Best Fusion Rifles in Destiny 2: Tier List Ranking

Fusion Rifles are a staple of any loadout in Destiny 2. Whether you’ll be tearing it up against other Guardians in the Crucible, or fighting wave after wave of Scorn and Taken in the new Vow Of The Disciple Raid, you will find a Fusion Rifle that is just right for the occasion. With that said, there are some clear stand-outs in their class.

If you’re looking for the definitive Destiny 2 Fusion Rifles Tier List, look no further. We’ll discuss which Fusion Rifles are best-in-class for various situations, and rank them from best to worst. Let’s dive in!

Destiny 2 Fusion Rifles Tier list

The Tier list below includes every Exotic and non-sunset legendary Fusions in the game. It starts with the S Tier weapons and moves down from there. It also covers both PVE and PVP, with the “Excels in” column clearly identifying in what area each weapon shines:

These are the different Tier levels used for our list:

• S Tier – Best: Highest ranking weapons in our Tier List.
• A Tier – Strong: Very strong weapons, 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.

More Destiny 2 Tier lists:

Best Destiny 2 Fusion Rifles in 2022

This section not only covers the top Fusions currently in the game, it also tells you where you can find them.

PS: This guide covers every weapon source in Destiny 2 and most of the sources below are self-explanatory, but in doubt, you can always leave a comment below or ask away on our Discord server.

Overall, these are our Top 10 favorite Fusion rifles for PVE and PVP.

 

10. Vex Mythoclast

 Excels in PVE

Now before anyone gets their underwear in a twist over where the Vex Mythoclast belongs on this list, I’d just like to point out that the myriad of buffs and nerfs this gun has received since its introduction to Destiny 2 has left it in a strange spot, couple that with how rare the gun actually is (1% drop rate) and you begin to see why it’s not the most popular Fusion Rifle in the game.

The most recent nerf saw a drastic reduction in aim assistance and accuracy and now requires three kills to proc Overcharge instead of the original two. To further cement the Vex Mythoclast as an average-at-best Fusion Rifle, the Witch Queen buffs that saw an increase of damage for Exotic primary weapons to red-bar enemies did not include the Mythoclast.

In PvP, you’ll find the TTK extremely slow unless you happen to have Overcharge proc’d which is hard enough as it is, and you’ll easily be out-ranged by most meta primaries. Unless you’re a hardcore fan of the Vex Mythoclast and/or looking to create a just-for-fun build then it’s likely to remain in your vault for the time being.

Exotic Perk: “This weapon fires a single bolt with each trigger pull. Defeating targets builds stacks of Overcharge. Swap firing modes when fully Overcharged to charge up and fire more powerful linear fusion shots.”

How to get it: Vex Mythoclast can be acquired by completing the Vault of Glass raid.

 

9. Deliverance

 Excels in PVE

Finally, our prayers have been answered, Bungie has delivered (excuse the pun) a Stasis Fusion Rifle, and it’s in the kinetic slot, allowing you to run a primary in your secondary weapon slot. Deliverance is the Vow of The Disciple exclusive Fusion, dropped from the first and third encounters, as well as secret chests.

Deliverance can roll with some fantastic perks for PvE, and while it won’t be melting through bosses, it’s extremely efficient at dealing with large groups of enemies. You’ll be wanting to keep an eye out for Deepsight Resonance versions of this weapon, so you can craft your perfect God roll.

We will be looking for a Charge Time Masterwork, Chill Clip to detonate enemies and Perpetual Motion to improve reload speed, stability, and handling while moving – which you’ll be doing a lot of in raids. This weapon comes with the Souldrinker Origin trait which will heal you based on how many shots you land before reloading.

PVE God roll:

• Perk 1: Perpetual Motion (also good: Demolitionist)
• Perk 2: Chill Clip (also good: Adrenaline Junkie)

How to get it: Deliverance can be acquired by completing the fourth or fifth encounter of the Vault of Glass raid.

 

8. Main Ingredient

Excels in PVP

Main Ingredient is the Fusion Rifle of choice for a lot of Crucible players, due to its vertical recoil of 73, Precision Frame, and (insanely) high range. One of the first Fusion Rifles to strike fear into the heart of a Guardian through that famous charging sound, it’s been a staple for entire seasons.

Now, there are plenty of weapons to match its power, and so it’s fallen down the list a few spots, but it still makes the top 10. The Main Ingredient has seen somewhat of a resurgence in the Crucible over the last month as Xur sold a God roll, and now everyone and their ghost have a best-in-slot crucible Fusion.

If you’re looking for a PvE Fusion Rifle then you may be better suited with another from this list. Tap the Trigger and Firmly Planted are too strong to pass up on for PvP action, combining to reduce the “accuracy cone size” by 50%, it almost becomes harder to miss your target with the Main Ingredient.

PVP God roll:

• Perk 1: Firmly Planted (also good: Under Pressure)
• Perk 2: Tap the Trigger

How to get it: Main Ingredient can be randomly acquired as end-of-match activities or via the Gunsmith, Legendary engrams and Prime engrams.

