After years of constant updates and expansions, Destiny 2 has seen the rise and fall of certain weapon archetypes. The meta has shifted dramatically over the game's lifespan, ranging from buffing certain weapon archetypes or nerfing others into obscurity.
Sniper Rifles are a fantastic DPS option in PvE during tough activities such as raids and Nightfalls. Even when you aren't firing a salvo of rounds into a boss, you'll want a good weapon for defeating Champions and other tough foes. For those looking for a good PvE Special weapon, here are the ten best PvE Sniper Rifles you should be using in Destiny 2.
Updated May 30, 2023, by Charles Burgar: Season of the Deep gave all Last Wish weapons a major perk refresh, including The Supremacy Sniper Rifle. This weapon has turned into one of Destiny 2's strongest PvE Sniper Rifles thanks to some incredible perk combinations, including the likes of Bait and Switch and Rewind Rounds. We've updated this list to include Supremacy, showcasing some great perk combinations that make this weapon stand out from other Legendary options.
10 Fugue-55
How to obtain: Legendary world Engrams.
Fugue-55 is a versatile powerhouse in PvE. This weapon is one of three Sniper Rifles to roll with Auto-Loading Holster and Vorpal Weapon, making this weapon fantastic against Champions and certain boss fights. If you're using your Heavy weapon for boss DPS, Fugue-55 serves as a great Special weapon for killing Majors and other foes that typically aren't worth Heavy ammo.
However, should you want a good boss DPS Sniper Rifle, Fugue isn't a bad option. Fourth Time's the Charm and Firing Line can roll on this weapon, allowing you to fire a barrage of high-power shots before needing to reload. It doesn't compete with the likes of Thoughtless, yet it is a solid DPS Sniper Rifle for low to mid-tier content. Keep your eyes peeled for a good roll.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Fourth Time's the Charm, Auto-Loading Holster
- Column Two: Firing Line, Vorpal Weapon
9 The Long Walk
How to obtain: Prophecy dungeon.
The Long Walk is a Sniper Rifle most players have forgotten about. Obtained from the Prophecy dungeon, this Sniper Rifle hits like a truck and comes with some fantastic perks. The most noteworthy combination is Overflow and Firing Line, allowing this weapon to store up to eight bullets in the magazine. With a damage buff that's persistent with each shot, you'll be pumping out some respectable damage that's close to Succession and other top-tier PvE Sniper Rifles. And if you aren't a fan of those perks, Clown Cartridge and Frenzy is a great combination as well.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Overflow, Clown Cartridge
- Column Two: Firing Line, Frenzy
8 Praedyth's Revenge
How to obtain: Vault of Glass raid (Oracle and Atheon encounters)
Praedyth's Revenge is the king of Rapid-Fire Sniper Rifles. This weapon's unique perk, Rewind Rounds, allows Praedyth's to output more rounds than a Triple Tap Sniper Rifle. And thanks to a bug fix in Season of the Seraph, Rewind Rounds can now trigger on Divinity's critical bubble, making this a proper DPS option.
This Sniper Rifle also dishes out a respectable amount of damage for a Rapid-Fire Frame. It can roll with High-Impact Reserves as well, increasing the damage most of your shots deal. And thanks to the weapon's ability to roll with Tactical Mag, you can use a Boss Spec mod instead of Backup Mag for even more damage.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Rewind Rounds
- Column Two: High-Impact Reserves, Frenzy
7 Cloudstrike
How to obtain: Empire Hunts
Cloudstrike is an absurdly good Sniper Rifle, both for PvE and PvP. This weapon is a Rapid-Fire Sniper Rifle that generates lightning bolts whenever it lands a precision kill.
Lightning bolts from this weapon deal immense damage, capable of clearing out an entire wave of enemies in most activities. If that wasn't enough, Cloudstrike also generates these lightning bolts on rapid precision hits. Since this weapon fires at 140 RPM, expect a flurry of lightning bolts to rain from the sky whenever you use Cloudstrike on a boss. It deals excellent damage, can clear out groups of PvE enemies with ease, and has a high base aim assist value of 68. Combined with its range of 64, Cloudstrike gives a lot of leeway for landing precision hits. No matter the game type, Cloudstrike is a fantastic Sniper Rifle that will serve you well.
6 Thoughtless
How to obtain: Occasionally sold by Xur.
Destiny 2's first Stasis Sniper Rifle does not disappoint. Thoughtless is an Adaptive Frame Sniper Rifle that deals Stasis damage, a rarity for Sniper Rifles in general. It has a clean scope, solid base stats, and it can roll with Overflow and Focused Fury for some solid sustained DPS against majors and bosses.
While this weapon doesn't one-tap majors like Succession or Izanagi's Burden, Thoughtless is solid for burst DPS thanks to Overflow, allowing you to load ten shots before reloading. Paired with a damage perk, you'll be dealing some great damage to majors. You can even buff this gun with triple Weapon Surge mods and Radiant to pump out some solid damage against bosses.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Overflow, Rapid Hit
- Column Two: Focused Fury
5 Irukandji
How to obtain: Legendary Engrams.
