Destiny 2: Class Guide for PvE and PvP (Including Arc 3.0)

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Human Made

Penned by Brett Moss

I've been playing video games pretty much nonstop ever since I got my first 360. I love racing games, MMOs, and shooters, but I'll play just about anything.

Reviewed by Benjamin Barr

This year, we’ve already seen a healthy amount of reworking to the Destiny 2 subclasses as both Void and Solar 3.0 have been released. We’ll continue seeing this kind of reworking through Arc 3.0 in upcoming seasons, so this feels like a great time to do a rundown of each subclass and their uses in PVE and PVP. 

This year we’ve seen huge reworks to the Destiny 2 subclasses as all three light subclasses have been updated. Now that Arc 3.0 has finally come out alongside Season of the Plunder, we can give you a look at the best options for each subclass in both PvE and PvP. We’ll go over new abilities, aspects, fragments, and grenade/melee options for each subclass so you’ll be prepared to tackle everything this new season has for us from the start!

With all of that in mind, let’s jump into our breakdown.

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Warlock

Overall, Warlocks are in rough shape right now. Void 3.0 was a huge success, but the transition to the Solar update was a bit rough. The Well of Radiance nerf hit Warlocks pretty hard, and while they have largely been able to make up for it, it left the class feeling rough. And while Solar 3.0 wasn’t perfect for Warlocks, Arc 3.0 was even worse. Arc Warlocks lack a usable super, so it’s really hard to find reason to use the subclass at all. Warlocks are probably going to be relying on their Void and Solar subclasses to carry the weight for now.

Solar

Solar 3.0 has been a mixed bag for Warlocks. On one hand, the addition of fragments and better choices for grenades and melees has been excellent. However, both Solar Warlock supers got somewhat nerfed.

Overall, the best use for Solar warlock is ad-clearing in PVE and providing support via Well of Radiance and/or Rifts. In PVP, Solar Warlocks get to glide around in the air while shooting. This gives them a pretty massive advantage in certain situations, so I recommend building around that.

PVE Build

• Super: Well of Radiance
• Class Ability: Healing or Empowering Rift
• Grenade: Solar or Fusion
• Melee: Incinerator Snap
• Aspects: Touch of Flame, Heat Rises
• Fragments: Torches, Solace, Char, Searing

PVP Build

• Super: Daybreak
• Class Ability: Empowering Rift
• Grenade: whichever you prefer
• Melee: Celestial Fire
• Aspects: Heat Rises, Icarus Dash
• Fragments: Beams, Combustion, Eruption, Ashes

Void

Void Warlock is a great choice for those who want to do huge damage while maintaining top of the line ad-clear. It lacks the survivability of Solar Warlock, but makes up for it thanks to its versatility. Void is a great subclass for those who don’t want to just have one role. Void Warlocks rarely end up just doing one thing, since the subclass has so many options.

PVE Build

• Super: Nova Bomb (Cataclysm)
• Class Ability: Healing Rift
• Grenade: Vortex
• Melee: Pocket Singularity
• Aspects: Child of the Old Gods, Feed the Void
• Fragments: Remnants, Persistence, Leeching, Obscurity

PVP Build

• Super: Nova Bomb (Vortex) or Nova Warp
• Class Ability: Empowering Rift
• Grenade: whichever you prefer
• Melee: Pocket Singularity
• Aspects: Child of the Old Gods, Chaos Accelerant
• Fragments: Leeching, Dilation, two others of your choice

Arc

Arc 3.0 has been really bad for Warlocks so far. The two supers, Chaos Reach and Stormtrance, both feel just as bad as they did last season, leaving them far behind both other classes. The best use for either super is ad-clear, even though Chaos Reach can technically do boss DPS as well. Without a buff sometime soon, it’s unlikely Warlocks will be using their new-and-improved Arc subclass at all.

PVE Build:

• Class Ability: Healing Rift
• Grenade: whichever you prefer
• Melee: Chain Lightning
• Aspects: Arc Soul, Electrostatic Mind
• Fragments: Magnitude*, Discharge, Volts, Resistance

*This fragment, Spark of Magnitude, only works with Lightning, Pulse, and Storm grenade. If you don’t use one of those, I recommend Spark of Ions (which hasn’t released at the time of writing but should by the first weekend of the season)

PVP Build:

• Class Ability: whichever you prefer
• Grenade: Pulse, Flux, or Lightning
• Melee: whichever you prefer
• Aspects: Arc Soul, Lightning Surge
• Fragments: Frequency, Discharge, Momentum, Beacons

Stasis

Warlocks got the middle ground when it comes to Stasis. It’s one of the best subclasses in end-game content like Grandmaster Strikes due to being able to freeze enemies, but it feels weak anywhere else. The Warlock Stasis subclass might not be the best for lower-end content, but it’s something you always want to have on hand for when you do more difficult activities.

