Best Pulse Rifles in Destiny 2 for PvE and PvP Content
Destiny 2 Best Pulse Rifles Tier List is in its perfect form. Find the perfect Rifle for any content!
Pulse Rifles are one of the most popular weapon types, which is in demand even among those who aren’t the biggest fans of this shooting style. Their consistent effectiveness is a source of delight, as they frequently provide an exceptional radius for engaging and dispatching enemies with precision. And in today’s guide, we’ll finally talk about what they are precisely suitable for and which ones are the best Pulse Rifles in Destiny 2 Season of the Wish.
Pulse Rifles Guide List
Key Takeaways:
- This list contains eleven Pulse Rifles, including five for PvE and six for PvP.
- Not only Legendary weapons are included here, but also Exotic guns.
- We also provide God Roll recommendations for each weapon, as well as detail how they interact with each other.
Destiny 2 Pulse Rifle Guide
Among all the weaponry, let’s begin our article with the Pulse Rifles themselves. This type of weapon fires bursts and is incredibly effective at medium and sometimes even longer ranges. They are beloved among players in all in-game modes thanks to their effectiveness in both PvE and PvP. There are currently five archetypes:
- High Impact Frame (340 RPM)
- Adaptive Frame (390 RPM)
- Lightweight Frame (450RPM)
- Aggressive Frame (four-burst 450 RPM)
- Rapid Fire Frame (540 RPM)
Due to the high DPS, Lightweight and Adaptive frames are considered the best Pulse Rifles for PvE activities. Still, those archetypes could also be considered the worst for PvP. High-Impact frames will show up best in Crucible because they’re the only ones capable of destroying in two head-shot bursts. Aggressive and Rapid Fire Frames are equally good in any activity but inferior to others.
Destiny 2 Best PvE Pulse Rifle
Let us start by describing every Destiny 2 best Pulse Rifle for PvE to fight any creatures across the galaxy. In total, we present five incredibly effective guns that you need to obtain.
Outbreak Perfected
- Outbreak Perfected God Roll:
- Rapid Hit / Rewind Rounds
- How To Get It: Zero Hour Mission
Outbreak Perfected has received significant changes in the Into the Light update, making it almost the best Exotic Pulse Rifle in Destiny 2!
This Exotic Pulse Rifle is known for its effectiveness in DPS phases while being a Primary weapon. It is achieved through SIVA Nanite swarms that appear with rapid precision hits or enemy takedowns, as they enhance the weapon’s damage and additionally damage enemies. You can reach an even greater effect by having the Outbreak Perfected catalyst, which is now available again in the Zero Hour exotic mission. It increases Nanites’ damage and also leaves even more Nanites after destroying an opponent, making Outbreak deservedly called the best D2 Pulse Rifle.
Outbreak Perfected shows its full potential when the entire fireteam shoots from it, and it has become even more effective thanks to the fresh perks. Now you can craft Outbreak Perfected with Rewind Rounds or Rapid Hit, addressing the main gun’s problem by refilling your magazine or improving reload speed. We can say that Outbreak Perfected has every chance to become the best kinetic Pulse Rifle in Destiny 2!
Revision Zero
- Revision Zero God Roll:
- Vorpal Weapon
- Häkke Heavy Burst Fire
- 4-Timer Refit
- How to Get It: Operation: Seraph Shield
It’s worth mentioning right away that now you can obtain Revision Zero in Season of the Wish because of Exotic Mission Rotator. If you already own it with the catalysts, you are obviously lucky because you can see it more often as the best PvE Pulse Rifle in Destiny 2. After the mid-season patch in Deep season, the damage of Hakke Heavy Burst Fire has significantly improved, which is why Revision Zero could be used in Grandmasters quite often.
An Exotic perk is able to turn this Pulse Rifle into a full-fledged Sniper Rifle, the number of high-damage rounds of which depends on Precision Hits. Since there can be a maximum of four shots in the ALT magazine, this pairs perfectly with one of the catalysts that grants the Fourth Time’s the Charm perk. Vorpal Weapon helps with damage against Bosses, increasing it by 20%. So, there is no doubt why Revision Zero could be called the best Pulse Rifle in Destiny 2 Season 23
Blast Furnace
- Blast Furnace God Roll:
- Kinetic Tremors
- Frenzy / One for All
- How To Get It: Onslaught
Into the Light update not only revived Outbreak for us but also added the BRAVE Arsenal, which includes all the player-favorite weapons, including Blast Furnace!
