Best Destiny 2 Scout Rifles for PVE and PVP: Tier list

Scout rifles have come a long way. They went from the worst primary weapons in the entire game to must-have tools for endgame content. In fact, some of them are considered to be among the top weapons in Destiny 2.

But because Scout rifles, in general, aren’t necessarily considered the best weapon type, we’ll be ranking them based on their relative strength to each other.

In this guide, we’ll cover both Exotic and Legendary Scout rifles (including their god rolls) for PVE and PVP, and show you where and how to obtain them.

List updated as of Season of the Splicer (S14).

Destiny 2 Scout Rifles Tier list

These are the different Tier levels used for this ranking:

S Tier – Best: Highest ranking weapon types.
A Tier – Strong: Very strong weapon types, but not on the same level as S Tier Choices.
B Tier – Average: Decent choices that can be lethal in the hands of a skilled player.
C Tier – Weak: The middle of the pack, somewhat mediocre.
D Tier – Worst: Lagging behind the competition, these don’t have much to offer.

About TTK: Measured in seconds, TTK, or time-to-kill, is critical in PVP, because the lowest the TTK, the faster you can kill your opponent. You can read all about it in our TTK guide.

Name	Weapons	Type	Archetype	Ammo	Element	Requirements	Available?	Rank	Source	Tier rank	Source ❘ DLC	Final Verdict	Released	Perks
Staccato-46	Staccato-46	Scout Rifle	Precision	Primary	Solar	Free-to-Play	Yes	Ongoing	World loot pool	Ongoing…	World loot pool Free-to-Play	Slot: Solar \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: Precision Review ongoing…	Season 17	Slot: Solar \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: Precision Review ongoing…
Tears of Contrition	Tears of Contrition	Scout Rifle	Precision	Primary	Kinetic	Season 17	Yes	Ongoing	Seasonal activity	Ongoing…	Seasonal activity Season 17	Slot: Kinetic \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: Precision Review ongoing…	Season 17	Slot: Kinetic \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: Precision Review ongoing…
Dead Man’s Tale	Dead Man’s Tale	Scout Rifle	Exotic	Primary	Kinetic	Beyond Light	Yes	S › Best	Xûr	Best ❘ S Excels in: PvE + PvP	Xûr Beyond Light	Slot: Kinetic \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: Exotic Exotic Perk: “Chaining precision hits grants bonus damage and quickens reload speed. Future drops of this weapon will have random rolls. PvE God Roll: Vorpal Weapon (also good: Killing Wind) ► With excellent stats and the ability to 2-tap guardians once its Exotic perk is active, Dead Man’s Tale is extremely lethal at long ranges. Plus, it feels incredible to use in hip-fired mode thanks to its catalyst. By the way, with the ability to roll with random perks, it is one of the few Exotics that can truly excel in PvE and PvP.	Season 13	Slot: Kinetic \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: Exotic Exotic Perk: “Chaining precision hits grants bonus damage and quickens reload speed. Future drops of this weapon will have random rolls. PvE God Roll: Vorpal Weapon (also good: Killing Wind)
Trustee	Trustee	Scout Rifle	Rapid-Fire	Primary	Solar	Beyond Light	Yes	A › Strong	Deep Stone Crypt Raid	Strong ❘ A Excels in: PvE + PvP	Deep Stone Crypt Raid Beyond Light	Slot: Solar \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: Rapid-Fire PvE God Roll: Reconstruction (also good: Surplus) + High-impact Reverses (also good: Redirection) ► Trustee has a lot of good perks to choose from. It feels good to shoot. It looks good. It sounds good. The only problem was that it remained a Scout rifle. But Scouts have received several buffs lately. In fact, they are nowadays considered good for endgame PVE. And as a top-tier scout, Trustee can finally shine.	Season 12	Slot: Solar \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: Rapid-Fire PvE God Roll: Reconstruction (also good: Surplus) + High-impact Reverses (also good: Redirection)
