Written by: Mercules904

Top Edit: If you're wondering where the numbers and full list of guns are, the Weapon Stats Spreadsheet has you covered. Several things to note:

  • Classes are broken down into Impact sub-classes.

  • These are strictly my opinions, so I'm very aware that a lot of people will probably disagree with them.

  • The Bolded Perk/Perks in each slot mean that I recommend using them. If there are no bolded perks, it means that I feel any of the listed perks are fine to use in the slot.

  • All Times-to-Kill are assuming Guardian has 200hp (9 Resiliency).

  • Pros and Cons are determined by comparing weapons within the same class, not by all weapons in general, and not by only the weapons within the archetype. If you would like a different or more specific comparison than what I have listed, feel free to ask and I can provide one in the comments.

Scout Rifles - Lightweight

enter image description here Pleiades Corrector - Energy

Pros - Above average stability. Very high reload speed and handling. High aim assist and mag size.

Neutral - None.

Cons - Very low range.

  • Time-to-Kill: 1.20s (4 crit 1 body), 1.80s (7 body)

  • Rate of Fire: 200

  • Impact: 60 (44 crit, 29 body)

  • Range: 35

  • Stability: 49

  • Reload Speed: 67

  • Handling: 74

  • Mag Size: 16

  • Aim Assist: 76

Perks:

  • Sights/Barrels - Spark PS, Transmission MS7
  • Magazine - High-Caliber Rounds, Flared Magwell
  • Set Perk - Rampage

enter image description here

Manannan SR4 - Elemental

Pros - High reload speed, handling, aim assist, and mag size.

Neutral - Average stability.

Cons - Very low range.

  • Time-to-Kill: 1.20s (4 crit 1 body), 1.80s (7 body)

  • Rate of Fire: 200

  • Impact: 60 (44 crit, 29 body)

  • Range: 32

  • Stability: 46

  • Reload Speed: 57

  • Handling: 71

  • Mag Size: 16

  • Aim Assist: 72

Perks:

  • Sights/Barrels - Candle PS, Impulse MS3
  • Magazine - Alloy Magazine, Steady Rounds
  • Set Perk - Explosive Payload

Two scout rifles in the MIDA archetype that don't require you to give up an exotic slot, both the Manannan and Corrector are formidable replacements. Manannan offers up Explosive Rounds, which actually provides more flinch than the HCR on MIDA, and combines that with great aim assist, and passable stability. Corrector, on the other hand, has HCR, and also has one of my favorite perks in Rampage, which is amazing when team-shotting. Corrector's only drawback here is low range, but honestly on most sightlines in this game you probably won't even notice the drop off.

enter image description here Honorable Mention - Nameless Midnight.

Pulse Rifles - Lightweight

Nightshade - Kinetic

Pros - Above average stability. Very high reload speed and handling. High aim assist.

Neutral - None.

Cons - Low mag size and range. Very low recoil direction.

  • Time-to-Kill: 1.20s (3.33 bursts, 10 crits), 1.73s (5 bursts (15 body)

  • Impact: 27 (20 crit, 14 body)

  • Range: 40

  • Stability: 59

  • Reload Speed: 62

  • Handling: 69

  • Mag Size: 30

  • Recoil Direction: 56

  • Aim Assist: 68

Perks:

  • Sights/Barrels - Red Dot Micro, Red Dot 2 MOA, Rifle Scope ST
  • Magazine - Tactical Mag, Armor-Piercing Rounds
  • Set Perk - Kill Clip

Pulse Rifles - Rapid-Fire

enter image description here Lincoln Green - Kinetic

Pros - Very high aim assist. Above average mag size.

Neutral - None.

Cons - Very low range, stability, reload speed, and handling. Low recoil direction.