BRAVE Arsenal weapons have a unique Origin Trait that passively grants you Grenade energy from Weapon Final Blows on the Light subclass and Melee energy on the Dark subclass. With this trait in mind, let’s take a look at why these Destiny 2 Pulse Rifles ranked so high!
Blast Furnace is an ideal representative of the best Aggressive Burst Pulse Rifles that will charm you with Kinetic Tremors, which are incredibly rare in the third column of such Rifles! You can create shockwaves to destroy crowds of enemies, helping to clear almost any endgame content. However, equipping either Frenzy or One for All can make it even more effective. The former perk improves damage and speeds up slow reload speed. At the same time, the latter one is capable of increasing damage by 35% when hitting three enemies (20% more damage than Frenzy), which you easily achieve due to constant shockwaves from Kinetic Tremors.
Blast Furnace has great potential to become one of the best Legendary Pulse Rifles Destiny 2 ever had. Also, remember that Blast Furnace is capable of being used in PvP, but we recommend paying attention to other weapons on the list.
BXR-55 Battler
- BXR-55 Battler God Roll:
- Demolitionist
- Incandescent / Adrenaline Junkie
- How To Get It: Dares of Eternity
If you last logged into Dares of Eternity a long time ago, then we recommend that you should definitely go back and farm the BXR-55 Battler. It is helpful for Solar builds tied to Grenades, and you can craft it at any time, which is ideal for the best Pulse Rifles in Destiny 2 PvE. Demolitionist assists in producing Grenade energy faster by annihilating enemies, while also refilling your gun after throwing Grenades. At the same time, Incandescent fries foes, applying Scorch to all nearby enemies after defeating the combatant. If you prefer bonus damage, then Adrenaline Junkie will be your choice.
Oversoul Edict
- Oversoul Edict God Roll:
- Demolitionist
- Voltshot / Adrenaline Junkie
- How To Get It: Crota’s End Raid
Let’s finish our PvE list with the best Rapid-Fire Pulse Rifle in Destiny 2, Oversoul Edict from Crota’s End. This weapon comes with the Cursed Thrall trait by default. After activating the trait with a Melee Final Blow, the weapon kills are going to explode enemies.
The first combination for this D2 Pulse Rifle to pay attention to includes Demolitionist and Voltshot. The first perk gives Grenade energy from Weapon Final Blows and reloads the weapon after using Grenades. Voltshot ideally complements by frying all nearby enemies and proccing Demolitionist after destroying the opponent and reloading. Also, remember about the Origin Trait because it allows you to create a chain reaction of explosions with Voltshot. This combo makes an excellent gun for your loadout in Arc builds and generally helps quickly earn Grenade energy.
At the same time, don’t forget about the existence of such a perk as Adrenaline Junkie. In combination with Demolitionist, you’ll earn Grenade energy fast from Oversoul Edict takedowns and obtain increased damage by 33% with enhanced handling by 20 points from Grenade Final Blows. Thus, Oversoul Edict possesses one of the best Pulse Rifle perks Destiny 2 has with enormous potential for a fun PvE experience.
Destiny 2 Best PvP Pulse Rifle
Now, let’s delve into the next game mode, where you’ll frequently come across this weapon type and find yourself screaming in frustration when someone takes Autumn Wind or something even more nightmarish. Now, you can become the villain of this story by taking note of the following best Pulse Rifle PvP list.
No Time to Explain
- How To Get It: Obtained from Exo Stranger after completing the Beyond Light campaign
In our opinion, of all the D2 Exotic Pulse Rifles, No Time to Explain is ideal for PvP, especially if you are going include Pulse Rifle in your loadouts:
- This weapon has excellent stats, namely Range and Stability
- The NTtE archetype is ideal for PvP, making dealing with the enemy in two bursts possible
- It has an excellent exclusive Time-Slip perk, which opens a portal with bullets flying out of it after ten crit shots, which aids in finishing off enemies
In all aspects, that’s a handy rifle, especially with excellent aim. We recommend earning it as fast as you can, if you want to have the best Exotic Pulse Rifle for PvP.
Elsie’s Rifle
- Elsie’s Rifle God Roll:
- Zen Moment / Keep Away
- Headseeker / Kill Clip
- How To Get It: Onslaught
If you dreamed of the Legendary or Energy No Time to Explain, then your dreams have been turned into reality with the release of Into the Light. Elsie’s Rifle is an exact copy of NTtE from the model to the Stats, which makes it extremely pleasant to hold and one of the reasons why it is the best Energy Pulse Rifle in Destiny 2!
