Destiny 2 Arc 3.0 Changes: Aspects and Fragments (Season 21)

Image: Bungie via HGG / Adam Watkins

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My name is Adam Watkins. I am an English Literature and Media major who absolutely loves video games. Some of my favorites are Super Mario Bros. 3,... Read more

Reviewed by Benjamin Barr

Arc is one of the three original Light subclasses available to all players in Destiny 2. It’s been revisited on occasion since the game’s release, and with the release of Season 21, Arc 3.0 has seen a few more small changes across the subclass. We’ve taken the time to break down each element of the Arc Subclass’s Aspects Fragments, Keywords, and relevant Supers.

Let’s get started!

How to Obtain Arc Aspects, Fragments, and Abilities

Arc Aspects, Fragments, Abilities, and Supers can all be purchased from Ikora at The Tower using Glimmer. Fragments tend to cost a rather large chunk of Glimmer (25,000), so be sure to save up plenty! After purchasing any subclass-related items or abilities from Ikora, players will need to meditate at the shrine next to Ikora in order to use and equip those new Fragments, Aspects, and Abilities.

Arc 3.0. Keywords

A subclass’s Keywords are basically their buffs, debuffs, and effects. They are the foundation by which the entire subclass is made to function, and they are shared across all Classes in the game. Many Aspects, Fragments, and Abilities will have a subclass Keyword listed in their effects, so it’s very important to understand what they do and how they work.

Amplified

“Your movement speed and weapon handling are greatly increased. After sprinting for a short, time your movement speed is further increased. Rapidly defeating targets with Arc damage makes you Amplified.”

It typically takes around three kills with Arc damage to trigger Amplified. These kills can come from Arc weapons, abilities, or Supers. The Amplified Status grants you some buffs outside of the buffs you get from Speed Boost. You’ll gain plus 50 to your Mobility stat, with the max being 100. This effect also increases the distance your slide travels.

You will maintain your Speed Boost even after your Amplified buff runs out, as long as you continue to sprint. The Speed Boost effect has received some changes in Season 21, such as:

A reduction to the player’s jump acceleration bonus from 1.5x to 1.25x.
A reduction of the buffs activation time from 3 seconds to 2.5 seconds.
An increase to the linger window Speed Boost has when you stop sprinting from 1.5 seconds to 2 seconds.

“Combatants are disorientated and cannot fire their weapons. Opposing Guardian’s HUD is removed and their vision is obscured. When Blinded, Unstoppable Champions are Stunned.”

Blinding effects last for 10 seconds against PVE enemies and 2 seconds against PVP enemies. While in PVE, enemies will have a red effect over their heads while affected by Blind and will be unable to shoot their weapons. This effect does not work on most bosses, but it does work on champions.

PVP players affected by Blind will suffer a whited-out screen, distorted audio, and disabled radar for a couple of seconds. You can be Blinded by your own Flashbang Grenade, so be careful!

Jolt

“The target is energized with destructive Arc Light. They take additional damage while Jolted and chain lightning to nearby targets. Jolt damage causes Overload Champions to be stunned.”

Destiny 2 has introduced a few balance changes to the Jolt Arc 3.0 Keyword in Season 21, such as reducing the damage of the chain lightning effect by 15% and reducing the additional damage scalar major combatants take while Jolted by around 20%. Even with these changes, Jolt is still a really powerful effect for dealing extra damage to bosses, champions, and adds.

Ionic Traces

“A bolt of pure Arc energy that travels along the ground, seeking towards its creator. When picked up, Ionic Traces grant Ability energy.”

Ionic Traces will travel along the ground and up walls in order to get to the player. The tracing on Ionic Tracers is actually pretty good, and the Traces move fairly fast as well. The two most common sources for Ionic Trace generation are Exotic Arc Weapons, specific Aspects, or specific Fragments.

Ionic Traces restore around 15% of your class ability energy each time you collect one. The Leg mod Elemental Charge introduced in Season 21 will occasionally make Ionic Traces give a stack of Armor Charge when collected.

Arc Sub-class Aspects

Each class of Guardian can equip a maximum of two Arc Aspects at a time. Each Aspect will grant your Guardian 2–3 Fragment slots that you can use to equip Fragments (more on those later).