PVE Build

• Class Ability: Healing Rift
• Grenade: Coldsnap or Duskfield
• Melee: Penumbral Blast
• Aspects: Bleak Watcher, Glacial Harvest
• Fragments: Chains, Bonds, Shards, Fissures

PVP Build

• Super: Winter’s Wrath
• Class Ability: Empowering Rift
• Grenade: Glacier Grenade (to make walls) or Coldsnap Grenade
• Melee: Penumbral Blast
• Aspects: Iceflare Bolts, Glacial Harvest
• Fragments: Chains, Fissures, Durance, one more of your choice

Hunter

Hunter has likely benefited most from the 3.0 changes, as Blade Barrage got a heavy buff, Void has been far more useful than it used to be, and Arc got a brand new super. Golden Gun’s nerf has taken away a key form of DPS, though, but that’s really the only negative. Hunters can use any of their three subclasses to great effect, which gives them a major advantage.

Solar

Solar Hunter got a drastic buff during the Solar 3.0 update. The addition of the new subclass effects like Restoration and Scorch have made it a much better subclass, but the best new update is the Blade Barrage buff. Solar Hunter feels unstoppable right now, with the only downside being Golden Gun’s growing irrelevance.

PVE Build

• Super: Blade Barrage
• Class Ability: Marksman’s Dodge
• Grenade: Solar
• Melee: whichever you prefer
• Aspects: On Your Mark, Knock ‘Em Down
• Fragments: Beams, Solace, Ashes, Singeing, Torches

PVP Build

• Super: Golden Gun (Deadshot)
• Class Ability: Marksman’s Dodge or Gambler’s Dodge
• Grenade: whichever you prefer
• Melee: Weighted Knife
• Aspects: On Your Mark, Knock ‘Em Down
• Fragments: Combustion, Char, Solace, Ashes, Torches

Void

If you want to go invisible and stay that way for most of the time, Void Hunter is the subclass for you. This is a great subclass for those who want to play a supporting role, as you will be able to revive anyone thanks to invisibility and provide solid DPS help via Tether. It might not be the flashiest subclass, but it is one of the most practical.

PVE Build

• Super: Shadowshot (Moebius Quiver)
• Class Ability: Marksman’s Dodge
• Grenade: Vortex
• Melee: Snare Bomb
• Aspects: Trapper’s Ambush, Vanishing Step
• Fragments: Remnants, Persistence, Instability

PVP Build

• Super: Spectral Blades
• Class Ability: Marksman’s Dodge or Gambler’s Dodge
• Grenade: whichever you prefer
• Melee: Weighted Knife
• Aspects: Trapper’s Ambush, Vanishing Step
• Fragments: Leeching, two more of your choice

Arc

Of all the classes, Hunters got the most exciting Arc 3.0 update. The addition of a new super for the Hunter Arc subclass has been long-awaited, and while anything would have been an improvement over Arc Staff (in PvE at least), the new one is genuinely a great super. It has really strong DPS and kills pretty much every enemy that gets near it, so it can be used for more than just one purpose as well. Hunters are in great shape with Arc 3.0.

PvE Build:

• Class Ability: whichever you prefer
• Grenade: whichever you prefer
• Melee: Combination (safer) or Disorienting (aggressive)
• Aspects: Flow State, Lethal Current
• Fragments: Discharge, Frequency, Magnitude, Volts

*Each class ability benefits a different playstyle, so make sure you’re using the one that works best for you.

PVP Build:

• Class Ability: whichever you prefer
• Grenade: whichever you prefer
• Melee: Disorienting
• Aspects: Lethal Current, Tempest Strike
• Fragments: Frequency, Feedback, Magnitude, Discharge

Stasis

Stasis hunter is in a bit of a weird place right now. There’s really no reason to use it over any of the other classes, especially during seasons with subclass-based Artifact mods. In the future, I’m sure we’ll see Stasis Hunter make a comeback, but for now it’s more a niche pick. It does have its uses since it’s a Stasis subclass, but it could definitely use a buff.

