Destiny 2: 8 Best Scout Rifles [3000+ Hours Experience]

Take out the top-tier scout rifles, its time to pop heads in season 20 of Destiny 2!

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November 20, 2023

Similar to the best kinetic weapons and best PvE weapons, the Scout rifles serve as an equal and adaptable weapon class, but they provide medium to long-range precision and accuracy for dispatching foes. Equipping the best Destiny 2 scout rifle is essential, whether immersed in fierce PvP clashes or facing demanding PvE missions. From the rapid-fire capabilities of Doom Of Chelchis and the formidable impact of Hung Jury SR4, I’ve curated a list of 16 best Destiny 2 scout rifles.

Our Picks

The Best Scout Rifles Destiny 2 are versatile and excel at medium to long-range engagements, here are our top picks:

Staccato-46: Adaptable for PvE and PvP, fast firing rate, good handling, but poor range and limited ammo.
Jade Rabbit: High impact, range, precision, ammo regeneration, limited magazine size, requires precision hits.
Hung Jury SR4: High stability and range, ideal for precision shots and crowd control with Firefly.
Doom of Chelchis: Legendary scout rifle excelling in long-range engagements with high impact and range.
Nightwatch: Versatile with high aim assistance and stability, obtainable from various activities and vendors.

Why Trust Us: Usama has spent more than 2400 hours in Destiny 2, making his guides trustworthy!

All Picks And Comparison Table

Below I’ve outlined a statistical comparison table for the best scout rifles in Destiny 2:

Scout Rifle Name	Best For	Rarity	Power/Attack	Impact	Range	Rounds Per Minute	Magazine
Dead Man's Tale	The Best Exotic Scout Rifle.	Exotic	1763 Power	67.0	60.0	120.0	14.0
Stacatto-46	The Scout Rifle Smooth Handling.	Legendary	1561 Power	62.0	39.0	180.0	16.0
The Jade Rabbit	The Best Skilled Scout Rifle.	Exotic	1564 Power	67.0	80.0	150.0	10.0
Aisha's Embrace	The Best Aim Assistance Scout Rifle.	Legendary	1528 Power	45.0	34.0	260.0	18.0
MIDA Multi-Tool	The Best Mid-Range Scout Rifle.	Exotic	1806 Power	60.0	35.0	200.0	16.0
Night Watch	The Best Primary Scout Rifle.	Legendary	1260 Power	60.0	37.0	200.0	16.0
Doom Of Chelchis	Best Scout Rifle For Solo Players.	Legendary	1568 Power	62.0	49.0	180.0	16.0
Hung Jury SR4	The Best Ammo Efficient Scout Rifle.	Legendary	1312 Power	62.0	49.0	180.0	16.0

Dead Man’s Tale

The Best Exotic Scout Rifle.

Why I Chose This: Perks like Cranial Spike and Killing Wind enhance its performance in various combat scenarios.

Rarity	Exotic
Magazine Size	6
Max Ammo	50
Reload Time	1.6s
Damage	Kinetic
Impact	80
Range	70
Stability	50
Handling	35
Aim Assistance	70
Recoil	Vertical, Low
RPM	150

To obtain Dead Man’s Tale gun in Destiny 2, you need to follow these steps:

Complete the Season of the Chosen introductory questline to unlock the Presage mission.
The Presage mission is a secret quest that requires a fireteam of at least one and a maximum of three players.
Play the Presage mission on Master difficulty to increase your chances of getting the Dead Man’s Tale drop.

The following are considered some of the best god rolls for Dead Man’s Tale gun in Destiny 2:

Barrel: Hammer-forged Rifling, Smallbore, or Fluted Barrel
Magazine: Accurized Rounds or Tactical Mag
Perk 1: Killing Wind, Surplus, or Outlaw
Perk 2: Snapshot Sights, Moving Target, or Vorpal Weapon

Ideal for long-range battles with high impact.
Cranial Spike rewards precision and aids hip-fire.
Efficient in PVE and PVP with precise hits.
Easy to handle with low recoil and high stability.
Catalyst enhances stability and handling.
Compatible with scout rifle mods.

Slow reload with a 6-round magazine.
Less effective in close combat due to slow rate of fire.
Depends on accurate shooting.
Obtaining is difficult, which may deter some players.

