Buffed Destiny 2 Exotic dominates primary meta with absurd DPS

A powerful Exotic has taken over Destiny 2’s PvE meta, and it’s no surprise given that the primary’s damage output surpasses even special weapons.

In The Final Shape, Bungie gave Pulse Rifles a massive buff, increasing their total damage versus Minors by a staggering 38%. This has elevated several Pulse Rifles into the meta, but none more so than Outbreak Perfected.

Graviton Lance and Revision Zero’s Heavy Burst Mode only received some of the Pulse Rifle buffs in The Final Shape. In contrast, Outbreak Perfected received all of the buffs, including the universal 20% damage buff against all combatants.

The impact of these buffs is clear. As of July 9, 2024, Outbreak Perfected is the most used primary weapon in PvE. According to DestinyTracker, the Exotic Pulse Rifle has a 4.04% usage rate, which places it ahead of other meta Exotics like Still Hunt, Sunshot, and even Graviton Lance.

Its popularity isn’t too surprising, with Outbreak Perfected having absurd damage more comparable to special weapons than primary weapons. When damaging Minors, the Exotic Pulse Rifle more than doubles the DPS of Trace Rifles, while also narrowly beating out Rocket-Assisted Sidearms like The Call.

This is thanks to its powerful Exotic Perks: The Corruption Spreads and Parasitism. The former creates nanite swarms on rapid hits that deal additional damage, and the latter increases the weapon’s damage based on how many nanite swarms are attached.

This combination alone results in some impressive DPS, but it’s the craftable variant from Zero Hour getting Rewind Rounds that makes Outbreak Perfected untouchable. The constant self-loading provided by Rewind Rounds allows the Exotic weapon to keep building stacks and deal more damage.

This effect is so potent that it even makes the Exotic weapon a viable option against tankier enemies like champions. This is a role that Outbreak Perfected excels in right now, with Episode Echoes’ artifact having Anti-Barrier Pulse Rifle. This artifact mod also overcharges the already dominant Exotic, providing an additional 25% damage boost in applicable activities.