Pulse rifles are one of the best weapon types in Destiny 2. Their high damage bursts can either chew through combatants in PvE or put down opponents in PvP with strikingly fast Time To Kills. They are a very versatile weapon type, with a high amount of variance in their rounds per minute. Chances are, there is a pulse rifle that will assist you greatly in just about any piece of Destiny content that you are playing. If you have read my previous article on Pulse Rifles in Destiny 2, much of the information here will be similar. However, with the introduction of new weapons and changes to the weapons that existed before, I felt it right to readdress this topic with a wider array of options.
15: Sacred Provenance (Best for PvE)
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Destiny 2: Sacred Provenance
See Sacred Prevenance In Action:
The sad reality about the Sacred Provenance is that it has simply been power crept hard over the last few years. What was once a strong option in both PvP and PvE due to its unique, aggressive frame has become just another pulse rifle in the current sandbox. It has a few strong perks but ultimately falls short when compared to other options in its class. However, it is still better than lots of other pulse rifles, and I do recommend playing the Garden of Salvation raid to get a good roll. It is currently the only non-sunset aggressive frame Kinetic pulse rifle, and that fact alone makes it a desirable pickup.
Weapon Stats
Impact - 35
Range - 89
Stability - 57
Handling - 24
Reload Speed - 36
Aim Assistance - 48
Inventory Size - 52
Zoom - 18
Airborne Effectiveness - 10
Recoil - 70
Rounds Per Minute - 450
Magazine - 41
Frame - Aggressive
What makes Sacred Provenance Awesome
Small Perk Pool - Given that this is a raid weapon, and will likely take a good deal of time to acquire, the small loot pool rewards the player with a better chance at obtaining the perks that they want the most.
Unique Archytpye - As stated above, this weapon is one of only two aggressive frame pulse rifles, and the only one present in the Kinetic slot.
Strong general-use option: While the Sacred Providence may not be the strongest option, it does have a wide selection of versatile perks. Almost every perk on the weapon has a use in both PvE and PvP.
How to Get Sacred Provenance
The Sacred Provenance drops from the third encounter of the Garden of Salvation raid.
Syncopation is the first Stasis pulse rifle in the game and is a great starter weapon for players looking for a good Stasis weapon. Like most Stasis weaponry, the Syncopation-53 is capable of rolling with Headstone. This Stasis Crystal spawning perk is a necessity for Stasis builds, and Syncopation’s ability to create stasis crystals at a farther distance makes it a useful tool. This weapon can also be crafted after acquiring two deepsight versions of the weapon, which are granted through the completion of the Witch Queen campaign.
Weapon Stats
Impact - 29
Range - 51
Stability - 79
Handling - 41
Reload Speed - 42
Aim Assistance - 66
Inventory Size - 45
Zoom - 19
Airborne Effectiveness - 14
Recoil - 89
Rounds Per Minute - 390
Magazine - 36
Frame - Adaptive
What makes Syncopation-53 Awesome
Easily crafted weapon - The Syncopation-53 becomes craftable through the completion of a quest during the Witch Queen Campaign. This makes it one of the easiest weapons to craft in the entire game.
Stasis Pulse Rifle - As of the time of writing, there are only two Stasis pulse rifles in the game, so this weapon is a must for fans of the Stasis subclass.
Suros Synergy - This weapon’s origin trait grants the weapon additional handling and flinch reduction after reloading.
How to Get Syncopation-53
Complete the Shaping: Extraction quest during the Witch Queen Campaign
Check with Banshee-44 in the Tower Each day, he sometimes will sell it.
Focus Umbral engrams at either the Crown of Sorrow or Captain’s Atlas in the Helm
Hope for a drop when picking up engrams in the wild.
The Darkest Before is a strong Rapid-fire pulse rifle, but it is somewhat outclassed by a later entry on this list. It currently suffers from being a weapon from the pre-Witch Queen era, meaning that it does not have an origin trait, and is on the verge of being power crept as a result. Aside from that though, the Darkest Before is capable of rolling with great perks for rapid-fire weapons, making it a good option for slaying enemies in the Crucible. This weapon drops from the Prophecy dungeon, which is free to all players.
