Pulse Rifles have had an interesting arc of falling in and out of favor in the meta of Destiny 2 (as far as Crucible is concerned), but they've always been at the very least a viable option for mid/long-range engagements, especially with the right weapon and the right perks.

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Some Pulse Rifles are about as useful as an empty squirt gun, but others can be truly devastating engines of carnage and destruction. Let's take a look at some of the stats and perks to keep an eye on for Pulse Rifles to use in Crucible, as well as some examples of solid Legendary and Exotic Pulse Rifles that are generally going to serve you well.

10 RANGE

destiny 2 titan in crucible

Usually, Pulse Rifles have a pretty nice rate of fire while staying stable enough to fire at some decent ranges. This makes them one of the most versatile weapon types in the game, though that isn't the case for all of them. If you're using a Pulse Rifle, it's likely that it's going to be the more versatile weapon in your loadout, so make sure that it has the range to engage at the longer end of those medium range fights, or you could find yourself a one-trick pony. If you happen to be running a Pulse with a Sniper Rifle, this isn't going to be as big of an issue, but then you'll need to make sure you've got a plan in mind for those close-range fights because Pulse Rifles aren't generally great at those.

9 STABILITY

Stability is absolutely the most important stat for a Pulse Rifle. Firing in bursts gives you an uneven feeling when it comes to managing the recoil compared to something like an Auto Rifle, so you really don't want to be fighting your weapon too much to keep it on target. The better the Stability, the less your going to have to be constantly adjusting the recoil to compensate for each burst, and the more success you're going to have.

8 MAGAZINE SIZE

destiny 2 crucible titan

One of the most important perks for a Pulse Rifle is the Magazine size. Pulse Rifles are burst-fire weapons, so the magazine is never really as big as it looks; divide whatever the Magazine size is by the number of shots in a burst (which is usually three, but can change depending on the weapon).

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Because Pulse Rifles generally get between 8-12 shots per magazine, you can't afford to be missing a lot of shots and hope to be of any use to your team.

7 EXTENDED MAG/APPENDED MAG

Tacking off that last point, Extended Mag or Appended Mag is usually going to be a nice addition to your Pulse Rifle. Each of these is going to increase your magazine size by a small amount, usually giving you 1-3 extra bursts per Magazine. This can only be of help, especially Appended Mag, since it doesn't come with a reload speed nerf.

6 KILL CLIP

"Reloading after a kill grants increased damage."

One of the best weapon perks for a Pulse Rifle in Crucible is Kill Clip. Because each Magazine in a Pulse Rifle is likely only to give you 8-12 shots before you need to reload, you're going to be reloading incredibly often. For those times when you're engaged in a fight with multiple Guardians at medium range, you're most likely going to have to reload mid-fight. Grab one kill before you do, and you'll have some increased damage for the rest of that fight, giving you the upper hand.

5 RAMPAGE

"Kills with this weapon temporarily grant increased damage. Stacks 3x."

Rampage is another pretty good perk for Crucible, especially if your weapon doesn't have Kill Clip. That damage bonus doesn't last long, but if you have a Pulse Rifle that can wipe multiple Guardians in a single Magazine, Rampage is going to definitely be of benefit, especially considering it stacks. It's going to come into effect less often than Kill Clip will and definitely has less wiggle room on when you get to use it, but hey, extra damage is extra damage. Plus, the Legendary Pulse Rifle Blast Furnace can come with both of these perks on the same weapon.

4 FEEDING FRENZY

"Kills with this weapon increase reload speed for a short time."

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Combine this with Kill Clip, and you've got yourself something special. Both of these perks would become active at the same time, since they're both activated by getting a kill. Drop an enemy, reload blindingly fast, and be ready for that next Magazine with extra damage in no time at all. Enemies aren't going to be ready for you to reload that fast, and they certainly aren't going to be ready for that extra damage. This is a fantastic combo, but it isn't a perk combo that's possible on most weapons, either.

3 EXOTICS

There are four Exotic Pulse Rifles in Destiny 2 at the time of writing this: Bad Juju, Graviton Lance, Outbreak Perfected, and Vigilance Wing. None of them are top-tier weapons in Crucible, but all of them are definitely usable, and in the right hands (and right situations), they can all be pretty good, too.

Graviton Lance is going to be the one that feels the strangest to use, for sure. It's definitely going to require managing engagements and staying in that mid to long-range type of gunfight, but in that circumstance, it's perfectly capable of keeping up with or out-performing Scout Rifles.

2 LEGENDARY

There are some truly devastating Legendary Pulse Rifles for Crucible, so let's take a look at a few of them here:

Blast Furnace - In a skilled hand, Blast Furnace is arguably the best Pulse Rifle in the game. It has some serious range and a very good time to kill (TTK), so if you manage to grab one with some good perks, give it a shot.

Outlast - Another great option for Crucible, and very similar to the next on this list, the difference between these two is largely preferential.

Claws of the Wolf - The Iron Banner Pulse Rifle, Claws of the Wolf sports very slightly higher range than Outlast.

1 PLAYSTYLES

Pulse Rifles are some of the most versatile weapons in Destiny 2. With a skilled hand, they have some pretty solid TTK and the capability of achieving that TTK in a variety of different circumstances, making them a very good weapon to pair with something like a Shotgun or a Sniper Rifle that can only perform at an extreme range. As long as you aren't expecting too much from the Pulse Rifle and know when to swap to your other weapon, you're likely going to have a solid addition to your loadout.

NEXT: Destiny 2: The 5 Best Weapons For Crucible (And 5 Worst)