Staccato-46

The Scout Rifle Smooth Handling.

Why I Chose This: High rate of fire, excellent stability, and smooth handling make it easy to use, allowing for quick and accurate shots even in fast-paced engagements.

Damage	180
RPM	300
Magazine	17
Reload Speed	45
Stability	59
Aim Assistance	60
Recoil Direction	100
Zoom	16
Inventory Size	43
Handling	70

The Staccato-46 is a scout rifle that can be obtained by playing Crucible matches or by turning in Crucible tokens to Shaxx, the Crucible vendor. It is also a potential reward for completing the weekly Crucible challenge. The weapon can be acquired through random drops during Crucible matches or by turning in Crucible bounties. The god roll for the Staccato-46 includes perks such as Rapid Hit, Zen Moment, and Multikill Clip.

Excels in PvE and PvP with high rate of fire.
Easy critical hits with excellent stability and aim.
Smooth handling for quick weapon swaps.
Adaptable with numerous attachment options.
Rapid Hit perk boosts Stability and Reload Speed after precise hits.

Long-distance engagement in PvP feels tough due to poor range.
Limited inventory capacity of 43 items.
Optimal roll varies based on player preference.

Jade Rabbit

The Best Skilled Scout Rifle.

Why I Chose This: Its balanced handling and stability ensure a smooth shooting experience, contributing to its accessibility and ease of use.

Rarity	Exotic
Damage Type	Kinetic
Attack	1360
Magazine Size	10
Reserves	80
Rate of Fire	150
Impact	67
Range	68
Stability	46
Reload Speed	57 ms
Handling	42
Aim Assistance	80
Recoil Direction	60

Destiny 2’s exotic best Scout Rifle, The Jade Rabbit, is obtainable as a random drop from the world via Exotic Engrams and also has a chance to be found in Xur’s weekly featured inventory at certain times.

High impact and range effective at long distances.
Precision hits return ammo for sustained damage.
Exotic perk boosts damage after three precision hits.
Good aim assist and recoil for all skill levels.

Low fire and reload speed hinder close combat.
Limited magazine size requires frequent reloading.
Exotic slot allows only one exotic weapon.
Precision hits necessary, not always feasible.

Aisha’s Embrace

The Best Aim Assistance Scout Rifle.

Why I Chose This: In PvP encounters, perks like Quickdraw, Snapshot Sights, and Opening Shot enhance Aisha’s Embrace’s performance by improving handling speed and aiming.

Rarity	Legendary
Magazine Size	16
Reload Speed	45
Handling	54
Aim Assistance	72
Recoil Direction	70
Zoom	20
Range	68
Stability	46
Impact	67
Rate of Fire	150

It is important to note that Aisha’s Embrace was only available in Destiny 2’s Season of the Chosen and may not be available in future seasons or expansions. Players should aim to obtain the God Roll perks, such as Overflow, Explosive Payload, and Frenzy for PvE or Quickdraw, Snapshot Sights, and Opening Shot for PvP.

Excellent aim assist and recoil control.
Fast firing rate and large magazine.
Useful against groups with PvE perks like Overflow.
Effective in The Crucible with PvP perks like Quickdraw.

Limited Stability.
Slower reload compared to other Scout Rifles.
Finding optimal perks requires multiple rolls.

MIDA Multi-Tool

The Best Mid-Range Scout Rifle.

Why I Chose This: Lightweight design and fast reload speed make it ideal for aggressive playstyles, allowing players to quickly move around the map, flank enemies, and push objectives.

Damage	200
RPM	200
Magazine	21
Reload Speed	1.8 seconds
Range	67
Stability	46
Handling	55
Aim Assist	100
Recoil	Low

To get the MIDA Multi-tool, you can purchase it from the Exotic archive kiosk in the Tower for 1x Exotic Cipher, 100K Glimmer, 150 Legendary Shards, and 1x Ascendant Shard.

High aim assist and low recoil for accuracy.
Third Eye perk provides radar while aiming.
Lightweight design for faster movement and strafing.
Fast reload and high rate of fire for close to mid-range.
Versatile and effective in both PvP and PvE.

Deals less damage than other exotic weapons.
Third Eye perk can lead to overreliance on radar.