Weapon Stats
Impact - 23
Range - 34
Stability - 48
Handling - 37
Reload Speed - 35
Aim Assistance - 75
Inventory Size - 50
Zoom - 17
Airborne Effectiveness - 10
Recoil - 94
Rounds Per Minute - 540
Magazine - 36
Frame - Rapid-Fire
What makes Darkest Before Awesome
Helpful Stability/handling perks - Rapid Fire frames usually require more assistance in keeping them stable. Thankfully, the Darkest before has helpful perks such as Wellspring and Tunnel Vision to boost these stats.
Damage Perks - The Darkest Before has strong damage perks (One for All and Rampage) but would benefit from more Crucible-centric options such as Kill Clip.
High Aim Assist - As a Rapid-Fire Weapon, this pulse rifle has naturally high aim assist to help keep the weapon on target
How to get Darkest Before
The Darkest before has a chance to drop from the final encounter of the Prophecy Dungeon
Graviton Lance has always been a somewhat difficult weapon to place in the Meta. Despite having a very interesting design and functionality, it can be difficult to use in higher-level content. It also doesn’t help that its explosion-based function doesn’t perform as well as others in the game. Much like the previous weapons in the list, it just simply has been power crept a little too hard to be considered in the top tier of pulse rifles.
Weapon Stats
Impact - 29
Range - 70
Stability - 100
Handling - 49
Reload Speed - 57
Aim Assistance - 60
Inventory Size - 60
Zoom - 17
Airborne Effectiveness - 27
Recoil - 85
Rounds Per Minute - 257
Magazine - 31
What makes Graviton Lance Awesome
Unique Two-Burst shot - The Graviton Lance almost acts like a mix between a scout rifle and pulse rifle with its two-shot burst. The second bullet in this burst deals increased damage.
Crowd Control - While the exotic perk of this weapon has been power crept by new options, it is still a strong perk for those looking to cause void explosions. This effect is best utilized in low-level content.
Increased Damage to Rank and File - Exotic primary weapons deal increased damage to red bar enemies, making them especially effective.
How to Get Graviton Lance
Exotic Engram world drops have a chance to be the Graviton Lance
Occasionally sold by Xur on the weekends
Xur weekly Fated engram can drop the weapon, and his engram drops an unobtained exotic until all are collected.
Versatile PvE weapon - This weapon can roll with many desirable PvE traits such as Adaptive Munitions, Dragonfly, and Demolitionist.
Omolon Fluid Dynamics - This origin trait increases the weapon handling on the bottom half of the magazine, making it even more fluid as the weapon fires
Loot Pool Weapon - This weapon has multiple ways to be focused and target farmed, making it an easy weapon to acquire.
How to Get Ogma PR6
Check with Banshee-44 in the Tower each day, he sometimes will sell it.
Focus Umbral engrams at either the Crown of Sorrow or Captain’s Atlas in the Helm
Hope for a drop when picking up engrams in the wild.
The Yesteryear is a new pulse rifle that drops from the Gambit playlist in the Season of the Plunder. This weapon will likely be a favorite of pulse rifle enthusiasts due to it being a void, adaptive frame pulse rifle. Yesteryear is also the only adaptive frame pulse rifle in the game that can roll with the perk Desperado. This perk is usually reserved for High-impact pulses, making this weapon desirable due to its uniqueness.
Weapon Stats
Impact - 29
Range - 48
Stability - 68
Handling - 37
Reload Speed - 42
Aim Assistance - 59
Inventory Size - 52
Zoom - 17
Airborne Effectiveness - 17
Recoil - 60
Rounds Per Minute - 390
Magazine - 35
Frame - Adaptive
What makes Yesteryear Awesome
Desperado Adaptive - This is the only Adaptive frame pulse rifle capable of rolling with Desperado
Large Perk Variety - A drawback of this weapon is its large loot pool, however the vast majority of options within said loot pool are strong. There are multiple ways to increase damage, weapon stats, and ability uptime.
Gambit Focusing - Although playing gambit can become a bit of a slog, this weapon can be focused at the Drifter for guaranteed rolls. This process is costly but can be a much faster way to obtain the weapon.