  • Time-to-Kill: 1.13s (4 bursts, 9 crit 3 body ), 1.67s (5.33 bursts, 16 body)

  • Rate of Fire:540

  • Impact: 27 (18 crit, 13 body)

  • Range: 32

  • Stability: 46

  • Reload Speed: 33

  • Handling: 30

  • Mag Size: 36

  • Recoil Direction: 60

  • Aim Assist: 74

Perks:

  • Sights/Barrels - IS 5 Circle, Model 6 Loop, Mark 15 Lens
  • Magazine - Steady Rounds, Alloy Mag
  • Set Perk - Quickdraw

Nightshade was a favorite weapon of competitive players in the Beta, but was hit with a slight nerf between then and release. Stat-wise, it's solid in aim assist, handling, and stability, but it lacks range and has a poor recoil direction. In order to counter this, I like pushing closer than I normally would with a scout before I engage, while still remaining outside of AR distance. I also like to run a Kinetic Counterbalance mod to help with the recoil direction. Although time-to-kill isn't great for Nightshade, it has probably my favorite perk in the game, Kill Clip. Kill Clip allows you to do bonus damage when you reload after a kill, which in this case easily drops it down into the 3-burst range, doing 26 per crit. Lincoln Green is the second recommendation here, which, although it has poor stats, I've found to be my favorite weapon in the Crucible. The super high aim assist, Quickdraw perk, fast RoF, and great time to kill make it competitive against both Uriel-class and MIDA-class primary weapons, and the ability to improve the recoil direction with a Kinetic Counterbalance mod helps it feel good while doing that. Highly suggest giving it a shot.

Auto Rifles

Separate Post Coming Soon!

I'm going to make ARs their own separate post, as there are so many of them and they are all so good.

Hand Cannons - Lightweight

enter image description here Dire Promise - Kinetic (Dead Orbit)

Pros - High stability and mag size. Very high aim assist. Above average reload speed and handling.

Neutral - None.

Cons - Below average range. Very low recoil direction.

  • Time-to-Kill: 1.20s (2 crit 2 body ), 1.60s (5 body)

  • Rate of Fire: 150

  • Impact: 78 (60 crit, 40 body)

  • Range: 45

  • Stability: 50

  • Reload Speed: 54

  • Handling: 61

  • Mag Size: 11

  • Recoil Direction: 84

  • Aim Assist: 87

Perks:

Sights/Barrels - Fastdraw HCS, SteadyHand HCS, TrueSight HCS Magazine - Steady Rounds, Appended Mag Set Perk - Triple Tap

enter image description here Daedalus Code - Elemental

Pros - Very high aim assist, recoil direction, and mag size. High reload speed and handling.

Neutral - None.

Cons - Very low range. Low stability.

  • Time-to-Kill: 1.20s (2 crit 2 body ), 1.60s (5 body)

  • Rate of Fire: 150

  • Impact: 78 (60 crit, 40 body)

  • Range: 39

  • Stability: 41

  • Reload Speed: 62

  • Handling: 66

  • Mag Size: 13

  • Recoil Direction: 97

  • Aim Assist: 87

Perks:

Sights/Barrels - Fastdraw HCS, Crossfire HCS Magazine - High-Caliber Rounds, Extended Mag Set Perk - Auto-Loading Holster

Hand cannons are underutilized in PvP right now, which is understandable. They were some of the best feeling guns in the game in D1, and their D2 counterparts just don't seem to stack up. I will admit to struggling to use them consistently, but when I'm on with them I'm not sure there are many weapons that are more forgiving at short to mid range. I personally have had the best experiences with the Lightweight archetype weapons, as they have more competitive times-to-kill while retaining the ability to only need 2 crits out of 4 shots to kill most targets. Dire Promise and Daedalus Code are two different types of this same archetype, with Dire Promise having better range but worse recoil direction. I don't much like the perks on it, but the rest of the stats are good enough to make up for it, and it feels great to use. Daedalus Code, on the other hand, has HCR which is basically tier-1 in PvP right now, and also has insanely high aim assist and recoil direction, plus a large mag size. Poor range and stability hurt, but if you use this weapon in its golden distances it's a blast.

enter image description here Honorable Mention - Better Devils

Sub-Machine Guns - Precision enter image description here Antiope-D - Kinetic

Pros - Very high range and aim assist.

Neutral - None.

Cons - Very low stability, reload speed, handling, and mag size. Below average recoil direction.

  • Time-to-Kill: 0.90s (10 crits), 1.20s (13 body)

  • Rate of Fire: 600

  • Impact: 25 (20 crit, 16 body)

  • Range: 63

  • Stability: 39

  • Reload Speed: 27

  • Handling: 26

  • Mag Size: 26

  • Recoil Direction: 90

  • Aim Assist: 58

Perks:

Sights/Barrels - GB Iron, SC Holo Magazine - Ricochet Rounds, Tactical Mag Set Perk - Kill Clip

enter image description here Adjudicator - Kinetic

Pros - Very high range. High aim assist. Above average recoil direction and stability.