Servant Leader	Servant Leader	Scout Rifle	Rapid-Fire	Primary	Kinetic	Free-to-Play	Yes	A › Strong	Playlist: Gambit	Strong ❘ A Excels in: PvE + PvP	Playlist: Gambit Free-to-Play	Slot: Kinetic \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: Rapid-Fire PvE God Roll: Rapid Hit (also good: Subsistence) + Rampage PvP God Roll: Surplus (also good: Rapid Hit) + Kill Clip ► The only kinetic rapid-fire scout in the game, Servant Leader is the perfect replacement for the now-retired Randy’s Throwing Knife. With arguably even better base stats than Randy’s and a great perk selection, Servant Leader can truly excel in PVE and PVP.	Season 15	Slot: Kinetic \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: Rapid-Fire PvE God Roll: Rapid Hit (also good: Subsistence) + Rampage PvP God Roll: Surplus (also good: Rapid Hit) + Kill Clip
The Scholar	The Scholar	Scout Rifle	High-Impact	Primary	Kinetic	The Witch Queen	Yes	A › Strong	Trials of Osiris	Strong ❘ A Excels in: PvE	Trials of Osiris The Witch Queen	Slot: Kinetic \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: High-Impact PvE God Roll: Opening Shot (also good: Full Auto Trigger) + Vorpal Weapon ► Unfortunately, this Trials of Osiris weapon isn’t available right now. But when as soon Bungie brings The Scholar back, you’ll definitely want one as it remains a great PVE Scout Rifle.	Season 10	Slot: Kinetic \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: High-Impact PvE God Roll: Opening Shot (also good: Full Auto Trigger) + Vorpal Weapon
Night Watch	Night Watch	Scout Rifle	Lightweight	Primary	Kinetic	Free-to-Play	Yes	A › Strong	World loot pool	Strong ❘ A Excels in: PvE	World loot pool Free-to-Play	Slot: Kinetic \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: Lightweight PvE God Roll: Rapid Hit (also good: Subsistence) + Explosive Payload (also good: Multikill Clip) ► Night Watch is the best legendary kinetic Scout Rifle in the entire game, period. Its archetype is the best of all Scout Rifles, it’s easy to obtain, and it has the best perk options available. Rapid Hit and Explosive Payload is a perfect perk combination for endgame PvE, especially against Champions. For regular PvE content, Subsistence and Rampage lets you shred through enemies without needing to reload.	Season 11	Slot: Kinetic \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: Lightweight PvE God Roll: Rapid Hit (also good: Subsistence) + Explosive Payload (also good: Multikill Clip)
Vouchsafe	Vouchsafe	Scout Rifle	Lightweight	Primary	Void	Free-to-Play	Yes	A › Strong	Dreaming City	Strong ❘ A Excels in: PvE	Dreaming City Free-to-Play	Slot: Void \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: Lightweight PvE God Roll: Rapid Hit + Explosive Payload ► Vouchsafe is a Void Scout you need to have if you play PVE seriously. Lightweight frames are, currently, the best Scout Rifle archetypes in the game. Just like Hung Jury, Vouchsafe can roll with the best PVE combo for Scout Rifles. Explosive Payload disrupts Overload Champions and breaks Barrier Champions’ shields faster than without. This is a must-have for endgame PVE with lots of Void shields and Anti-Barrier Champions (when Anti-Barrier Scout Rifle is available).	Season 13	Slot: Void \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: Lightweight PvE God Roll: Rapid Hit + Explosive Payload
Hung Jury SR4	Hung Jury SR4	Scout Rifle	Precision	Primary	Kinetic	Free-to-Play	No	A › Strong	Nightfall: The Ordeals	Strong ❘ A Excels in: PvE	Nightfall: The Ordeals Free-to-Play	Slot: Kinetic \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: Precision PvE God Roll: Rapid Hit + Explosive Payload (also good: Firefly) ► Very capable in Master and Grandmaster content, Hung Jury SR4 has a nice and vertical recoil pattern that makes precision shots easy to land. On top of that, it has access to all the best PVE perks, including Explosive Payload and Firefly, which can be excellent for ad clear.	Season 14	Slot: Kinetic \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: Precision PvE God Roll: Rapid Hit + Explosive Payload (also good: Firefly)