How to Get Yesteryear
Complete matches in the Gambit playlist for a chance to drop
Earn rank-up rewards from the Drifter for a chance to drop
Focus Gambit Engrams at the Drifter for guaranteed drops
The New Purpose is a Stasis, High-Impact pulse rifle that drops from the Duality dungeon. Like many Stasis weapons, this pulse rifle is capable of rolling with the perk Headstone, which can be great for Stasis builds. This weapon especially shines in PvP due to its ability to roll Desperado. This perk is massive for High-Impact weaponry due to its ability to increase the weapon's rate of fire without decreasing the damage. This allows the New Purpose to kill blazingly fast. The sight on this weapon can take some getting used to, but once mastered it can be an absolute shredder in PvP.
Weapon Stats
Impact - 33
Range - 65
Stability - 54
Handling - 36
Reload Speed - 11
Aim Assistance - 32
Inventory Size - 60
Zoom - 18
Airborne Effectiveness - 29
Recoil - 100
Rounds Per Minute - 340
Magazine - 37
Frame - High-Impact
What makes New Purpose Awesome
Desperado High Impact - Much like the Yesteryear above, the New Purpose is the only obtainable High-Impact pulse rifle capable of rolling with Desperado. While the Messenger could roll with it, it is no longer acquirable. The Redrix’s Clamore and Redrix’s Broadswords are both sunset weaponry.
Perk Options - Outside of perks like Desperado, this weapon can still shine with its other perk options. Headstone, Adaptive Munitions (on a kinetic slot weapon), and multiple stat-focused perks make this weapon strong in PvE as well.
Stasis Pulse Rifle - This is the only other stasis pulse rifle in the game besides the Syncopation-53 and the only High-Impact Stasis pulse rifle.
How to Get New purpose
Complete the final encounter of the Duality dungeon for a chance at a drop
The Smite of Merain is a reprised pulse rifle dropping from the King’s Fall raid. This Adaptive frame pulse rifle has some very strong perk combinations, making it a very versatile pick for PvE. This weapon can roll with two very strong combinations: Adrenaline Junkie and Demolitionist, and Pugilist and Swashbuckler. These perks allow for a constant chain of buffing weapon damage and increase the recharge rate of either grenades or melees. This weapon, like all new raid weapons, can also be crafted after acquiring 5 deepsight versions of the weapon. There is also an adept version of the weapon that can be acquired from the Master version of the King’s Fall raid.
Weapon Stats
Impact - 29
Range - 53
Stability - 55
Handling - 47
Reload Speed - 57
Aim Assistance - 60
Inventory Size - 49
Zoom - 17
Airborne Effectiveness - 21
Recoil - 70
Rounds Per Minute - 390
Magazine - 41
Frame - Adaptive
What makes Smite of Merain Awesome
Craftable Weapon - This weapon can be crafted after acquiring 5 deepsight versions.
Adept Weapon - With the release of the Master King’s Fall raid, this weapon can drop in an adept form that can slot adept mods.
GREAT perk combos - Some of the strong perk combos are listed above, but overall this weapon has a bunch of solid perks, which are strong in PvE content.
How to Get Smite of Merain
Complete the Warpriest, Daughters of Oryx or Oryx encounters in the King’s Fall raid for a chance at a drop.
The Bad Juju is one of the best exotics to use if you are looking for high uptime on your super in both PvE and PvP content. The Exotic perk String of Curses increases super regeneration on kills, making for a much faster cooldown on your super. This is most effective in PvE since you can make use of your super much more often in PvE content. This makes the weapon especially helpful for supers that have longer cooldowns due to their increased length.
Weapon Stats
Impact - 27
Range - 40
Stability - 77
Handling - 56
Reload Speed - 47
Aim Assistance - 60
Inventory Size - 15
Zoom - 17
Airborne Effectiveness - 35
Recoil - 85
Rounds Per Minute - 450
Magazine - 27
What makes Bad Juju Awesome
Super Regen - Primary weapons already help generate super energy, but the Bad Juju increases that and helps regain supers faster.
Exotic Catalyst - Bad Juju has an exotic catalyst that drops from Playlist activities (Strikes, Gambit, Crucible) which increases the duration of the Sting of Curses.
Never Reload - Getting kills with this weapon refills the magazine, increasing the likelihood of keeping String of Curses high.
How to Get Bad Juju
Go to the Monument of Lost Light Exotic Kiosk at the tower
Purchase the Bad Juju with the required Materials
Note* You may need to purchase the Forsaken pack if you did not own the Forsaken expansion
The Piece of Mind is a Rapid-fire pulse rifle that comes from the Season of the Risen. It is currently the only craftable, Kinetic pulse rifle in the game, and requires arguably much less grinding to acquire than other options on this list. The weapon comes from either the PsiOps battlegrounds playlist or can be focused with Risen Umbral Energy at the H.E.L.M. Piece of mind has a great combination of perks that enhance both its lethality and its fluidity. It is one of the best-feeling, Rapid-Fire pulse rifles in the game.
