Weapon Recommendations – The Best Pulse Rifles
The Iron Sledge
The Iron Sledge can be purchased directly from the Crucible for 150 legendary marks. It comes with surprise rounds, attached magazine, and small caliber rifle. In addition to its already high stability, you can further increase this without compromising the magazine size. With an aim assist value of 60 and very high stability, you hit precisely what you want.
Lyudmila-D
The star among pulse rifles. The Lyudmila is produced by Häkke, firing 4 shots per burst instead of 3. You can obtain it from the Gunsmith as soon as you level up or he sells a corresponding package on weapon day. The downside of the Lyudmila is that it tends to shoot upwards and to the left. Stability is even more crucial here if you want to keep up in the Crucible. For combat against AI, this weapon is not particularly recommended. Keep an eye out for the following perks for this weapon: Headseeker, Balanced Aim, and Handcrafted Stock.
Forget perks like full-auto. You want Balanced Aim. This perk almost completely eliminates the leftward pull. With two well-placed bursts, you can take out almost all Guardians in the Crucible. Unfortunately, the perks Perfect Balance and Small Caliber are not possible on Häkke pulse rifles.
Nirwen’s Mercy
Lord Saladin had this weapon on offer in October. You could purchase Nirwen’s Mercy with the perks Outlaw, Steady Frame, and Third Eye. What does that mean? Fast reload after kills, maximum stability, and activated radar when aiming. This weapon is a dream. However, if you missed it, there’s no need to despair. You can also earn it as a reward during the active Iron Banner once you reach Rank 5. Nirwen’s Mercy is also an excellent option in PvE.
Red Death
No recommendation list is complete without Red Death. The weapon is a true exotic and earns its status as an exotic weapon without a doubt. Red Death has a higher impact than it should have due to its fire rate. Additionally, you are healed after every kill. Sounds just as overpowered as those pesky Titans with their hammers? It is. The only downside: The stability cannot be increased as much as that of legendary counterparts, but in the right hands, it is a deadly weapon. This weapon is also worth its weight in gold in PvE.
Suros PDX-41 and Suros PDX-45
Both weapons can be obtained from the Gunsmith. Purchase a corresponding package if he offers it, or be lucky and get one of the two weapons upon leveling up. The Suros PDX-45 is comparable to the Iron Sledge. Unlike the Iron Sledge, you can keep your weapon package until the best combination pops up for you. As mentioned earlier, the range of pulse rifles will be reduced in December, so you should look for perks that do not further decrease the range. Especially with the Suros PDX-45, this becomes a problem with a base range of 22.
Grip of Malok
A true insider tip. Unfortunately, the weapon Grip of Malok is not so easy to obtain, and even if you manage to get it, you rely on a good perk distribution. The weapon drops from Omnigul in her strike. In each strike, you have two opportunities to kill Omnigul: once in the big corridor before the final battle arena and once directly at the end. You can even farm Omnigul for the weapon by quickly killing her in the corridor and then committing suicide. You spawn back in the corridor, and Omnigul is back. With the right perks, you can bring the stability of the Grip of Malok to nearly 100%.
The top pulse rifles compared head-to-head and which perks you should be aiming for can be found on the next page.
