Scout Rifles remain in a weird place, but end-game activities in Year 6, including the return of the Crota’s Raid added in Season of the Witch, have given the weapons some time to shine. Let’s go over the best Scout Rifles for PvE & PvP in Destiny 2 as of Season of the Witch and the Lightfall DLC.
Best Scout Rifles For PvE In Destiny 2
Hung Jury
Hung Jury was brought back to the Nightfall loot pool during Season of the Seraph, and the gun continues to shine in endgame content, now with a more modern perk selection.
While Rapid Hit and Firefly remain great go-to options for most activities, Hung Jury now gains access to Shoot to Loot, a fantastic endgame perk that can pick up ammo crates for you when you shoot them. This perk is convenient in tight situations where picking up ammo is very dangerous, like activities where you’re below a certain power level.
That said, our personal selection for the God Roll will either be Rapid Hit and Explosive Payload or Shoot to Loot and Explosive Payload. Each pairing will provide amazing results in endgame content, especially in activities like Nightfalls.
Doom of Chelchis
The Doom of Chelchis has been a staple go-to Scout Rifle for Void builds for over a year now, and it’s no secret why.
Lingering deep within the King’s Fall Raid loot pool, the Doom of Chelchis is one of the few Scout Rifles in the game to roll with Frenzy, a dominant endgame PvE perk that increases all of the weapon’s stats, including damage, when you’re in combat. On top of that, it also rolls with Explosive Payload, meaning you don’t need to worry about hitting headshots, as the payload effect increases the gun’s damage over time, allowing you to slay enemies from farther distances with ease.
When you pair this gun with Void builds that can provide Volatile Rounds with it, the weapon becomes a Void machine, destroying everything in your path with Void explosions. Thus, our recommended God Roll is Explosive Payload and Frenzy, and it is easily a must-have Scout Rifle for endgame PvE.
Wicked Implement
The hidden Exotic weapon of Season of the Deep, the Wicked Implement Stasis Scout Rifle, received some monstrous buffs going into Season of the Witch. While Stasis as a whole isn’t “super” viable for endgame content right now, Bungie has already confirmed massive Stasis buffs and artifact mods coming in Season of the Wish, meaning this gun will become a must-run next Season.
That said, the gun is already extremely powerful in current Stasis builds, and with major buffs coming in just a few weeks, this gun will very likely become one of the best guns in the game, period.
You can acquire this weapon by completing Season of the Deep activities, and we have a proper guide on how to do so here.
Fang of Ir-Yut
Previous Strand Scout Rifles have been solid, but nothing game-breaking. That was until we saw the return of the Fang of Ir-Yut from the Crota’s End Raid, now evolving into a Strand weapon.
With the ability to be crafted, along with enhanced perks, this weapon can help Strand Warlocks create an army of Threadlings with ease. Specifically, having access to Hatching allows this gun to create Threadlings on every other kill, and when paired with a Warlock’s innate ability to spawn them with ease, you’ll have an army of Threadlings destroying your enemies for you in no time.
Our recommendation for the God Roll is Rapid Hit and Hatchling, as the extra reload speed from Rapid Hit is always a great addition to have. You can acquire it by completing encounters in the Crota’s End Raid.
Dead Man’s Tale
The Dead Man’s Tale Exotic Scout Rifle was brought back as a reward for completing the Presage mission in the Exotic mission rotator this Season, and it got some massive upgrades with its return.
Now becoming craftable, this gun gains access to enhanced perks, further increasing its already potent time to kill and usage in endgame activities. In PvE, this weapon is a Champion-Slayer when it has Champion perks, like Anti-Barrier Rounds or Unstoppable Shots. Specifically, when you roll Vorpal Weapon with it, even as a primary weapon, this gun can shred Champions down with ease. It’s a must-have primary gun for endgame activities with Champions in them.
You can acquire this weapon by completing the Presage Exotic mission when it is featured in a given week.
Bryar’s Love
Introduced as one of the new Seasonal weapons, the Bryar’s Love Void Scout Rifle is making waves as a fantastic replacement for the Doom of Chelchis.
We’ve already gone over why the Doom of Chelchis is so good, but the problem for many players is obtaining it, as they need to venture into the King’s Fall Raid for a chance at earning it. Thus, the more friendly replacement as a Void Scout Rifle is undoubtedly the Bryar’s Love, as it’s much easier to obtain with a great perk pool for PvE activities.