Weapon Stats
Impact - 23
Range - 36
Stability - 56
Handling - 37
Reload Speed - 32
Aim Assistance - 82
Inventory Size - 53
Zoom - 19
Airborne Effectiveness - 17
Recoil - 88
Rounds Per Minute - 540
Magazine - 35
Frame - Rapid-Fire
What makes Piece of Mind Awesome
Great Stat increasing Perks - This weapon has great options for increasing its stats, with perks such as Perpetual Motion, Stats For All, and Elemental Capacitor being prime examples.
Desirable PvP archetype - The Rapid Fire pulses are great options for taking down guardians in the crucible. Consistent damage, high aim assist, and large magazines make this a great option.
Craftable Weapon - This weapon can be crafted after acquiring 5 deepsight versions of the weapon.
How to Get Piece of Mind
Open Chests with Psychogenic intel at the end of PSI-ops Battlegrounds for a 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)
Insidious is, currently, the only other aggressive frame pulse rifle other than the Sacred Providence. This arc pulse rifle drops from the Vow of the Disciple raid, and as such has a lot of things going for it. This weapon can eventually be crafted, meaning that it can make use of enhanced perks. For those not looking to craft their weaponry, this weapon can also drop in an adept variant from the Master version of the Vow of the Disciple raid. This weapon pairs nicely with the recent Arc 3.0 update, and has great PvE perk combinations. Now that the King’s Fall raid has become The Pinnacle raid, the Vow of the Disciple raid has the possibility of being the weekly featured raid, meaning that it can be infinitely farmed to drop rewards during that week.
Weapon Stats
Impact - 35
Range - 84
Stability - 60
Handling - 17
Reload Speed - 34
Aim Assistance - 44
Inventory Size - 59
Zoom - 18
Airborne Effectiveness - 24
Recoil - 88
Rounds Per Minute - 450
Magazine - 40
Frame - Aggressive
What makes Insidious Awesome
Unique Archytpe - This is the only non-sunset, energy, Aggressive Frame pulse rifle in the game.
Arc 3.0 Synergy - Arc 3.0 is at the forefront of Season of the Plunder, and this makes the Insidious a great option for building into Arc builds.
Souldrinker Origin Trait - This weapon heals the user after reloading, with the amount healed scaling with each weapon kill.
Craftable/adept weapon. Like other (new) raid weapons in this list, the Insidious has both a craftable version and an adept variant.
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 on 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
I’ve talked about the Outbreak Perfected many times before, but it’s just too dang good to not get your hands on. This exotic pulse rifle is a great option for PvE content, due to its ability to deal sustained damage to bosses on top of working well against rank and file foes. Its exotic perk causes nanite swarms to spawn on either enemy deaths or after enough sustained damage has occurred. The weapon also deals additional damage to enemies affected by nanites, making it effective at draining health bars when out of heavy ammo. The weapon is stable, reliable, and is a great weapon to bring into higher level or endgame content.
Weapon Stats
Impact - 27
Range - 64
Stability - 40
Handling - 35
Reload Speed - 45
Aim Assistance - 65
Inventory Size - 54
Zoom - 17
Airborne Effectiveness - 29
Recoil - 90
Rounds Per Minute - 450
Magazine - 35
What makes Outbreak Perfected Awesome
Exotic Perk “The Corruption Spreads” - As mentioned above, this weapon's exotic perk spawns nanites that deal additional damage to opponents after either killing an opponent or causing sustained damage.
Secondary Exotic Perk - This weapon deals increased damage to enemies affected by nanite swarms.
Exotic Catalyst - The exotic catalyst for this weapon increases the damage of the nanite swarms, and foes finished off by nanite swarms spawn additional nanites.
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 Red War Era weapons tab.
Upon writing my last article on Pulse Rifles, the Adept version of the Horror’s Least had not been able to obtain. The weapon also was still difficult to obtain a proper roll due to the manner of the Nightfall weapon rotations. Now though, the Adept variant is out, and enough time has passed to prove that Horror’s Least deserves to be in the top options of Pulse Rifles. Its lightning-fast rounds per minute, ability to slot adept mods to further increase important stats (such as stability or handling), and strong perk selection make this weapon a wonderful tool to bring into PvP.
