Destiny 2: Best Fusion Rifles + How To Unlock [Tried & Tested]

Fusion rifles can make it difficult to complete quests like Forging the Broadsword, a walk in the park. On top of that, you can use fusion rifles with various builds, such as the Titan build, to take out your enemy swiftly. 

Bungie also recently increased the damage fall off of all fusion rifles based on their ranged stats. The recoil was also improved quite a lot, making it easier for players to aim and fire the weapon.

Bearing in mind those buffs, let’s check out some of the Best Fusion Rifles in Destiny 2. I will look at the exotic and legendary fusion rifles and how to get them.

Our Picks For Best Fusion Rifles

The comparison table for Best Fusion Rifles in Destiny 2 is given below: 

No.	Names	Awarded For	Rarity Class	Weapon Type	Min-Max impact	Min-max stability	Min-max Handling	Min-max magazine	Ammunition type	Damage	Effective range
1	Hollow Words	Best Fusion Rifle for Sustained Combat Effectiveness.	Legendary	Fusion Rifle	80	44	31	6	Arc	750-1360	54
2	Talesto	Best Fusion Rifle for Crowd Control.	The Reef	Fusion Rifle	-	-	Great	4	-	Void	-
3	Coriolis Force	Best Fusion Rifle for Dominating PvP encounters.	Legendary	Fusion Rifle	-	-	-	6	-	-	-
4	Merciless	Best Fusion Rifle for Rapid Fire.	Exotic	Fusion Rifle	High	Moderate	Moderate	8	Energy Charges	Solar	Medium
5	Bastion	Best Fusion Rifle for Precise, High-Damage Shots.	Exotic	Fusion Rifle	-	-	-	5	Kinetic	-	-
6	Glacioclasm	Best Fusion Rifle for PvP matches.	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Comparison Table. 

Hollow Words

Best Fusion Rifle for Sustained Combat Effectiveness.

Rarity class	Legendary
Weapon type	Fusion Rifle
Min-max impact	80
Min-max stability	44
Min-max handling	31
Min-max magazine	6
Ammunition type	Arc
Damage	750-1360
Effective range	54

Hollow Words Stats Table. 

This is a legendary fusion rifle that deals arc damage and sits in the energy slot. Initially introduced in season 11, and it’s going to be sunset in season 15. So, the curated role for this one comes with unrelenting; rapidly defeated targets trigger health regeneration. Guardians and powerful combatants account for more than one kill.

The Feeding Frenzy, where each rapid kill progressively increases the reload speed for a short duration. For PvE, the perks you want to look out for are something like surrounded and feeding frenzy or maybe even lead from gold. Perks that go well in PvP are killing wind and vorpal weapons.

This weapon is a random drop from activities and is currently in the world loot pool. To acquire this, you must complete the various activities spread throughout the world of Destiny 2.

It is relatively convenient to get, so it shouldn’t be a hassle – unlike something like Thorn; where you have to complete the lengthy Independent Study quest.

Telesto

Best Fusion Rifle for Crowd Control.

Manufacturer	The Reef
Rarity class	Exotic
Weapon type	Fusion Rifle
Required level	40
Min-max handling	Great
Min-max magazine	4
Fire mode	Charged firing
Damage	Void
In service	Guardians
Affiliation	Guardian Vanguard

Telesto Stats Table. 

Next up, I’ve got Telesto, an exotic energy fusion rifle that incorporates a couple of exciting perks. First up is Unplanned Reprieve, which allows fusion projectiles to attach and detonate with a delayed void blast. The Harbinger’s Pulse reloads your kinetic and energy weapons from reserves immediately if you get multi-kills.

Telesto has been quite problematic for Bungie as it has caused dozens of bugs despite being fixed in almost every patch. Aside from those bugs, this weapon is extremely effective.

To get this one; you can pick it up from Xur when he sells it or you can get it from random exotic engrams. Put on a mod like the Targeting Adjuster on this rifle, and you’ll be taking out enemies left and right.

Coriolis Force

Best Fusion Rifle for Dominating PvP encounters.

Rarity class	Legendary
Weapon type	Fusion Rifle
Intrinsic frame	Aggressive
Min-max magazine	6
Ammunition type	Special ammo
Rate of fire	660 charge time
Damage	Void

Coriolis Force Stats Table. 

Coriolis Force is a legendary energy fusion rifle with an aggressive fusion frame, meaning it’s got high damage. It fires a horizontal volley with a moderately decent charge time. This weapon comes with a rangefinder for that increased range and killing wind where final blows increase mobility, range, and handling for a short duration.

For PvP, under pressure and eye, the storm would be the ideal perks. If you are looking to use this rifle in PvE, feeding frenzy and thresh would be some good perks to look out for. You have to run through the selectable empire hunts from Variks to acquire this weapon.

