The Best PvP Fusion Rifles In Destiny 2

Destiny 2’s PvP sandbox is constantly changing. The meta sees continuous shifts between each season, ranging from small balance changes to complete overhauls of certain weapon types. Fusion Rifles received a rather major rework years ago, adjusting charge times and bolts fired per burst. The end result is a much more diverse set of weapons to vaporize your enemies, both in PvE and PvP.

For the Crucible, Fusion Rifles act as a longer-range version of Shotguns with charge time. If you can master your timing with these weapons, you’ll be rewarded with a powerhouse of a Special weapon that can disintegrate targets from most distances. Today, we’ll be looking at the best Fusion Rifles you can use in the Crucible.

Updated December 28, 2024, by Charles Burgar: Fusion Rifles have seen some changes since our last update. Some much stronger Fusion Rifles have been added, and the general perk meta has shifted more towards Closing Time and Lone Wolf. As a result, we’ve updated this list to include much stronger entries and refreshed perk recommendations.

10

Jotunn

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

Jotunn is less of a Fusion Rifle and more of a heat-seeking missile. This arm cannon releases a Solar projectile that aggressively tracks targets, capable of one-tapping Guardians on a direct hit. The Catalyst for this weapon also gives it Incandescent, spreading Scorch on kill. This can be useful for applying pressure on enemies or preventing them from healing.

The weapon itself is the ultimate answer to mid-range duels. Start charging, peak the enemy, then fire the shot to land an easy kill. Longer distances give the opponent enough time to strafe out of the projectile, and the lengthy charge time prevents Jotunn from being a CQC monster. Even with those downsides, Jotunn is incredibly easy to use and an amazing pick for PvP newcomers.

9

Deliverance

How to obtain: Vow of the Disciple raid; craftable at the Enclave.

Deliverance is a Precision Frame Fusion Rifle with a monstrous stat package, beating all other Precision Frames in base range, stability, aim assist, and airborne effectiveness. It also has an above-average zoom level of 16, although this is actually subpar when compared to most Precision Frame Fusion Rifles.

If the stat package wasn’t enough, Deliverance has a fantastic set of perks to roll from. Perpetual Motion and Tap the Trigger is incredible for general play, making this weapon a laser at all distances. If you want to slay out with this gun, try Heating Up and Successful Warm-Up to turn this weapon into a stronger Rapid-Fire Frame upon landing a kill. The weapon is also fully craftable once you acquire enough red border drops.

Recommended Traits

• Column One: Perpetual Motion, Heating Up, Demolitionist
• Column Two: Tap the Trigger, Successful Warm-Up

8

Techeun Force

How to obtain: Last Wish raid; craftable at the Enclave.

Techeun Force has always been a great Fusion Rifle since it was originally released in Forsaken. But thanks to its perk refresh in Season of the Deep, Techeun Force is now an absolute powerhouse that’s craftable. This Adaptive Frame
Fusion Rifle did see some indirect nerfs in Y6 with changes to Under Pressure and Rangefinder, but this weapon is still a great pick.

Under Pressure is still the ultimate consistency perk for Fusion Rifles despite repeated nerfs from Bungie. The added accuracy and stability make this weapon far more consistent within its range band. To further improve its consistency, you can either run High-Impact Reserves to guarantee a five-bolt kill within your effective range or Kickstart to push your range band out slightly, thanks to its 15% damage bonus.

Both perks are excellent options for Techeun Force; what you pick is ultimately down to preference. Spec this weapon for range perks and a charge time Masterwork for optimal results.

Recommended Traits

• Column One: Under Pressure
• Column Two: High-Impact Reserves, Kickstart

7

Midha’s Reckoning

How to obtain: King’s Fall raid; craftable at the Enclave.

High-Impact Frame Fusion Rifles aren’t commonly seen in the Crucible, notably due to their incredibly slow charge time. Midha’s Reckoning solves this issue through its unique perk combinations, one of which makes this weapon an absolute powerhouse in the right hands.

Those looking to go on killing sprees will love Backup Mag and Successful Warm-Up. This combination gives you a rapid burst immediately after swapping to Midha’s Reckoning. Land a kill, and now Successful Warm-Up will speed up your charge time, making this weapon feel closer to an Adaptive Frame
Fusion.

Recommended Traits

• Column One: Backup Plan
• Column Two: Kickstart, Successful Warm-Up

6

Axial Lacuna

How to obtain: The Pale Heart activities.

Precisoin Frame Fusions are a fantastic option in PvP due to their minimal recoil, and Axial Lacuna is no exception. Found in Pale Heart content, this craftable Fusion Rifle has a great perk pool that excels in the Crucible, even it it’s a little uninspired.

Your best pick here is going to be Firmly Planted mixed with Kickstart. Sliding into a fight will buff the weapon’s charge time and greatly improve your accuracy. If you aren’t a fan of Firmly Planted, you can also try Threat Detector in the first column for a more lenient boost to stability and handling.

