Fusion rifles are among the trickier weapons to learn in Destiny 2, requiring a moment to charge up before unleashing a flurry of bolts that can be difficult to aim. But used properly, they’re some of the most effective tools in a Guardian’s arsenal. From clearing adds to melting bosses to one-shotting enemies in the Crucible, fusion rifles can do it all. Here are our picks for the best fusion rifles in Destiny 2.
Destiny 2 Best PVE Fusion Rifles
1. Cartesian Coordinate
Introduced back in the Season of the Lost, Cartesian Coordinate remains one of the best fusion rifles in the game. This Legendary Solar fusion rifle left a mark on Destiny 2 with its Rapid-Fire Frame. It is quite powerful thanks to its god roll traits Lead from Gold and Vorpal Weapon. The first allows you to pick ammo for this weapon by collecting heavy ammo, and the second one provides increased damage against vehicles, Guardians, and bosses with their Super active.
God Roll: Lead from Gold, Vorpal Weapon.
2. Deliverance
One of the most popular picks for a reliable and powerful fusion rifle, the Deliverance provides a huge DPS output with its many useful traits. Also, you can craft this kinetic Stasis fusion rifle into a god roll. The Demolitionist trait generates 20% grenade energy after every kill and automatically reloads your reserve’s weapon after activating your grenade ability. Then, Chill Clip trait grants each hit with the top half of your magazine to cause detonation that slows down nearby targets.
God Roll: Demolitionist, Chill Clip.
3. Loaded Question
High Impact fusion rifles are known to pack a punch and Loaded Question is no different. Reprised in Season of the Deep, brand-new perks bring it up-to-date with the sandbox and it is a force to be reckoned with in PVE and PVP. Overflow and Envious Assassin are no-brainers for the third column, but when it comes to the fourth column, both Controlled Burst and Reservoir Burst are top choices. Reservoir Burst is excellent for ad-clear, while Controlled Burst has great burst damage.
God Roll: Overflow/Envious Assassin, Reservoir Burst/Controlled Burst.
4. Techeun Force
Techeun Force became craftable with brand-new perks, turning itself into a new champion for PVE fusion rifles with the Controlled Burst perk. It’s an Arc Adaptive Frame weapon, and the only fusion rifle with that archetype to have such a perk. While it is the best choice when it comes to PVE, Golden Tricorn and Collective Action are alternatives. In the third column, it has Envious Assassin, Reconstruction and Rewind Rounds, all of which are great choices but Rewind Rounds in particular can let players fire every shot without needing to reload.
God Roll: Rewind Rounds, Controlled Burst.
5. Merciless
For many Destiny 2 players, the Merciless Solar fusion rifle is the go-to fusion rifle of the bunch—and this choice is a relatively recent one, thanks to a major buff to the weapon that happened when the Season of the Seraph launched. Conserve Momentum and Impetus traits greatly benefit Merciless. The increased charging rate no longer resets whenever you kill a target. Also, reloading after a kill increases the weapon’s damage output. What used to be the weapon’s biggest drawback has become the best selling point for the Merciless.
Exotic Trait: Conserve Momentum, Impetus.
6. Riptide
Arguably one of the best fusion rifles for Destiny 2 veterans is the Riptide. As a Crucible weapon, it is relatively easy to unlock, so there’s no excuse to avoid this weapon from being part of your arsenal. The best trait combination for the Riptide in PVE is the Auto-Loading Holster and the Chill Clip. Auto-Loading Holster reloads the holstered weapons after 2.5 seconds. The Chill Clip trait makes hits from the top half of the magazine detonate and slow down enemies — with Riptide’s Rapid-Fire archetype, this weapon is like a rapid-firing grenade launcher. This will guarantee chaos to ensue, much to the Guardian’s delight.
God Roll: Auto-Loading Holster, Chill Clip.
7. The Eremite
The Eremite is a seasonal weapon for Season of the Witch. It is a High Impact Solar fusion rifle with Controlled Burst in the fourth column, and it can also roll with Envious Assassin. This makes it a great choice for people who aren’t keen on farming Nightfalls for a Loaded Question. Moreover, this weapon is craftable, which makes it all that much easier to get your hands on a god roll. Considering this is a Solar fusion rifle, Envious Assassin with Controlled Burst effectively turns this weapon into a legendary Merciless.
God Roll: Envious Assassin, Controlled Burst.
8. Iterative Loop
Iterative Loop is a Neomuna-exclusive craftable fusion rifle. It is a Rapid Fire Arc fusion rifle with an excellent perk pool to choose from for both ad-clear and DPS. Lead from Gold, Grave Robber or Compulsive Reloader with perks like Volsthot or Demolitionist are solid picks for PVE. Also, this fusion rifle comes with the Nanotech Tracer Rockets origin trait, adding a homing rocket to every fourth shot. The origin trait combined with Voltshot is a delight and well worth getting the Deepsight patterns for.
God Roll: Lead From Gold/Compulsive Reloader, Voltshot/Demolitionist.
9. Pressurized Precision
Pressurized Precision was the first Strand fusion rifle in the game, and it currently drops from Iron Banner. It’s an Adaptive Frame fusion rifle and it has everything you could want from a good fusion rifle. Solid PVE perks like Auto-Loading Holster with Vorpal or Hatchling pair beautifully with the Strand subclass.
God Roll: Auto-Loading Holster, Vorpal/Hatchling.
10. Nox Perennial V
This is the second Strand fusion rifle in Destiny 2. This High Impact fusion rifle is a world drop, and it has some of the strongest perks for a fusion rifle. Perks like Lead from Gold or Envious Assassin with Controlled Burst, Hatchling or the brand-new Collective Action are top combinations for PVE. It also has the Wild Card origin trait that drops little Telesto-like bolts on final blows, which can do quite a lot of damage with the right aspect and fragment setup.
God Roll: Lead From Gold/Envious Assassin, Controlled Burst.
Those are our picks for the best Destiny 2 fusion rifles right now. Did we miss your go-to voop gun? Let us know in the comments. We’ll update this post alongside most major Destiny 2 updates to add and remove any contenders for best available fusion rifles.
