The Best PvP Sniper Rifles In Destiny 2

Destiny 2 has a wide range of weapons for Guardians to choose from. From handheld Sidearms to laser rifles, you have hundreds of options for disintegrating your foes in the Crucible. Sniper Rifles serve as one of Destiny 2’s most satisfying weapon archetypes, capable of one-taps to the head.

With enough skill, a good Sniper Rifle user can swing a Crucible match in their team’s favor. Limited ammo does hurt Sniper Rifles when compared to other categories, yet no other Special in Destiny 2 can one-shot players from such great distances. If you’re looking to become a sniping powerhouse, these ten weapons will make that journey a little easier.

Updated December 29, 2024, by Charles Burgar: The Garden of Salvation weapons received a major perk reissue in Episode: Revenant, greatly buffing the likes of Reckless Oracle and Prophet of Doom. Omniscient Eye, the raid’s Sniper Rifle, has become a solid PvP option thanks to this perk refresh. We’ve updated this list to include the newest version of this weapon, noting all perk combinations that help it stand out.

10

Omniscient Eye

How to obtain: Garden of Salvation raid.

Omniscient Eye saw a perk refresh in Episode: Revenant. Calling it an upgrade would be a major understatement; this weapon has some of the best PvP perk combinations you can find on a Sniper, provided you’re OK using a 140RPM Sniper Rifle with fairly low zoom.

The standout combination here is Lone Wolf with Closing Time, drastically improving the weapon’s stats as your magazine gets lower. If you snipe alone, you’ll receive near-instant ADS speed and close to 100 aim assist, offsetting the weapon’s low zoom somewhat. You can also go with the classic roll of Elemental Capacitor with Opening Shot for general consistency. Even if you don’t like low zoom Sniper Rifles, give Omniscient Eye a go.

Recommended Traits

• Column One: Lone Wolf, Elemental Capacitor, Mulligan
• Column Two: Closing Time, Opening Shot

9

Occluded Finality

How to obtain: Iron Banner matches and Engrams.

Occluded Finality is a weapon you either love or hate; there’s no in-between. Obtained from Iron Banner, this Sniper Rifle can reach 100 range and has a zoom value of 58. In layman’s terms, this gun has the Hubble Telescope installed atop the receiver. When you ADS, you’ll be looking into your enemy’s very soul.

If you can get used to the absurd zoom, Occluded Finality is one of the most forgiving Sniper Rifles in Destiny 2. Headshots are a common occurrence with this gun, especially if your roll has Opening Shot. Give this weapon a try if you get one to drop; you’ll be surprised just how consistent this sniper can be.

Recommended Traits

8

Defiance Of Yasmin

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

Consistency is the Defiance of Yasmin’s specialty. Excellent base stats, a scope that only appears while aiming, and a great perk pool make this one of Destiny 2’s best Sniper Rifles for the Crucible. If you don’t mind Adaptive Frames, this weapon is for you.

Snapshot Sights and Opening Shot is a great roll for most PvP modes, making it easy to land a quick headshot mid-duel. And if you don’t mind dropping your aim assist value, this weapon’s Slickdraw perk is effectively pre-nerf Quickdraw
at the cost of aim assist, effectively capping your Handling stat at 100.

Lane snipers can use No Distractions, players that love 6v6 modes might enjoy Firefly
, and just about every Sniper main will like Snapshot Sights. If you enjoy sniping at all in Destiny 2, give the Defiance of Yasmin a try.

Recommended Traits

• Column One: Snapshot Sights, Firefly, No Distractions

• Column Two: Opening Shot, Slickdraw,
  Moving Target

7

Beloved

How to obtain: Presage Exotic mission; craftable at the Enclave.

Beloved is a reprised Sniper Rifle that originally debuted in Season of Opulence. Back then, most players considered Beloved to be the strongest PvP Sniper Rifle in the game. Plenty of changes have happened since then, so how does Beloved hold up today?

It’s still a powerhouse in today’s sandbox. Despite the changes to aim assist and ammo economy, Beloved is still one of the most responsive Sniper Rifles in the game. Its classic Quickdraw and Snapshot Sights combo is back, but don’t sleep on Surplus and Incandescent.

Recommended Traits

• Column One: Snapshot Sights, Surplus
• Column Two: Quickdraw, Incandescent

6

Cloudstrike

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

Landing a headshot is one thing, but you haven’t truly experienced the joys of sniping until you’ve wiped an entire team with a single Cloudstrike
shot. This Exotic Sniper Rifle releases lightning bolts from the sky whenever you land a precision final blow. This lightning bolt is capable of one-shotting Guardians at all Resilience levels, perfect for 6v6 modes.

Even in more competitive 3v3 activities, Cloudstrike manages to impress. Great base stats and a clean scope make sniping a breeze in the right hands. Spec for additional handling through mods and its Exotic Catalyst, and you have yourself one of Destiny 2’s best Sniper Rifles for PvP.

5

Mechabre

How to obtain: Festival of the Lost event, currently unobtainable.

