Destiny 2 Best Linear Fusion Rifles [According To 3500+ Hours Veteran]

With over 3500+ hours of experience, here are my recommendations for Linear Fusion Rifles in Destiny 2.

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January 1, 2024

The choice of the best linear fusion rifle Destiny 2 will vary from activity to activity and depend on players’ preferences and play styles. Some activities, such as a long DPS phase, can use linear fusion rifles (LFRs) like Taipan-4FR and Reeds Regret. On the other hand, some endgame activities may require burst DPS for enemies like champions, especially in Grandmaster Nightfalls, where linear fusions like Stormchaser can make a night-and-day difference.

Before You Start: Even though Linear Fusion Rifles are the best option for DPS, they have received a minor nerf since Season 20, which does not make them as strong as they were in prior seasons.

Important: Despite the recent nerf that Linear Fusion Rifles got, they remain the best option for sustained DPS during boss fights and can be useful in some burst DPS scenarios.

Key Takeaways

The 9 Best Linear Fusion Rifles in Destiny are as follows:

Arbalest is the best exotic linear fusion rifle in Destiny 2 that comes with an anti-barrier perk.
Sleeper Simulant is a slow-firing weapon, but it has great DPS potential if used correctly.
The Queenbreaker is a long-range LFR with switchable scopes comparable to sniper rifles.
Lorentz Driver has an exotic perk, EM Anomaly, which pulls and explodes targets.
Taipan-4FR is void LFR with great perks for prolonged DPS phases.
Reeds Regret offers greater damage output due to its synergy with the Stasis subclass and good perks.
Cataclysmic is a raid-exclusive weapon that has the highest DPS.
Stormchaser fires in a burst of three bullets; it can be a good option in endgame activities.
Briars Contempt is the most recent addition to the game. It can be obtained from the new raid Root of Nightmares.

Why Trust Us: With 3500+ hours in the game, Usama is a trusted source for Destiny 2 guides!

Best Destiny 2 Linear Fusion Rifles

Weapon	Impact	Range	Stability	Reload Speed	Magazine
Arbalest	41	41	55	28	6
Sleeper Simulant	25	75	92	48	4
The Queenbreaker	41	65	90	60	5
Lorentz Driver	41	38	52	28	6
Taipan-4FR	41	49	50	25	6
Reed's Regret	40	50	53	31	6
Cataclysimic	44	50	53	28	6
Stormchaser	41	31	59	25	5
Briar's Contempt	44	51	52	25	5

1. Arbalest

The Best Exotic Linear Fusion Rifle.

kinetic slot linear fusion rifle. — Arbalest – Kinetic Slot Linear Fusion Rifle. (Image Captured by eXputer)

WEAPON TYPE	Exotic Linear Fusion Rifle
Impact	41
Charge Time / Magazine	533 / 06
Range	56
Stability	55
Handling	40 (with catalyst)
Reload speed	28
Aim Assistance	31
Zoom	25
Airborne effectiveness	12

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The exotic perk on this weapon is Compounding Force, which shoots slug shots that can do a good amount of damage. Furthermore, it has an Anti-Barrier mod built into the gun. These two perks make Arbalest the best exotic linear fusion rifle in Destiny 2, one that I often use in endgame activities from time to time, most preferably Nightfall GMs.

You can obtain Arbalest linear fusion rifle by visiting Shaw Han on Cosmodrone and completing the quest Another Last City.

Compounding Force allows it to take down champions from afar.
Disruption Break allows for slightly extra damage after using it to break an enemy combatant’s shield.
Catalyst gives Genesis, which refills ammo from the reserves.
The Anti-Barrier mod is pre-built into it.

Requires you to be quick and precise.
Aside from Grandmaster Nightfalls and Raids, the weapon is not very useful in most situations.
It falls on the lower end of boss damage potential among other linear fusion rifles.

2. Sleeper Simulant

The Best Heavy Linear Fusion Rifle.

Sleeper Simulant heavy ammo linear fusion rifle. — Sleeper Simulant – Heavy Linear Fusion Rifle. (Image Captured by eXputer)

WEAPON TYPE	Exotic Linear Fusion Rifle
Impact	25
Charge Time / Magazine	102 / 04
Range	75
Stability	92
Handling	26
Reload speed	48
Aim Assistance	55
Zoom	13
Airborne effectiveness	34

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Sleeper Simulant is a reprised exotic from Destiny 1. It is a heavy weapon that has a slow fire rate but deals a decent amount of damage. It’s useful to newer players who don’t possess some of the top-tier DPS weapons. Back in the vanilla days of Destiny 2, I remember using it a lot for DPS in Spire of Stars. I still find myself using it to try something unique for damage phases.

You can obtain this weapon from the Monument of Lost Light at the Tower. The catalyst of this weapon is obtained by doing playlist activities like strikes, where it has a chance to drop once the strike is completed.