It’ll also not disappoint in terms of perks, as it has some of the greatest combinations for Pulse Rifles. In order to make your Elsie’s Rifle as accurate as possible, it is best to use Zen Moment and Headseeker, especially if you play in Competitive Playlists. However, if you want to achieve Kill Streaks in 6v6 modes, then Keep Away and Kill Clip will be preferable due to Bonus Range and Damage. So, now you know why Elsie’s Rifle is the best Pulse Rifle in Destiny 2 PvP.
Phyllotactic Spiral
- Phyllotactic Spiral God Roll:
- Keep Away
- Headseeker / Kill Clip
- How To Get It: Neomuna
A good alternative to Elsie’s Rifle would be the Phyllotactic Spiral from the Lightfall DLC, which many Guardians consider the best Pulse Rifle for Crucible.
Its main advantage is the ability to be crafted and a decent Origin Trait that will launch a homing missile at the enemy when hitting from 50% of your magazine. Although you won’t find the popular Zen Moment here, Keep Away will be a great alternative due to the buff to Range and Accuracy. In the fourth column, you’ll encounter perks you are already familiar with:
- Headseeker: increases Aim Assist and Crit Damage for body hits.
- Kill Clip: improves damage after reloading post-kill.
The choice, of course, is yours, as both perks are good, although we would prefer to equip the first option for this Destiny 2 PvP Pulse Rifle.
The Messenger
- The Messenger God Roll:
- Moving Target / Rapid Hit
- Keep Away / Headseeker
- How To Get It: Trials of Osiris
Let’s move on to the good old The Messenger, which has held a high position in every Destiny 2 Pulse Rifle tier list for a long time. A feature of this weapon is its Max Range Roll, which does not sacrifice Stability. For this, it is not even necessary to have The Messenger Adept, as Keep Away will be enough. Additionally, you can add Moving Target for Aim Assist and Strafe Speed or Rapid Hit for Stability, but the choice is yours. Headseeker is also present on this Pulse Rifle, and you won’t make a mistake choosing it instead of Keep Away.
Relentless
- Relentless God Roll:
- Keep Away / Rapid Hit
- Headseeker / Zen Moment
- How To Get It: Prophecy
If The Messenger was the king of Range, then Relentless can be considered the king of Stability among all the best Legendary Pulse Rifles for Destiny 2 PvP. Like the previous Pulse Rifles, here you can get a combination of Keep Away and Headseeker, but this is far from what you want to see on it. The best roll on Relentless is Rapid Hit and Zen Moment, and we’ll explain why now.
It is worth talking about Recoil because, due to the new Deterministic System, even with a 65 Recoil Direction, this gun will have completely vertical recoil, so you can forget about Arrowhead, Extended, or Chambered Compensator Barrels. Instead, comfortably use Full Bore, Hammer-forged Rifling, or Small Bore, as Rapid Hit will provide you with high Stability for Crit Hits. In addition, Zen Moment will help you as it provides Flinch Resistance and reduces Recoil. The key component here, of course, is the Origin Trait, giving up to 10 Range in the top half of the magazine and up to 3% Bonus Damage in the lower half.
Oversoul Edict
- Oversoul Edict God Roll:
- Keep Away
- Headseeker
- How To Get It: Crota’s End Raid
Oversoul Edict may satisfy you not only because it is good in PvE but also because it excels in PvP. If you want to have the best craftable Pulse Rifle in Destiny 2 with a PvP roll, then you definitely need to take Keep Away with Headseeker. With these perks, you ensure high Accuracy with a Range boost to this weapon and additional Aim Assistance with bonus precision damage for hitting the body. Some may call this roll boring, but with it, your best PvP Pulse Rifle will shine as it should at long distances and in modes like Trials. Also, don’t forget to maximize your Recoil Direction and Stability, which are the main issues here.
Final Words
With small steps, we have ranked all the amazing Pulse Rifles, and we hope you were able to learn how to choose the Destiny 2 Pulse Rifle god roll on your gun. If you want to thank us somehow, having your likes and comments will make our day better and make it clear that you want to see more of this kind of content. Do you require help farming weapons from a list or completing an activity? In that case, we recommend our Destiny 2 services, where you can even buy Destiny 2 weapons. You save time while we do the routine!
Thanks for reading! Owl is flying away.
Comments