Mechabre returns during Destiny’s annual Festival of the Lost event, featuring an excellent perk pool and high base stat package. This weapon is a 72 RPM Sniper RIfle that deals Arc damage, sacrificing handling and aim assist for a high range value fo 74. Mechabre also features 45 zoom with a clear scope, making it fairly easy to land headshots with.

This is especially true once you get a good perk combination on Mechabre. Snapshot Sights and Opening Shot is a classic combination for just about every PvP Sniper Rifle, and Mechabre is no exception. Snapshot pairs nicely with the Search Party origin trait as well, offering a 0.85x ADS scalar when no allies are nearby.

You can take this even further with Discord in the final column. This takes the place of Opening Shot, but you’ll receive a massive ADS scalar and refunded ammo on kills. If you love slaying out with Sniper Rifles, keep an eye out for Mechabre’s return later this year.

Recommended Traits

• Column One: Snapshot Sights
• Column Two: Opening Shot, Discord

4

Succession

How to obtain: Onslaught playlist and Brave Engrams.

Succession’s reissue has made it an S-tier PvP Sniper Rifle for aggressive players. This is currently the only obtainable weapon with Discord and Snapshot Sights. Mechabre could also get this roll, but it’s currently unobtainable. This combination turns Succession into an extremely fast 72 RPM Sniper Rifle that can land headshots like no one’s business.

The best part is that Discord refunds ammo on kills, allowing you to chain back-to-back headshots if your aim is true. It might not have the best stats or land headshots on autopilot, but if you want to wield a Sniper Rifle that can circumvent the PvP ammo changes, this is it.

Recommended Traits

• Column One: Discord
• Column Two: Snapshot Sights

3

Critical Anomaly

How to obtain: Salvation’s Edge raid.

Critical Anomaly is the first 72RPM Sniper Rifle to roll with both Quickdraw and Snapshot Sights simultaneously. This is absurdly powerful for aggressive PvP sniping, especially on this archetype. Critical Anomaly is also fully craftable and has an Adept variant you can earn from Master Salvation’s Edge, giving this a massive stat advantage over other options.

If you can get an Adept version and don’t mind boosting your handling through other means—such as Ophidian Aspects, Speedloader Slacks
, or Dragon’s Shadow—then you can drop Quickdraw for Opening Shot. Fluted Barrel
, a Handling Masterwork, and Adept Handling gives this weapon a whopping 65 Handling. Throw on Ophidian Aspect, and you have an Aggressive Frame with 100 handling, 100 range, and absurdly fast ADS speed.

Recommended Traits

• Column One: Opening Shot, Quickdraw
• Column Two: Snapshot Sights

2

Mercurial Overreach

How to obtain: Competitive Crucible Reward.

Mercurial Overreach is the spiritual successor to Revoker, a Pinnacle Sniper Rifle from years past. It’s a 90 RPM Sniper Rifle that deals Arc damage, and it’s nothing short of a stat monster. It has 65 base range, 54 stability, and 52 handling with no perks. It can also roll stocks in place of an origin trait, giving this weapon the best stat package out of all Adaptive Snipers.

If you prefer a more consistent Sniper Rifle for tough 3v3 modes, Mercurial Overreach is up to the task. Snapshot Sights and Opening Shot is a classic sniper combo that works well here, making this weapon a headshot magnet on your first shot. If you use Sniper Rifles aggressively, you might want to consider Firmly Planted or Discord.

Mercurial Overreach also has some more experimental perks that shouldn’t be ignored. Mulligan
is a major outlier here, giving missed shots a 20% chance to refund ammo directly to your magazine. Vorpal Weapon is also an option if you want to one-tap any Super with a single headshot. And if you just want to buff this weapon’s base stats, give Elemental Capacitor a try.

Recommended Traits

• Column One: Snapshot Sights, Firmly Planted, Discord
• Column Two: Opening Shot, Elemental Capacitor

1

Eye Of Sol

How to obtain: Trials of Osiris matches and Engrams.

Eye of Sol has returned in Season of the Wish, complete with origin traits and a new perk pool. This is a 90 RPM Kinetic Sniper Rifle with an above-average stat package. Mercurial Overreach has powercrept Eye of Sol somewhat in the stat department, but Eye of Sol makes up for that with perks.

Easily the best perk combination on offer is Moving Target
and Opening Shot. When both perks are active, this weapon has a whopping 98 aim assist and up to 100 range. Throw on a targeting mod, and you can easily hit 100 aim assist. And thanks to Eye of Sol originating from Trials, you can get an Adept variant of this gun to further boost its stats.

A perfect roll can get 100 range, 60+ handling, and 100 aim assist with a single targeting mod. No other Adaptive Sniper Rifle can achieve an aim assist value that high, not even Mercurial Overreach. It isn’t the snappiest Sniper Rifle, but Eye of Sol is definitely the most consistent. Make every shot count, as you don’t have access to perks like Discord.

Recommended Traits

• Column One: Moving Target
• Column Two: Opening Shot