Arc Warlock Aspects

The Arc Warlock Aspects all center around Amplification. These Aspects can more reliably grant you the Amplified status effect, enhance your slide, or grant you new abilities while Amplified.

Arc Soul

“Cast your Rift to an Arc Soul that fires at targets in front of you. Allies can pass through your Rift to get an Arc Soul. Your Rift charges faster when allies are near. While Amplified, your Arc Souls are supercharged and gain increased fire rate.”

Arc Souls last 14 seconds. They fire slow-moving Arc Projectiles that have decent tracking. The fire rate for these turrets are dramatically increased while Amplified. Your Arc Soul duration can be refreshed by stepping in and out of your Rift. You can only have one Arc Soul at a time.

Electrostatic Mind

“Defeating targets with Arc abilities or defeating Jolted or Blinded targets creates an Ionic Trace. Collecting an Ionic Trace makes you Amplified. ”

This Aspect will activate whenever you defeat targets with your charged Melee ability, Grenade ability, Super ability, or any exotic that adds offensive functions to your class ability, so Arc Souls will also trigger this ability. Ionic Traces collected from any source will grant the Amplified status, they do not have to be Ionic Traces created from this Aspect.

Lightning Surge

“While sliding, activate your charged melee ability to Blink forward, calling down lightning strikes that Jolt targets as you rematerialize.”

Using this ability consumes your charged melee, regardless if it hits any targets. The distance this Blink travels is about the same as the Void Warlock’s Blink ability. The lightning strikes spawned from this ability function very similarly to Arc Storm grenades.

Arc Hunter Aspects

It really feels like the developers accidentally swapped the Arc Titan and Hunter Aspects. Arc Aspects for Hunter make you feel like you’re channeling your inner Titan main, because almost all of them benefit your melee ability in some way shape or form.

Flow State

“Defeating a Jolted target makes you Amplified. While you are Amplified, your dodge recharges more quickly, you are more resilient while dodging, and your reload speed is greatly increased.”

While Amplified, your class ability dodge will recharge 200% faster; it also grants around 90% damage reduction while dodging in PVE. This value is around 30% in PvP. The increase to reload speed is very substantial while Amplified.

Lethal Current

“After dodging, your next melee attack has increased lunge range, jolts the target, and creates a damaging aftershock. Damaging any Jolted target with melee attacks also Blinds them.”

This Aspect pairs really well with the Combination Blows Melee ability. When used together, you can dodge, then Melee an opponent twice to Blind them. This Aspect will not work with Tempest Strike, so we don’t recommend running both Lethal Current and Tempest Strike in the same build.

Tempest Strike

“While sliding, activate your charged melee ability to unleash a devastating uppercut attack that travels along the ground in front of you, damaging and Jolting targets it hits. ”

This ability deals pretty good damage, and those killed by it will chain lightning to other enemies nearby. This Aspect does not gain any of the benefits provided by the Lethal Current Aspect. Lethal Current also will not refresh Tempest Strike’s cool down.

Arc Titan Aspects

Arc Titans have access to three Aspects. Unlike the Aspects found in the other Titan subclasses, there is only one Arc Aspect that’s focused on your melee ability. So if you looking to play a grenade of mobility-focused Titan, Arc is definitely the right pick.

Juggernaut

“With full class ability energy and after sprinting for a short time, you gain a frontal shield that blocks incoming damage. When the frontal shield breaks, your class ability energy is depleted. While Amplified, the shield blocks significantly more damage before breaking.”

While in PVE, Juggernaut’s shield grant 33% damage reduction. The PVE shield also absorbs around 50 points of incoming damage. This number increases to around 70 points of damage while Amplified. Juggernaut is extremely useful in PVP because it blocks one-shot damage from sniper rifles and shotguns. This overshield can stack with other sources of overshield.

Knockout

“Critically wounding a target or breaking their shield infuses your melee attack with Arc energy and increases your melee range and damage for a short time. Defeating Targets with melee attacks starts health regeneration and makes you Amplified.”

After defeating an enemy with your melee, your natural health regen will start. The speed of this regeneration is determined by your recovery stat. This regeneration can be interrupted by taking damage, unlike the Recovery status granted by the Solar Subclass. The melee range and damage buff this Aspect provides after critically wounding a target lasts for around 6 seconds.