Recommended Traits

• Column One: Firmly Planted, Threat Detector
• Column Two: Kickstart

5

Zealot’s Reward

How to obtain: Garden of Salvation raid.

At first glance, Zealot’s Reward might appear to be a subpar Fusion Rifle. It’s part of the Rapid-Fire archetype, has average stats despite being a raid weapon, and has a fairly small perk pool. This weapon has no right being as good as it is, yet Zealot’s Reward is capable of melting Guardians with tight bursts in a fraction of a second.

That’s mostly due to this weapon’s elite perk package. The classic combination of Under Pressure and Kickstart is present here for a solid, aggressive Fusion Rifle, but there are some other strong options here. Closing Time is absurdly strong and effectively gives your Fusion Rifle a variant of Opening Shot, greatly buffing your accuracy and range as your magazine decreases. You can even run Successful Warm-Up for quick multikills for 6v6 modes. Best of all, it’s craftable.

Recommended Traits

• Column One: Under Pressure
• Column Two: Closing Time, Kickstart, Successful Warm-Up

4

Glacioclasm

How to obtain: The Dawning event.

Glacioclasm oscillates between meta-defining and subpar every year it’s reissued. This year, it’s closer to the former category. That’s thanks to the inclusion of Lone Wolf and Closing Time in this version’s perk pool, two S-tier perks that effectively remove the major downsides of High-Impact Fusions: slow ADS speed and notable bolt spread.

Of course, you can run other perks on Glacioclasm and perform quite well. Slideshot with Closing Time is also a fantastic combination for conservative players who don’t mind sliding around corners while charging their Fusion Rifle. Play your distance properly, and this weapon will reward you with easy one-burst kills.

Recommended Traits

• Column One: Lone Wolf, Slideshot
• Column Two: Closing Time

3

VS Gravitic Arrest

How to obtain: Vesper’s Host dungeon.

VS Gravitic Arrest might not be craftable like most Fusion Rifles on this list, but this weapon has strong perk combinations that are difficult to find elsewhere. Chief among them is Heating Up with Fragile Focus. Kills with this weapon will drastically increase your recoil direction, stability, and accuracy. Fragile Focus will then boost your range, making this weapon an absolute monster after you land a kill.

For a more neutral-friendly setup, you can’t go wrong with Under Pressure and Closing Time, giving this weapon a ton of bonus accuracy towards the bottom end of your magazine. It won’t map Guardians like a Sniper Rifle, but it can hold its own at most Fusion Rifle distances.

Recommended Traits

• Column One: Under Pressure, Heating Up
• Column Two: Closing Time, Kickstart, Fragile Focus

2

Pressurized Precision

How to obtain: Iron Banner matches and Engrams.

The Eliksni have blessed the Iron Banner loot pool with Destiny 2’s first Strand Fusion Rifle. Pressurized Precision is an Adaptive Frame that has surprisingly good stats for its archetype, beating out other Adaptives in nearly every category. Every roll also comes with the amazing Skulking Wolf origin trait, hiding you from enemy radar when you land a kill at low health.

As for perks, this weapon is loaded with great options. The third column has classics like Perpetual Motion, Moving Target
, and Firmly Planted to improve the gun’s consistency. And if you’re quite good at slaying with Fusions, this is currently the only Fusion Rifle that can roll with Discord.

In the fourth column, High-Impact Reserves is the ideal choice for improving this weapon’s consistency, lowering your bolts-to-kill requirement by one. Rangefinder isn’t a bad option either, although the range and zoom decoupling that occurred in Y6 has made this perk less desirable. If you use your Fusion as a backup weapon, Eye of the Storm is also a great option.

Recommended Traits

• Column One: Perpetual Motion, Moving Target, Firmly Planted, Discord
• Column Two: High-Impact Reserves, Eye of the Storm, Rangefinder

1

Burden Of Guilt

How to obtain: Trials of Osiris Legacy Focusing.

Burden of Guilt is the most versatile Fusion Rifle in Destiny 2, at least when it comes to PvP. This Adaptive Frame Fusion Rifle features an amazing base stat package and wide range of perks. Rolls can dramatically change how this gun feels, more so than other Fusion Rifles. Part of that is due to the gun’s ability to use Adept mods if you get an Adept variant, but it’s mostly the perks that make this gun a monster.

Killing Wind and Successful Warm-Up is a great combination for general play, buffing the gun’s charge time and range when you land a kill. With the right roll, Killing Wind can get you close to 100 range. If you prefer stability, use Elemental Capacitor on Void or Perpetual Motion to further buff this gun’s stats.

It might not be able to one-burst Guardians from any distance, but Burden of Guilt’s base stats and perk pool make this a versatile Special weapon that any Fusion Rifle enthusiast can appreciate.

Recommended Traits

• Column One: Killing Wind, Perpetual Motion, Elemental Capacitor
• Column Two: Successful Warm-Up, High-Impact Reserves