Night Watch

The Best Primary Scout Rifle.

Why I Chose This: Due to its availability as a reward for ranking up in Gambit, the it is well-suited for use in Gambit matches.

Rarity	Legendary
Magazine Capacity	16
Reload Time	2.1 seconds
Aim Assistance	75
Zoom	20
Recoil Direction	60
Rounds Per Minute	200
Impact	62
Range	62
Stability	51
Handling	53

Many methods exist in Destiny 2 for acquiring the Nightwatch scout rifle, as you can obtain via Gambit mostly or even successful completions of Nightfalls as a random world pool drop. The recommended perks for the Nightwatch include Rapid Hit, Explosive Payload, Outlaw, and Rampage.

High aim assist and stability.
Explosive Payload causes flinching in PvP.
Rapid Hit enhances stability and reload speed.
High impact and long range for significant damage.
Easily obtained by ranking up in Gambit.

Reloading may leave players vulnerable.
Maintaining Rampage activation can be challenging.

Doom Of Chelchis

Best Scout Rifle For Solo Players.

Why I Chose This: High impact and damage output make it valuable for solo players seeking a reliable primary weapon

Impact	70
Range	61
Stability	47
Handling	53
Reload Speed	46
Rounds Per Minute	180
Magazine	16
Zoom	15
Recoil Direction	60
Aim Assistance	70
Equip Speed	49

The Doom of Chelchis can be obtained via the Reprised King’s Fall raid and has a chance to be dropped via the first and last encounters. The god roll for Doom of Chelchis includes Zen Moment, Outlaw, and Rampage perks, which increase stability, reload speed, and damage respectively.

High impact and range for long-range engagements.
Zen Moment boosts stability with each hit.
Outlaw speeds reloads after precision kills.
Rampage increases damage after kills for multiple takedowns.

Slow rate of fire and small magazine.
Recoil challenging without Zen Moment.
Only obtainable through King’s Fall raid or world drop, which can be difficult.

Hung Jury SR4

The Best Ammo Efficient Scout Rifle.

Why I Chose This: Triple Tap refunds ammo on precision hits, allowing for prolonged firing without needing to reload frequently.

Type	Scout Rifle
Magazine	16 rounds
Reload Speed	50
Stability	70
Handling	54
Range	63
Aim Assist	62
Recoil	56
Zoom	20
Rounds Per Minute	180

To obtain Hung Jury SR4, you must either focus drop it via Zavala using Vanguard engrams or farm it from its specific Grandmaster Nightfall during the season. For the God Roll, a combination of specific perks is considered optimal. These perks are Firefly, Triple Tap, Extended Mag or Appended Mag, and lastly, Tactical Mag or Accurized Rounds.

High stability and range for precision at medium to long range.
Firefly causes enemies to explode for crowd control.
Triple Tap conserves ammo by returning rounds on precision hits.
High ammo reserves and extended magazine for sustained damage output.

Low rate of fire and slow reload hinder close combat.
Low aim assist.
Limited viable perk options.
Optimal God Roll requires significant time to obtain.

Best Scout Rifles List Criteria

destiny 2 hours — Destiny 1 and 2 hours (Image via Time Wasted on Destiny)

I have been selected to draft the best Scout Rifles guide (Steam ID Name: LIONT4MER). Boasting more than 3000 hours of experience in both Destiny installments, I am well-versed in the latest expansion and up-to-date with the recent season’s changes.

With my impressive Raid Report stats history, you can confidently rely on this guide to streamline your search for all the best scout rifles in Destiny 2, enabling you to effortlessly achieve triumph.

One of the best things that set scout rifles apart from other sorts of weapons in Destiny 2 is their adaptability. In addition, scout rifles’ outstanding stability makes them simpler to operate during extended firefights. Scout rifles are a dependable and efficient weapon that may give you the upper hand whether you’re facing off against waves of foes in PvE or competing with other players in PvP.

This brings us to the end of my Best Scout Rifles in Destiny 2 guide. I believe you have enough weapons listed above to master & dominate in the PvP and PvE segments for season 20 of the game. While at it, consider reading my Destiny 2 Unlock Deterministic Chaos, How To Farm Artifice Armor, and Everything New In Destiny’s Lightfall Update guides before leaving this page.