Destiny 2: Every Super Ranked for PvE

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Human Made

I've been playing video games pretty much nonstop ever since I got my first 360. I love arena shooters, MMOs, and MOBAs, but I'll pretty much try any kind of game.

Reviewed by Benjamin Barr

Each subclass in Destiny 2 has at least one super ability to choose from, with most having two or three. Knowing which super abilities are best is necessary information, but it isn’t always easy to figure out. Supers in Destiny 2 don’t have to be good at everything. Some are good for ad-clear, while some are exclusively focused on damage. Others don’t really do anything well at all. In this article, we’ll rank all the best supers in Destiny 2 from worst to best for PVE performance!

Best PvE Supers in Destiny 2, Ranked from Worst to Best

So let’s just get this group out of the way now. Destiny 2 has very different metas in both PVE and PVP, so some supers are simply not meant for PVE. Here’s a list of the supers that are too geared toward just PVP to be included in this list:

Arc Staff (Arc Hunter)
Spectral Blades (Void Hunter)
Golden Gun: Deadshot (Solar Hunter)
Nova Warp (Void Warlock)
Daybreak (Solar Warlock)
Fist of Havoc (Arc Titan)

Now, you can still use these supers in PVE if you want to. There might even be some really niche or specific builds that make these supers more usable. For the most part, though, you’ll want to stay away from them, or at least be aware of their limitations.

With that in mind, let’s get into our ranking of the best Destiny 2 supers for PVE!

18/18

Glacial Quake

Starting our list for the best supers for PVE in Destiny 2, we have Glacial Quake. The Titan’s Stasis super is just unfortunate. It looks really cool and is fun to use, but it’s very impractical. Since it requires getting close to enemies, it’s rarely (if ever) going to be good for difficult content or anything that requires a lot of strategy. It can be tons of fun to run around freezing everything, but in reality, it doesn’t accomplish all that much.

17/18

Nova Bomb: Vortex

Nova Bomb: Vortex is not worth using. It’s a version of Nova Bomb that simply pulls nearby enemies toward the vortex itself, but doesn’t do much else. Some people do prefer this version in PVP, where the faster travel time is beneficial, but it’s very underwhelming in PVE. The slower Nova Bomb (which we’ll get to higher on the list) is better in almost every way, so just use it instead.

16/18

Shadowshot: Deadfall

Shadowshot: Deadfall is just a worse version of Shadowshot: Moebius Quiver. It does less damage, doesn’t apply as many debuffs, and is generally worse in pretty much every way. There might be some niche builds with this, but it’s rarely used in a way that makes it better than Moebius Quiver.

15/18

Chaos Reach

Chaos Reach is one of the most underwhelming supers in the game right now, which really sucks since it’s such a cool super to use. Shooting a constant beam of high-energy damage should be much better than it is. Instead, it’s only decent, and really only against majors or minor enemies, not bosses. On the plus side, it can be used to quickly melt through a large wave of non-boss enemies, but there are plenty of other supers that can also do that. It seems like Chaos Reach will be staying in PVP for now, unless it gets some significant changes.

14/18

Golden Gun: Marksman

Marksman Golden Gun used to be the best Hunter Solar super, but these days it’s more of a niche pick. It’s still fun to use and puts out some major damage, but nowhere near its glory days. It also necessitates the Celestial Nighthawk Exotic for good damage, which can be annoying to build around. Honestly, in the state it’s in right now, it isn’t worth using unless you just like it. It’s not terrible, but it definitely isn’t the go-to option anymore.

13/18

Stormcaller

Stormcaller is in a weird place with Arc 3.0. It definitely got better with the Arc updates, but it’s nowhere near as strong as the good arc supers. Stormcaller is only good for ad-clear, and even then, it still struggles sometimes when more powerful enemies appear. It gets a lot better with an Exotic like Crown of Tempests, but it’s still rarely the best option unless you have a specific build for it. It can be tons of fun to use, though, and making orbs with it can be really satisfying. Stormcaller is unfortunately still not as strong as we had hoped, but it’s not entirely useless.

12/18

Blade Barrage

Blade Barrage got hit with a pretty significant nerf last season, so it’s not as good as it once was. That being said, it can still definitely be worth using. For Solar Hunters, this is really the only good option, and alongside Exotics like Shards of Galanor, it’s actually decent. Blade Barrage is best used as a quick chunk of extra damage to clear out powerful enemies.

11/18

Silence and Squall

If you need a super that you can use and then forget about, this is the one. When using Silence and Squall, all you have to do is throw it in the general direction of enemies and it will freeze and likely kill most of them without you having to do anything. It’s one of the simplest supers and is also very strong, so it gets used a lot. It isn’t the best in difficult content that might require more focused damage/CC, but it’s really satisfying to use and sticks around for so long that it’ll likely take care of multiple waves of enemies.

10/18

Hammer of Sol

Hammer of Sol is great for Solar Titans that need something to help with ad-clear without getting too close. It’s a ranged super that stays active for a while, so you’ll be able to get a lot of use out of it. Most of the time, Hammer of Sol is only optimal for minor ad-clear and helping kill majors. While that would be a negative most of the time, Hammer of Sol is so effective at doing this that it’s still good. It also makes sunspots all over the place, which helps massively with survivability.