Vision of Confluence	Vision of Confluence	Scout Rifle	Precision	Primary	Solar	Free-to-Play	Yes	A › Strong	Vault of Glass Raid	Strong ❘ A Excels in: PvE	Vault of Glass Raid Free-to-Play	Slot: Solar \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: Precision PvE God Roll: Rewind Rounds + Firefly (also good: Frenzy) ► Vision of Confluence is an excellent Solar Scout Rifle for endgame PVE content. It too offers good base stats and top-notch perks that help it excel in PVE. For example, It’s one of the only weapons that can roll with Firefly and Rewind Rounds. With such a perk combination, ad clear becomes a breeze. And if the content is harder, Frenzy can be an excellent alternative too.	Season 14	Slot: Solar \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: Precision PvE God Roll: Rewind Rounds + Firefly (also good: Frenzy)
Aisha’s Embrace	Aisha’s Embrace	Scout Rifle	Rapid-Fire	Primary	Void	The Witch Queen	Yes	A › Strong	Trials of Osiris	Strong ❘ A Excels in: PvE	Trials of Osiris The Witch Queen	Slot: Void \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: Rapid-Fire PvE God Roll: Triple Tap + Vorpal Weapon ► With a small and extremely well-rounded perk pool, it’s hard to get a bad roll of Aisha’s Embrace. That, combined with its Scout Rifle range, large magazine size, and frequent seasonal champion mods make Aisha’s a great pick for anything PVE.	Season 16	Slot: Void \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: Rapid-Fire PvE God Roll: Triple Tap + Vorpal Weapon
Transfiguration	Transfiguration	Scout Rifle	High-Impact	Primary	Kinetic	Forsaken Pack	Yes	B › Average	Last Wish Raid	Average ❘ B Excels in: PvE	Last Wish Raid Forsaken Pack	Slot: Kinetic \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: High-Impact PvE God Roll: Rampage + Kill Clip ► Transfiguration is the only Scout Rifle that can roll with two damage-buffing perks. After 1 kill, Rampage activates and increases your damage by 10% for a few seconds. If you reload after the kill, Kill Clip increases your damage by ~30%. That’s cool, but that’s pretty much the only special thing Transfiguration has to offer.	Season 4	Slot: Kinetic \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: High-Impact PvE God Roll: Rampage + Kill Clip
Talons of the Eagle	Talons of the Eagle	Scout Rifle	High-Impact	Primary	Kinetic	Free-to-Play	No	B › Average	Iron Banner	Average ❘ B Excels in: PvE	Iron Banner Free-to-Play	Slot: Kinetic \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: High-Impact PvE God Roll: Outlaw + Rampage (also good: Explosive Payload) ► High-Impact Scout Rifles have a pretty quick optimal TTK at 0.80s, but require 3 headshots to reach that, making them a slightly inconsistent option. Despite that, if you’re going to use one, Talons of the Eagle is a good pick with good perks.	Season 11	Slot: Kinetic \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: High-Impact PvE God Roll: Outlaw + Rampage (also good: Explosive Payload)
Contingency Plan	Contingency Plan	Scout Rifle	Rapid-Fire	Primary	Arc	Free-to-Play	Yes	B › Average	World loot pool	Average ❘ B Excels in: PvE	World loot pool Free-to-Play	Slot: Arc \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: Rapid-Fire	Season 15	Slot: Arc \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: Rapid-Fire
Pointed Inquiry	Pointed Inquiry	Scout Rifle	High-Impact	Primary	Void	Free-to-Play	Yes	B › Average	Throne World	Average ❘ B Excels in: PvE	Throne World Free-to-Play	Slot: Void \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: High-Impact PvE God Roll: Fourth Time’s The Charm + Adaptive Munitions ► One of the weakest weapons this DLC brought, Pointed Inquiry is part of a lacking archetype with few interesting perk combinations. And while it can try to beat its competition out slightly using Volatile Rounds, it isn’t worth the hassle trying to get this gun to feel good.	Season 16	Slot: Void \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: High-Impact PvE God Roll: Fourth Time’s The Charm + Adaptive Munitions