To unlock the empire hunts, you have to complete post-campaign missions then you’ll see three empire hunts selectable at Variks. Another way to get this weapon is to kill high-value targets around Europa as they have a chance to drop a weapon or armor when you kill them.

Keep an eye on the bottom left of the screen to get that high-value target notification so you don’t miss out.

If you want to remove that randomness from the process, I recommend going through the empire hunt and killing the technocrat.

Merciless

Best Fusion Rifle for Rapid Fire.

Manufacturer	Daito
Rarity class	Exotic
Weapon type	Fusion Rifle
Min-max accuracy	High
Min-max impact	High
Min-max stability	Moderate
Min-max handling	Moderate
Min-max magazine	8
Feed system	Particle Accelerator
Ammunition type	Energy Charges
Fire mode	Charged
Rate of fire	900 ms.
Damage	Solar
Effective range	Medium
In service	Guardians

Merciless Stats Table. 

Another exotic energy fusion rifle on the list, Merciless, has some interesting perks. You’ll get conserved momentum, which makes non-lethal hits with projectiles and makes the weapon charge faster until its wielder gets a kill. I also have Impetus 2, so reloading immediately after a kill increases the overall damage for a short time.

This weapon is fast with a 900-charge time and gets faster with kills so that you will decimate your enemies without any problems. You can get it from Xur when he sells it, or you can get it from random exotic engrams.

Glacioclasm

Best Fusion Rifle for Precise, High-Damage Shots.

Impact	95
Range	63
Stability	29
Handling	33
Reload Speed	15
Aim Assistance	55
Zoom	16
Airborne Effectiveness	4
Inventory Size	26
Recoil Direction	78
Charge Time	960
Magazine	5

Glacioclasm Stats Table. 

The next weapon on the list is a legendary energy fusion rifle that delivers void damage. It’s a high-impact frame; meaning high damage at the cost of a slow fire rate. On top of that, it is accurate when stationary or aiming down sight.

Killing wind and unrelenting would be extremely beneficial for PvP, whereas ambitious assassins and demolitionists would be great for PvE. Unfortunately, you cannot get Glacioclasm at the moment as it was a reward from the recent holiday period event. It will likely come back in the Dawning 2022 so make sure to take part in that event.

Bastion

Best Fusion Rifle for PvP matches.

Manufacturer	Saint-14
Rarity class	Exotic
Weapon type	Fusion Rifle
Min-max magazine	5
Ammunition type	Kinetic
Affiliation	Saint-14 (formerly) The Guardian

Bastion Stats Table. 

Finally, this is my pick of the bunch – Bastion. It is an exotic kinetic fusion rifle that is unique and a great choice in PvP. It’s got hammer forge rifling, liquid coils, and composite stock as the standard perks. But then it’s also got saints fists so you charge to fire three spreads of kinetic slugs.

You also got Breakthrough, so a portion of this weapon’s damage bypasses elemental shields. This perk makes it extremely strong and viable in every situation as you have insane amounts of damage. You can even stop supers right in their track with this weapon.

In PvE, this is a good weapon, but there are better alternatives available. Although if you’re looking at fusion rifles, this one is really good.

Why Others Were Not Chosen?

1. Delicate Tomb: Limited versatility in PvP due to its slow charge time and narrow spread, making it less effective in close-quarters combat scenarios.
2. Jötunn: Limited to the energy slot and requires charging, making it less versatile in certain scenarios.
3. Tessellation: Limited effectiveness and versatility in both PvE and PvP scenarios due to low stability and impact.
4. Vex Mythoclast: Limited viability in endgame PvE content due to its primary ammo consumption and lack of significant damage output compared to other options.
5. Lorentz Driver: Limited effectiveness due to the reliance on generating telemetry patterns for bonus damage, making it less consistent in fast-paced combat scenarios.
6. Sleeper Simulant: Limited versatility in PvP due to slow charge time and small magazine size, hindering its effectiveness in fast-paced combat situations.
7. The Queenbreaker: Limited utility in PvE due to its low damage output compared to other power weapons, making it less desirable for high-level content.

What Would I Recommend?

With extensive game hours in Destiny 2, for players looking to dominate PvP engagements, I highly recommend Bastion. Its unique firing pattern, coupled with the Saints’ Fists perk, allows Guardians to disrupt enemy supers effectively, turning the tide of battles in their favor. 

Additionally, for Guardians seeking versatility across various activities, Telesto emerges as an excellent choice. Its combination of Unplanned Reprieve for crowd control and The Harbinger’s Pulse for rapid reloading makes it a formidable weapon in both PvE and PvP engagements.

Now that you are here, why not read on:

• Destiny 2 Butterfly’s Grace.
• Destiny 2 Precision Final Blows.
• Destiny 2 Vex Chassis Components.