Destiny 2: Complete Subclasses Guide

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There’s a lot of customization to be had in Destiny 2. On top of the three classes, players can choose from five subclasses — three Light subclasses, and two new Dark options — each of which can be further tailored with their respective Aspects and Fragments, not to mention the various Exotics and abilities used to streamline and strengthen builds. Needless to say, there are a lot of combinations to be had, which can be a bit overwhelming for new players. Thankfully, we here at High Ground Gaming have you covered. We’ve put together this guide to the Destiny 2 subclasses that tells you everything you need to know.

Let’s get started!

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Classes: Titan, Hunter, and Warlock

Let’s start with a quick look at the classes: Titan, Hunter, and Warlock. Each class has a general vision for its playstyle, but those visions can change depending on the subclass and build you choose. Since you start with three character slots in Destiny 2, we strongly recommend saving a slot for each class so you can get a general feel for how each one plays.

In general, Titans are frontline fighters whose abilities balance dealing damage and protecting themselves and/or their fireteam. Hunters are a bit of a mixed bag in that they have some of the best movement abilities in the game, while also having powerful DPS abilities. Warlocks are all about utility and constant ability usage.

This is admittedly a bit of an oversimplification, but as you’ll see once you start playing, you can make almost any class fill any playstyle through proper build crafting.

Light vs. Dark Subclasses

There are currently three Light subclasses in Destiny 2: Arc, Solar, and Void. You’ll get one subclass for free when your first start playing the game, and will unlock the remaining two as you play. Aspects, Fragments, and Abilities for these subclasses can be purchased from Ikora Ray at the tower for varying amounts of Glimmer once you complete the necessary story missions.

The remaining two subclasses in Destiny 2 allow you harness the power of Darkness: Stasis and Strand. Both subclasses can only be acquired by purchasing their respective expansions and completing their campaigns.

With this in mind, let’s get into our breakdown of each of the subclasses!

Arc Subclasses

The Arc subclass is electrifyingly good (get it, because lightning?). As a whole, it shines brightest in PVP activities. Its ability keywords — Blind, Jolt, Amplify, and Speed Boost get incredibly high value in PVP events like Crucible. This isn’t to say that Arc doesn’t perform well in PVE, it’s just that it’s more suited to competitive play than Solar and Void.

Striker (Titan)

The Striker is the perfect PVP champion. Arc Titans have a solid movement ability, Aspects that grant extra protection to them while sprinting, and two really strong supers that excel at killing enemy Guardians. The one goal on every Arc Titan’s mind when they load into a PVP match is to kill everything that moves on the enemy team. They don’t provide much in the way of utility for their fireteam, but they don’t really need to. After all, you don’t need to protect and heal your team if all your opponents are dead.

Arcstrider (Hunter)

The Arcstrider is all about channeling that inner Titan and holding W. Arc Hunters excel in PVP due to their already crazy class abilities getting paired with the Speed Boost and Amplied buffs. They also have a great melee ability that cripples close-ranged combatants, along with two of the best PVP Supers in the game.

The Gathering Storm Super can be used to control space, pop Titan Bubbles, and break Well of Radiance. Alternatively, the Arc Staff Super is a great roaming Super that also allows the user to reflect enemy Super projectiles back at their users. If you want a Hunter build to tear up the Crucible, Arc Hunter is a pretty strong choice.

Stormcaller (Warlock)

The Stormcaller is a bit different from the other Arc subclasses in that it can do really well in both PVP and PVE. Arc Warlocks benefit from all the perks mentioned before — Speed Boost, Amplify, etc. — but have the added advantage of the universal Warlock abilities and armors.

While the other Arc subclasses struggle to heal in PVE, Warlocks have a class ability that gives them better access to healing, as well as a number of ability-focused Exotic armors that improve their Rifts while in combat. They also have a Fragment that grants them Amplified whenever they pick up an Ionic Trace, so they stayed Amplified in PVE longer than the other two subclasses. Whether it’s Crucible or Nightfalls, Stormcallers can get the job done.