MIDA Multi-Tool	MIDA Multi-Tool	Scout Rifle	Exotic	Primary	Kinetic	Free-to-Play	Yes	B › Average	Exotic Kiosk	Average ❘ B Excels in: PvP	Exotic Kiosk Free-to-Play	Slot: Kinetic \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: Exotic Exotic Perk: “This weapon boosts move speed. Radar stays active while aiming down sights.” ► MIDA Multi-Tool is definitely making a comeback! Benefiting from a significant aim assist buff, MIDA has become a real threat in the Crucible. With a good TTK, a mobility bonus, and excellent base stats, MIDA is one of the best PVP Scout right now. Having said that, Scouts still lag behind entire weapon types, and even among Scouts, Dead Man Tale’s remains the most viable PVP scout at your disposal.	Season 1	Slot: Kinetic \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: Exotic Exotic Perk: “This weapon boosts move speed. Radar stays active while aiming down sights.”
The Guiding Sight	The Guiding Sight	Scout Rifle	High-Impact	Primary	Kinetic	Free-to-Play	No	B › Average	Iron Banner	Average ❘ B Excels in: PvP	Iron Banner Free-to-Play	Slot: Kinetic \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: High-Impact PvP God Roll: Rapid Hit + Vorpal Weapon ► Just like Talons of the Eagle (and every other High-Impact scout), The Guiding Sight has a quick TTK that’s sadly fairly hard to achieve. However, this weapon is still an alright choice because of its decent base stats.	Season 12	Slot: Kinetic \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: High-Impact PvP God Roll: Rapid Hit + Vorpal Weapon
Skyburner’s Oath	Skyburner’s Oath	Scout Rifle	Exotic	Primary	Solar	Free-to-Play	Yes	B › Average	Exotic Engram	Average ❘ B	Exotic Engram Free-to-Play	Slot: Solar \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: Exotic Exotic Perk: “This weapon lobs large, explosive, seeking slugs when firing from the hip. When aiming down sights, the slugs travel fast and straight, with higher damage and a lower rate of fire.” ► Skyburner’s Oath is an Exotic Scout Rifle that looks like a good PVP option on paper. Only needing to land 1 precision shot and 3 body shots, its 0.90s time-to-kill seems competitive. In practice, those hip-fired shots hardly go where you want them to go. And in 6v6, it’s even worse, as there are too many targets for the tracking to be accurate. In PVE, you might find some use for it when facing Cabal, but even then, a top-tier Scout will serve you better.	Season 1	Slot: Solar \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: Exotic Exotic Perk: “This weapon lobs large, explosive, seeking slugs when firing from the hip. When aiming down sights, the slugs travel fast and straight, with higher damage and a lower rate of fire.”
The Jade Rabbit	The Jade Rabbit	Scout Rifle	Exotic	Primary	Kinetic	Free-to-Play	Yes	B › Average	Exotic Engram	Average ❘ B	Exotic Engram Free-to-Play	Slot: Kinetic \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: Exotic Exotic Perk: “Chain body shots to gain bonus damage on your next precision shot, return ammo to the magazine, and increases its stability.” ► Jade Rabbit has one of the best time-to-kills (0.80 seconds) for any Scout Rifle. The problem is you need to land 3 precision shots without missing. For every missed shot or body shot, the time-to-kill quickly becomes one of the worst in the game. In other words, this Exotic Scout is extremely unforgiving. It has the 3rd WORST handling and the worst magazine size of all Scout Rifles. With perfect aim, it can be great, but now that Dead Man’s Tale is available, why bother?	Season 2	Slot: Kinetic \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: Exotic Exotic Perk: “Chain body shots to gain bonus damage on your next precision shot, return ammo to the magazine, and increases its stability.”
Eternal Blazon	Eternal Blazon	Scout Rifle	Lightweight	Primary	Arc	Free-to-Play	Yes	B › Average	World loot pool	Average ❘ B	World loot pool Free-to-Play	Slot: Arc \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: Lightweight	Season 13	Slot: Arc \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: Lightweight
