Destiny 2 Best Class (and Subclass) to Dominate this Season

As you get serious with Destiny 2 and decide it’s time to tackle more difficult content, one of your first questions is: What is the best Class in Destiny 2 right now?

This is a difficult question to tackle, and the answer will vary depending on whether you’re talking about PvE, PvP, endgame, GMs, etc. Still, with the combined experience of the entire BlueberriesGG team, we go over the best classes and subclasses for PvE and PvP this season.

Updated as of Season of the Wish (S23).

Best Class in Destiny 2 for PvE

After reviewing and ranking all the Classes and Subclasses for Hunters, Titans, and Warlocks, this is our definitive Tier list for PvE, based on Season of the Wish (S23) meta:

--	Subclass	Element	Tier	Trend	Area	Rank
	Dawnblade	Solar	Best ❘ S		PvE	S › Best
	Gunslinger	Solar	Best ❘ S		PvE	S › Best
	Berserker	Strand	Best ❘ S	-	PvE	S › Best
	Sunbreaker	Solar	Best ❘ S	-	PvE	S › Best
	Arcstrider	Arc	Best ❘ S	-	PvE	S › Best
	Broodweaver	Strand	Best ❘ S		PvE	S › Best
	Nightstalker	Void	Strong ❘ A	-	PvE	A › Strong
	Voidwalker	Void	Strong ❘ A		PvE	A › Strong
	Sentinel	Void	Strong ❘ A	-	PvE	A › Strong
	Revenant	Stasis	Strong ❘ A		PvE	A › Strong
	Stormcaller	Arc	Average ❘ B		PvE	B › Average
	Threadrunner	Strand	Average ❘ B	-	PvE	B › Average
	Striker	Arc	Average ❘ B		PvE	B › Average
	Shadebinder	Stasis	Weak ❘ C		PvE	C › Weak
	Behemoth	Stasis	Weak ❘ C		PvE	C › Weak

About Classes VS. Subclasses: Keep in mind that all Classes have strong builds and exotics. It is nearly impossible to claim that an entire Class is better than another one. The most relevant question is what is the best Subclass right now. This is why our rankings are per Subclass.

Destiny 2 Best Subclass: Top 3 for PvE

Dawnblade (Solar 3.0)

• Ranking: ❘ S Best

A subclass primarily used for support, Dawnblade fills its lack of ad clear and boss damage with some of the most powerful buffs in the game. Radiant provides a whopping 25% increase to damage, and Restoration provides continuous health regeneration even through damage.

While these buffs are inherently powerful, Dawnblade lost much of its power through the Starfire Protocol nerf that came with Season of the Deep. Other Exotics like Boots of the Assembler and Sunbracers have filled the role nicely, but nothing quite matches the absurdity of pre-nerf Starfire.

All that said, Dawnblade is still excellent at what it does. Well of Radiance continues to be the best PvE Super in the game, while the potent buffs Solar offers have kept Dawnblade popular through its decline.

Preferred Exotic: Now that Starfire Protocol was nerfed into the ground, we’d recommend Sunbracers, Boots of the Assembler, or Lunafaction Boots.

Armor	Class	Type	Requirements	Source	Released	Requires	Exotic Perk
Boots of the Assembler	Warlock	Legs	Beyond Light	Lost Sectors	Season 14	Beyond Light	Exotic Perk: "Standing in a healing rift creates Noble Seekers that seek out allies that are not in a rift and heal them. Noble Seekers from Empowering rift grant both you and your ally a damage bonus. Each time a Noble Seeker finds one of your allies, the duration of your rift is briefly extended."
Lunafaction Boots	Warlock	Legs	Free-to-Play	Exotic Engrams	Season 1	Free-to-Play	Exotic Perk: "Your Rifts gain the additional ability to increase weapon reload speeds. Empowering Rift makes weapons effective over longer ranges."
Sunbracers	Warlock	Arms	Free-to-Play	Exotic Engrams	Season 1	Free-to-Play	Exotic Perk: "Increases the duration of Solar Grenades. Solar melee kills grant unlimited Solar Grenade energy for a brief time."

