Best Destiny 2 Builds for Titan, Hunter and Warlock (S22)

by | Sep 16, 2023 | Armor

Do you want to take your game to the next level? Destiny 2 is not only about having a good aim or even good positioning. If you want to succeed in PvE, you also have to have the right gear. The right Exotics, weapons, mods, and, more importantly, the right build.

And while we already covered the top builds per class for PvE and PvP (links to those below), this guide covers every single viable build we have for PvE in Season 19.

Destiny 2 builds per Class

Hunter armor Guardian Games 2023
Hunter Builds
Warlock armor Guardian Games 2023
Warlock Builds
Titan armor Guardian Games 2023
Titan Builds

If you’re looking for a much more specific build to match your preferred Subclass (or the weekly Surges), you can find below all of our builds organized by subclass.

Destiny 2 builds per subclass

Hunter Subclass Strand
Hunter Strand Builds
Warlock Subclass
Warlock Strand Builds
Titan Subclass Strand
Titan Strand Builds
Stasis Hunter build
Stasis Hunter Builds
Shadebinder Warlock Stasis featured
Stasis Warlock Builds
Titan Stasis gameplay
Stasis Titan Builds
Hunter Arc 3.0 featured
Hunter Arc Builds
Warlock Arc 3.0 featured
Warlock Arc Builds
Titan Arc 3.0 featured
Titan Arc Builds
Solar Hunter build
Hunter Solar Builds
Warlock Solar 3.0 featured
Warlock Solar Builds
Titan Solar 3.0 featured
Titan Solar Builds
Void Hunter build
Hunter Void Builds
Warlock Void 3.0 featured
Warlock Void Builds
Titan Void 3.0 featured
Titan Void Builds

Best-in-Class builds

If you’re in a rush and just want the absolute best builds per class right now, below we cover our favorites (and most lethal) builds right now:

Top Hunter PvE Builds

--NameClassAreaSubclassExcels inElementStatus
Hunter Arc 3.0 featuredGhost of LightningHunterPvEArc ArcEndgameArcBest in Class
Gyrfalcon's Hauberk Hunter ExoticStealthed GyrfalconHunterPvEVoid VoidEndgameVoidBest in Class
Solar Hunter buildRadiant AssassinHunterPvESolar SolarSolo ContentSolarBest in Class
Hunter StrandDiving SuspenderHunterPvEVoid StrandGrandmaster ContentStrandBest in Class
Stasis Hunter buildFlash FreezeHunterPvEStasis StasisGrandmaster ContentStasisBest in Class

Top Titan PvE Builds

--NameClassAreaSubclassExcels inElementStatus
Titan Strand featured 3 Destiny 2Berserker of WarTitanPvEVoid StrandEndgameStrandBest in Class
Titan Solar 3.0 featuredUndying FlameTitanPvESolar SolarGrandmaster ContentSolarBest in Class
Titan Void gameplayOne Punch (Bash) ManTitanPvEVoid VoidEndgameVoidBest in Class
Titan Stasis gameplayIce FortressTitanPvEStasis StasisEndgameStasisBest in Class
Titan Arc 3.0 featuredGod of ThunderTitanPvEArc ArcCasual ContentArcBest in Class

Top Warlock PvE Builds

--NameClassAreaSubclassExcels inElementStatus
Solar WarlockSun WizardWarlockPvESolar SolarCasual ContentSolarBest in Class
Void WarlockCommander of ChaosWarlockPvEVoid VoidGrandmaster ContentVoidBest in Class
Delicate Tomb ExoticBlinding StormbringerWarlockPvEArc ArcEndgameArcBest in Class
Warlock SubclassMindspun SuspenderWarlockPvEVoid StrandEndgameStrandBest in Class
Osmiomancy Gloves Warlock DestinyStasis EngineerWarlockPvEStasis StasisGrandmaster ContentStasisBest in Class

Checkmark icon V3Updated as of Season of the Witch (S22). See Updates.

Top 3 Hunter Builds

 

Hunter Arc 3.0 featured

Ghost of Lightning

Excels in: Endgame (Dungeons, Raids, Legend content)

Goal of the Build: Stack up Combination Blow and slay with your Arc abilities while striking from the shadows.