Our recommendation for the God Roll is Rapid Hit and Destabilizing Rounds. Since it’s a high-impact Scout Rifle, its reload speed is relatively slow, which is why Rapid Hit, a perk that increases reload speed on precision hits, is a must-have, in our opinion. Meanwhile, Destabilizing Rounds pairs nicely with most Void builds, as defeated enemies will make nearby ones Volatile, which goes hand in hand with most of your Void abilities.
Overall, it is a must-have weapon before Season of the Witch ends. You can acquire it by completing Season of the Witch activities like the Altar of Summoning or Savathun’s Spire.
Tarnished Mettle
Arc Scout Rifles are in short supply these days. Luckily, the Tarnished Mettle Scout Rifle from the Season of Plunder remains as the shining beacon for them.
With access to Demolitionist and Voltshot, this gun can not only provide Grenade energy for your Arc builds but also disintegrate your enemies with ease. Most Arc builds revolve around spamming your Grenade, and having Demolitionist provides further Grenade regeneration, making your build that much stronger. Meanwhile, reloading after a kill will trigger Voltshot, which jolts nearby enemies. Thus, our God Roll recommendation is Demolitionist and Voltshot.
Overall, for endgame content where you want to sit back and jolt enemies with ease while gaining Grenade energy with little difficulty, the Tarnished Mettle is the gun for you.
You can acquire this gun by purchasing it from Banshee or Xur when it is featured in a given week.
Trustee
The Deep Stone Crypt Scout Rifle, Trustee, is crawling back into the top 10 after getting new perks and the ability to be crafted. This weapon is pretty mediocre on release and didn’t get a whole lot of time to shine back then. However, during Season of the Seraph, the weapon recently received some monstrous buffs and is now a powerful asset for Solar-based builds.
Our recommended God Roll for the gun is Reconstruction and Incandescent. Reconstruction will automatically reload and overflow the magazine after a while when the gun is stowed. Meanwhile, Incandescent will scorch nearby enemies on every kill. This weapon is perfect for Solar Warlocks who like to lay back and scorch their enemies from afar.
You can obtain this gun by completing encounters in the Deep Stone Crypt Raid.
Touch of Malice
The Touch of Malice was arguably the most dominant weapon in the game on release last year with the return of the King’s Fall Raid. That said, while it has received some nerfs since then, the gun is still very potent in endgame content.
It’s no ad-clearing machine like some of the other options above, but this weapon remains nearly unmatched compared to other primary guns in terms of boss DPS. In case you run out of heavy ammo, you can simply swap to this gun and put up roughly the same numbers with it.
Overall, the Touch of Malice remains a great swap option for boss DPS and is highly beneficial in endgame content like Raids, where there’s an abundance of bosses that it’s good against.
You can acquire this gun by defeating Oryx, The Taken King, in the King’s Fall Raid.
Polaris Lance
Wrapping up the PvE list is one of the oldest Exotic weapons in the game, the Polaris Lance. Like Trustee, when it comes to scorching enemies, the Polaris Lance is a fantastic replacement, if not a stronger option, for multiple reasons.
Every class enjoys their Solar explosions, and when landing precision hits, enemies will combust and scorch enemies, keeping your ability uptime high while destroying everything in your path. It’s a great tool for quickly dealing with Champion enemies like Anti-Barrier Knights.
You can acquire this gun by purchasing it from the Exotic Kiosk in the Tower.
Best Scout Rifles For PvP In Destiny 2
Mida Multi Tool
Kicking off the PvP list is one of the first Exotic weapons brought from Destiny 1 to Destiny 2, the Mida Multi Tool. Scout Rifles in PvP are in a great spot due to the abundance of maps that are very open-range and allow them to shine, and the Mida Multi Tool is no exception.
The gun gives you increased mobility and allows you to keep your radar even while you aim down sights with it, ensuring you are always aware of your surroundings. The gun has been a staple for Scout Rifles since the game launched in 2017 and continues to do so as we head into 2024. \
You can purchase this weapon from the Exotic Kiosk in the Tower.
Hung Jury
We’ve already discussed how good the Hung Jury is in PvE activities, but the same can also be said for PvP. The Hung Jury has an excellent perk pool, allowing it to compete in both playlists easily.
For PvP, Rapid Hit and Box Breathing allows it to destroy opposing Guardians from long distances to the point where it should be considered a Sniper Rifle instead.
