Fusion Rifles are Destiny's take on energy guns, firing a burst of energy after a short wind-up time. These weapons might have longer ranges than Shotguns, but their behavior and perk combinations make them quite unique.
These weapons might not be as easy to use as most Special weapons, but Fusion Rifles offer a playstyle that no other weapon can offer. Thanks to its unique perks and Exotics, Fusion Rifles are great weapons to use against majors, most bosses, and endgame activities with many Champions. Here are the best Fusion Rifles players should have in Destiny 2.
Updated July 20, 2023, by Charles Burgar: Fusion Rifles have started to become a more popular option for Special weapon DPS in raids and GM Nightfalls, making them a sought-after PvE weapon archetype. To ensure that our recommendations are as useful as possible, we've rewritten this list to be focused on PvE activities. We've replaced many entries and rewrote any remaining ones to focus solely on PvE content, showcasing the best perk combinations and synergies that make these weapons worth using in endgame content, seasonal activities, and everything in between.
10 Snorri FR5
How to obtain: Legendary world Engrams.
If you love explosions or Fusion Rifles, keep an eye out for Snorri FR5. This weapon is an amazing platform for Reservoir Burst Fusion Rifles thanks to its origin triat: Compulsive Reloader.
Snorri has a fairly smooth gameplay loop compared to many Reservoir Burst Fusions. Fire a shot, reload in an instant thanks to Compulsive Reloader, and repeat. Paired with Volatile Rounds, this weapon can create a copious amount of explosions that is tough to beat. It has been powercrept by Royal Executioner and Loaded Question, but Snorri is undeniably a fantastic Fusion Rifle if you're lucky enough to get one to drop.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Compulsive Reloader
- Column Two: Reservoir Burst, Successful Warm-Up
9 Vex Mythoclast
How to obtain: Vault of Glass raid.
Vex Mythoclast is technically a Fusion Rifle so it belongs on this list, but this gun behaves closer to an Auto Rifle than a proper Fusion. Holding down the trigger causes this weapon to fire energy bolts that behave identically to an Auto Rifle. Landing kills will charge up the gun which, at max charge, morph this weapon into a Linear Fusion Rifle.
That versatility and raw damage output come together to make Vex Mythoclast an amazing Primary for virtually every build. It hit hards, works well at all ranges, and has great synergy with armor mods and certain Exotic armor pieces. If you're lucky enough to get this weapon to drop from the Vault of Glass raid, it's definitely worth using.
8 Merciless
How to obtain: Exotic Engrams; occasionally sold by Xur.
If you don't own a good Special weapon for boss DPS phases, Merciless might be a weapon worth grabbing. This High-Impact Frame Fusion Rifle fires a barrage of Solar projectiles that reduce the gun's charge time, similar to how the Controlled Burst perk works. Land 15 bolts, and the gun will charge faster than virtually every Fusion Rifle in the game, obliterating anything you're aiming at. It also comes with a stronger version of Kill Clip as its second perk, letting you melt Champions and other miniboss targets with ease.
Despite the weapon's incredible burst DPS, Merciless' ammo economy prevents it from breaking into the meta. It chews through your ammo about as quick as it kills targets, so you'll need to have some ammo finders or Special Finisher handy to prevent your ammo reserves from running dry. If you can manage that, this gun is nothing short of a menace against Champions and bosses with small health pools. Pair this gun with an auto-reloading effect like Rain of Fire to further boost the gun's DPS.
7 Telesto
How to obtain: Exotic Engrams; occasionally sold by Xur.
Telesto fans frequently call it the "besto" of Fusion Rifles, and they have a point. Telesto is an Exotic Fusion Rifle that, when it's not breaking Destiny 2 in some obscure way, stands as one of the best Special weapons in the game.
This is thanks to its Exotic perk causing Telesto to fire Void projectiles that stick to objects. This technically gives Telesto infinite range. Better yet, Telesto auto-loads itself upon landing a double kill, making it one of the best Special weapons for add-clear in the entire game. Paired with Volatile Rounds, Telesto can cause enemies to explode solely by hitting them. This weapon's potential for mayhem is endless and is definitely worth the Exotic slot.
6 Cartesian Coordiante
How to obtain: Rarely sold by Xur.
Cartesian Coordinate hasn't been in the loot pool in a few seasons, but this weapon is so powerful that it tops the Special DPS charts against most of its peers, even when accounting for more recent Fusion Rifles. This weapon is a Rapid-Fire Frame that deals Solar damage, making it perfect for Solar builds and short DPS phases alike.
Banshee-44 sold a god roll years ago with Lead From Gold and Vorpal Weapon, the ideal perk combination for this gun. If you've been looking for a good Special weapon for DPS phases, check your Vault and see if you bought it. If not, keep an eye on the Dares of Eternity loot pool to see if it ever comes back. Royal Executioner and Merciless might be obtainable still, but neither weapon can deal the same amount of single-target damage as Cartesian Coordinate.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Lead From Gold
- Column Two: Vorpal Weapon
5 Royal Executioner
How to obtain: Defiant activities and Engrams; craftable at the Enclave.