9/18

Sentinel Shield

Halfway down our list of the best PVE supers in Destiny 2 is Sentinel Shield. Sentinel Shield is a hard super to rank. If you use it to throw shields around, it’s really bad compared to most other supers. But by making use of its guarding ability, you can turn it into a fantastic survivability/DPS super.

The main use for Sentinel Shield is pairing it with the Ursa’s Furiosa Exotic in a Grandmaster Nightfall or similarly difficult activity. This lets shield users block damage for their team while buffing outgoing damage. The super will also recharge quickly thanks to Ursa’s Furiosa. This isn’t really worth using without Furiosa, but because it is so strong in high-end content, it has to be at least this high.

8/18

Nova Bomb: Cataclysm

Nova Bomb: Cataclysm is much stronger than the Vortex variation because it tracks enemies and splits into mini-Nova Bombs after exploding. The mini explosions will also track nearby targets, which really helps with ad-clear. With this Nova Bomb, you’ll do respectable damage to bosses while also clearing out nearby ads. It’s a very easy-to-use super with no real downsides other than its mildly lacking damage.

7/18

Burning Maul

Burning Maul is pretty similar to Hammer of Sol, but a bit better. It’s a more close-range super than most good ones, but it’s incredible for ad-clear. Since Solar Titans don’t have any boss DPS supers, they will have to rely on something else for their DPS, but that’s alright for Solar Titan builds. Burning Maul is just a fun super that clears out any ads nearby and can even be used in difficult content where ads are even more deadly than usual. Think of it as a more effective version of the Warlock’s Stormcaller.

6/18

Winter’s Wrath

Winter’s Wrath is the Warlock Stasis super, and it’s easily the best Stasis super in the game. What makes Winter’s Wrath so strong is how long it lasts, allowing you to freeze any nearby enemies for an extended period of time. Wrath is an incredibly strong super, but mostly just gets used in high end activities like Grandmaster Nightfall strikes and raids. It’s a rare case of a super that is so strong it doesn’t get used much in easier activities, as it’s just not necessary there. For really difficult content, though, Winter’s Wrath is one of the best.

5/18

Thundercrash

Kicking off the top five on our list of the best Destiny 2 supers for PVE, we have Thundercrash! Even though Thundercrash doesn’t do as much damage as it used to, it’s still one of the highest damage supers available. Thundercrash allows users to fly through the air like Superman on their way to crashing into an enemy. Since this super is just raw damage (and a lot of it), it’s good in any kind of content.

The major drawback is that it requires an Exotic (Cuirass of the Falling Star) to do so much damage. Since Cuirass doubles the damage of Thundercrash, it’s absolutely required whenever you’re using it. This can be really annoying when you want to experiment with your build, but it’s almost always worth the Exotic slot.

4/18

Shadowshot: Moebius Quiver

This version of Shadowshot is much better than the other one because it does more damage, makes targets hit volatile, and creates a ton of orbs upon killing tethered enemies. It does much more damage than you might expect if you haven’t used it before, and both the volatile rounds and orbs are major bonuses. This super is one of the strongest you can use both during or outside of a boss fight, but you typically won’t want more than one or maybe two on a team.

3/18

Ward of Dawn

Ward of Dawn, more commonly just called “bubble,” is the second best defensive super in the game. When players stand inside the bubble created by Ward of Dawn, they get an overshield and are safe from everything outside the bubble. Teammates will also get a pretty solid damage boost upon entering the bubble, so it can be used for damage as well. Ward of Dawn is a fantastic defensive super that provides some really good bonuses as well, so it will always have a place in Destiny 2. Even if the top pick on this list does make it a bit less popular.

2/18

Gathering Storm

Gathering Storm is the new Hunter Arc super, and it absolutely overdelivered. After years (almost a decade) of Arc Hunters having no PVE super, it’s nice to see them get one so good. Gathering Storm functions as a massive AOE damage area around whatever it hits, but does massive damage to anything directly hit by the super. The downsides here are that only one Hunter can apply this direct damage at a time, so having multiple GS users is usually not very good. It’s also damage over time, not instant damage. GS isn’t going to be very useful in situations where you need burst damage, but for most bosses, this is the best damage you can get via super.

1/18

Well of Radiance

Well of Radiance is the strongest super for PVE in Destiny 2. When used, a sword is planted in the ground and a pool of light spawns around it. All players standing in this pool will receive constant strong healing and will also become radiant. This super is so strong that almost every raid group will require one. Most final boss encounters in this game are balanced around Well of Radiance, and it’s often nearly impossible to utilize normal DPS strats without standing in a Well. It’s so good that it forces Warlocks to run it over anything else (if they want to be fully optimal), so much so that it’s almost a bad thing. One way or another, though, Well of Radiance is undeniably strong. Even after major nerfs last year, nothing can stop this super from dominating the game.

Join the High Ground

Thanks for checking out this article on the supers in Destiny 2! There are many to choose from, so hopefully this guide will help you make your choice. Let us know your thoughts in the comments, and don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter for more Destiny 2 content.

Happy gaming!

Destiny 2: Every Super Ranked for PvE