Neutral - None.

Cons - Very low reload speed, handling, and mag size.

  • Time-to-Kill: 0.90s (10 crits), 1.20s (13 body)

  • Rate of Fire: 600

  • Impact: 25 (20 crit, 16 body)

  • Range: 60

  • Stability: 46

  • Reload Speed: 24

  • Handling: 29

  • Mag Size: 27

  • Recoil Direction: 93

  • Aim Assist: 54

Perks:

Sights/Barrels - Chambered Compensator, Corckscrew Rifling, Polygonal Rifling Magazine - Slideways, Hip-Fire Grip Set Perk - Dynamic Sway Reduction

Although I'm not a fan of the 900 RPM SMGs at the moment, I very much love the 600 RPM ones. Better range, damage, time-to-kill, better stability, they basically run the gauntlet of stats and come out on top in most circumstances, with the exception of mag size, reload speed, and handling, which I can deal with. The Antiope is probably the more sought after of the two thanks to its higher range and aim assist, not to mention the fact that it has Kill Clip, but I wouldn't sleep on the Adjudicator. Better stability and recoil direction help, and the Hip-Fire Grip and Dynamic Sway Reduction combo means you're accurate firing from the hip or ADS.

Sidearms

enter image description here Omolon Adaptive The Last Dance - Elemental

Pros - Very high stability. High recoil direction and mag size. Above average handling and aim assist.

Neutral - None.

Cons - Below average range. Low reload speed.

  • Time-to-Kill: 0.73s (2.66 bursts. 7 crit 1 body ), 1.00s (3.33 bursts, 10 body)

  • Rate of Fire: 415

  • Impact: 75 (27 crit, 20 body)

  • Range: 36

  • Stability: 86

  • Reload Speed: 35

  • Handling: 57

  • Mag Size: 27

  • Recoil Direction: 97

  • Aim Assist: 70

Perks:

Sights/Barrels - Target SAS, Tactic SAS Magazine - Extended Mag, Armor Piercing Rounds Set Perk - Moving Target

enter image description here

Last Hope - Elemental

Pros - High stability and mag size. Above average handling, aim assist, and recoil direction.

Neutral - Average range.

Cons - Below average reload speed.

  • Time-to-Kill: 0.73s (2.66 bursts. 7 crit 1 body ), 1.00s (3.33 bursts, 10 body)

  • Rate of Fire: 415

  • Impact: 75 (27 crit, 20 body)

  • Range: 41

  • Stability: 82

  • Reload Speed: 37

  • Handling: 55

  • Mag Size: 27

  • Recoil Direction: 93

  • Aim Assist: 70

Perks:

Sights/Barrels - Control SAS, FarPoint SAS Magazine - Ricochet Rounds, Steady Rounds Set Perk - Zen Moment

enter image description here Etana SI4 - Elemental Pros - Very high mag size. High stability. Above average range.

Neutral - Average recoil direction.

Cons - Below average reload speed and handling. very low aim assist.

  • Time-to-Kill: 0.73s (2.66 bursts. 7 crit 1 body ), 1.00s (3.33 bursts, 10 body)

  • Rate of Fire: 415

  • Impact: 75 (27 crit, 20 body)

  • Range: 45

  • Stability: 80

  • Reload Speed: 40

  • Handling: 53

  • Mag Size: 30

  • Recoil Direction: 90

  • Aim Assist: 60

Perks:

Sights/Barrels - Shortspec SAS, Tactic SAS Magazine - Appended Mag, Steady Rounds Set Perk - Hip-Fire Grip

I've been a fan of the Omolon Adaptive sidearms since day 1, and if the meta is any indication, a lot of other players are too. Boasting the fastest times-to-kill in the game, at close range, nothing is better. While I personally prefer The Last Dance due to the perk increasing movement speed and aim assist when ADS, a lot of players out there have found Last Hope to be more to their liking, with its maxed out stability plus Zen Moment. Etana is probably the red-headed step child here, with better stats in range and mag size, but the worst aim assist, and the least useful (although still okay) perk in Hip-Fire Grip.

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