Void Subclasses

Void is one of the few subclasses in Destiny 2 that excel in both PVP and PVE. Its keywords are some of the strongest in the game. Generally speaking, players use Invisibility, Suppression, and Weaken for more competitive PVP play, and Invisibility, Overshield, and Devour to stay live in PVE.

Sentinel (Titan)

The Sentinel has a lot of powerful defensive abilities, as well as a movement ability that mirrors the Arc Titan’s air charge. Their strongest assets are their Supers — for example, Ward of Dawn protects all those inside it by granting them a continuously regenerating overshield. This is great for capping and holding points in PVP, or as a home base to recover in during PVE. Nothing can travel in or out of the bubble, however, making it a bit of a double-edged sword.

Players looking for a more aggressive Void Titan Super can run Sentinel Shield, which blocks incoming damage while actually increasing the weapon damage of any ally that shoots through it. You can also perform a shield bash or throw it at enemies and bounce it off walls and other enemies (think Captain America’s shield). This Super gains more value in PVE than PVP, but it can still get the job done as a roaming Super in PVP.

Nightstalker (Hunter)

The Nightstalker’s playstyle leans more toward PVP than PVE. Its main gimmick is Invisibility, which the Void Hunter can get shockingly easily with either an Aspect or a Fragment. The main problem with this in PVE is that, on rare occasions, the AI will still seem to attack/track you even when you’re invisible. 

You also don’t see a lot of the value Stylish Executioner brings to the table when playing in PVE, as you’ll rarely want to get up close and personal with enemies in high-end PVE content. Enemy Guardians in PVP, on the other hand, are the complete opposite. You can win team fights and cap the objective in style by sneaking up and taking on 1v1s.

Voidwalker (Warlock)

The Voidwalker is a great example of why the Void Hunter isn’t that great in PvE. Void Warlock has easy access to the Devour keyword, which can single-handedly carry you through some of the game’s hardest content if you’re playing your cards right. Devour can also last much longer than Invisibility, and in long Nightfall, Dungeon, and Raid encounters, that matters a lot.

Void Warlock doesn’t gain access to many of the other Void keywords quite as easily, but it doesn’t really need to — Devour is just that good.

Solar Subclasses

Harnessing the power of the Sun has never looked quite so cool. The Solar Subclass is one of the strongest in the game. Much like Void, it has access to many powerful keywords — Scorch, Ignition, Cure, Restoration, and Radiant — that are all viable for use in both PVP and PVE. 

Sunbreaker (Titan)

The Sunbreaker is an excellent starting subclass for new players. Solar Titans introduce a bunch of different viable Titan playstyles all in one subclass. It has two powerful roaming Supers, great Aspects, and a fantastic melee ability that completely refills if you pick your hammer back up. If you want a subclass that can reliably trigger all of the Solar keywords in one build, Solar Titan is the way to go.

Gunslinger (Hunter)

The Gunslinger is a perfect class for the mechanically skilled. Its supers and melee abilities all reward headshots, which is fitting for the sharpshooter aesthetic.

Solar Hunters are all about the Radiant buff. Many of your Aspects and Supers either help you become Radiant more often, or grant you a buff while Radiant. You don’t really have Aspects that grant you Cure or Restoration as a Hunter, so you’ll have to gain those effects through Fragments or other means.

Dawnblade (Warlock)

The Dawnblade is debatably the strongest Warlock subclass in Destiny 2 for a number of reasons. Solar Warlocks can take advantage of Exotics that augment their abilities, powerful Aspects that grant Cure/Restoration, and Supers that are widely considered to be the best for PVP and PVE.

Daybreak is one of the best roaming Supers in the game, and Well of Radiance feels like it a lovingly-crafted gift for PVE. Solar Warlock is also the only subclass in the game that allows you to fire your gun while gliding. Whether you’re jumping into Crucible or doing end-game PVE content, Solar Warlock can handle it all.