Polaris Lance	Polaris Lance	Scout Rifle	Exotic	Primary	Solar	Free-to-Play	Yes	C › Weak	Exotic Kiosk	Weak ❘ C	Exotic Kiosk Free-to-Play	Slot: Solar \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: Exotic Exotic Perk: “Precision hits return ammo to the mag. Landing 4 precision hits loads a delayed Solar explosive round for your next shot.” ► Polaris Lance should be great in PVE because of the explosions it can create. Too bad they’re just not enough when Dragonfly and Firefly make the same or bigger explosion. Those perks take far less setup to activate too. Polaris has the same time-to-kill values as The Jade Rabbit, but better stats. Just like Jade Rabbit, it’s incredibly unforgiving in PvP. If larger Crucible maps get added to Destiny 2, Polaris Lance will be able to shine.	Season 3	Slot: Solar \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: Exotic Exotic Perk: “Precision hits return ammo to the mag. Landing 4 precision hits loads a delayed Solar explosive round for your next shot.”
Symmetry	Symmetry	Scout Rifle	Exotic	Primary	Arc	Shadowkeep	Yes	C › Weak	Exotic Kiosk	Weak ❘ C	Exotic Kiosk Shadowkeep	Slot: Arc \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: Exotic Exotic Perk: “Precision hits build up Dynamic Charge. Swapping to Arc Seeker mode increases damage and partially reloads the magazine. Arc Seekers track toward combatants you target.” ► Thanks to the recent buff to Scout rifles, Symmetry is seen a lot more play in The Crucible. And if you can hit your precision shots, Symmetry can be lethal in both in PVP and Gambit. There’s really nothing special or redeeming about Symmetry. For a brief moment, Symmetry was able to stun Unstoppable Champions, but this was quickly removed as a bug. You’re giving up an exotic slot for a weapon that doesn’t excel at anything. In PVP, Symmetry is below-average in its TTK and stats. In PVE, it can’t kill enemies faster or do more damage than other options. This Exotic Scout looks great. Sounds great. But it’s simply missing something to be truly great.	Season 9	Slot: Arc \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: Exotic Exotic Perk: “Precision hits build up Dynamic Charge. Swapping to Arc Seeker mode increases damage and partially reloads the magazine. Arc Seekers track toward combatants you target.”
Royal Chase	Royal Chase	Scout Rifle	Precision	Primary	Void	Free-to-Play	Yes	C › Weak	Xûr	Weak ❘ C	Xûr Free-to-Play	Slot: Void \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: Precision PvE God Roll: Full Auto Trigger System + Multikill Clip ► Royal Chase is a worse version of Vouchsafe. It’s just easier to farm if you need a Void Scout Rifle in Match Game content. This archetype has a poor TTK in Crucible and rather lackluster perks available for PVE. The best roll for Royal Chase is either Field Prep or Full Auto Trigger System with Multikill Clip. Field Prep gives you one of the fastest reloads in the game. All you need to do is crouch.	Season 12	Slot: Void \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: Precision PvE God Roll: Full Auto Trigger System + Multikill Clip
Pleiades Corrector	Pleiades Corrector	Scout Rifle	Lightweight	Primary	Solar	Free-to-Play	Yes	C › Weak	World loot pool	Weak ❘ C	World loot pool Free-to-Play	Slot: Solar \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: Lightweight PvE God Roll: Fourth Time’s the Charm + Wellspring (also good: Demolitionist) ► Unfortunately, Pleiades is completely overshadowed by Vision of Confluence and Trustee, two superior Solar Legendary Scout Rifles. This is a weapon you can instantly dismantle without looking at the roll. Pleiades Corrector has more-than-normal zoom for a Scout Rifle. In the closely-confined Crucible maps, Pleiades feels awful to use. It also lacks any redeeming or interesting perks for PVE. Keep one for Solar shields in Match Game content if you’re under level. The range lets you stay back where it’s safe.	Season 14	Slot: Solar \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: Lightweight PvE God Roll: Fourth Time’s the Charm + Wellspring (also good: Demolitionist)

