Is Bad Juju The Best Exotic Pulse Rifle?

Since Bad Juju was added to Destiny 2 this week, with an entire quest required to access it, we thought we’d do an in-depth analysis of it. The weapon was powerful in Destiny 1, and it doesn’t seem any less so with the transition to Destiny 2, but there are always differences. We know of at least one, but let’s smash through the stats and perks on Bad Juju first to get the obvious stuff out of the way.

Stats

• Impact – 6-9
• Range – 27-40
• Stability – 80
• Handling – 58-70
• Reload Speed – 65
• Rounds per Minute – 450
• Magazine – 27

Hidden Stats

• Zoom – 17
• Aim Assist – 60-70
• Recoil Direction – 85-100
• Equip Speed – 35-50

Perks

Exotic weapons can have random rolls, so the perks are far from set. However, most people seem to be getting the same set of perks, so we’ll cover the ones that the weapon appears to drop with from its chest here.

• Exotic perk: String of Curses – kills with Bad Juju will increase damage for a short time, refill the magazine, and give you super energy based on the strength of the String of Curses shot
• Hammer-Forged Rifling – the durable ranged barrel increases the range of Bad Juju
• Steady Rounds – the magazine of Bad Juju has been optimised for controlling recoil. This perk increases Stability while slightly decreasing range
• Hip-Fire Grip – Bad Juju has some sweet ergonomic grips that increase stability and accuracy when you fire from the hip
• Short-Action Stock – Bad Juju is particularly easy to grip, increasing handling speed greatly

Comparison

So how does Bad Juju stand up against the other Exotic Pulse Rifles in Destiny 2? The first weapon Bad Juju has to compete with is Vigilance Wing, which fires a five round burst and has a chance to boost healing and movement if someone nearby to you dies. Between the two I would say that Bad Juju is better, based on the fact that its Exotic perk is better at keeping you moving in all areas. If you make a kill, you get more ammo, you get Super energy, and you get a damage boost to take down the next enemy that might have been about to kill you.

The next bit of competition is Graviton Lance, a weapon that has a number of shots that ignore damage falloff. This is powerful, and allows you to rip apart enemies at greater distances, but I don’t think it’s better than the combination of benefits you reap from wielding Bad Juju.

Finally we have Outbreak Perfected. This Pulse Rifle builds up a damage over time effect on enemies that you continue to hit, and the corpses of enemies you kill with it will also inflict pain on multiple enemies. That damage over time effect is definitely better than what Bad Juju does for you, because it allows you to kill quicker all the time, not just some of the time. The added bonus of Super energy and ammo refill on Bad Juju is great for certain things, but most of the time Outbreak Perfected will be the better Pulse Rifle.

Conclusion

To put a final note on this, we think that Outbreak Perfected is still the best Exotic Pulse Rifle in Destiny 2, but Bad Juju is a close second. The Exotic perks are what really sets each one of these weapons apart, and you could even grade them from Vigilance Wing and Graviton lance as the fourth and third best, to Bad Juju and Outbreak Perfected as the second and first best.

Let us know what you think of Bad Juju in the comments.