Mandatory Gear: For the Exotic, you'll definitely need Assassin’s Cowl. There are no "necessary" weapons for this build. However, a 1-2 punch shotgun significantly boosts this build’s effectiveness.

ArmorClassTypeRequirementsSourceReleasedRequiresExotic Perk
Assassin's Cowl Hunter Exotic Destiny 2 art

Assassin's Cowl

HunterHelmShadowkeepExotic EngramsSeason 8Shadowkeep Destiny 2 icon
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."
  • Aspects: Lethal Current and Flow State are the go-to's for this build.
  • Fragments: Spark of Resistance is the perfect pick for this setup; Spark of Feedback and Spark of Shock are both suitable picks too.
  • Abilities: Combination Blow and Gambler’s Dodge are both required. Any Grenade works. However, Storm and Pulse Grenades are both strong picks.
  • Stats: Maximum Resilience and Discipline are best.
  • Mods:
    • Helmet: Hands On, Heavy Ammo Finder, Heavy Ammo Scout.
    • Arms: x2 Heavy Handed and Impact Induction.
    • Chest: Resistance Mods.
    • Legs: Surge mods matching your weapons.
    • Cloak: x2 Distribution and x1 Bomber.

Gameplay Loop

This gameplay loop is relatively simple on the surface. However, as you weave more techniques and abilities into the Melee>Dodge>Melee combo, it becomes slightly more complex.

Stacking Combination Blow to x3 is your main goal. Once you do this, you will be able to 1-punch all squishy enemies and will be able to 1-2 Punch Shotgun all other enemies besides bosses.

Due to the insane number of Orbs of Power you will be making, equipping the Hands On mod will help you generate your Super very quickly, allowing you to rip through minor and major enemies alike.

This build is quite tricky to use, especially for a less experienced player in higher-level content. However, mastering it will allow you to take on practically all types of content, regardless of the difficulty. If you want to learn more about this playstyle, check out this excellent Arc 3.0 Hunter Playbook video from Mactics.

 

Gyrfalcon's Hauberk Hunter Exotic

The Stealthed Gyrfalcon

Excels in: Endgame (Dungeons, Raids, Legend content)

Goal of the Build: Chain Invisibility to retain Volatile Rounds and synergize as much as possible with your Void 3.0 kit and weapons.

Mandatory Gear: The Gyrfalcon’s Hauberk Exotic is an essential part of this build. Weapons with Repulsor Brace are best, such as Unforgiven, Veles-X, or The Hero’s Burden; however, weapons without Repulsor Brace can work, too, Funnelweb being a fine example. Collective Obligation is also excellent for this build.

ArmorClassTypeRequirementsSourceReleasedRequiresExotic Perk
Gyrfalcon's Hauberk Hunter Exotic

Gyrfalcon's Hauberk

HunterChestThe Witch QueenLost SectorsSeason 18The Witch Queen Destiny 2 icon
The Witch Queen
Exotic Perk: "Your weapons gain a bonus to damage briefly after you emerge from being invisible. When you are invisible and defeat a combatant using a finisher, you and your nearby allies gain a reserve overshield and improved class ability regen. These reserve overshields can be deployed by using a class ability."
  • Aspects: Stylish Executioner is necessary. Vanishing Step is best for the additional fragment slot, but Trapper’s Ambush can work.
  • Fragments: Echo of Starvation, Echo of Persistence, Echo of Remnants, and Echo of Obscurity.
  • Abilities: Moebius Quiver for your Super, Vortex Grenades, and either Dodge can work.
  • Stats: Maximum Resilience and high Mobility and Discipline.
  • Mods: This build is unique in the way that it functions completely on its own through the exotic and requires practically no mods.
    • Helmet: Void Siphon, Heavy Ammo Finder, and Heavy Ammo Scout
    • Arms: Firepower and Bolstering Detonation
    • Chest: Concussive Dampener and resistance mods matching your enemy’s damage
    • Legs: Surge mods matching your weapons
    • Cloak: Reaper and Time Dilation

Gameplay Loop

Gyrfalcon’s Hauberk does practically everything. Essentially, the goal is to go Invisible through your dodge, exit Invisibility, gain Volatile Rounds, kill a Volatile enemy, and thus, re-enter Invisibility through Stylish Executioner and continue the cycle of exiting Invis, getting a kill on a Volatile enemy and repeating.

