Best Destiny 2 Scout Rifles for PVE and PVP: Tier list

by Guest Author | Aug 22, 2021 | Weapons

Scout rifles have come a long way. They went from the worst primary weapons in the entire game to must-have tools for endgame content. In fact, some of them are considered to be among the top weapons in Destiny 2.

But because Scout rifles, in general, aren’t necessarily considered the best weapon type, we’ll be ranking them based on their relative strength to each other.

In this guide, we’ll cover both Exotic and Legendary Scout rifles (including their god rolls) for PVE and PVP, and show you where and how to obtain them.

List updated as of Season of the Splicer (S14).

Destiny 2 Scout Rifles Tier list

These are the different Tier levels used for this ranking:

S Tier – Best: Highest ranking weapon types.
A Tier – Strong: Very strong weapon types, but not on the same level as S Tier Choices.
B Tier – Average: Decent choices that can be lethal in the hands of a skilled player.
C Tier – Weak: The middle of the pack, somewhat mediocre.
D Tier – Worst: Lagging behind the competition, these don’t have much to offer.

About TTK: Measured in seconds, TTK, or time-to-kill, is critical in PVP, because the lowest the TTK, the faster you can kill your opponent. You can read all about it in our TTK guide.

Name	Archetype	Element	Rank	Excels	Source	Requirements	Weapon	Tier rank	Source ❘ Requirements	Verdict
Night Watch	Lightweight	Kinetic	S › Best	PVE	World Loot Pool	Free-to-Play			World Loot Pool	Slot: Kinetic \| Ammo: Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: Precision PVE God Roll: Rapid Hit (also good: Subsistence) + Explosive Payload (also good: Multikill Clip) ► Night Watch is the best legendary kinetic Scout Rifle in the entire game, period. Its archetype is the best of all Scout Rifles, it's easy to obtain, and it has the best perk options available. Rapid Hit and Explosive Payload is a perfect perk combination for endgame PvE, especially against Champions. For regular PvE content, Subsistence and Rampage lets you shred through enemies without needing to reload.
Vouchsafe	Lightweight	Void	A › Strong	-	Dreaming City Destination	Free-to-Play	Vouchsafe \| Scout Rifle		Dreaming City Destination	Slot: Energy \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: Lightweight PVE God Roll: Rapid Hit + Explosive Payload ► Vouchsafe is a Void Scout you need to have if you play PVE seriously. Lightweight frames are, currently, the best Scout Rifle archetypes in the game. Just like Hung Jury, Vouchsafe can roll with the best PVE combo for Scout Rifles. Explosive Payload disrupts Overload Champions and breaks Barrier Champions' shields faster than without. This is a must-have for endgame PVE with lots of Void shields and Anti-Barrier Champions (when Anti-Barrier Scout Rifle is available).
Vision of Confluence	Precision	Solar	A › Strong	PVE	Vault of Glass Raid	Free-to-Play	Vision of Confluence \| Scout Rifle	Strong ❘ A Excels in: PVE	Vault of Glass Raid	Slot: Energy \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: Precision PVE God Roll: Rewind Rounds + Firefly (also good: Frenzy) ► Vision of Confluence is an excellent Solar Scout Rifle for endgame PVE content. It’s one of the only weapons that can get Firefly, which makes Dragonfly’s explosion look small. Landing one precision kill in the middle of a group of enemies will kill them all. With Rewind Rounds, you can shoot over 25 rounds in between reloads. Frenzy gives you a 20% damage buff with nearly constant up-time. Do ANY damage every 7 seconds (even when stowed) for this buff.
Trustee	Rapid-Fire	Solar	A › Strong	PVE + PVP	Deep Stone Crypt Raid	Beyond Light			Deep Stone Crypt Raid	Slot: Energy \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: Precision PVE God Roll: Killing Wind (also good: Reconstruction) + Wellspring (also good: High-impact Reverses) ► Trustee has a lot of good perks to choose from. It feels good to shoot. It looks good. It sounds good. It’s a weapon you love despite its archetype being one of the worst in PVP. Almost any perk you get is good. Watch out for Killing Wind, Reconstruction, Wellspring, and Opening Shot. Any of these perks will make your Trustee a blast to use in PVP or PVE. In PvP, High-Impact Reserves is a niche option that defeats a Guardian 20% faster than normal.