Exotic perk: “Dornröschen” penetrates shields.
Fires a bouncing, splitting laser with increased damage.
Catalyst reduces charge time and boosts ammo reserves.

4-shot magazine requires frequent reloading.
Slow reload speed necessitates armor mod.
Occupies exotic slot, limits loadout choices.

3. The Queenbreaker

The Best Precision Linear Fusion Rifle.

switchable scope LFR weapon. — The Queenbreaker – Heavy Linear Fusion Rifle. (Image Captured by eXputer)

WEAPON TYPE	Exotic Linear Fusion Rifle
Impact	41
Charge Time / Magazine	633 / 5
Range	65
Stability	90
Handling	35
Reload speed	60
Aim Assistance	60
Zoom	35
Airborne effectiveness	18

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The Queenbreaker is an exotic linear fusion rifle in a heavy slot that uses power ammo. This weapon is unique in that it’s a sniper and linear fusion rifle, both simultaneously, and if you ask me, it is insanely good in PVP. It also shares physical features similar to the gun Fallen uses. You can obtain this weapon from Xur when he brings it on weekly rotation on Friday. It can also be obtained from random exotic drops.

Wire Rifle perk has long-range and chains nearby targets, which blinds them.
Switchable scope, allowing for both short-range and long-range use.
Quickdraw perk allows you to draw this weapon very quickly.
The catalyst increases the range and aim assistance by +20 each.

Less DPS than other linear fusion rifles makes it useless for boss fights.
The ammo economy is not good for PVE activities.

4. Lorentz Driver

The Best Void Linear Fusion Rifle.

void energy LFR. — Lorentz Driver – Energy Linear Fusion Rifle. (Image Captured by eXputer)

WEAPON TYPE	Exotic Linear Fusion Rifle
Impact	41
Charge Time / Magazine	533 / 06
Range	38
Stability	52
Handling	40
Reload speed	28
Aim Assistance	22
Zoom	25
Airborne effectiveness	1

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Lorentz Driver is a void linear fusion rifle. However, unlike most best linear fusion rifles in Destiny 2, this gun utilizes special ammo. Lorentz Driver is more of a PVP linear fusion rifle rather than a PVE weapon. This weapon can be obtained from the Monument of Lost Light. From my experience using it, it’s not a weapon or a linear fusion rifle that interests me too much; neither does it have a special place in my most used weapons.

Lagrangian Sight performs very well in PVP activities; more uptime on their abilities.
EM Anomaly causes targets to implode, making it easier to kill multiple enemies.

No practicality in any PVE endgame activity except in very few situations.
Only synergies with certain builds.
You need to get final blows with this weapon quickly to keep the exotic perk active.

5. Cataclysmic

The Best PVE Linear Fusion Rifle.

legendary linear fusion rifle best in destiny 2. — Cataclysmic – Heavy Linear Fusion Rifle. (Image by eXputer)

WEAPON TYPE	Exotic Linear Fusion Rifle
Impact	44
Charge Time / Magazine	533 / 06
Range	49
Stability	53
Handling	46
Reload speed	25
Aim Assistance	66
Zoom	25
Airborne effectiveness	13

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Cataclysmic is a solar energy weapon and can be called one of the best linear fusion rifles in Destiny 2. It offers the highest boss damage potential, given the player hits critical shots on the boss. The roll you should go for on this weapon is Fourth Times The Charm and Bait & Switch. With this unique perk combination, the player can shoot this weapon for a reasonably long time.

This weapon can be obtained by doing the Vow of the Disciple raid. I strongly recommend you try to obtain the red border for this weapon for the optimal perk combination that fits in with the meta.

Highest DPS among other PVE weapons in Destiny 2.
Consistent crits will return shots back to the magazine.

To obtain this weapon, players must learn how to do the Vow of the Disciple raid.
The red border for this weapon can take up to five weeks to obtain.
Missing critical spots greatly punishes the player by losing out on DPS.

6. Taipan-4FR

The Best Linear Fusion Rifle For New Players.

witch queen LFR gun — Taipan-4FR – Heavy Linear Fusion Rifle. (Screenshot Captured by eXputer)

WEAPON TYPE	Exotic Linear Fusion Rifle
Impact	41
Charge Time / Magazine	533 / 06
Range	50
Stability	50
Handling	61
Reload speed	31
Aim Assistance	64
Zoom	25
Airborne effectiveness	09

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Taipan-4FR is a void linear fusion rifle that you can either obtain as a world drop or complete the quest available on Enclave, which will allow you to craft a perfect roll. The perfect roll for this weapon is Triple Tap and Firing Line, which returns bullets to the magazine after each of 3 critical shots and increases damage on each shot by 20% when near an ally.

I found the Taipan to be the ideal Linear Fusion Rifle as when I returned back to the game after taking a break, I was easily able to obtain a very good perk combination of it for free.