Weapon Stats
Impact - 23
Range - 44
Stability - 49
Handling - 22
Reload Speed - 15
Aim Assistance - 82
Inventory Size - 56
Zoom - 17
Airborne Effectiveness - 27
Recoil - 55
Rounds Per Minute - 540
Magazine - 45
Frame - Rapid-Fire
What makes Horror’s Least Awesome
Incredible aim assist - The Horror’s Least has one of the highest aim assist values for pulse rifles. It is ridiculous how easy it is to stay on target with this weapon.
Adept Variant - This weapon has an adept variant, meaning that it can slot adept mods and receives an additional stat boost when masterwork
Great PvP Perks - This weapon can roll with Kill Clip, Frenzy, Perpetual Motion, and Steady Hands.
How to Get Horror’s Least
Complete Nightfall strikes when the Horror’s Least is the weekly rotator weapon.
So I feel that I underestimated the power of the No Time to Explain on my last list. Its dominance within the Meta this season, specifically in Trials of Osiris, has led me to believe that it is the current top option for PvP content in Destiny 2. This Pulse rifle has the exotic perk Rewind Again, which refunds ammo on precision hits. After doing this enough times, a small portal will open next to the gun and that portal will fire additional shots. These shots are no joke, and can massively damage opponents that are on the receiving end of your weapon. The weapon is also a High-Impact frame weapon, meaning that with the right combination of damage buffs, it can two burst kill guardians if all shots land on the head.
Weapon Stats
Impact - 33
Range - 80
Stability - 60
Handling - 57
Reload Speed - 60
Aim Assistance - 45
Inventory Size - 57
Zoom - 17
Airborne Effectiveness - 24
Recoil - 90
Rounds Per Minute - 340
Magazine - 24
What makes No Time to Explain Awesome
Crucible Monster - Given the ability to fire extra shots with the time slip active, the No Time to Explain has a blazing fast Time to Kill once it gets going. This weapon can even two-burst kill in the right scenarios.
Easy to acquire - The only barrier to entry for this weapon is owning/completing the Beyond Light campaign.
Stasis synergy - The Rewind Again perk applies to frozen enemies, meaning that you don’t have to make precision shots to refund ammo when an enemy is frozen.
Although this weapon was at the bottom of my previous list for being a good, general-use pulse rifle, it has quickly been launched up to the top of the Pulse Rifle meta due to some significant changes in the Season of the Plunder. For starters, the BxR-55 Battler now has an origin trait that increases its handling after switching to the weapon while damaged. It can also now roll with Incandescent, which is one of the most powerful perks that a solar weapon can roll. Better yet, this weapon can now be crafted, meaning that the ideal god roll is within any player's grasp with enough time and dedication. This added power, combined with what already made it a solid option before, has undeniably launched it to the top of the meta this season. Get on the Dares of Eternity grind, and get this weapon ASAP.
Weapon Stats
Impact - 23
Range - 50
Stability - 74
Handling - 71
Reload Speed - 78
Aim Assistance - 85
Inventory Size - 60
Zoom - 20
Airborne Effectiveness - 10
Recoil - 70
Rounds Per Minute - 450
Magazine - 35
Frame - Legacy PR-55
What makes the BxR-55 Battler Awesome
Craftable weapon - This weapon can be crafted at the enclave after acquiring 5 deepsight versions of the weapon. This allows the weapon to roll with enhanced perks, making it even more powerful than the base version.
Incandescent - This perk causes enemies to explode upon being killed, and spread scorch stacks to other nearby opponents. Much like any other weapon with Incandescent, the mere inclusion of this perk on a weapon makes it a top-tier choice to use. Incandescent is great for Solar 3.0 builds, which are still very dependable in Endgame content.
New origin Trait - Hot swap makes the weapon perform better when critically wounded, making it a strong option for saving yourself in dire circumstances.
How to Get the BxR-55 Battler
This gun is a possible end-of-match reward from the Dares of Eternity activity.
Turning in Treasure Keys at Xur’s chest has a chance to drop the weapon
The weapon has a chance to drop from the Paraveral Haul Item that is sold from the Starhorse