More Destiny 2 Tier lists:

Best Destiny 2 PVP Scout Rifles

Above was a quick, surface-level pass at all of the Scout Rifles that you can use in all current content where Power Level matters.

Let’s dive deeper into the Top 3 PVP Scout Rifles in Destiny.

Night Watch

Weapon Type:	Scout Rifle	Slot:	Kinetic
Ammo:	Primary	Source:	World Loot Pool

Night Watch has the base stats and the perk pool to be a monster at chaining back-to-back kills. One stack of Multikill Clip’s damage boost is enough to 3-tap any Guardian with 7 Resilience or less. That’s one of the fastest TTKs in the game!

Ideally, you want Rapid Hit and Multikill Clip for PVP. Rapid Hit makes landing precision shots easier and reloads faster for proccing Multikill Clip. If you can’t get this roll, the next roll is fantastic too.

Subsistence and Rampage pair beautifully together. Subsistence refills your magazine after each kill and each kill gives you a stack of Rampage. The first kill is a 10% bump, the second kill is a 21% buff and the third kill is a 33% bonus for 3.5 seconds (or 4.5 seconds with Rampage Spec mod). All without needing to reload.

Snapshot and Explosive Payload are excellent general perks to have too. Explosive Payload on a Scout Rifle is a sniper player’s worst nightmare. You can shut them down completely for your entire team with how much flinch you apply to them.

With the Crucible slowing down a lot in Season 15, Scout Rifles will be better positioned for success in PVP.

Dead Man’s Tale

Weapon Type:	Scout Rifle	Slot:	Kinetic
Ammo:	Primary	Source:	Exotic Quest

Unquestionably, Dead Man’s Tale (DMT) is the best PVP Scout Rifle in Destiny. The greatest weakness every Scout Rifle (high zoom) suffers from is irrelevant on DMT. The higher the zoom, the worse a weapon is in close to medium range. You know, where 90% of fights happen in the Crucible.

With Dead Man’s Tale’s catalyst, the rate of fire is faster when firing from the hip and all accuracy penalties from hip-fire are removed. Now, DMT is able to compete head-to-head with the best PVP weapons in the game.

Keep in mind, Dead Man’s Tale really thrives in the short-to-mid range. You want to be positioned just outside of shotgun and fusion rifle territory but too far back and you’ll need to aim-down-sights (ADS) for consistent shots.

Dead Man’s Tale is a unique exotic that can roll with a random perk on it. You’ll want to get Killing Wind or Vorpal Weapon. Killing Wind is one of the best perks for PVP, but Vorpal makes shutting down roaming supers easy.

Pass on Snapshot and Moving Target because they only activate when you’re ADS, which you rarely want to do with Dead Man’s Tale.

Trustee

Weapon Type:	Scout Rifle	Slot:	Energy
Ammo:	Primary	Source:	Deep Stone Crypt

In PvP, there’s a very niche Trustee roll you can use for some cheeky kills 20% faster than normal. High-Impact Reserves buffs the damage in the last portion of your magazine, so if you fire some shots off, you can 4 tap a Guardian with High-Impact Reserves.