Taipan-4FR boasts a diverse perk pool featuring combinations like Triple Tap and Firing Line.
Easily acquired through the enclave quest or as a common world drop.
Offers the highest sustained DPS potential post-cataclysm.
The Veist Stinger trait enables nearly continuous shooting for an extended duration.

Best suited for team play as Firing Line requires proximity to allies for activation.
Falls behind in burst DPS when compared to linear fusion rifles like Stormchaser.

7. Reeds Regret

The Best Trials Weapon To Obtain.

Stasis LFR as shown in image above — Reeds Regret – Stasis Linear Fusion Rifle. (Screenshot Captured by eXputer)

Weapon Type	Legendary Linear Fusion Rifle
Impact	40
Charge Time / Magazine	526 / 06
Range	50
Stability	53
Handling	36
Reload Speed	28
Aim Assistance	66
Zoom	25
Airborne Effectiveness	14

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Reeds Regret is a linear fusion rifle with stasis energy, offering great DPS potential. The best perks on Reeds Regret are Triple Tap and Firing Line. This LFR pairs well with the Stasis sub-class, further increasing its damage. Reeds Regret is only available from Trials of Osiris, the PvP endgame activity. When it was initially available, I remember it being the most popular Linear fusion rifle to get for PVE damage scenarios.

Reeds Regret offers many perks that you can utilize in both PVP and PVE endgame activities.
You can integrate this weapon with stasis builds, further increasing its utility.
In certain situations, this weapon can outperform both Taipan-4FR and Cataclysmic.

To acquire this weapon, players need to play Trials of Osiris, which is not everyone’s cup of tea.

8. Stormchaser

The Best DPS Linear Fusion Rifle.

three burst fire linear fusion — Stormchaser – Aggressive Frame Linear Fusion Rifle. (Image Credit Copyright: eXputer)

WEAPON TYPE	Exotic Linear Fusion Rifle
Impact	41
Charge Time / Magazine	533 / 05
Range	31
Stability	59
Handling	40
Reload speed	25
Aim Assistance	62
Zoom	25
Airborne effectiveness	62

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Stormchaser is an aggressive frame arc energy linear fusion rifle that shoots in a three-burst fire. Stormchaser shines the best in situations where a large amount of damage is required quickly while killing champions in Grandmaster Nightfalls.

Players can obtain this weapon from the Duality dungeons Vault Encounter. I recommend that players wait until Duality is the featured dungeon on a weekly rotation and then proceed to farm the vault encounter until they have their desired rolls.

Fantastic in burst DPS situations, even against champions and majors.
Stormchaser is easier and less tedious than other aggressive linear fusions.

Although easy to acquire, the desired rolls on this weapon are difficult to obtain.
Only a few useful perks that can offer endgame utility.
Witch Queen and the Dungeon Key are required to access Duality.

9. Briars Contempt

The Best Aggressive Frame Linear Fusion Rifle.

root of nightmare LFR — Briar’s Contempt – Solar Linear Fusion Rifle. (Image Credit Copyright: eXputer)

WEAPON TYPE	Legendary Linear Fusion Rifle
Impact	44
Charge Time / Magazine	533 / 05
Range	51
Stability	52
Handling	46
Reload speed	25
Aim Assistance	67
Zoom	23
Airborne effectiveness	14

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Briars Contempt is a relatively new weapon that was recently introduced with the Lightfall expansion. It is a solar energy linear fusion that can roll with various perks and several perk combinations. You can acquire this weapon by completing encounters in the Root of Nightmares raid. I advise visiting the loot table of the Root of Nightmares raid to see which encounters, in particular, drop Briars Contempt linear fusion rifle.

Even in Season of the Wish, I often see my clanmates and friends using the weapon for DPS in endgame activities, making it a strong Boss weapon option if you ask me.

Reconstruction fills the magazine from the reserve magazine.
The frenzy perk on this weapon increases its damage by 15% in combat.
Other great perks such as High Impact Reserves and Keeping Away.

Challenging to obtain because players need to learn the Root of Nightmares raid.
Falls short on longer DPS phases than other weapons like Cataclysmic and Taipan-4FR.

Best Linear Fusion Rifles Criteria

destiny 2 time — Destiny 2 hours spent [Image via Time wasted on Destiny]

With my ample knowledge and expertise in the game for over six years. I have been a religious player of the franchise since the original game was released on old-generation consoles.

Therefore, with my 3000+ hours on Destiny 2 and plenty of raid completions, as seen on the Raid Report website, you can rest assured that the list above is trustable and according to my personal experience in the game.

This sums up my best Linear Fusion Rifle Destiny 2 list. These guns I mentioned stand out from other linear fusion rifles in Destiny 2 for PvP and PvE activities. Although Bungie has nerfed this weapon type, and they are not the perfect DPS weapon in the current meta, linear fusion still manages to surprise and perform pretty well in most situations.

Furthermore, head to this page to view our list of the best kinetic weapons in Destiny 2 to pair with the linear fusion rifles I have suggested, thus creating a killer endgame PVE build.