Guardians playing Bungie's Destiny 2 don't always have to head to battle guns blazing. However, other players with a flair for tactical battles might want to approach their missions with a degree of finesse. After all, what better way of keeping safe on the battlefield than by dealing damage from afar? And thanks to the Sniper Rifle, players can easily play with enemies from the rear while their allies pick them off.

RELATED: Destiny 2: Weapons That Are Defining Season 10 (& Those That Are Suddenly Terrible)

Moreover, Sniper Rifles come in a wide range of varieties – from Kinetic variants to more specialized Energy and Power types. Players who want to add a degree of flair to their playing experience can add a Sniper Rifle to their Guardian's arsenal. However, which ones are the best?

Updated July 26, 2022 by Rhenn Taguiam: With Destiny 2 in the middle of Season 17: Season of the Haunted for The Witch Queen expansion, it makes sense for both savants and new players to look into new weapon options to wreak havoc across Savathun’s forces. And for pros who want to maximize their presence on the battlefield, the Sniper Rifle is always an optimal choice. Thankfully, new options such as the Beloved and Adored make for perfect Sniper Rifles to add to a player’s arsenal against the Witch Queen’s growing forces.

11 Tranquility

Tranquility shares a lot of base weapon stats with Sole Survivor. Moreover, its Kinetic nature makes it quite a great alternative to the Sole Survivor's Energy classification, as it's much easier to find Kinetic bullets and precision shots can increase their overall damage.

However, despite these perks, Tranquility might work more as a transition weapon than a go-to weapon for raids. Other Sniper Rifles from recent seasons have better stats and Perks than Tranquility, and it may be best to reserve Kinetic bullets for punchier weapons such as Auto Rifles.

10 Twilight Oath

Other players love Twilight Oath for its massive rate of fire of 140 per minute. Moreover, with the right hands, Twilight Oath can dispatch enemies pretty quickly and without having to worry much about pausing to reload.

However, this potential might benefit PVP more than PVE. With an experienced pair of hands, Twilight Oath can help Guardians land headshots or even quick body shots for kills in the enemy squad. And even if Twilight Oath is only there to put pressure on the enemy, the high ROF is still annoying to deal with.

9 Borealis

Borealis serves as one of the more unique Sniper Rifle options in the game. Its trait, The Fundamentals, allows Borealis to cycle its damage type (Void, Solar, Arc). Theoretically, this can make Borealis a great option against various opponents with different shield types. Moreover, Ionic Return grants bullets back whenever shields are destroyed, making it a handy ally in most firefights.

However, despite these Perks, the Guardian should probably consider this weapon as a transition to other snipers. After all, the Borealis' constantly-changing nature might mean players can find a better alternative with more solid stats anyway.

8 Izanagi's Burden

When used properly, a Sniper Rifle like Izanagi's Burden can eliminate mobs and bosses quickly with a Guardian able to put some well-placed precision shots. Thanks to its perk Honed Edge, Guardians can consume four bullets for a single shot that has six times regular damage, capable of putting pressure on difficult bosses.

RELATED: Destiny 2: Areas Every Player Loves To Explore (& Those Everyone Avoids)

Moreover, Guardians can maximize Izanagi's Burden with Mods and Perks that maximize overall damage output to make Honed Edge deadlier in combat. Perks such as Rampage, which increases damage per kill, work well with Izanagi's Burden.

7 Whisper Of The Worm

Whisper of the Worm

An embodiment of Xol, the Will of Thousands, and one of the horrifying Worm Gods, the Whisper of the Worm is a terrifying Sniper Rifle in both its appearance and capabilities. Matching its rather unsettling “infected” appearance is an impressive stat array with high impact, range, and aim assistance.

Aiding players greatly would be its White Nail, an Exotic Perk that not only grants this weapon high precision damage at the base but also refills the magazine when landing three quick precision hits. As such, Whisper of the Worm becomes an incentivizing weapon for snipers who want to dominate the long-range while attacking foes quickly.