The damage buff provided by this Aspect grants a 50% increase to melee damage in PVE and a 20% increase in PVP. During the 6-second window that this buff is active, your uncharged melee attacks will be treated as charged melee attacks and proc any effects related to your Arc abilities and charged melee.

Touch of Thunder

“Your Flashbang, Pulse, Lightning, and Storm Grenades have enhanced functionality.

Flashbang Grenades emit an additional blinding flash on bounce. The blinding flash applies the same blinding effect as the grenade’s main explosion. This flash is smaller than the grenade’s main explosion.

Pulse Grenades deal damage upon initial detonation. They then create Ionic Traces periodically as they damage targets and increase in damage over time. The damage produced by the pulses within the grenade’s explosion radius is higher than that of the initial detonation. This Aspect can make your Pulse grenade generate a maximum of 3 Ionic traces per grenade.

Lightning Grenades grant an additional grenade charge, and Jolt targets hit by the initial blast. Four lightning blasts fire out of your grenade when activated. These blasts will already Jolt targets, but this Aspect makes the first triggering blast Jolt targets as well. When throwing multiple Lightning grenades at a single target, keep in mind that the Jolt effect has a short cooldown of a few seconds, so it’s best to space out your grenades against bosses and single targets.

Storm Grenades create a roaming thunder cloud after detonation that tracks nearby targets and Fires bolts of lightning at foes beneath it. With this Aspect equipped, the focus of this grenade can shift a little to being a powerful single-target grenade. The mini roaming thunder cloud this Aspect creates hits single target enemies more times than the default grenade and deals much more damage over time.

Arc Sub-class Fragments

Each Class has access to the same group of seventeen Fragments. Fragments don’t carry over between Guardians, so you’ll have to purchase/unlock each Fragment separately for each of your Guardians.

Spark of Haste

“You have greatly increased Resilience, Recovery, and Mobility while sprinting.”

This Fragment grants its user plus 30 to Resilience, Recovery, and Mobility. This effect ends when you stop sprinting and works even if your aren’t Amplified.

Spark of Instinct

“While Critically wounded, taking damage emits a burst of damaging Arc energy that Jolts targets.”

This Fragment triggers whenever your shields are broken. The Jolt burst deals great damage to nearby enemies and doesn’t have a cooldown.

Spark of Beacons

“While you are Amplified, your Arc Special Weapon final blows create a Blinding explosion.”

The explosion created by this Fragment will blind targets for a few seconds. This Fragment does not have a cooldown.

Spark of Resistance

“While surrounded by combatants, you are more resistant to incoming damage. Grants plus 10 to Strength.”

When 3 or more enemies are within 15 meters of you, you’ll gain 25% damage reduction in PVE and 10% damage reduction in PVP. This buff stacks with other damage reduction buffs.

Spark of Momentum

“Sliding over ammo bricks reloads your equipped weapon and grants a small amount of melee energy.”

Reloads your equipped weapon from reserves and grants around 10% melee energy. This Fragment probably needs a buff of some kind.

Spark of Shock

“Your Arc grenades Jolt targets. Reduces Discipline stat by 10 points.”

This Fragment can be paired with the Flashbang grenade in order to both Blind and Jolt targets at the same time.

Spark of Ions

“Defeating a Jolted target creates an Ionic Trace.”

This Fragment can trigger off any source of Jolt and pairs with Spark of Shock, making your grenade kills spawn Ionic Traces. This Fragment has a 10-second cooldown.

Spark of Discharge

“Arc weapon final blows have a chance to create an Ionic Trace. Reduces Strength stat by 10.”

This Fragment will trigger after 2–3 Arc weapon kills. This Fragement does not have a cooldown, so it’s great for continuous Ionic Trace generation.

Spark of Frequency

“Melee hits greatly increase your reload speed for a short duration.”

This Fragment can be triggered by both charged and uncharged melee attacks. The Lightning Weave effect granted by this Fragment lasts for about 5 seconds. This buff grants +100 to your reload speed stat and a 0.8x scalar.