PVE Build

• Super: Silence and Squall
• Class Ability: Marksman’s Dodge
• Grenade: whichever you prefer
• Melee: Withering Blade
• Aspects: Grim Harvest, Touch of Winter
• Fragments: Hedrons, Fissures, Chains, Durance, Conduction

PVP Build

• Super: Silence and Squall
• Class Ability: Marksman’s Dodge or Gambler’s Dodge
• Grenade: Glacier (works well with Shatterdive) or Coldsnap Grenade
• Melee: Withering Blade
• Aspects: Shatterdive, Touch of Winter
• Fragments: Fissures, Durance, Bonds

Titan

Titans are great right now thanks to the improved Solar class, and with the strength of their Arc subclass it seems likely we’ll see a lot of high-DPS Titans this season. Each of their subclasses are at the very least usable, with Solar Titan still the best subclass in the game for survivability and Arc Titan possibly having the highest DPS potential. Void isn’t quite as strong, but Bubble is still good in certain circumstances. Overall it’s a good time to be a Titan.

Solar

Solar Titan is all about one thing — being unkillable. Thanks to the new Solar aspects and fragments, Solar Titan is harder to kill than ever. Most builds involving this subclass are heavily based on spamming the hammer melee to take advantage of fragments and Wells, and all of these builds are incredibly fun to play.

PVE Build

• Super: Hammer of Sol or Burning Maul
• Class Ability: whichever you prefer
• Grenade: Solar
• Melee: Throwing Hammer
• Aspects: Sol Invictus, Roaring Flames
• Fragments: Wonder, Solace, Eruption, Torches

PVP Build

• Super: Hammer of Sol
• Class Ability: Towering Barricade (works great with Citan’s Rampart arm Exotic)
• Grenade: whichever you prefer
• Melee: Hammer Strike
• Aspects: Sol Invictus, Consecration
• Fragments: Beams, Solace, Eruption, Torches

Void

Void Titan is, unfortunately, still only known for Bubble. Bubble (or Ward of Dawn, technically) is still good, but it’s easily outclassed by Well of Radiance on Solar Warlock. It seems to be more of a subclass used for specific purposes rather than one to use all the time. If you’re doing a raid and need a Bubble, it’s just as great as it’s always been. If you need anything else, though, it isn’t so strong.

PVE Build

• Super: Ward of Dawn (Bubble)
• Class Ability: Marksman’s Dodge
• Grenade: Vortex
• Melee: Shield Throw or Shield Bash
• Aspects: Controlled Demolition, Bastion
• Fragments: Remnants, Leeching, Instability

PVP Build

• Super: Sentinel Shield
• Class Ability: Towering Barricade (works great with Citan’s Rampart arm Exotic)
• Grenade: whichever you prefer
• Melee: Shield Bash or Shield Throw
• Aspects: Offensive Bulwark, Controlled Demolition
• Fragments: Leeching (really good on Titan specifically), Exchange, one more of your choice

Arc

Arc Titan is, in general, a lot of fun. Thundercrash is one of the most fun supers in the game and also provides excellent damage, and Fists of Havoc is a lot of fun for PvP. Titans are able to take advantage of the quick movement associated with Arc 3.0 as well, especially in PvP activities. Arc Titan is an incredible subclass, and I’m sure we’ll be seeing it a lot more from now on.

PVE Build:

• Super: Thundercrash
• Class Ability: Towering Barricade
• Grenade: whichever you prefer
• Melee: Thunderclap or Seismic Strike
• Aspects: Knockout, Touch of Thunder
• Fragments: Discharge, Frequency, Magnitude, Volts

PVP Build:

• Super: Fists of Havoc
• Class Ability: Rally Barricade
• Grenade: whichever you prefer
• Melee: Seismic Strike
• Aspects: Knockout, Juggernaut
• Fragments: Focus, Magnitude, Frequency, Feedback

Stasis

Titan Stasis is one of the worst subclasses in the game and has been for a long time. There’s really just no reason to use Stasis Titan unless you simply think it’s fun. It’s perfectly serviceable in easier content and some PVP activities, but outside of that, it’s unlikely you’ll see it very often.

PVE Build

• Super: Glacial Quake
• Class Ability: whichever you prefer
• Grenade: Duskfield or Glacier Grenade
• Melee: Shiver Strike
• Aspects: Diamond Lance, Tectonic Harvest
• Fragments: Conduction, Fissures, Rime, Chains, Bonds

PVP Build

• Super: Glacial Quake
• Class Ability: Towering Barricade
• Grenade: Glacier or Coldsnap Grenade
• Melee: Shiver Strike
• Aspects: Cryoclasm, Howl of the Storm
• Fragments: Fissures, Bonds, Chains

Join the High Ground

That’s it for our guide to all the classes and subclasses for Destiny 2! There will be a lot of new Destiny 2 content to cover in the near future, so be sure to come back for more guides and other information, too. As always, subscribe to our newsletter to stay up-to-date on all our new articles.

Happy gaming!

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