6 Adored

Adored

Befitting the name itself, Adored quite lacks the practical Warlock design motif of modern weapons and instead brandishes the elegant sophistication present in City Age weaponry. Compared to other Sniper Rifles, Adored is possibly one of the prettiest rifles in the game. This weapon isn’t all about appearance, though, as it boasts decent recoil and impact, as well as impeccable aim assistance and range.

What perhaps makes Adored quite an impressive weapon are its accompanying perks as well. Players can transform Adored into an ever-reliable weapon with Killing Wind that buffs players after every kill, Triple Tap that may return rounds to the magazine with precision hits, and Accurized Rounds that boost the player’s overall distance.

5 Succession

Succession

Truly a Sniper Rifle to become next in line for a player’s arsenal, Succession boasts incredible firepower for a weapon of its caliber. Boasting impressive impact and range as well as decent aim assistance, Succession shines in its 72 RPM, which makes it one of the fastest Sniper Rifles in the game.

RELATED: Destiny 2: The 5 Best Things About Crucible (& 5 Things It Would Be Better Without)

Succession is all the more impressive when taking into account some features that it could come with. For instance, Reconstruction slowly reloads the weapon over time, while Rampage grants bonus damage stacks with kills. These traits easily incentivize more aggressive long-builds with this Sniper Rifle, making it quite the ideal gear for enthusiastic Guardians.

4 Beloved

Beloved

One of the more artistically savvy of the Sniper Rifles in the game, Beloved is easily one of the best Snipers in terms of reliability and consistency. Aside from impressive impact and aim assistance, the rifle also boasts one of the fastest RPMs in the game, making for a rather quick-punching Sniper Rifle perfect for skirmishes.

In terms of overall builds, Hunters may want to consider relying on sheer speed to secure their targets as fast as possible. For instance, Snapshot Sights and Moving Target are great for getting into combat quickly, as both Traits boost ADS time - especially while mobile. Another interesting Trait includes Box Breathing, which boosts damage when waiting at ADS before firing - perfect for those who want to commit to the sniping role.

3 The Supremacy

The Supremacy comes with a decent perk pool with great options, all of which Guardians can pair with other traits to increase this weapon's overall potential. For instance, Kill Clip and Snapshot Sights encourage Precision Hits.

However, players might want to get this with Rapid Fire Frame. Thanks to this perk, players with the Supremacy can get a much faster reload speed and an extended magazine. Moreover, this Perk makes this weapon extremely useful in extended firefights where the sniper remains essential in landing those crits to bosses.

2 DARCI

Players who acquire DARCI don't just acquire a sniper, they acquire an interesting companion. This weapon comes with the Personal Assistant Perk, which means using ADS on an enemy reveals information such as health and shield rating. These ratings help DARCI pinpoint weaker enemies to Guardians, making their life picking off enemies easier for Destiny 2 beginners. Additionally, thanks to Target Acquired, precision shots with Personal Assistant activated deal greater damage.

Moreover, Guardians can put some traits to DARCI to maximize their sniping potential. For instance, Extended Mag can increase the magazine at the cost of reload speed. Alternatively, Extended Barrel increases range at the cost of handling speed. These two perks can make DARCI a devastating foe in extremely long distances.

1 Praedyth's Revenge

Praedyths Revenge

Leading the current meta in terms of RPM is Praedyth’s Revenge, a quick and punchy-enough Sniper Rifle that may as well become a fast-paced shotgun. This Sniper packs quite a punch, boasting decent handling and aim assistance as well as decent impact. On top of that is its heavy-duty aesthetic, perfect for Guardians who like their Sniper Rifles to look like a weapon of mass destruction.

On top of these impressive stats are its rather impressive features. When built correctly, Praedyth’s Revenge may refill empty magazines based on the number of hits (Rewind Rounds), and force enemies to explode with Precision Kills (Firefly).

Destiny 2 is playable on the PS4, Xbox One, PC, Stadia, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.

MORE: Destiny 2: Every Crucible Game Mode, Ranked