The Best Linear Fusion RIfles In Destiny 2, Ranked

Destiny 2 brought new weapon archetypes for players to experiment with. Submachine Guns, Grenade Launchers, and Linear Fusion Rifles were all new additions to keep the sandbox interesting. Linear’s existed indirectly in the original Destiny with Queenbreaker and Sleeper Simulant, but they never existed as a proper archetype.

These weapons act as Sniper Rifles with a delay before firing, making them well-suited for holding down lanes in PvP or fighting tougher enemies in PvE content. While weaker than many Heavy weapons, they fill a unique niche that most Heavies can’t. Here are the best Linear Fusion Rifles in Destiny 2.

Updated December 20, 2024, by Charles Burgar: Linear Fusion Rifles haven’t been meta in quite some time, but Bungie keeps making strong LFRs that will certainly take up the PvE spotlight once they get inevitably buffed. We’ve updated this list to include some of our favorite LFRs added over the past year.

10

Stormchaser

How to obtain: Duality dungeon.

Stormchaser is one of the strongest Arc LFRs in Destiny 2 currently, and that’s impressive considering it has some tough competition. While its recent charge rate nerf significantly hurt Stormchaser’s overall DPS, it’s still a solid Linear Fusion Rifle and can hang along the likes of Sleeper Simulant.

Unlike most Linear Fusion Rifles in Destiny 2, Stormchaser fires in three-round bursts, each shot releasing three energy shots. A single burst from this gun deals slightly more damage than your average LFR, but this comes at the cost of a noticeable delay between each shot.

Pair these high-damage bursts with Firing Line, and you have yourself a damage monster. And if you can find a way to use weapon surge mods and Radiant on Stormchaser, this gun can stand alongside meta Heavy weapons for Master raids and GM Nightfalls.

Recommended Traits:

• Column One: Clown Cartridge, Rapid Hit
• Column Two: Firing Line (PvE), Frenzy, Vorpal Weapon

9

Sleeper Simulant

How to obtain: Purchased from the Exotic Kiosk in the Tower.

Sleeper Simulant became a fantastic Heavy weapon thanks to the nerfs to all other LFRs in Lightfall. This weapon fires massive, ricocheting lasers that deal excellent body shot damage. Players that struggle to land consistent headshots against bosses won’t be punished as severely while using Sleeper. It hits hard, is easy to use, has a large pool of reserve ammo, and can be used to clear a hallway of adds in a pinch. Not many Linear Fusion Rifles can say the same.

8

Lorentz Driver

How to obtain: Purchased from the Exotic Kiosk in the Tower.

Don’t let the previous nerfs fool you. Lorentz Driver is still a menace of a Special weapon in PvP if you can handle the immense flinch. This weapon is similar to Arbalest, residing in the Energy slot and utilizing Special ammo to snipe targets. But unlike Arbalest, Lorentz Driver has two absurdly strong perks.

Lagrangian Sight, Lorentz Driver’s Exotic perk, gives you wallhacks periodically. If you kill the marked target, you get a telemetry stack. Should you grab three stacks of telemetry, your weapon deals 50% bonus damage for 30 seconds. This allows Lorentz to annihilate majors in PvE and one-tap Guardians to the body in PvP. And since the duration of this effect is so long, it’s quite easy to keep this effect going once it’s active.

If a one-tapping weapon with absurd aim assist still doesn’t have you sold, precision kills will spawn a black hole, pulling targets towards the enemy you just killed. This gives it add-clearing potential as well and can seriously throw off opponents in the Crucible. Masterworking this weapon removes the precision requirement while you have three telemetry stacks, arguably making this one of Destiny 2’s strongest Special weapons for PvP. It’s a great PvE Special as well, but it doesn’t quite beat Arbalest.

7

Arbalest

How to obtain: Exotic Engrams found through Xur or world drops.

Arbalest might not be the strongest Special weapon in PvP anymore, yet this weapon’s usefulness in PvE cannot be overstated. This Linear Fusion Rifle resides in the Kinetic slot, making this one of two Special weapon LFRs in the game.

It hits incredibly hard from a distance, bypasses shield resistances, and reloads after breaking a shield when its Catalyst is installed. It’s great for countering Champions and damaging bosses. Just don’t expect Arbalest to be a headshot magnet in the Crucible; that’s what Lorentz Driver is for.

6

Taipan-4FR

How to obtain: Legendary Engrams; craftable after completing a short quest from The Enclave.