Hung Jury SR4	Precision	Kinetic	A › Strong	PVE	Nighfall: The Ordeals	Free-to-Play	Hung Jury SR4 \| Scout Rifle	Strong ❘ A Excels in: PVE	Nighfall: The Ordeals	Slot: Kinetic \| Ammo: Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: Precision PVE God Roll: Rapid Hit + Explosive Payload (also good: Firefly) ► The most famous Scout Rifle from Destiny 1 is back and it has a lot to offer, including the Firefly perk. Very capable for Grandmaster Nightfalls and Master Vault of Glass, Hung Jury SR4 has a base recoil pattern that is nice and vertical, making precision shots easy to land. These easy precision hits can temporarily increase Hung Jury's stability and reload speed with Rapid Hit. Explosive Payload, one of the best PvE perks in the game, is also available. With Explosive Payload, you get no damage falloff and 10% to 15% more damage to red bar enemies.
Dead Man's Tale	Exotic	Kinetic	A › Strong	PVE + PVP	Exotic Quest	Deluxe Edition	Dead Man's Tale \| Scout Rifle		Exotic Quest	Slot: Kinetic \| Ammo: Primary Exotic Perk: "Chaining precision hits grants bonus damage and quickens reload speed. Future drops of this weapon will have random rolls. PVE God Roll: Vorpal Weapon (also good: Killing Wind) ► The Dead Man's Tale (DMT) was the strongest kinetic primary in the Crucible for months. Even after a nerf, this Exotic Scout Rifle is still an excellent weapon. DMT is one of the only weapons able to challenge sniper rifles in their optimal range. Plus, it feels incredible to use in hip-fired mode thanks to its catalyst. Dead Man's Tale is a powerful option for PVE as well. Vorpal Weapon makes short work of Champions, especially with the Anti-Barrier Scout Rifle mod from the Seasonal Artifact.
The Scholar	High-Impact	Kinetic	A › Strong	PVE	Trials of Osiris	Free-to-Play			Trials of Osiris	Slot: Kinetic \| Ammo: Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: Precision PVE God Roll: Opening Shot (also good: Full Auto Trigger) + Vorpal Weapon ► Unfortunately, this Trials of Osiris weapon isn't available right now. But when as soon Bungie brings The Scholar back, you'll definitely want one as it remains a great PVE Scout Rifle. With Opening Shot, accuracy and range are increased for the initial shot. Full Auto Trigger System lets you hold down the trigger and fire The Scholar at its fastest rate of fire. Combine either of these perks with Vorpal Weapon and Champions are easy to take down.
MIDA Multi-Tool	Exotic	Kinetic	A › Strong	PVP	Exotic Kiosk	Free-to-Play	MIDA Multi-Tool \| Scout Rifle		Exotic Kiosk	Slot: Kinetic \| Ammo: Primary Exotic Perk: "This weapon boosts move speed. Radar stays active while aiming down sights." ► MIDA Multi-Tool is definitely making a comeback! Benefiting from a significant aim assist buff, MIDA has become a real threat in the Crucible. With a good TTK, a mobility bonus, and excellent base stats, MIDA is one of the best PVP Scout right now. Having said that, Scouts still lag behind entire weapon types, and even among Scouts, Dead Man Tale's remains the most viable PVP scout at your disposal.
The Guiding Sight	High-Impact	Kinetic	B › Average	-	Iron Banner	Free-to-Play			Iron Banner	Slot: Kinetic \| Ammo: Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: Precision PVE God Roll: PERK (also good: PERK) + PERK (also good: PERK) ► The Guiding Sight is a High-Impact Scout Rifle, which can get a 0.80 second TTK in the Crucible. That’s one of the best in Destiny! It requires precise aim and one missed shot means you’re losing a firefight. Rapid Hit and Vorpal weapon is the best PvE roll for The Guiding Sight. You can safely take out Champions and enemies from distance thanks to its range. The Guiding Sight is a good replacement if you don't have a better kinetic Scout Rifle available to you.
Eternal Blazon	Lightweight	Arc	B › Average	-	World Loot Pool	Free-to-Play	Eternal Blazon \| Scout Rifle		World Loot Pool	Slot: Energy \| Ammo: Primary PVE God Roll: PERK (also good: PERK) + PERK (also good: PERK) ►
Talons of the Eagle	High-Impact	Kinetic	B › Average	-	Iron Banner	Free-to-Play			Iron Banner	Slot: Kinetic \| Ammo: Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: Precision PVE God Roll: Full Auto Trigger System + Explosive Payload ► Talons of the Eagle was replaced by The Guiding Sight as a potential Iron Banner drop. It's unfortunately no longer available. In the stats that count, Talons of the Eagle is a smidge better than The Guiding Sight too. Talons of the Eagle also has slightly better perk options than The Guiding Sight. Full Auto Trigger System and Explosive Payload or Rampage are great PvE perks you can't get on The Guiding Sight.
Transfiguration	High-Impact	Kinetic	B › Average	PVE	Last Wish Raid	Forsaken			Last Wish Raid	Slot: Kinetic \| Ammo: Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: Precision PVE God Roll: Rampage + Kill Clip ► Transfiguration is the only Scout Rifle that can roll with two damage-buffing perks. After 1 kill, Rampage activates and increases your damage by 10% for a few seconds. If you reload after the kill, Kill Clip increases your damage by ~30% For a small window of time, both of these can be active for slaying enemies quickly. Together, kills come easy letting you snowball the fun with more kills from higher Rampage stacks.