Trustee also just has so many great perk options to choose from. Surplus buffing handling and stability is always great. Killing Wind is fantastic. Wellspring is very good to have with how powerful abilities are in the Crucible. And Opening Shot makes the first shot you fire almost guaranteed to not miss.

Remember, since Trustee is a Rapid-Fire Frame, it naturally can be fired full-auto or you can tap fire each shot. It also has naturally fast reloads when the magazine is empty, so reload perks like Outlaw aren’t needed.

Best Destiny 2 PVE Scout Rifles

In PVE, Scout Rifles are the most reliable weapons for the most difficult content in Destiny. When the going gets tough, putting as much distance between you and enemy combatants with a Scout Rifle is the path to success.

Vouchsafe

Weapon Type:	ScoutRifle	Slot:	Energy
Ammo:	Primary	Source:	Dreaming City

You’re probably seeing a noticeable theme here. Explosive Payload is just so powerful that Scout Rifles with it are better than Scout Rifles without it.

Vouchsafe is one of only two Void, legendary Scout Rifles that you can use in PVE. And it’s perk options are just so much better than Royal Chase (the other legendary void Scout Rifle). Having a Void primary weapon is important for Void shields in Match Game content.

Even though Vouchsafe is pretty difficult to farm for a great roll, you’re really only looking for Explosive Payload or Vorpal Weapon. Explosive Payload makes taking out enemies from a safe distance easy and Vorpal Weapon chunks down Champions faster. Both of these are crucial in high-end PVE content where you need to use Scout Rifles.

Hung Jury SR4

Weapon Type:	Scout Rifle	Slot:	Kinetic
Ammo:	Primary	Source:	Nightfalls

Hung Jury is such a good Scout Rifle that it belongs in the top 3 PVP and PVE Scout Rifles. The caveat for PVE is that when you get an Adept Hung Jury, you can equip the Adept Big Ones mod which is Major and Boss spec rolled into one mod.

With how many powerful enemies there are in challenging PVE content, Hung Jury with Adept Big Ones gets so much value. This Scout Rifle is perfect for Champions and Majors that will ruin your Grandmaster Nightfall Ordeal.

Are Scout Rifles Meta?

Scout Rifles have been in a bad spot in PVE since the Shadowkeep expansion was released on October 1, 2019. With Season 15 launching on August 24th, Scout Rifles are getting some needed PVE buffs.

They’re already one of the best weapons for Grandmaster Nightfalls and Master Vault of Glass. With Season 15, they’ll feel great to use in any PVE activity.

Unfortunately, they probably won’t be meta in PVP until new Crucible maps are added that promote longer-range engagements.

Primary weapons Meta for PVP

What about PVP? This table summarizes how they rank against each other in PVP:

Primary weapons Meta for PVE

So how good are Swords in PVE? This table summarizes how the several Power weapon types rank against each other in PVE:

Ranking criteria

For the record, as much as we tried to keep this list as objective as possible, it’s still based on our personal experience playing the PC version of the game.

Finally, if you’re wondering what criteria was used to build this Tier list, these are the main factors I took into account:

Lethality: The higher the effective DPS and usability, the higher the ranking.
Consistency: Some weapons may not have the highest DPS numbers, but they are so consistent, they more than make up for their lower DPS numbers.
Ease of use: Similar to the point above, some weapons are very effective because they are easy to use and don’t require too much skill or setup. This is also rewarded with higher rankings.
PVE/PVP Performance: High lethality in either PVE or PVP is equally valuable. However, a weapon that is good at both PVE and PVP should rank higher than one that is slightly better on only PVE or PVP.
Fun factor: Not the most important factor, but it also helps if the weapon is damn fun to shoot with!

If you strongly disagree with some of the rankings here, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section. By the way, what is your personal favorite?

This post comes from Legionless. You can follow him on YouTube.