Destiny 2’s first craftable Void LFR is nothing short of a beast. Upon completing a rather short quest from The Enclave’s crafting station, you’ll be able to create a Taipan with the exact roll you desire. That alone makes Taipan a top-tier LFR on this list, but this weapon’s perk combinations make it competitive with current PvE giants.

Triple Tap and Firing Line can roll on this weapon, much like its Stasis cousin. Taipan also comes with Veist Stringer, giving you a chance to automatically reload the magazine from reserves when you hit someone. This gives Taipan the potential for absurdly high sustained DPS that rivals the likes of Reed’s Regret and Cataclysmic. Best of all, it’s craftable and tied to an easy quest. Everyone can make a god roll Taipan if they have a few hours to spare.

Recommended Traits

• Column One: Triple Tap, Field Prep
• Column Two: Firing Line, Frenzy

5

Briar’s Contempt

How to obtain: Root of Nightmares raid.

Briar’s Contempt is the first Aggressive Frame Solar LFR in Destiny 2, obtainable from the Root of Nightmares raid. Solar LFRs have tough competition for the Heavy slot, notably Cataclysmic and Sleeper Simulant. At first glance, Briar’s Contempt seems like a major downgrade to Cataclysmic.

That changes when you start accounting for perks. Rewind Rounds can be paired with either High-Impact Reserves or Focused Fury for some absurd damage potential. Since this weapon hits targets multiple times, it should proc Rewind Rounds consistently in any DPS phase, making reloads a rare occurrence even during long damage phases.

It might not be as easy to use as Sleeper or deal the absurd total damage of Cataclysmic, yet the gun’s DPS perks make it an excellent choice for slaying Champions, Tormentors, and most dungeon bosses.

Recommended Traits

• Column One: Rewind Rounds
• Column Two: Focused Fury, High-Impact Reserves

4

Doomed Petitioner

How to obtain: Occasionally sold by Xur and Banshee-44.

Doomed Petitioner is a three-round burst, Void LFR that has a great DPS perk combination for PvE endgame content. Envious Assassin and Precision Instrument. Get a few kills with your other weapons, swap to Doomed Petitioner, and lay into a tough enemy with your extended magazine and Precision Instrument’s damage buff.

Recommended Traits:

• Column One: Envious Assassin
• Column Two: Precision Instrument

3

Scintillation

How to obtain: Potential Nightfall reward.

There aren’t many good Strand LFRs in the current sandbox, which makes Scintillation a standout for endgame PvE players. This is the only Strand LFR that can get Rewind Rounds with Bait and Switch, an S-tier perk combination for killing Champions and bosses alike. You can also use Envious Assassin in place of Rewind Rounds if you prefer a larger magazine over passive reloads.

Recommended Traits:

• Column One: Envious Assassin
• Column Two: Bait and Switch

2

Cataclysmic

How to obtain: Vow of the Disciple raid.

The strongest Linear Fusion Rifle is Cataclysmic, a Solar LFR that’s obtained from the Vow of the Disciple raid. Most of this weapon’s power comes from its perks, notably the combination of Fourth Time’s the Charm with Bait and Switch. This is currently the only LFR in Destiny 2 that can get Fourth Time’s the Charm, allowing it to fire ten rounds before reloading with the right magazine perk.

Bait and Switch turns this weapon into a monster, granting a 35% damage buff for ten seconds upon landing a hit with all three of your weapons. For comparison, the next strongest damage buff found on LFRs is Firing Line, a 20% damage buff. Proc Bait and Switch, land your headshots, and you’ll top the DPS charts in every endgame PvE activity in Destiny 2.

Recommended Traits:

• Column One: Fourth Time’s the Charm
• Column Two: Bait and Switch, Focused Fury, High-Impact Reserves

1

Mistral Lift

How to obtain: The Dawning event.

Everyone’s favorite space grandma, Eva Levante, has brought a cheerful present to all Guardians this year: Mistral Lift. This triple-burst LFR has a loaded perk pool that you’d normally find on raid gear. Envious Arsenal and Bait and Switch is the best combination you can get here for a hotswap loadout. Damage the enemy with your other weapons, use your Mistral Lift until its magazine runs dries, and repeat.

If you want to use this weapon as more of a mainline Heavy without the need to constantly swap weapons, then you can run Envious Assassin with Precision Instrument for general play. Get some kills with your other weapons, then swap to Mistral Lift to give yourself a massive magazine. The three-round burst function of this weapon will quickly ramp up Precision Instrument, giving you some solid sustained DPS for tough boss fights.

Recommended Traits

• Column One: Envious Assassin, Envious Arsenal, Reconstruction
• Column Two: Bait and Switch, Precision Instrument