Sniper rifles in Destiny 2 have had a bit of an up and down history, and that continues into Year 5. In this guide, we’re going to go over the best sniper rifles to use in PvE, PvP, and Gambit in Destiny 2 in 2023, so you can pad your collection out with useful long-range weapons.
Best Destiny 2 Sniper Rifles 2023
Best for PvE & Gambit
- Adored (Energy, Arc) – Purchase from Exotic Kiosk.
- Cloudstrike (Energy, Arc, Exotic) – Purchase from Exotic Kiosk.
- Ikelos_SR (Energy, Solar) – Obtained from Season of the Seraph activities.
- Izanagi’s Burden (Kinetic, Exotic) – Purchase from Exotic Kiosk.
- Praedyth’s Revenge (Energy, Void) – Possible drop from completing encounters in the raid, Vault of Glass.
- Succession – Possible reward from completing encounters in the raid, Deep Stone Crypt
- The Supremacy (Kinetic) Random drop from the Last Wish raid.
- Whisper of the Worm (Power, Solar, Exotic) – Purchase from Exotic Kiosk.
- Thoughtless (Kinetic, Stasis) – Obtained from Season of the Risen activities.
Unfortunately for Sniper Rifles, they haven’t seen much gameplay in the last year in PvE activities. Before The Witch Queen DLC, all Snipers were heavily nerfed to the point where the large majority of them are outclassed by nearly all other special and heavy weapons in the game.
However, Snipers are bound for a comeback sooner or later, so it’s best to make sure you’re well prepared for when they do by acquiring the ones listed above.
Succession has returned as the king of PvE Legendary Sniper Rifles since it is now craftable. Assuming Snipers get a buff sometime soon, you’ll definitely want this weapon.
Cloudstrike is arguably the strongest Exotic Sniper for PvE activities in the game currently, as it was recently given a Catalyst which unlocks Triple Tap for it. When paired with the Exotic Trace Rifle, Divinity, Cloudstrike can put up immense damage.
Hopefully we see Snipers come back into the meta when the Lightfall DLC arrives, because they desperately need some time to shine once more.
Best Sniper Rifles for PvP
- 1000-Yard Stare (Energy, Void) – Possible drop from encounters in the dungeon, Grasp of Avarice.
- Adored (Energy, Arc) – Purchase from Exotic Kiosk.
- Cloudstrike (Energy, Arc, Exotic) – Purchase from Exotic Kiosk.
- Eye of Sol (Kinetic) – Reward from Trials of Osiris.
- Frozen Orbit (Energy, Void) – Possible drop from completing Crucible matches and obtaining rank-up packages.
- Occluded Finality (Energy, Arc) – Possible drop from Iron Banner rewards.
- Mechabre (Energy, Arc) – Obtained from Festival of the Lost activities.
- Beloved (Energy, Solar) – Obtained from Season of the Haunted activities.
In the right hands, Snipers in PvP are more potent than ever. With the return of the fan-favorite Sniper Rifle, Beloved, PvP players rejoiced with it dominating the Crucible once more.
Cloudstrike continues to be a menace in competitive PvP, as one headshot can potentially wipe an entire enemy team in flash of lightning.
Overall, Snipers have been, and always will be, a weapon that needs time to work with. However, when you become skilled enough to wield it properly, it becomes a force to be reckoned with.
That’s all for our best Sniper rifles in Destiny 2 for PvE, PvP, & Gambit as of the current meta in The Witch Queen and Season of the Seraph. Be sure to search for Twinfinite for more tips and information on Destiny 2-related content.
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