Adding in Devour grants you both Healing and Invisibility on kill. Then, once you add a Repulsor Brace weapon on top of this (which provides an overshield when defeating a Void-debuffed target), you become practically unkillable, weaving in and out of Invisibility with a tanky overshield and full health on kill.

 

Solar Hunter build

 Radiant Assassin

Excels in: Solo Content

Goal of the Build: Have infinite survivability through invisibility and a constant source of healing by having access to unlimited throwing knives.

Mandatory Gear:A Solar primary such as the Calus Mini-Tool and a good close-range Special weapon like Heritage are recommended.

ArtWeaponTypeArchetypeRarityAmmoElementRequirementsIn loot pool?Ammo?Element?TierExcelsSourceCraftable?RequiresReleasedSlotCan be Crafted?Best of?Top Perk?
CALUS Mini-Tool artCALUS Mini-ToolSubmachine GunMIDA SynergyLegendaryPrimarySolarBeyond LightYesPrimary ammo Destiny 2 PrimarySolar Solar
Best

S

PvEPresageCheckmark icon V3Beyond Light Destiny 2 icon
Beyond Light
Season 17EnergyCraftableTop-tierIncandescent
Heritage Destiny 2 artHeritageShotgunPinpoint SlugLegendarySpecialKineticBeyond LightYesSpecial ammo Destiny 2 SpecialKinetic symbol Destiny 2 Kinetic
Best

S

PvE + PvPDeep Stone Crypt RaidCheckmark icon V3Beyond Light Destiny 2 icon
Beyond Light
Season 12KineticCraftableTop-tierReconstruction

For the Exotic, you'll definitely need Assassin's Cowl:

ArmorClassTypeRequirementsSourceReleasedRequiresExotic Perk
Assassin's Cowl Hunter Exotic Destiny 2 art

Assassin's Cowl

HunterHelmShadowkeepExotic EngramsSeason 8Shadowkeep Destiny 2 icon
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."
  • Aspects: Knock ‘em Down is necessary. The other Aspect is up to you. However, we do recommend On Your Mark for the ability to equip 5 Fragments.
  • Fragments: Ember of Torches is mandatory too. For the rest, Ember of Mercy, Ember of Torches, Ember of Empyrean, Ember of Singeing, and Ember of Searing are all suitable.
  • Abilities: Gambler’s Dodge, Blade Barrage, Healing Grenade, and Knife Trick.
  • Stats: High Mobility and Resilience are recommended for optimal uptime on your Gambler’s Dodge and heightened levels of damage resistance.
  • Mods:
    • Helmet: Hands-On, Harmonic Siphon, and Powerful Friends
    • Arms: x2 Heavy Handed and Focusing Strike
    • Chest: Concussive Dampener and Resist mods depending on enemy damage
    • Legs: Surge mods matching your weapons
    • Cloak: Time Dilation and x2 Outreach

Gameplay Loop

The gameplay loop is quite simple with Assassin’s Cowl. The goal is to chain Knife Trick kills together to ensure maximum uptime on your invisibility and to have as much healing as possible. If you miss, Gambler’s Dodge is there to pick up the slack and provide you with another melee. Gambler’s Dodge and your melee will also recharge faster by scorching enemies with your Knife Trick.

You also have options like Healing Grenade if you find yourself out of a dodge and a melee ability. This can help fill in the gaps where you may miss your abilities on a target and need some survivability.

You always want to land the final blow with your knives, so if you can’t outright one-shot an enemy, prime them first with your weapon and finish them with the knife. Constantly getting kills with your knives will spam Orbs of Power for yourself and for your team.

 

Hunter Strand

Suspending Dive

Excels in: Grandmaster Content

Goal of the Build: Utilise the Strand keywords, especially Suspend, to take down groups of enemies and crowd-control everything.

Mandatory Gear:  The Exotic The Sixth Coyote is mandatory here. Regarding weapons, Strand weapons such as Rufus’s Fury or The Immortal can work well, but any weapon works.

