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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.

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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 December 21, 2023, by Charles Burgar: Season of the Wish added a few new Sniper Rifles for Guardians to try, most of which are tailored for PvP play. With that said, the Naeem's Lance Sniper Rifle from the Warlord's Ruin dungeon is a solid DPS option for players who lack a Supremacy or Succession roll. We've updated this list to include Naeem's Lance, and we've updated a few entries with better perk recommendations.

10 Fugue-55

Destiny 2 Fugue-55

How to obtain: Gunsmith 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.

  • Column One: Fourth Time's the Charm, Auto-Loading Holster
  • Column Two: Firing Line, Vorpal Weapon

9 Praedyth's Revenge

Destiny 2 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. Rewind Rounds allows Praedyth's to output more rounds than most Sniper Rifles. 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.

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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.

  • Column One: Rewind Rounds
  • Column Two: High-Impact Reserves, Frenzy

8 Locus Locutus

Destiny 2 Locus Locutus

How to obtain: Season of the Witch activities.

Locus Locutus is an Adaptive Frame Sniper Rifle that deals Stasis damage, filling the same niche as Thoughtless back during The Witch Queen. If you never got that weapon, Locus is effectively a one-to-one replacement. Overflow and Firing Line is the chase roll here, allowing this weapon to overflow its magazine and benefit from 20% more precision damage.

Beyond single-target DPS, Locus Locutus has a few rolls for more general play as well. High Ground is an interesting option, providing a 20% damage buff if you're attacking enemies from an elevated surface. Headstone is also a great pick if you use Sniper Rifles to kill packs of adds from a distance.

  • Column One: Overflow, Keep Away
  • Column Two: Firing Line

7 Naeem's Lance

Destiny 2 Naeem's Lance

How to obtain: Warlord's Ruin dungeon.

Naeem's Lance is the first 140 RPM Sniper Rifle to deal Strand damage. This means youc an get Slice and Hatchling on this weapon for some solid Strand synergies, although there are weapons far better suited for that niche. The same can be argued for this weapon's DPS potential, but it far exceeds most other PvE Snipers.

Reconstruction and Precision Instrument is the ideal choice for single-target DPS here, doubling your magazine size over time while buffing your precision damage with every headshot. This caps at 25% at five hits. It's a stronger buff than Vorpal Weapon and Firing Line, but it takes time to ramp up. While it's not the best Sniper Rifle for PvE DPS, it's a solid option for players unable to raid.

  • Column One: Reconstruction
  • Column Two: Precision Instrument, High Ground

6 Cloudstrike

Destiny 2 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.

5 Irukandji

Destiny 2 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 or Supremacy, but Irukandji is a solid weapon nonetheless.

  • Column One: Fourth Time's the Charm
  • Column Two: Firing Line

4 IKELOS_SR_v1.0.3

Destiny 2 IKELOS SR v1.0.3 Sniper Rifle

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. Thanks to this weapon's perks, it's effectively a Solar version of Thoughtless with slightly better DPS thanks to its Rapid-Fire Frame.

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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.

  • Column One: Overflow, Fourth Time's the Charm
  • Column Two: Focused Fury, High-Impact Reserves (with FTTC)

3 Izanagi's Burden

Destiny 2 Guardian Holding 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.

2 Succession

Destiny 2 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.

  • Column One: Reconstruction
  • Column Two: Vorpal Weapon, Recombination

1 The Supremacy

Destiny 2 The Supremacy Sniper

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, outshining every other Legendary Sniper Rifle.

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 excellent sustained DPS.

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.

  • Column One: Rewind Rounds
  • Column Two: Bait and Switch, Fourth Time's the Charm, Kinetic Tremors
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