Preferred Aspects and Fragments:

• Aspects: All three Dawnblade Aspects are strong in their own ways. While Touch of Flame and Heat Rises are generally the most useful, using one of your two slots on Icarus Dash is a no-brainer for many high-level players.
• Fragments: Ember of Empyrean, Ember of Solace, Ember of Ashes, Ember of Torches.

Preferred Abilities and Stats:

• Stats: Recovery, Resilience, Discipline.
• Abilities: Well of Radiance is arguably the strongest Super in the entire game, so running it is a no-brainer. Fusion Grenades, Solar Grenades, and Celestial Fire are generally the best picks beyond the Super.

Gunslinger (Solar 3.0)

• Ranking: ❘ S Best

With the change to Celestial Nighthawk and how potent Restoration is, it’s impossible not to rank Gunslinger at S tier. Possessing the highest damage Super in the game and having access to the best DPS rotations outside of a few niche strategies is very impressive.

Solar Hunter does quite a lot and has perhaps some of the best synergies with certain Aspects and Fragments out of all of the classes. The combination of Knock ‘Em Down and Ember of Torches is ridiculously potent, as infinite throwing knives are nothing to scoff at. This, combined with the already powerful Radiant, Restoration, and Cure effects that all Solar Subclasses have, makes Gunslinger quite powerful, even ignoring the Supers and exotic combos.

Gunslingers have been at the top of the Super damage pile for quite some time, and this has only been extended by the Season of the Wish buff to Celestial Nighthawk, turning your Golden Gun into a mini-nuke, capable of one-shotting any Champions, even in Grandmaster level content.

The only arguable downside to Gunslinger is its lack of mass add-clear and Major damage outside of using Gunpowder Gamble, which can be quite risky in harder content due to the self-damage. However, we believe that the positives vastly outweigh the negatives for Gunslinger, making it one of the best subclasses in the entire game.

Preferred Exotic: Celestial Nighthawk for boss damage, Assassin’s Cowl for general play.

Armor	Class	Type	Requirements	Source	Released	Requires	Exotic Perk
Assassin's Cowl	Hunter	Helm	Shadowkeep	Exotic Engrams	Season 8	Shadowkeep	Exotic Perk: "Powered melee final blows grant invisibility and restore a portion of health and shields. Finishers and final blows against more powerful targets increase the duration of the invisibility and the amount of health and shields."
Celestial Nighthawk	Hunter	Helm	Free-to-Play	Exotic Engrams	Season 1	Free-to-Play	Exotic Perk: "Modifies Golden Gun to fire a single high-damage shot. Enemies eliminated by the shot explode and grant you Super energy."

Preferred Aspects and Fragments:

• Aspects: Knock ‘em Down and On Your Mark
• Fragments: Ember of Torches, Ember of Singeing, Ember of Empyrean, Ember of Ashes

Preferred Abilities and Stats:

• Stats: 100 Mobility and 100 Resilience are highly recommended.
• Abilities: Blade Barrage or Marksman Super, Healing Grenade or Tripmine Grenade, Knife Trick or Proximity Explosive Knifes, and Gambler’s Dodge

Berserker (Strand)

• Ranking: ❘ S Best

The new kid on the block, Berserker Titan, has quickly become one of the most dominant PVE subclasses. Capable of easy Woven Mail generation for great damage resist combined with some of the best ad-clear in the game, Berserker is an S Tier subclass for all PVE activities.

Preferred Exotic: Berserker is all about a fast-paced, in-your-face playstyle and exotics that fit this playstyle or build on the powerful Strand mechanics work best. These include Abeyant Leap, Synthoceps, and Wormgod's Caress.

Armor	Class	Type	Requirements	Source	Released	Requires	Exotic Perk
Abeyant Leap	Titan	Legs	Lightfall	Lost Sectors	Season 20	Lightfall	Exotic Perk: "Drengr's Lash spawns two additional projectiles, tracks targets more aggressively, and travels farther. Gain Woven Mail when suspending targets."
Synthoceps	Titan	Arms	Free-to-Play	Exotic Engrams	Season 1	Free-to-Play	Exotic Perk: "Increased melee lunge range. Improved melee and Super damage when you're surrounded."