ArmorClassTypeRequirementsSourceReleasedRequiresExotic Perk
The Sixth Coyote Hunter Exotic Destiny 2 art

The Sixth Coyote

HunterChestForsaken PackExotic EngramsSeason 4Forsaken Destiny 2 icon
Forsaken Pack
Exotic Perk: "Gain a second dodge charge."
  • Aspects: Widow’s Silk and Ensnaring Slam are required for this build.
  • Fragments: Thread of Continuity, Thread of Generation, and Thread of Warding. The last Fragment is a personal choice. Thread of Isolation is solid for general survivability, but Thread of Wisdom increases your Orb of Power generation.
  • Abilities: Shackle Grenade and Threaded Spike. Both Marksman’s and Gambler’s Dodge can work, but Marksman’s is better due to its lower cooldown.
  • Stats: Maximum Resilience, Discipline, and Mobility are best for this build. Dumping any leftover stats into Recovery is good for survivability.
  • Mods:
    • Helmet: Harmonic Siphon, Heavy Ammo Finder, Heavy Ammo Scout.
    • Arms: Impact Induction, Grenade Kickstart, Fastball.
    • Chest: Charged Up and one damage resistance mod
    • Legs: Resistance Mods.
    • Cloak: Time Dilation and 2x Bomber.

Gameplay Loop

The gameplay loop of this build is focused on rotating your Grenade and Dodge cooldowns to always have a method of Suspending a target available. Using your Armor Charge stacks with Grenade Kickstart, alongside Thread of Generation, will allow you to have your Shackle Grenade on a low cooldown.

Orbs of Power are also vital as they are your source of Woven Mail, granting 58% damage resistance to all attacks. Players can use this build to crowd-control a large group of weaker enemies or constantly Suspend a tankier enemy, like a Champion in a Nightfall. Having four different avenues to Suspend a target allows for incredible flexibility in your abilities.

Overall, you must keep track of your cooldowns and abuse the duration of Suspend to ensure that your cooldown rotation can fully complete.

 

Stasis Hunter build

Touch of Duskfield

Excels in: Grandmaster Content

Goal of the Build: Keep areas locked down and protect your Fireteam with infinite Duskfield Grenades.

Mandatory Gear: Headstone weapons such as Disparity or Eyasluna are solid options for even more synergy and increased uptime on your Duskfield Grenades. Demolitionist weapons are also an excellent choice. Options like the Ogma PR6 with Demolitionist and Wellspring can be highly useful.

ArtWeaponTypeArchetypeRarityAmmoElementRequirementsIn loot pool?Ammo?Element?TierExcelsSourceCraftable?RequiresReleasedSlotCan be Crafted?Best of?Top Perk?
Disparity art
DisparityPulse RifleAggressive BurstLegendaryPrimaryStasisThe Witch QueenYesPrimary ammo Destiny 2 PrimaryStasis Stasis
Strong

A

PvEOperation: Seraph ShieldCheckmark icon V3The Witch Queen Destiny 2 icon
The Witch Queen
Season 19KineticCraftableTop-tier
Eyasluna artEyaslunaHand CannonAdaptiveLegendaryPrimaryStasis30th AnniversaryYesPrimary ammo Destiny 2 PrimaryStasis Stasis
Best

S

PvE + PvPGrasp of Avarice DungeonError icon V2Destiny 2 30th anniversary icon
30th Anniversary
30th Anniversary eventKineticNoTop-tier
Ogma PR6 artOgma PR6Pulse RifleLightweightLegendaryPrimarySolarFree-to-PlayYesPrimary ammo Destiny 2 PrimarySolar Solar
Average

B

PvEWorld loot poolError icon V2Free to Play Destiny 2 icon
Free-to-Play
Season 16EnergyNo

For the Exotic armor piece, you'll definitely need Renewal Grasps:

ArmorClassTypeRequirementsSourceReleasedRequiresExotic Perk
Renewal Grasps Hunter Destiny 2 art

Renewal Grasps

HunterArmsThe Witch QueenLost SectorsSeason 16The Witch Queen Destiny 2 icon
The Witch Queen
Exotic Perk: "Your Duskfield grenades have a much larger effect radius. Allies inside the Duskfield take reduced damage and targets inside the area deal reduced damage."
  • Aspects: Touch of Winter and Grim Harvest are the best Aspect choices. Touch of Winter provides improved Duskfield Grenades, and Grim Harvest synergizes with certain Fragments.
  • Fragments: Whisper of Torment, Whisper of Conduction, Whisper of Rime, Whisper of Chains, and Whisper of Shards. These will also allow for more survivability and even more Duskfield Grenades.
  • Abilities: Duskfield Grenades and Gambler’s Dodge are the best options for maximum freezing potential.
  • Stats: Maximum Discipline and Resilience are highly recommended. High Mobility is also good.
  • Mods:
    • Helmet: Harmonic Siphon, Heavy Ammo Finder, and Heavy Ammo Scout
    • Arms: x2 Grenade Kickstart
    • Chest: Charged Up and matching Resist mods to enemy damage
    • Legs: Stacks on Stacks and x2 Innervation
    • Cloak: x2 Bomber and Time Dilation