 

7. PLUG ONE.1

 Excels in PVE

The PLUG ONE.1 is a Destiny 1 classic brought to life in Destiny 2 not only with some incredible rolls, but an adept version as well. A vertical recoil pattern of 75 (Directly up) means you won’t be struggling to hit every round, with the Precision Frame allowing for some serious range.

PLUG ONE.1’s perk pool is nothing to scoff at, with some top tier rolls available in the table for both PvP and PvE, but you’ll want to run it in the Crucible to maximize its outstanding potential. Heating Up increases accuracy and improves the vertical recoil pattern even further upon final blows, and stacks up to two times, combine Kickstart for a charge rate of 640ms and a 20% damage buff shortly after sliding and you’ve got yourself a miniature orbital cannon.

In summary: PLUG ONE.1 is a Destiny 1 classic adored by the community, brought back spectacularly. You’ll find the range and recoil pattern of this Fusion keeps you in the fight even against all those Piece of Minds.

PVE God roll:

• Perk 1: Feeding Frenzy
• Perk 2: Reservoir Burst

How to get it: PLUG ONE.1 can be acquired by completing Nightfall: The Ordeals (the highest difficulties have increased drop rates).

 

6. Jötunn

Excels in PVE and PVP

If you’re looking for a Fusion Rifle that acts more like a grenade launcher, with the tracking capabilities to match Gjhallahorn, then you’ve found it with Jotunn. There’s no wrong way to use this weapon. It can melt through shielded enemies and bosses’ health bars with its Charged Shot which tracks and burns on impact when the trigger is held, or you can have Guardians dancing around the crucible in a feeble attempt to escape their inevitable death… trust me I’ve tried.

There isn’t much that needs to be said about Jotunn, it doesn’t require a whole lot of skill to use, just charge it up and aim in the general direction of something you want to kill. The Jotunn may not be the best weapon available for the job, and it will take up an exotic slot that may be used elsewhere, but it sure is a hell of a lot of fun.

In summary: An insane amount of fun with very little knowledge or skill needed to reach its potential. As long as you know the general range of the weapon and the location of your opponent, you’re almost guaranteed a kill with every shot. Don’t expect to perform miracles in competitive PvP but you’ll have a good time nonetheless.

Exotic Perk: “Hold down the trigger to charge up a tracking shot that explodes and burns on impact. Energy matched shield explosion disorients enemies.”

How to get it: Jötunn can be purchased at the Monument to Lost Lights in the Tower.

 

5. Cartesian Coordinate

 Excels in PVE

Cartesian Coordinate is the only Rapid Fire Frame Fusion that can roll with Vorpal Weapon. With the right roll, and under the correct circumstances, Cartesian Coordinate can excel in boss-phase DPS. Vorpal Weapon increases damage by 20% to boss targets, which might not seem like much, but it makes a massive difference to enemies with a lot of health.

It won’t compete with Void fusion rifles in a season that heavily relies on void synergy and Volatile Rounds, but it will not let you down on the DPS charts either and makes a fantastic substitute for some harder to obtain Fusion Rifles

In summary: With Cartesian Coordinate being the only Rapid Fire fusion that can also roll Vorpal Weapon it sits firmly in the category of “top tier”. However, if no such roll existed it more than likely would not make the top ten.

PVE God roll:

• Perk 1: Lead from Gold (also good: Under Pressure)
• Perk 2: Vorpal Weapon

How to get it: Cartesian Coordinate can be randomly acquired as end-of-match activities or via the Gunsmith, Legendary engrams and Prime engrams.

 

4. Glacioclasm

 Excels in PVE

Originally, Glacioclasm was much further down this list – but now that it can roll with Subsistence, and is the only Fusion Rifle that can do so, we had to bump it up a few spots.

Glacioclasm almost matches PLUG ONE.1 in a directly vertical recoil pattern of 78 and base stability of 36 making it extremely reliable in terms of accuracy. With the right set of perks, Glacioclasm it’s an extremely versatile Fusion Rifle that can really stand out in the new Season 16 Void builds, with Resovoir Burst causing enemies to explode upon death when the battery is full.

You’ll find yourself melting wave after wave of ads with Subsistence, which partially reloads 10-17% (depending on the weapon type) of the magazine upon defeating a target. Without these perks, Glacioclasm is second-best to many other Fusion’s on this list, so keep grinding until you bag yourself a god roll!

In summary: Glacioclasm manages to claw its way into the top ten by being one of the only Fusion Rifles that can roll Subsistence, refilling the magazine upon killing a target means that you’ll run out of special ammunition way before you find yourself reloading, it’s a DPS chaser’s wet dream.

PVE God roll:

• Perk 1: Subsistence
• Perk 2: Reservoir Burst

How to get it: Glacioclasm can only be acquired during the Dawning event (usually in December-January).

 

3. Telesto

Excels in PVE and PVP

Telesto has become a cult classic and is thought to be the most broken weapon ever put into a video game. Telesto somehow finds itself repeatedly breaking the game in more and more ridiculous ways (38 times to this date), from instantly filling your super energy bar to granting infinite ammo.