Polaris Lance	Exotic	Solar	C › Weak	-	Exotic Kiosk	Free-to-Play	Polaris Lance \| Scout Rifle		Exotic Kiosk	Slot: Energy \| Ammo: Primary Exotic Perk: "Precision hits return ammo to the mag. Landing 4 precision hits loads a delayed Solar explosive round for your next shot." ► Polaris Lance should be great in PVE because of the explosions it can create. Too bad they're just not enough when Dragonfly and Firefly make the same or bigger explosion. Those perks take far less setup to activate too. Polaris has the same time-to-kill values as The Jade Rabbit, but better stats. Just like Jade Rabbit, it's incredibly unforgiving in PvP. If larger Crucible maps get added to Destiny 2, Polaris Lance will be able to shine.
Symmetry	Exotic	Arc	C › Weak	-	Exotic Kiosk	Shadowkeep	Symmetry \| Scout Rifle		Exotic Kiosk	Slot: Energy \| Ammo: Primary Exotic Perk: "Precision hits build up Dynamic Charge. Swapping to Arc Seeker mode increases damage and partially reloads the magazine. Arc Seekers track toward combatants you target." ► Thanks to the recent buff to Scout rifles, Symmetry is seen a lot more play in The Crucible. And if you can hit your precision shots, Symmetry can be lethal in both in PVP and Gambit. There's really nothing special or redeeming about Symmetry. For a brief moment, Symmetry was able to stun Unstoppable Champions, but this was quickly removed as a bug. You’re giving up an exotic slot for a weapon that doesn’t excel at anything. In PVP, Symmetry is below-average in its TTK and stats. In PVE, it can't kill enemies faster or do more damage than other options. This Exotic Scout looks great. Sounds great. But it's simply missing something to be truly great.
The Jade Rabbit	Exotic	Kinetic	C › Weak	-	Exotic Engram	Free-to-Play	The Jade Rabbit \| Scout Rifle		Exotic Engram	Slot: Kinetic \| Ammo: Primary Exotic Perk: "Chain body shots to gain bonus damage on your next precision shot, return ammo to the magazine, and increases its stability." ► Jade Rabbit has one of the best time-to-kills (0.80 seconds) for any Scout Rifle. The problem is you need to land 3 precision shots without missing. For every missed shot or body shot, the time-to-kill quickly becomes one of the worst in the game. In other words, this Exotic Scout is extremely unforgiving. It has the 3rd WORST handling and the worst magazine size of all Scout Rifles. With perfect aim, it can be great, but now that Dead Man's Tale is available, why bother?
Royal Chase	Precision	Void	C › Weak	-	Wrathborn Hunts	Deluxe Edition			Deluxe Edition	Slot: Energy \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: Precision PVE God Roll: Full Auto Trigger System + Multikill Clip ► Royal Chase is a worse version of Vouchsafe. It’s just easier to farm if you need a Void Scout Rifle in Match Game content. This archetype has a poor TTK in Crucible and rather lackluster perks available for PVE. The best roll for Royal Chase is either Field Prep or Full Auto Trigger System with Multikill Clip. Field Prep gives you one of the fastest reloads in the game. All you need to do is crouch.
Skyburner's Oath	Exotic	Solar	D › Worst	-	Exotic Engram	Free-to-Play	Skyburner's Oath \| Scout Rifle		Exotic Engram	Slot: Energy \| Ammo: Primary Exotic Perk: "This weapon lobs large, explosive, seeking slugs when firing from the hip. When aiming down sights, the slugs travel fast and straight, with higher damage and a lower rate of fire." ► Skyburner's Oath is an Exotic Scout Rifle that looks like a good PVP option on paper. Only needing to land 1 precision shot and 3 body shots, its 0.90s time-to-kill seems competitive. In practice, those hip-fired shots hardly go where you want them to go. And in 6v6, it's even worse, as there are too many targets for the tracking to be accurate. In PVE, you might find some use for it when facing Cabal, but even then, a top-tier Scout will serve you better.
Pleiades Corrector	Lightweight	Solar	D › Worst	-	World Loot Pool	Free-to-Play	Pleiades Corrector \| Scout Rifle	Weak ❘ C	World Loot Pool	Slot: Energy \| Ammo: Primary \| Archetype: Precision PVE God Roll: Fourth Time's the Charm + Wellspring (also good: Demolitionist) ► Unfortunately, Pleiades is completely overshadowed by Vision of Confluence and Trustee, two superior Solar Legendary Scout Rifles. This is a weapon you can instantly dismantle without looking at the roll. Pleiades Corrector has more-than-normal zoom for a Scout Rifle. In the closely-confined Crucible maps, Pleiades feels awful to use. It also lacks any redeeming or interesting perks for PVE. Keep one for Solar shields in Match Game content if you're under level. The range lets you stay back where it's safe.

