While Sniper Rifles may be what comes to mind when thinking about long-range engagement in Destiny 2, the game also includes Linear Fusion Rifles that can take out enemies from afar.
These weapons give you a high-powered beam of light that offers better precision than the standard Fusion Rifles you will find. Linear Fusion Rifles are known for having some of the best ammo efficiency (damage per ammo) in the game, so it’s never a bad thing to have with you.
So we have brought together a list of the best Linear Fusion Rifles available in Destiny 2 so you can wreak havoc without having to get close to your enemies.
Best Linear Fusion Rifles for PvE
Arbalest
Stats
- Impact: 41
- Range: 36
- Stability: 50
- Handling: 25
- Reload Speed: 28
One of the benefits of using Arbalest is that when you break an enemy’s shield, they become more vulnerable to Kinetic damage. This is further compounded by its bonus damage to shields.
Using these two capabilities makes it so that the Linear Fusion Rifle can make shields irrelevant. That leaves targets open for you or your teammates to clean up, and makes it a valuable PvE weapon if you’re more of a team player. You can shred apart an enemy’s shield and then move on to another target while your friend cleans them up.
Sleeper Simulant
Stats
- Impact: 41
- Range: 59
- Stability: 35
- Handling: 35
- Reload Speed: 29
While most long-range weaponry encourages you to remain still to make accurate shots, Sleeper Simulant actually encourages movement. It gives you increased movement speed and better target acquisition while you are aiming. On top of that, its beam is great at penetrating armor and will even bounce off surfaces.
You can use this weapon to deal a ton of damage damage against bosses, as it works best for single-target damage. With bosses, you have a better chance of keeping consistent accuracy when hitting their weak spots, so you can really do some damage with this gun.
Briar’s Contempt
Stats
- Impact: 41
- Range: 51
- Stability: 47
- Handling: 31
- Reload Speed: 25
This Linear Fusion Rifle offers a three-round burst that will increase in damage if you can land half of your magazine as Precision damage. Plus, when you kill an enemy with it, you will generate Grenade energy, which can be activated to replenish your ammo.
Briar’s Contempt is great for targeting the bigger enemies and bosses, as you can land those headshots to gain the damage buff, then use its Grenade charging to throw at the smaller minions.
Stormchaser
Stats
- Impact: 41
- Range: 31
- Stability: 48
- Handling: 30
- Reload Speed: 25
When you collect kills with Stormchaser, you will increase your damage up to three times its normal amount. You will also get better stability and reload speed by landing precision hits in rapid succession.
The weapon is amazing for boss encounters where you can build its damage by killing the small minions before turning its powered-up state on the big bad themselves. But even in the smaller encounters, having that damage boost when collecting kills can be a massive help.
Best Linear Fusion Rifles for PvP
Lorentz Driver
Stats
- Impact: 41
- Range: 38
- Stability: 47
- Handling: 25
- Reload Speed: 28
When using Lorentz Driver, you’ll have a targeting system that can generate a telemetry pattern when you kill an enemy you were tracking. Collecting three of these patterns gets you a damage boost for an extended period of time, and you’ll also cause an implosion when landing a Precision Final Blow.
In PvP, Lorentz Driver is great for clearing out objectives in Crucible. If enemies are all gathered in one spot, landing that headshot to take one out will weaken their friends and reward precision in taking out an entire squad one by one.
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The Queenbreaker
Stats
- Impact: 41
- Range: 50
- Stability: 80
- Handling: 40
- Reload Speed: 60
The Queenbreaker is surprisingly effective at short and long-range, which is great for PvP situations. It actually increases its accuracy, stability, and precision hit targeting when you fire from the hip, and it can fire a long-range Arc bolt that chains through enemies.
This makes it a fantastic tool in Crucible. You can be effective at taking your targets out from a distance, but, if someone gets the drop on you, you can quickly dish out damage without needing to aim.
Cataclysmic
This is a trickier Linear Fusion Rifle to use in Destiny 2’s PvP modes, as it requires a lot of accuracy. When hitting Precision kills, Cataclysmic will generate an explosion of elemental damage. It can also shoot a long-range bolt of energy.
You have to land your shots, but, if you pull them off, the gun becomes incredibly effective against other players. Using that elemental explosion to damage a foe and their teammates can be key to clearing out objectives.
Doomed Petitioner
Stats
- Impact: 41
- Range: 45
- Stability: 46
- Handling: 25
- Reload Speed: 24
Another burst weapon, Doomed Petitioner will reload itself slowly over time, up to double its standard capacity. However, its most powerful tool is that, when you land Final blows with it, you will get a bonus damage buff that can also be improved and lengthened through Grenade and Melee kills.
Having Doomed Petitioner reloading for you during a Crucible match means you won’t be caught with an empty magazine. Plus, getting a massive damage boost is never a bad thing when competing against others.
Reed’s Regret
Stats
- Impact: 41
- Range: 45
- Stability: 48
- Handling: 31
- Reload Speed: 28
While this Linear Fusion Rifle does come with the ability to spawn a Stasus crystal when landing a Precision Final Blow, what makes it viable for PvP is how fast you can draw it and its energy bolt that can be fired from a distance.
Being able to get Reed’s Regret out quickly is great for the close encounters of PvP, and you can also use the energy bolt to be just fine when keeping your space from your targets.
Taipan-4fr
Stats
- Impact: 41
- Range: 48
- Stability: 43
- Handling: 36
- Reload Speed: 29
Being near two or more allies will give you a boost of damage to precision damage when using this Linear Fusion Rifle, as well as better handling and a faster reload speed.
PvP brings out the best of the Taipan-4fr since you have a better chance of having allies near you, unlike in PvE situations. The Crucible maps are pretty small, and on objective-based modes especially, you will likely have friends with you at any given moment.
Don’t focus solely on Linear Fusion Rifles as you jump into The Final Shape, as there are plenty more weapons to learn with Destiny 2 like Hand Cannons, Auto Rifles, Sniper Rifles, and Swords.