In the here and now, even without game-breaking bugs, Telesto is still a worthy weapon for any arsenal. The Unplanned Reprieve perk attaches projectiles fired from Telesto to its target with a delayed void explosion and then, Harbinger’s Pulse reloads your Kinetic and Energy weapons from reserves upon multi-kills. The combination of these two perks allows you to continuously provide heavy damage numbers to bosses that include ADD’s in their arena, such as Vault of Glasses Templar.

In summary: Telesto has consistently provided huge numbers in terms of DPS and finds its way into almost 95% of fusion rifle builds. It’s only a matter of time until Telesto finds another way to break the game, so keep it somewhere at the ready even if you wish to use something else for now.

Exotic Perk: “Fusion projectiles attach and detonate with a delayed Void blast. Multikills with this weapon immediately reload your equipped Kinetic and Energy weapons from reserves.”

How to get it: Telesto can be acquired via Exotic engrams or Xûr.

 

2. Likely Suspect

Best PVE Fusion Rifle in Destiny 2

Likely suspect was the first Fusion rifle that players can craft with the new weapon crafting system introduced in The Witch Queen, so chasing those god rolls isn’t as important here – just craft one yourself!

Rapid Fire Frame and Void-based damage with the right set of perks make Likely Suspect an absolute PvE monster. A very manageable 80 recoil and respectable 2.13 second reload speed (2 seconds with a masterwork) make this Fusion Rifle top-tier. Firmly Planted and the new Successful Warmup perk are must-haves here, increasing your reload/charge speed and stability even further.

Remember, Likely Suspect also comes with an Origin trait, in this case, Psychohack, which diminishes your target’s damage output by -10% for 3 seconds when taking sustained damage, fantastic for mini-bosses and ADD control.

In summary: Likely Suspect is the first craftable Fusion Rifle in the game, and an absolute must-have for high-tier end-game PvE content, with void-based damage and an incredible perk roll, including the new craftable perk, leave this Fusion Rifle a MUST HAVE.

PVE God roll:

• Perk 1: Perpetual Motion
• Perk 2: Successful Warmup (also good: Adagio)

How to get it: Likely Suspect can be acquired by completing activities in the Throne World. It can also be crafted!

 

1. Snorri FR5

Best PVP Fusion Rifle in Destiny 2

There’s likely no shock here that the Snorri FR5 is at the top of our list of Destiny 2 Fusion Rifles, as it’s the current king of the Crucible and is so easily accessible that you probably have one right now without even knowing it.

The Snorri FR5 is a Precision Frame Fusion Rifle with some best-in-slot stats and the perks to match, an absolute monster in PVP and you’re likely to see at least one player using it per game. A base recoil pattern of 78 (vertical) makes it incredibly easy to control, which only gets easier with Arrowhead Brake and Firmly Planted tightening the spread to almost nothing. While it may have a slower charge time than some other Fusion’s, the range of 20.27m (while ADS) and insane handling will more than make up for it.

In summary: The Snorri FR5 is absolutely everywhere, it’s one of the easiest Fusion Rifles to obtain, and, more than likely, you have a few knocking around without even noticing it. Best in class range and stability make this weapon an absolute monster in the crucible.

PVP God roll:

• Perk 1: Firmly Planted
• Perk 2: Successful Warmup (also good: High-Impact Reserves)

How to get it: Snorri FR5 can be randomly acquired as end-of-match activities or via the Gunsmith, Legendary engrams and Prime engrams.

Fusions in PVP: Lethality & TTK

TTK is usually very important in PVP, because the lowest the TTK, the faster you can kill your opponent. You can read all about it in our TTK guide.

However, TTK is mostly used when comparing primary ammo weapons. When talking about Special ammo weapons, such as Fusion rifles, players are looking for a one-hit-kill weapon. After years of being a laughing stock in the Crucible, Fusion rifles finally received much-needed buffs that catapulted them to the top of the meta.

The best fusion rifles were toned down mere days ago (especially the Firmly Planted perk on fusions), but make no mistake, they remain a strong option for PVP.

Fusions in PVE: DPS

DPS is important for PVE, because the higher the DPS, the more damage you can deal to a Boss or Major.

This DPS chart includes the DPS numbers for every weapon in Destiny 2:

Compared to other special weapons, Fusions Rifles remain strong in PVE. Able to dish some serious damage from distances that are generally safer than shotguns, Fusions are always solid PVE option.

Are Fusion Rifles Meta?

We’ve talked about the best Fusions for PVE and PVP already, but how do they compare, in general, with other Special weapon types?

The current Meta for PVE

So, are Fusions good in Destiny 2 PVE? This table summarizes how the several special weapon types compare against each other:

The current Meta for PVP

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

Your turn

So there you have it, the top ten Fusion Rifles available right now in Destiny 2: Witch Queen, let us know which ones you’ve used and where you might place them on this list – we’re sure there may be some contrasting opinions!