The Linear Fusion Rifle has long struggled to find a niche in Destiny 2. Sandwiched between the area-of-effect burst damage of Rocket Launchers and the precision damage of Exotic sniper rifles like Whisper of the Worm and Izanagi’s Burden, they’ve never really stood out in any situation. That could change next season, owing to a number of balance tweaks Bungie is making to the weapon type. As explained in This Week at Bungie, Linear Fusion Rifles are getting a 15% boost to precision damage as well as a 20% boost to reserve ammo. That might not sound like much, but it might push the weapon type into more regular rotation for PVE activities.
If you want to get your hands on some Linear Fusion Rifles ahead of the buff, here are a few rolls you might want to try out. Unfortunately, many of the best examples of this weapon type (Komodo-4FR, Line in the Sand) have been sunset, and there are now only three Legendary LFRs to work with. But, as sunsetting has now been sunset itself, these rifles should serve you well into the future. We’ll likely get a couple of new additions next season, too.
Sleeper Simulant
Ah, how the mighty have fallen. Sleeper Simulant was once the king of boss DPS, until a series of nerfs more or less knocked it into obscurity. Historically, Exotics haven’t benefitted as much from weapon type buffs as their Legendary siblings, but if Sleeper gets any kind of buff next season it could be a viable melter again. If you don’t have it from the now-vaulted Mars quest, you can buy it from the Monument to Lost Lights for an Exotic Cipher, 125,000 Glimmer, 200 Baryon Bough, and one Ascendant Shard.
Threaded Needle
With a slew of useful perks, Threaded Needle has several different viable rolls. Rapid Hit paired with Vorpal Weapon is your best bet for sustained single-target damage. Clown Cartridge is always a fun perk and will be even better with increased ammo reserves, and putting it alongside Demolitionist or Dragonfly will help in dealing with more numerous, weaker foes. Go for Fluted Barrel or Arrowhead Brake and Liquid Coils, if you can roll them.
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Arbalest
As a Special rather than Power weapon, Arbalest has always had a bit of a following in the Crucible since it doesn’t require Heavy ammo to operate and provides a very satisfying ka-chunk on precision hits. With the boost to precision damage, expect to see it become more popular in PVP. Increased reserves may also make it a more viable weapon in PVE, especially as it negates the Match Game modifier common in high-level activities.
Tarantula
Well, it’s the only non-Exotic Arc Linear Fusion Rifle that isn’t sunset right now. It can get Feeding Frenzy, which is great, and Wellspring, which is pretty good too. Otherwise, it doesn’t have much to recommend it over its peers.
Corsair’s Wrath
A lot of fun perks here, including No Distractions, Firmly Planted, Kill Clip, Demolitionist, High-Impact Reserves, and Outlaw. Plus, you can farm it with Wrathborn quests.
The Queenbreaker
Admit it — you forgot Queenbreaker was in the game. The buff might help this struggling Exotic, though it’s unlikely to put it above Sleeper Simulant in any situation except, perhaps, in Gambit — where it could become an extremely annoying Invader weapon.