Preferred Aspects and Fragments:

• Aspects: Into the Fray and Banner of War are the most used aspects for Strand builds. Into the Fray provides near constant uptime of Woven Mail through Tangles, while Banner of War’s insane damage buff, health bumps, and support potential make it a must-have for any activity. Drengr’s Lash is a requirement for any suspend-focused build, and Flechette Storm is a fun, melee-centered aspect that is great for lower-end content.
• Fragments: Thread of Mind, Thread of Continuity, Thread of Generation, Thread of Ascent.

Preferred Abilities and Stats:

• Stats: Resilience, Discipline, Strength.
• Abilities: Currently, Berserker only has 1 option for both the Melee and Super, Frenzied Blade, and Bladefury, respectively. Thankfully both of these are strong, especially with the additional charges Frenzied Blade has. Grapple Grenade is perfect if leaning into Banner of War, as the grapple melee damage is also buffed, while Shackle Grenade is perfect for suspend builds.

Best Destiny 2 Class for PvP

After performing the same exercise for PvP, these are the strongest Subclasses in the game right now:

--	Subclass	Element	Tier	Trend	Area	Rank
	Dawnblade	Solar	Best ❘ S	-	PvP	S › Best
	Gunslinger	Solar	Best ❘ S	-	PvP	S › Best
	Striker	Arc	Average ❘ B		PvP	B › Average

Destiny 2 Best Subclasses: Top 3 for PvP

Sentinel (Void 3.0)

• Ranking: ❘ S Best

Simply put, the best PvP subclass in the game right now. While many (rightfully) despise Sentinel, the fact of the matter is that overshields are overpowered in PvP and will continue to be as long as they exist. While 45 HP might not seem like much on paper, it can change the time-to-kill just enough to win the gunfight, and when paired with a certain exotic, can be nigh-unstoppable.

Preferred Exotic: Like Striker, Sentinel lacks Void-based exotics that work well inside PvP. Even with recent nerfs, Peacekeepers are a phenomenal choice to complement the aggressive playstyle. Other options include the jack-of-all-trades exotics like Crest of Alpha Lupi or One-Eyed Mask.

Armor	Class	Type	Requirements	Source	Released	Requires	Exotic Perk
Crest of Alpha Lupi	Titan	Chest	Free-to-Play	Exotic Engrams	Season 1	Free-to-Play	Exotic Perk: "Generates an additional Orb of Power from Supers and a healing pulse when Barricade is activated."
One-Eyed Mask	Titan	Helm	Forsaken Pack	Exotic Engrams	Season 4	Forsaken Pack	Exotic Perk: "Highlights the enemy who dares to damage you. Track down and destroy your enemy for an overshield."
Peacekeepers	Titan	Legs	Free-to-Play	Exotic Engrams	Season 1	Free-to-Play	Exotic Perk: "Reloads stowed Submachine Guns and allows you to ready them instantly. Improves your handling with SMGs and your movement while wielding one."

Preferred Aspects and Fragments:

• Aspects: Bastion is the must-have aspect for a PVP Sentinel build. The Overshield on the barricade is extremely potent. Offensive Bulwark pairs perfectly with this and provides a lot of buffs. Controlled Demolition can also be used to make players volatile for extra damage.
• Fragments: Echo of Expulsion, Echo of Dilation, Echo of Leeching, Echo of Undermining.

Preferred Abilities and Stats:

• Stats: Recovery, Resilience, Discipline.
• Abilities: Suppressor and Vortex Grenades offer the most utility. Suppressor Grenades are extremely potent in ability-heavy sandboxes and can shutdown supers. Vortex Grenades help to block off lanes and can pull enemies from behind cover. Shield Bash is the better melee as it provides an extra movement option and can be used to suppress/finish off low-health targets. Ward of Dawn is an excellent super due to its survivability, buffs, and low cooldown. It is most effective in slower 3v3 game modes like Trials.