Stasis Subclasses

Stasis is relatively new to the game, and its playstyle is centered around its keywords — Freeze, Slow, and Shatter. In all honesty, Stasis is in a weird place as of Season 21, with many players agreeing that it needs an update to bring it up to speed with the other subclasses in the game. It’s hard to recommend in PVE when other subclasses have similar (but stronger) effects, but PVP is a different story.

Behemoth (Titan)

The Behemoth is probably the most viable Stasis Subclass for PVP, thanks to it having multiple ways of Freezing and Shattering targets. Stasis Titans also have access to an Exotic armor piece that grants them an extra grenade slot, which is super useful for the Stasis subclass. If you’re dead set on running Stasis in PVE, Titan should be your class of choice.

Revenant (Hunter)

The Revenant is 100% a PVP subclass. Infamously known for their Shatter Dive combo, Stasis Hunters have quite the reputation for terrorizing the Crucible. While their effects aren’t quite as strong as they used to be, Stasis Hunters still have plenty of things going for them. Their Super, Silence & Squall, lets loose two projectiles — one that Freezes targets in its blast radius, and another that slowly tracks enemy Guardians, Freezing any caught by it.

Shadebinder (Warlock)

The Shadebinder also works best as a PVP subclass. Aside from the standard use of Stasis keywords, Stasis Warlocks have a ranged melee attack that can Freeze targets affected by it. As is the case with the other subclasses, Warlocks also have Exotics that improve grenade damage and recharge rate, which is always good for Stasis. 

But that’s not all. Just like Stasis Hunters, the best part of the Stasis Warlock kit is its Super. Stasis Warlocks have a roaming Super called Winter’s Wrath. This Super Freezes targets with its primary fire and Shatters frozen targets with its secondary fire. Due to its really long uptime, it is widely considered the best shutdown Super in the game.

Strand Subclasses

Finally, we come to Strand. Strand is the newest of the subclasses in Destiny 2, and players are still trying to determine the full range of its strengths and weaknesses. From what we can tell, Strand was made to perform well in both PVP and PVE content. It has more keywords to work with than Stasis — Tangle, Suspend, Sever, Unravel, Weaving, Woven Mai, Threadlings, and Grapple — and this shows in its build variety.

Berserker (Titan)

The Berserker is probably at its best in PVP. Strand Titans make excellent use of the subclass’s mobility options and unique melee ability, which dashes forward to slash enemies. This ability has three charges, so you can go absolutely wild on enemy Guardians. They can also use their Aspects to gain Woven Mail after destroying a Tangle, and have an ability that lets them send out a wave of Strand energy that Suspends targets it comes in contact with.

Because of all these abilities, you’ll generally want to play Stand Titan as an up-close and personal brawler. As a result, it struggles a bit in PVE content.

Threadrunner (Hunter)

The Threadrunner is an excellent PVE subclass. Strand Hunters have really easy access to Suspend, which is the best crowd control ability in the game, as well as a powerful ranged melee that hits multiple enemies and recharges faster if you catch it when it comes back to you. 

Strand Hunters also boast a fantastic roaming Super that deals damage to enemies at medium to close range, allowing you to keep your distance from more dangerous bosses. This subclass should have no problem clearing any endgame PVE content.  

Broodweaver (Warlock)

Last but not lease, we have the Broodweaver. Strand Warlocks are in a very unique position, as they’re the only subclass in the game that actively summons a large number of mobs that track down enemies to attack them.

This subclass has access to all the powerful Strand keywords, but makes the best use out of Suspend and Threadlings. Couple that with the ability to suspend enemies, and you have a pretty formidable PVP opponent. This isn’t to say Strand Warlocks can’t do well in PVE, but you’ll probably get better results with a Void or Solar subclass instead.

Join the High Ground!

That’s it for our guide to the Destiny 2 subclasses — thanks for reading! If you’d like to learn more about a specific subclass, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter to stay up-to-date on all our Destiny 2 content.

Happy gaming!