Best Destiny 2 PVP Scout Rifles

Above was a quick, surface-level pass at all of the Scout Rifles that you can use in all current content where Power Level matters.

Let’s dive deeper into the Top 3 PVP Scout Rifles in Destiny.

Night Watch

Weapon Type:	Scout Rifle	Slot:	Kinetic
Ammo:	Primary	Source:	World Loot Pool

Night Watch has the base stats and the perk pool to be a monster at chaining back-to-back kills. One stack of Multikill Clip’s damage boost is enough to 3-tap any Guardian with 7 Resilience or less. That’s one of the fastest TTKs in the game!

Ideally, you want Rapid Hit and Multikill Clip for PVP. Rapid Hit makes landing precision shots easier and reloads faster for proccing Multikill Clip. If you can’t get this roll, the next roll is fantastic too.

Subsistence and Rampage pair beautifully together. Subsistence refills your magazine after each kill and each kill gives you a stack of Rampage. The first kill is a 10% bump, the second kill is a 21% buff and the third kill is a 33% bonus for 3.5 seconds (or 4.5 seconds with Rampage Spec mod). All without needing to reload.

Snapshot and Explosive Payload are excellent general perks to have too. Explosive Payload on a Scout Rifle is a sniper player’s worst nightmare. You can shut them down completely for your entire team with how much flinch you apply to them.

With the Crucible slowing down a lot in Season 15, Scout Rifles will be better positioned for success in PVP.

Dead Man’s Tale

Weapon Type:	Scout Rifle	Slot:	Kinetic
Ammo:	Primary	Source:	Exotic Quest

Unquestionably, Dead Man’s Tale (DMT) is the best PVP Scout Rifle in Destiny. The greatest weakness every Scout Rifle (high zoom) suffers from is irrelevant on DMT. The higher the zoom, the worse a weapon is in close to medium range. You know, where 90% of fights happen in the Crucible.

With Dead Man’s Tale’s catalyst, the rate of fire is faster when firing from the hip and all accuracy penalties from hip-fire are removed. Now, DMT is able to compete head-to-head with the best PVP weapons in the game.

Keep in mind, Dead Man’s Tale really thrives in the short-to-mid range. You want to be positioned just outside of shotgun and fusion rifle territory but too far back and you’ll need to aim-down-sights (ADS) for consistent shots.