If you never got your hands on Cartesian Coordinate and want a good Special weapon, Royal Executioner is a great option. This is an Adaptive Frame Fusion Rifle that deals Solar damage. While it's not the Rapid-Fire Frame of Cartesian, this gun does have some fantastic perk combinations that more than make up for this.
Most players looking to craft this weapon should use Envious Assassin and Reservoir Burst. Kills with your other weapons will overflow the magazine if you swap to Royal Executioner shortly thereafter. You can achieve a whopping 18 rounds in the magazine this way, most of which will benefit from Reservoir Burst. This makes Royal Executioner an add-slaying monster and solid backup DPS option. It's not quite as good as Techeun Force or Riptide for boss DPS, but it's close enough and far more versatile. And if you don't like Reservoir Burst, consider alternatives like Successful Warm-Up for rapid shots or Incandescent for Solar builds.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Envious Assassin
- Column Two: Reservoir Burst, Successful Warm-Up, Incandescent
4 Deliverance
How to obtain: Vow of the Disciple raid.
Vow of the Disciple introduced the first Legendary Fusion Rifle to go in the Kinetic slot. That fact alone makes this Fusion Rifle worth chasing, yet its perk combinations are what makes this weapon worth chasing. PvE players can turn Deliverance into a crowd-control machine and excellent Anti-Champion weapon.
By far the most interesting perk on Deliverance is Chill Clip, causing the top half of your magazine to release slow AoEs with each projectile hit. Not only does this provide excellent crowd control, but Chill Clip also synergizes with Stasis Aspects and Fragments. Paired with Demolitionist in the first column, you can create a build with infinite ability charges using just this weapon with Stasis. For non-Stasis wielders, Successful Warm-Up and Cornered turns this weapon into a Rapid-Fire Frame, or you can use Cornered with Surrounded to barrel stuff targets with Stasis projectiles. There's a roll for every playstyle here. And since the weapon is craftable, it's possible to get the exact roll you want.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Demolitionist, Successful Warm-Up
- Column Two: Chill Clip, Cornered
3 Loaded Question
How to obtain: Potential Nightfall reward.
Arguably one of Destiny 2's most iconic pinnacle weapons, Loaded Question is back in Season of the Deep and better than ever. This was the first Fusion Rifle to roll with Reservoir Burst, buffing the top end of your magazine with a high-damage, explosive burst. Not only is that perk back with this iteration, but Loaded Question now has some amazing perks to pair with it.
The standout combination here is Overflow with Reservoir Burst. This allows you to fire an entire magazine's worth of shots buffed by Reservoir Burst, turning Loaded Question into an add-slaying machine. If DPS is what you're after, you can use Auto-Loading Holster or Demolitionist paired with Controlled Burst. It might not top the DPS of Techeun Force or Rapid-Fire Fusions, but Loaded Question's add-slaying potential cannot be overstated.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Overflow, Auto-Loading Holster, Demolitionist
- Column Two: Controlled Burst, Reservoir Burst
2 Techeun Force
How to obtain: Last Wish raid.
Techeun Force was originally known for its unique Kill Clip and Rampage perk combination when it first released, the only Fusion Rifle that could roll with both perks simultaneously. Season of the Deep refreshed all Last Wish perk pools, giving Techeun Force arguably the strongest PvE perk traits we've seen thus far.
Most players are going to want a roll with Reconstruction and Controlled Burst. The former auto-loads the weapon up to double capacity, making it great for just about every situation. Controlled Burst buffs this weapon's fire rate and damage if you can land all of your bolts in each burst, making this perfect for taking down Champions and bosses alike. Rewind Rounds and Golden Tricorn is also an option for a more active playstyle, although we find Controlled Burst to be far easier to use. If you're able to raid, Techeun Force is more than worth farming for.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Reconstruction, Rewind Rounds
- Column Two: Controlled Burst, Golden Tricorn
1 Riptide
How to obtain: Crucible matches.
Riptide is the first Rapid-Fire Fusion Rifle to reside in the Kinetic slot. Featuring great base Handling, this weapon works as a great backup weapon for DPS phases or tense endgame activities. It might lack in terms of damage falloff when compared to other Fusion archetypes, yet the perks on Riptide more than make up for this.
The best roll for this gun is for Chill Clip and Auto-Loading Holster. This lets Riptide act as a type of blinding grenade launcher, slowing targets on hit to effectively disable enemy AI. That Stasis slow also causes Overload Champions to get stunned. Fire enough bolts and you'll freeze the target outright, stunning Unstoppables and preventing Barriers from deploying their shield. If you can become Radiant through some means, Riptide will pierce Barrier shields. This makes Riptide capable of countering all three Champion types on its own.
If you don't care about Champions, Riptide is also fantastic for boss DPS phases since it is effectively a Stasis version of Cartesian Coordinate. Lead From Gold and Vorpal Weapon can roll on this weapon to improve your ammo economy and boss DPS, respectively. Lead From Gold can also be replaced with great alternatives like Field Prep, Auto-Loading Holster, and Ensemble. Simply put, Riptide is an S-tier Special weapon that benefits every build in Destiny 2. It counters Champions, deals great damage, and is easy to use.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Lead From Gold, Auto-Loading Holster, Field Prep
- Column Two: Chill Clip, Vorpal Weapon, Frenzy