Spark of Focus

“After sprinting for a short time, your class ability regeneration is increased. Reduces Recovery stat by 10.”

You must be sprinting for around 1.5 seconds before the Focused Breathing buff activates. This buff grants an increase to your class abilities regeneration rate of 150% in PVE and 75% in PVP.

Spark of Recharge

“While critically wounded, your melee and grenade energy regenerate more quickly.”

While your shields are broken your melee and grenade abilities regenerate around 400% faster. This effect ends once your shields start to regenerate or when your shields refresh.

Spark of Magnitude

“Your lingering Arc grenades (Lightning grenade, Pulse grenade, and Storm grenade) have extended duration.”

This Fragment increases the duration of relevant Arc grenades by around 30%.

Spark of Amplitude

“Rapidly defeating targets while you are Amplified creates an Orb of Power”

This Fragment will proc after getting a double kill while Amplified. This Fragment has a 10-second cool-down before the next Orb of Power can be spawned.

Spark of Feedback

“Taking melee damage briefly increases your outgoing melee damage. Increases Resilience stat by 10.”

When this Fragment is triggered you will receive the Feedback buff for around 4 seconds. During this time, your next melee attack will deal 75% more damage. Only physical attacks from enemies like swipes and punches will trigger this Fragment, boss stomps do not.

Spark of Volts

“Finishers make you Amplified. Grants plus 10 to your Recovery stat.”

The Amplified buff applied from this Fragment lasts 15 seconds and can be refreshed by performing another finisher.

Spark of Brilliance

“Defeating a Blinded target with Precision damage creates a Blinding explosion. Increases Intellect stat by 10.”

The Blinding explosion created by this Fragment does not have a cool down, so you can chain it to multiple different targets in quick succession. You don’t need to use an Arc weapon to trigger this Fragment, a precision kill with any weapon type will activate this effect.

Notable Changes from Season of the Deep

Season 21 of Destiny 2 brings a few balance changes to Arc 3.0 Keywords and Abilities. Some of these are buffs and some are nerfs, but all are designed to better balance the subclass with the other Light and Dark subclasses.

Changes to Arc Supers

As mentioned above, many of the Arc Supers have been changed to either increase their damage in PVE or apply their appropriate Keyword during use to your Guardian or their enemies.

Warlock Supers

Arc 3.0 Warlock Super Changes — Image: Bungie via HGG / Adam Watkins

Stormtrance:

Damage has been increased by 25% while fighting PVE enemies.
Time needed to reach max damage ramp decreased from 5 seconds to 3 seconds.
Landfall and seekers will now Jolt targets on hit.

Chaos Reach:

Received a damage buff of 25% against PVE combatants.
Damage resistance vs. enemy Guardians increased from 40% to 50%.
Maximum strafe speed increased from 3.5 meters per second to 4.5 meters per second.
Keeping the Chaos Reach beam focused on a single target now creates a lightning strike at the target’s location that will Jolt the target.

Hunter Supers

Arc 3.0 Hunter Super Changes — Image: Bungie via HGG / Adam Watkins

Arc Staff:

Damage against PVE enemies has been increased by 20%.

Gathering Storm:

Direct impacts against players now deal 300 damage instead of 200.
The secondary lightning strike has had its maximum damage against players increased from 300 to 500.
The lingering lightning tick damage against players has been increased from 40 to 60.
This super now deals more damage to the Well of Radiance and Ward of Dawn supers.
Super energy for this attack will now only be consumed after the staff is thrown, this was done to prevent Hunters from dying mid-cast of the super and not getting their super energy back.
The staff now embeds in more targets.

Titan Supers

Arc 3.0 Titan Super Changes — Image: Bungie via HGG / Adam Watkins

Fist of Havoc:

Light attack energy cost has been reduced from 8.5% to 6% of your total super energy.
Heavy attack cost has been reduced from 18% to 12% of your total super energy.
Heavy slam damage against PVE enemies has been increased by 33%.

Join the High Ground!

That’s it for our guide to all the Arc 3.0 changes in Destiny 2’s Season 21 — thanks for reading! If you learned something from this breakdown, feel free to sign up for our newsletter to stay up-to-date on all our content for Destiny 2 and your other favorite games.

Happy gaming!