Dead Man’s Tale is a unique exotic that can roll with a random perk on it. You’ll want to get Killing Wind or Vorpal Weapon. Killing Wind is one of the best perks for PVP, but Vorpal makes shutting down roaming supers easy.

Pass on Snapshot and Moving Target because they only activate when you’re ADS, which you rarely want to do with Dead Man’s Tale.

Trustee

Weapon Type:	Scout Rifle	Slot:	Energy
Ammo:	Primary	Source:	Deep Stone Crypt

In PvP, there’s a very niche Trustee roll you can use for some cheeky kills 20% faster than normal. High-Impact Reserves buffs the damage in the last portion of your magazine, so if you fire some shots off, you can 4 tap a Guardian with High-Impact Reserves.

Trustee also just has so many great perk options to choose from. Surplus buffing handling and stability is always great. Killing Wind is fantastic. Wellspring is very good to have with how powerful abilities are in the Crucible. And Opening Shot makes the first shot you fire almost guaranteed to not miss.

Remember, since Trustee is a Rapid-Fire Frame, it naturally can be fired full-auto or you can tap fire each shot. It also has naturally fast reloads when the magazine is empty, so reload perks like Outlaw aren’t needed.

Best Destiny 2 PVE Scout Rifles

In PVE, Scout Rifles are the most reliable weapons for the most difficult content in Destiny. When the going gets tough, putting as much distance between you and enemy combatants with a Scout Rifle is the path to success.

Vouchsafe

Weapon Type:	ScoutRifle	Slot:	Energy
Ammo:	Primary	Source:	Dreaming City

You’re probably seeing a noticeable theme here. Explosive Payload is just so powerful that Scout Rifles with it are better than Scout Rifles without it.

Vouchsafe is one of only two Void, legendary Scout Rifles that you can use in PVE. And it’s perk options are just so much better than Royal Chase (the other legendary void Scout Rifle). Having a Void primary weapon is important for Void shields in Match Game content.

Even though Vouchsafe is pretty difficult to farm for a great roll, you’re really only looking for Explosive Payload or Vorpal Weapon. Explosive Payload makes taking out enemies from a safe distance easy and Vorpal Weapon chunks down Champions faster. Both of these are crucial in high-end PVE content where you need to use Scout Rifles.

Hung Jury SR4

Weapon Type:	Scout Rifle	Slot:	Kinetic
Ammo:	Primary	Source:	Nightfalls

Hung Jury is such a good Scout Rifle that it belongs in the top 3 PVP and PVE Scout Rifles. The caveat for PVE is that when you get an Adept Hung Jury, you can equip the Adept Big Ones mod which is Major and Boss spec rolled into one mod.

With how many powerful enemies there are in challenging PVE content, Hung Jury with Adept Big Ones gets so much value. This Scout Rifle is perfect for Champions and Majors that will ruin your Grandmaster Nightfall Ordeal.

Are Scout Rifles Meta?

Scout Rifles have been in a bad spot in PVE since the Shadowkeep expansion was released on October 1, 2019. With Season 15 launching on August 24th, Scout Rifles are getting some needed PVE buffs.

They’re already one of the best weapons for Grandmaster Nightfalls and Master Vault of Glass. With Season 15, they’ll feel great to use in any PVE activity.

Unfortunately, they probably won’t be meta in PVP until new Crucible maps are added that promote longer-range engagements.

Primary weapons Meta for PVP

What about PVP? This table summarizes how they rank against each other in PVP:

Weapon Type	Tier	Role ❘ Current State
Rocket Launchers	Best ❘ S	Rocket launchers are in a great place right now for PVP. As ammo economy is not an issue in the Crucible, their insane high-burst damage per rocket allows them to shine. Rocket launchers, and especially the exotics, can basically guarantee a kill without requiring much skill nor effort. And if used right, you can easily get multi kills in 6v6 modes. Rocket launchers even have a place in competitive modes, namely the Wardclif Coil, due to their consistency.
Machine Guns	Strong ❘ A	Machine guns are always a safe bet in PVP. They have excellent TTK, are very consistent from medium to long-range, and have enough ammo to kill easily 2 to 3 guardians, 4 if you play your cards right. Not all machine guns were created equal, though, as some of them are much stronger than the rest, especially the exotics (Heir Apparent immediately comes to mind). But with the right perks, legendary Machine guns can also shine
Grenade Launchers	Average ❘ B	Grenade launchers can be good options in PVP. They are powerful and can come with great perks, including the newish Chain Reaction, which can easily net you multi kills when hitting enemies grouped together. When used with something like Proximity grenades, grenade launchers can be even more reliable and easy to use. Compared to the other Power weapon in the game, grenade launchers remain strong contenders. And when you take into account the exotics, namely The Colony, they can basically give you free kills.
Swords	Weak ❘ C	Swords may be a top-tier choice in PVE due to their high-risk, high reward approach. But in PVP, the risk is much higher than the reward. You can, of course, use a sword to benefit from the third-person view and wait for opponents around corners. But in many situations, you could find yourself completely vulnerable out in the open while chasing an enemy. On top of that, 3-peeking with swords is considered a douchy approach by the community, and with reason!
Linear Fusion Rifles	Weak ❘ C	Linear fusion rifles are in the middle of an identity crisis. They are stronger than sniper rifles and have more aim assistance, but they still require Heavy ammo and a headshot to one-shot an enemy. On top of that, they also have a charge time to take into account. Compared to a sniper rifle that fires immediately and only uses Special ammo, Linear Fusion rifles make little sense for the Crucible. In PVP, you want a Heavy weapon that can either easily down several guardians or guarantee a kill in a high-stakes match. It isn't impossible to do with a linear fusion rifle, but other weapon types can accomplish that more easily.

Primary weapons Meta for PVE

So how good are Swords in PVE? This table summarizes how the several Power weapon types rank against each other in PVE:

Weapon Type	Tier	Role ❘ Current State
Swords	Best ❘ S	► Main roles: Add Clear & Single Target damage (i.e. Boss damage). ► Current State: Swords are incredibly strong right now. Several buffs and a huge rework during Season of the Worthy made them much more usable. They are now safer to use, have a better ammo economy, and can deal much more damage. Swords are as high risk / high reward as it gets. If used right, a top-tier sword can basically delete any enemy, even on higher difficulties. No wonder The Lament and Falling Guillotine are still some of the best Power weapons available.
Rocket Launchers	Strong ❘ A	► Main role: Burst Damage (Secondary role: Add Clear) ► Rocket launchers went through a rough patch that relegated to the least preferred Heavy weapon in the entire game. Bungie has been hard at work at making them relevant again, and after two noticeable buffs, Rocket launchers are making a huge comeback. With great DPS potential and bigger magazines, they are among the best tools at your disposal, no matter the content.
Linear Fusion Rifles	Strong ❘ A	► Main role: Single Target damage (Secondary role: Burst Damage) ► Current State: Linear fusion rifles have been in the middle of an identity crisis for a while, but that should finally change this season. With increased damage to critical hits, Linear Fusions are now much more lethal and rewarding, provided you can hit your shots. It's still too early to tell how meta they can become, but keep an eye on Sleeper Simulant, or a Threaded Needle with Vorpal Weapon. These will be among your top DPS options this season.
Machine Guns	Average ❘ B	► Main role: Add Clear ► Current State: Machine guns are not what they used to be, not for PVE at least. While a god-rolled Commemoration or a Thunderlord will definitely get the job done at clearing ads, they remain the shadow of their former selves. Bungie itself has confirmed they need to be fine-tuned, but that could take a while... To be fair, they still have their place and have proven to be excellent to deal with elemental shields in Grandmaster Nightfall: The Ordeals.
Grenade Launchers	Average ❘ B	► Main role: Add Clear (Secondary role: Single Target Damage). ► Current State: Grenade launchers went from the indisputable PVE choice to just an average, situational weapon type, in a matter of months. To be fair, they remain viable, especially when getting too close to the enemy is impossible. Otherwise, they have been replaced by Swords as the go-to damage-dealing Heavy weapon type in the game.
Exotic Sniper Rifles	Weak ❘ C	► Main role: Single Target damage ► Current State: Finally, we have Exotic Sniper rifles, a very niche choice represented by only 2 weapons, D.A.R.C.I and Whisper of the Worm. Heavy Exotic Snipers are far from being meta right now. D.A.R.C.I is one of the most underwhelming Exoticsin the entire game, while Whisper of the Warm is the shadow of its former self due to the blanket nerf all snipers received a few seasons ago.