Dawnblade (Solar 3.0)

• Ranking: ❘ S Best

With unique movement abilities and absurd health regeneration, it’s no wonder Dawnblade is such a menace in PVP.

Icarus Dash and Heat Rises allow you to utilize vertical movement while not bogged down by airborne effectiveness. Movement in Daybreak is similar, allowing you to fly across the map raining death from above.

Dawnblade (and Solar as a whole) also provides excellent support opportunities in the form of Restoration. This buff goes through damage, meaning you’ll restore health while taking damage. Radiant is also an irreplaceable buff in PVP, allowing for significantly more consistent kills.

Dawnblade is simply unmatched in general utility, movement, and support, making it one of the best subclasses for PVP.

Preferred Exotic: Rain of Fire can grant easy reloads and damage increases, while Transversive Steps and Ophidian Aspect are timeless favorites.

Armor	Class	Type	Requirements	Source	Released	Requires	Exotic Perk
Ophidian Aspect	Warlock	Arms	Free-to-Play	Exotic Engrams	Season 2	Free-to-Play	Exotic Perk: "Weapons ready and reload very quickly. Provides a small benefit to the airborne effectiveness stat of all weapons."
Rain of Fire	Warlock	Legs	The Witch Queen	Lost Sectors	Season 17	The Witch Queen	Exotic Perk: "Air dodge reloads all of your weapons and improves the airborne effectiveness of Fusion Rifles and Linear Fusion Rifles; final blows with these weapons make you radiant."
Transversive Steps	Warlock	Legs	Free-to-Play	Exotic Engrams	Season 1	Free-to-Play	Exotic Perk: "Sprint speed increased. After a short time sprinting, your currently equipped weapon is automatically reloaded."

Preferred Aspects and Fragments:

• Aspects: Heat Rises and Icarus Dash’s movement bonuses are hard to resist, but Touch of Flame could be used in rare situations.
• Fragments: Ember of Solace, Ember of Torches, Ember of Empyrean, Ember of Benevolence.

Preferred Abilities and Stats:

• Stats: Recovery, Discipline.
• Abilities: Daybreak is great for both its movement and killing capabilities, and Celestial Fire’s range and tracking is usually preferred. Solar Grenade is excellent here, but unique grenades like Healing can excel just as much.

Threadrunner (Strand)

• Ranking: ❘ S Best

Threadrunner might be the most potent PvP subclass, thanks to the Threaded Specter Aspect. This Aspect lets you deceive enemies on the radar while spamming legions of Threadlings at your opponent, which is outrageously frustrating to play against. Combining this Aspect with Widow’s Silk and Threadling Grenades only ups the pressure on your enemies and turns the battlefield into a chaotic Threadling mess.

However, if you don’t want to go down that route, Threadrunner is still an enjoyable and skilful class with Grapple Grenades and a fun Super, too.

Because of this, Threadrunner is arguably the best PvP subclass right now for casual and competitive play.

Preferred Exotic:

Armor	Class	Type	Requirements	Source	Released	Requires	Exotic Perk
St0mp-EE5	Hunter	Legs	Free-to-Play	Exotic Engrams	Season 1	Free-to-Play	Exotic Perk: "Increases sprint speed and slide distance while your dodge energy is full and improves High Jump, Strafe Jump, and Triple Jump."

Preferred Aspects and Fragments:

• Aspects: Threaded Specter and Widow’s Silk.
• Fragments: Thread of Evolution, Thread of Generation, Thread of Binding, Thread of Ascent.

Preferred Abilities and Stats:

• Stats: 100 Mobility and 100 Recovery are best.
• Abilities: Threadling Grenades, Threaded Spike, Gambler’s Dodge.

Before you go…

Keep in mind that choosing at Class and Subclass is only the first step. If you truly want to take your game to the next level, you need to also find the right combination of weapons and armor to create an exceptional build:

• Best Destiny 2 Builds right now