Overall, the Hung Jury is a must-have weapon that is extremely beneficial for both PvE and PvP activities.
The Jade Rabbit
The Jade Rabbit dominated the Crucible last year due to its ease of use and two-tapping capabilities. However, the gun received some nerfs that brought it back down a few notches, but it’s still very potent.
Arguably, there’s nothing “Exotic” about the Jade Rabbit, but it has incredibly high stats that allows the gun to stay dominant no matter how many nerfs it received.
It’s not a two-tapping monster like it was a year ago, but The Jade Rabbit remains as a dominant force of nature in the Crucible.
Fang of Ir Yut
Like the Hung Jury, the Fang Of Ir Yut is another Scout Rifle with excellent compatibility for PvE and PvP activities.
For PvP, Keep Away and Precision Instrument is our recommended God Roll. Keep Away grants increased Range, Reload, and Accuracy when no enemy is close by, and Precision Instrument increases precision damage when sustaining damage on an enemy. This combo of perks is perfect for a Scout Rifle, especially in the majority of the maps that are open-range.
Overall, the Fang of Ir Yut is the shining hope for Strand Scout Rifles, and unless a nerf is planned for it, it will remain as potent as it is for many months to come.
You can acquire it by completing encounters in the Crota’s End Raid.
Dead Man’s Tale
Dead Man’s Tale is another example of an Exotic weapon being a staple for every endgame activity in the game, whether it’s PvP or PvE.
We already discussed how it’s a Champion-slayer for PvE. Still, the same can be said for its other title, Guardian-slayer, with its fantastic stat disruption, great aim-assist, and access to powerful PvP perks such as Moving Target or Snapshot. It can’t two-tap like The Jade Rabbit, but the gun’s time to kill can be as fast with the proper setup.
Overall, Dead Man’s Tale is yet another must-have Exotic weapon that can provide amazing results no matter what activity you use it in.
You can acquire this weapon by completing the Presage Exotic mission when it is featured in a given week.
Randy’s Throwing Knife
One of the first pinnacle Crucible rewards from year one of Destiny 2 was the Randy’s Throwing Knife Scout Rifle, and it dominated the sandbox way back in the day. Now, in year six, Randy’s has been brought back as a normal Crucible drop for all to enjoy, and it continues to dominate the long-range maps.
As one would expect, the Randy’s Throwing Knife has an abundance of powerful PvP perks to choose from, but our recommended God Roll would be Zen Moment and Kill Clip. Zen Moment increases the guns stability the more you damage somebody, while Kill Clip grants a 25% boost in damage when you reload after a kill. Combined with the weapon’s high zoom and excellent handling, the gun feels fantastic to use and easily shreds opposing players, thanks to Kill Clip.
Overall, if you don’t want to use up an Exotic slot, the Randy’s Throwing Knife is a fine replacement for long-range engagements in PvP.
You can acquire this gun by playing PvP activities and having one drop as a reward for completing a match.
Symmetry
Rapid Fire Scout Rifles like the Symmetry typically have a rough time against High-Impact ones like The Jade Rabbit, but the Symmetry is one of the few exceptions where it’s able to compete.
The Arc Seeker mode allows the gun to fire high damaging Arc bullets that travel and can track opposing enemies, catching them off guard when they least expect it. The higher the Arc Seeker count, the more the user can fire off, allowing the gun to easily swap back and forth from long-range to close-range. In the right hands, this gun can become a pain to deal with endgame activities like Trials of Osiris.
You can obtain it by purchasing it from the Exotic Kiosk in the Tower.
Bryar’s Love
Continuing the trend of weapons that excel in all activities is the Season of the Witch Void Scout Rifle, Bryar’s Love. While we already discussed how good it is in PvE, the gun can also put up some numbers in PvP.
Specifically, with access to the Keep Away and Explosive Payload perks, the gun will have no range fall-off and can be considered a borderline Sniper Rifle without the same damage. Void Hunters can especially make use of this gun by becoming invisible and finding spots that keep them out of range from opposing enemies, allowing them to get the jump on them from across the map!
While the majority of the Seasonal weapons from Season of the Witch haven’t been great, the Bryar’s Love can happily be considered as the one exception.
You can acquire it by completing Season of the Witch activities like the Altar of Summoning or Savathun’s Spire.
That’s all for our best Scout Rifles in Destiny 2 for PvE & PvP. If you’re interested in learning more weapon recommendations, check out our all-encompassing lists below.
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