Destiny 2 Scout Rifles farming: How to get them

The tier list above includes a column titled “Drops from ❘ Requirements“.

This section goes deeper and includes more detailed steps on how to acquire all the scout rifles still viable in Destiny 2:

Weapon	Drops from	How to get it?
Dead Man's Tale	Exotic Quest	Some Exotics require you to complete a dedicated Exotic quest. For more information, check out our Exotic Quests hub.
► MIDA Multi-Tool ► Polaris Lance ► Symmetry	Exotic Kiosk	This Exotic can be acquired via the Exotics Kiosk in the tower, officially called the Monument to Lost Lights. You can read all about it, including costs and requirements, here.
► Skyburner's Oath ► The Jade Rabbit	Exotic Engram	Some Exotics can only randomly drop while playing the game or by acquiring Exotic engrams (most notably from the Season Pass or from Xur). Playing higher-difficulty activities will greatly increase your chances to find one (namely, Nightfall: The Ordeals).
Vision of Confluence	Vault of Glass Raid	This elite weapon can only be found in the Vault of Glass raid. For a detailed overview of all the weapons found in the newest Destiny 2 raid, this loot table covers both weapons and armor, per encounter.
Trustee	Deep Stone Crypt Raid	This elite weapon can only be found in the Deep Stone Crypt raid. For a detailed overview of all the weapons found in the newest Destiny 2 raid, this loot table covers both weapons and armor, per encounter.
Transfiguration	Last Wish Raid	This weapon can only drop from the Last Wish raid.
The Scholar	Trials of Osiris	This weapon can only drop while getting wins in the endgame PVP mode Trials of Osiris, Destiny 2's endgame (and brutal) PVP mode. Beware that drops rotate weekly, so you'll have to patient and wait until it becomes part of the weekly drops.
Hung Jury SR4	Nighfall: The Ordeals	Farming Nightfall weapons is as straightforward as it gets. Each completion has a chance to reward you with a Nightfall weapon and the higher the Nightfall difficulty, the higher the chances. You can read everything there is to know about farming Nightfall weapons, including their rotation and schedule, here.
Vouchsafe	Dreaming City Destination	This weapon can only drop from activities in the Dreaming City. Variks, the main vendor in Europa, has quests that can help you target farm this weapon.
► Night Watch ► Eternal Blazon ► Pleiades Corrector	World Loot Pool	Some Legendaries can only randomly drop while playing the game, either as end-of-match rewards or when finding Legendary engrams.
► Talons of the Eagle ► The Guiding Sight	Iron Banner	This weapon can only drop from Iron Banner, one of the "endgame" PVP events in Destiny 2. Beware that Iron Banner is not always available but tends to occur every month for an entire week.
Royal Chase	Wrathborn Hunts	This weapon can only be found while running Wrathborn Hunts, which were the main activities from Season 12. Nowadays, they are only available to owners of the Deluxe Edition of the game.

Most of these weapon sources are self-explanatory, but in doubt, you can always leave a comment below with your question or ask away on our Discord.

Ranking criteria

For the record, as much as we tried to keep this list as objective as possible, it’s still based on our personal experience playing the PC version of the game.

Finally, if you’re wondering what criteria was used to build this Tier list, these are the main factors I took into account:

Lethality: The higher the effective DPS and usability, the higher the ranking.
Consistency: Some weapons may not have the highest DPS numbers, but they are so consistent, they more than make up for their lower DPS numbers.
Ease of use: Similar to the point above, some weapons are very effective because they are easy to use and don’t require too much skill or setup. This is also rewarded with higher rankings.
PVE/PVP Performance: High lethality in either PVE or PVP is equally valuable. However, a weapon that is good at both PVE and PVP should rank higher than one that is slightly better on only PVE or PVP.
Fun factor: Not the most important factor, but it also helps if the weapon is damn fun to shoot with!

If you strongly disagree with some of the rankings here, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section. By the way, what is your personal favorite?

This post comes from Legionless. You can follow him on YouTube.