Best Auto Rifles in Destiny 2 for PvE & PvP

When it comes to firearms you can’t go wrong with an old-fashioned assault rifle. These versatile Primaries are suitable for fit for purpose, offering a balance of damage, range, and DPS. To help you choose the right one we’ve put together this list of the best Auto Rifles in Destiny 2 for PvE & PvP.

There’s an unmatched appeal of Auto Rifles with them having an attractive simplicity while remaining effective. They don’t excel at much but are competitive options for most content be it Crucible, Lost Sectors, or even GMs.

As an additional bonus, Auto Rifles currently benefit from the seasonal artifact as the only anti-barrier gun class in Season of the Deep. This gives them exceptional utility in Nightfalls and other champion-oriented content.

While the below ranking is primarily based on how effective each Auto Rifle is it also takes into account how easy that weapon is to obtain and farm. Also, Exotic guns are judged more harshly as they use up your sole Exotic slot.

Best Auto Rifles in Destiny 2 PvE

Although not necessarily meta, Auto Rifles remain a solid choice in most PvE scenarios thanks to their reasonable DPS and anti-champion utility. There are usually better options but an Auto Rifle is never a bad option, plus there’s a certain appeal to them that’s hard to ignore.

Krait

Whilst still powerful a lot of Stasis guns fall into the trap of only being worth using with a matching build. Whilst Krait also excels at just that it manages to stand alone as a great Auto Rifle regardless of subclass. Its high stats, overall feel, and perks make it a wonderful choice for any Guardian.

God Roll: Overflow/Stats For All + Headstone/One For All

Perpetualis

Introduced as a seasonal weapon in Season of Defiance, Perpetualis has quickly established itself as a top-tier Auto Rifle. While it falls slightly short of some other Strand ARs, this gun is much easier to obtain and still offers 90% of the value. It’s a fantastic alternative for players who aren’t interested in farming raids.

God Roll: Keep Away/Zen Moment + Target Lock/Demolitionist/Golden Tricorn/Hatchling

Gnawing Hunger

Most of Destiny 2’s older guns have either been vaulted or power crept. However, despite debuting back in Season 6, Gnawing Hunter remains an elite Auto Rifle mostly due to its incredible base stats. To this day if you want a Void Auto Rifle that can slay this is your best option,

God Roll: Subsistence + Rampage

Rufus’s Fury

As Legendary Auto Rifles go you don’t get better than Rufus’s Fury. Released alongside the Root of Nightmares raid, this Strand Auto Rifle gets access to some outrageous perk combinations. Plus for those that can farm the roll, it’s craftable mitigating the reliance on RNG to get what you want.

God Roll: Reconstruction/Rewind Rounds/Demolitionist + Target Lock/Hatchling/Paracausal Affinity

Quicksilver Storm

Honestly, Exotic Auto rifles aren’t usually a great option in PvE as most of them don’t offer enough in return to justify using up the Exotic slot. However, Quicksilver Storm is the exception to that thanks to its integrated grenade launcher, incredible synergy with Strand builds, and massive add clear potential.

God Roll: Curated Roll

Best Auto Rifles in Destiny 2 PvP

Unlike in most first-person shooters, the assault rifles of Destiny are surprisingly average when compared to other PvP options. Even so, they are extremely consistent and reward good aim with certain frames and perks capable of a perfectly competitive time to kill.

Positive Outlook

First introduced in Season of the Deep, Positive Outlook is an extremely underrated Auto Rifle that can hold its own against the very best. Precision Frames can be somewhat of an acquired taste but this gun has it all: Great stats, an incredible Origin Trait, extremely low recoil, and a competitive TTK.

God Roll: Tap the Trigger/Zen Moment + Eye of the Storm

Quicksilver Storm

This is one of the rare cases of a gun being good in both Destiny 2 PvE and PvP, the Quicksilver Storm remains a top-tier Auto Rifle in Crucible thanks to its ease of use. It comes with 100 stability and a near-perfect recoil pattern making this a true laser beam perfect for challenging enemies from afar.

God Roll: Curated Roll

Rufus’s Fury

Yet another gun that makes an appearance on both of our lists. While not quite as strong in PvP as it is in PvE, Rufus’s Fury is still a fantastic choice thanks to its high base stats and access to some of the best PvP perks in Destiny 2.

God Roll: Perpetual Motion/Moving Target + Target Lock

Centrifuse

Centrifuse is another new gun introduced in Season of the Deep. This unique Exotic hardly ever has to be reloaded as it automatically tops up the magazine as you run around. That plus its unique trait granting it greatly increased range makes it a superb all-around choice for run and gun playstyles.

God Roll: Curated Roll

Ammit AR2

The Ammit AR2 has a fantastic Origin Trait in Omolon Fluid Dynamics, spectacular range, and access to the unreal combination of Dynamic Sway Reduction and Tap the Trigger. The best part? It’s incredibly easy to get a craftable version and make whatever roll you want.

God Roll: Dynamic Sway Reduction + Tap the Trigger

That’s everything you need to know about the best Auto Rifles in Destiny 2 PvE and PvP. For more useful tips check out some of our other content:

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