players looking to have maximum uptime on their super abilities by just playing the game as they normally would.

Weapon Stats

Impact - 27
Range - 40
Stability - 77
Handling - 15
Reload Speed - 47
Rounds Per Minute - 450
Magazine - 27
Element - Kinetic
Frame - Lightweight

Bad Juju Full Details: https://www.light.gg/db/items/2816212794/bad-juju/

What makes Bad Juju awesome

Passive Super regeneration is very helpful in PvE (Most supers have long cooldowns, and Bad Juju helps recharge supers faster)
Very cool lore (Considered a hive weapon of sorrow)
Unique aesthetic
Lightweight frames very popular at the moment (Recently increased damage across the board)
Strong PvE kinetic weapon (Pairs well with powerful secondary weapons)

How to get Bad Juju

Go to the Monuments of Lost light next to the vault in the Tower
Purchase the Bad Juju from the Forsaken Era weapons tab OR purchase the Forsaken pack on your preferred system.

HOW TO GET BAD JUJU - DESTINY 2

4. New Purpose (Best for PvP)

Destiny 2: New Purpose is exactly what the archetype needed

The New Purpose stands as the only stasis pulse rifle on the list today, and for good reason. The pulse rifle essentially serves as a “replacement” for another pulse rifle that was recently shifted out of rotation. This gun is a PvP must-have, mainly due to having the desperado perk in the pool. Being able to increase the rate of fire, without losing damage per shot, drastically decreases the time to kill, making New Purpose a great option in PvP. It is locked behind the Duality dungeon, so you will need to either own the Deluxe Edition of the Witch Queen expansion or purchase the dungeon from the Eververse store to begin farming for it.

Weapon Stats

Impact - 33
Range - 65
Stability - 54
Handling - 36
Reload Speed - 11
Rounds Per Minute - 340
Magazine - 37
Element - Stasis
Frame - High Impact

New Purpose Full Details: https://www.light.gg/db/items/1780464822/new-purpose/

What makes New Purpose awesome

Stasis Pulse Rife (one of two in the game at the time of writing)
Beautiful dungeon-themed aesthetic (It really is just a hauntingly beautiful weapon)
Strong PvP perks (Desperado and perpetual motion make the weapon lethal and fluid)
Stong stats

How to Get New Purpose

Purchase either the Witch Queen Deluxe edition or purchase the Duality dungeon on your preferred platform
Play the Dungeon and complete encounters to get the weapon to drop

How to get New Purpose (Desperado Pulse Rifle!) Plus God Roll Guide in Destiny 2

3. Outbreak Perfected (Best in PvE, great in PvP)

OUTBREAK PERFECTED [Destiny 2 Witch Queen] Full Weapon Review With Exotic Catalyst!

The Outbreak perfected is one of the most recognizable weapons within Destiny. Originally coming from the Wrath of the Machine raid in Destiny 1, known then as the Outbreak Prime, the weapon was reintroduced during the Zero Hour exotic quest during the Season of the Drifter. It is a strong PvE and PvP weapon, as its seeking nanite swarms give sustained boss damage, and tick away at player health in PvP. It is, in my opinion, the best “Jack of all Trades” exotic pulse rifle in the game, and one that every player should try to obtain if they can.

Weapon Stats

Impact - 27
Range - 64
Stability - 40
Handling - 35
Reload Speed - 45
Rounds Per Minute - 450
Magazine - 35
Element - Kinetic
Frame - Lightweight

Outbreak Perfected Full Details: https://www.light.gg/db/items/400096939/outbreak-perfected/

What makes Outbreak Perfected awesome

Stong Exotic perk (Parastisim, allows for massive sustained damage on bosses)
Strong PvP perks allow the gun to perform well in PvP
Stong PvE perks allow the gun to perform well in all facets of PvE
Unique aesthetic to Destiny 2

How to Get Outbreak Perfected

Go to the Monuments of Lost light next to the vault in the Tower
Purchase the Outbreak Perfected from the Forsaken Era weapons tab OR purchase the Forsaken pack on your preferred system.

HOW TO GET OUTBREAK PERFECTED AND ITS CATALYST IN DESTINY 2

2. Insidious (Best PvP and PvE)

Insidious GOD Roll (Raid Pulse Review) | Destiny 2 Witch Queen

Insidious is one of only two, aggressive burst pulse rifles that are currently acquirable within Destiny 2. It also happens to be the better of the two, for a couple of reasons. The first being that this gun comes from the newest, and thus most popular raid at the time of writing. The second, being that it is one of the only pulse rifles in the game that can make use of the weapon crafting system. There is still a long, tedious grind to be able to craft the weapon, but just being able to be crafted elevates this pulse into the upper echelon of options. Its unique four-bullet burst also makes it desirable in PvP, as it can consistently kill guardians in only two bursts with precision hits. This weapon is also able to drop an adept variant from the master mode version of the raid, however, the adept version is not craftable.

Weapon Stats

Impact - 35
Range - 84
Stability - 60
Handling - 17
Reload Speed - 34
Rounds Per Minute - 450
Magazine - 40
Element - Arc
Frame - Aggressive

Insidious Full Details: https://www.light.gg/db/items/3428521585/insidious/

What makes Insidious awesome

Unique 4-shot burst (Only available on 2 weapons, both of which come from raids)
Amazing Vow of the Disciple raid aesthetic (The components of the gun are always moving)
Souldrinker Origin trait (Generates health on reload)
Adept and craftable versions possible to acquire
Strong PvE and PvP perks make it great in all activities

How to Get Insidious

Complete the second and fourth encounters in the Vow of the Disciple raid and hope for a drop
Loot hidden chests throughout the raid and hope for a drop (Only after acquiring the weapon)
Focus the weapon using spoils of conquest at the end of the raid (Must have required number of Spoils of Conquest
Craft a version after obtaining 5 deepsight versions of the gun

How to get Insidious (Legendary Pulse Rifle) Plus God Roll Guide in Destiny 2

1. Piece of Mind (Best for PvP and PvE)

Destiny 2: Piece of Mind has an insane interaction with Overflow + Focused Fury (Review + Craft)

In the top slot, I have the Piece of Mind. The piece of mind is a rapid-fire frame pulse rifle, which like the Horror’s least makes it great for tearing through combatants. What the Piece of Mind has that the Horror’s least does not, is a craftable version of the weapon, and a regular and easy way to acquire the weapon. Given the great perk options, ease of access to get, and little drawback in the stat department, the Piece of Mind is by far the best pulse rifle for players to get their hands on.

Weapon Stats

Impact - 23
Range - 36
Stability - 56
Handling - 37
Reload Speed - 32
Rounds Per Minute - 540
Magazine - 35
Element - Kinetic
Frame - Rapid-Fire

Piece of Mind Full Details: https://www.light.gg/db/items/2097055732/piece-of-mind/

What makes Piece of mind awesome

Easy to acquire (Psi-ops Battlegrounds have a small lootpool)
Great stability and handling (which are essential for a rapid-fire weapon)
Land Tank origin trait (Increases damage resistance after kill)

How to Get Piece of Mind

Open Chests with Psychogenic intel at the end of PSI-ops Battlegrounds (possible reward
Focus umbral engrams at the War Table Vendor
Rank up War Table Reputation (Possible Reward)
Craftable at the enclave (After finding 5 Deepsight versions of the weapon)