If you missed out on last year's Thoughtless, Irukandji makes for an excellent replacement. This Rapid-Fire Sniper Rifle deals Stasis damage and features the Veist Stinger origin trait, causing the weapon to automatically reload a portion of its magazine on hit. When paired with the likes of Fourth TIme's the Charm and Firing Line, you'll be dishing out some solid DPS from a safe distance. It won't dethrone Succession, but this is a solid weapon nonetheless.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Fourth Time's the Charm
- Column Two: Firing Line
4 IKELOS_SR_v1.0.3
How to obtain: Legendary Engrams.
Warmind's IKELOS weapons have been brought back for the third time, complete with new perk pools and a solid Origin Trait. While the IKELOS Sniper Rifle quickly fell into obscurity after the Box Breathing nerf in Year 1, this version is close to reaching this weapon's old glory. Thanks to this weapon's perks, it's effectively a Solar version of Thoughtless with slightly better DPS thanks to its Rapid-Fire Frame.
As with Thoughtless, the IKELOS Sniper Rifle can get Overflow and Focused Fury, leading to a relentless barrage of high-damage shots against majors and bosses. If you dislike Overflow for raids and dungeons, consider a roll with Fourth Time's the Charm and High-Impact Reserves instead. And just like Thoughtless, this version of the IKELOS SR is fully craftable, complete with enhanced perks.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Overflow, Fourth Time's the Charm
- Column Two: Focused Fury, High-Impact Reserves (with FTTC)
3 The Supremacy
How to obtain: Last Wish raid
The Supremacy has always been seen as a good PvP Sniper Rifle since it was brought into Destiny 2 through Forsaken's Last Wish raid. Season of the Deep gave all Last Wish weapons a major perk refresh, including Supremacy. That perk refresh didn't just buff Supremacy for PvE, it made this gun arguably one of Destiny 2's strongest Sniper Rifles.
This is the first Sniper Rifle to roll with Bait and Switch, providing a 35% damage buff if you hit a target with all three of your weapons. This makes Supremacy great for backup DPS when your Heavy weapon runs out of ammo. If you frequently farm raids and have a Divinity user, you might want to use Rewind Rounds and Fourth Time's the Charm. This combination lets you fire over 40 shots before needing to reload, giving Supremacy one of the highest DPS values out of any Legendary Sniper Rifle.
While it won't top an Exotic Sniper Rifle, this is a Legendary weapon that resides in the Kinetic slot, letting you run an Exotic Primary or Heavy instead. And if you want your Sniper Rifle to slay adds with ease, you can use Kinetic Tremors in the final perk column to give Spuremacy some AoE damage. Best of all, this weapon is craftable. While it might not be the best Sniper Rifle for raw burst DPS, the Supremacy is a fantastic backup weapon for dungeon and raid DPS phases.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Rewind Rounds, Keep Away, Lead from Gold
- Column Two: Bait and Switch, Fourth Time's the Charm, Kinetic Tremors
2 Izanagi's Burden
How to obtain: Purchased from the Exotic Kiosk in the Tower. Costs 1 Exotic Cipher, 150,000 Glimmer, 200 Legendary Shards, and 2 Ascendant Shards.
You won't find a better Sniper Rifle for one-shotting enemies than Izanagi's Burden. This Exotic Sniper Rifle is capable of collapsing its magazine into an overcharged shot, causing this weapon to deal an absurd amount of damage. One bullet is usually enough to kill a Major or even Champions in mid-tier content.
Since it's easier than ever to craft a Rocket Launcher with Auto-Loading Holster, Izanagi's Burden has become a staple for raid boss DPS. Fire a rocket, swap to your Izanagi's Burden, fire a shot, reload, and repeat. It's great for Nightfalls, raids, and overworld content when you need something to die in a single round. Just beware of how ammo-hungry this Sniper Rifle can get.
1 Succession
How to obtain: Deep Stone Crypt raid (Atraks-1 encounter)
For those looking for a hard-hitting Sniper Rifle, the Deep Stone Crypt raid's Succession Sniper Rifle is arguably the best option available to you. It received a perk refresh in Season of the Seraph, although its new perk combinations can't top its top-tier combination of Reconstruction and Recombination.
Reconstruction and Vorpal Weapon make for an S-tier PvE sniper, allowing this weapon to obtain a six or eight-round magazine that passively reloads itself. Recombination can be used in place of Vorpal Weapon for better burst damage, sacrificing sustained DPS. Overall, Succession can one-shot majors with enough Recombination stacks, auto-reload itself, and is easy to use. You'll have a hard time finding a better PvE Special workhorse than this.
Recommended Traits:
- Column One: Reconstruction
- Column Two: Vorpal Weapon, Recombination