Gameplay Loop

The gameplay loop for the Renewal Grasp build can be altered and changed depending on your needs and playstyle. But, despite the versatility, the core ‘needs’ of the build remain the same.

Whisper of Shards is the engine that keeps the train going, granting Grenade energy upon shattering a Stasis crystal. Forming crystals is easy with Headstone weapons or through Touch of Winter Grenades. Making sure you destroy every Stasis crystal you see is paramount to keeping the Duskfield spam going.

Despite saying this, Whisper of Chains also provides damage resistance when near a Stasis crystal, so timing is essential. Try to destroy Stasis crystals when you have gotten good use out of them as they can not only provide damage resistance but also deal solid AoE damage.

Overall, the aim is to lock down large groups of enemies and make them deal less damage while spamming Duskfields. This will help protect you and your Fireteam, regardless of difficulty.

 

Top 3 Warlock Builds

 

Solar Warlock

Sun Wizard

Excels In: Casual Content (Seasonal Activities, Strikes, etc.)

Goal of the Build: While it’s simple at its core, this build allows you to rain terror from above by throwing an infinite amount of Solar Grenades. It provides excellent ad-clear and can give you a seemingly infinite damage buff via surge mods. P.S. This build is heavily inspired by one of Imagine’s amazing build videos.

Mandatory Gear: Any solar weapons can be helpful here, but we recommend a CALUS Mini-Tool with Incandescent. Sunbracers is the exotic we’ll be using here, as it grants you tons of Solar Grenades and has unmatched synergy with Heat Rises.

ArmorClassTypeRequirementsSourceReleasedRequiresExotic Perk
Sunbracers Warlock Exotic Destiny 2 art

Sunbracers

WarlockArmsFree-to-PlayExotic EngramsSeason 1Free to Play Destiny 2 icon
Free-to-Play
Exotic Perk: "Increases the duration of Solar Grenades. Solar melee kills grant unlimited Solar Grenade energy for a brief time."
  • Aspects: Touch of Flame and Heat Rises.
  • Fragments: Ember of Ashes, Ember of Searing, Ember of Empyrean, & Ember of Resolve
  • Abilities & Stats: Solar Grenade, Phoenix Dive, and Incinerator Snap are the required abilities for this build.
  • Stats: Resilience and Recovery are the only two stats you might want to spec into here. Since you’ll be in the air for most of the time here, you might be taking more fire than usual, meaning anything to help you survive is a great choice.
  • Mods: The only mods you’ll need are:
    • Helmet: Ashes to Assets x2, Harmonic Siphon
    • Arms: Firepower, Bolstering Detonation, Momentum Transfer
    • Chest: Resist and reserve mods
    • Legs: Solar Weapon Surge x2
    • Class Item: Stat mods

Gameplay Loop

Get a kill with your charged melee ability to start the gameplay loop. If you’re struggling with this step, try binding your charged melee to a unique button so you can send it off at a more specific time.

Getting that powered melee kill will proc Sunbracers, granting you five seconds of ‘infinite’ Solar Grenades. Realistically, you can only fire a maximum of five in this time due to the time it takes to execute the animation. Swallow your first grenade to get Heat Rises, then take to the skies and watch everything below burn via your other Solar Grenades. Any kills in the air (including those from the grenades) will give you 30% of your melee energy, allowing you to repeat this loop infinitely.

If you ever fail to kill something with your melee, just get kills in the air with your weapons—you’ll get it back soon after due to Heat Rises. As a nice bonus, casting Phoenix Dive while Heat Rises is active grants Restoration, which you can extend with Solar kills via Ember of Empyrean.

This build was already strong before Solar 3.0, but with the new aspects and fragments, it has gotten even more powerful. While it doesn’t excel much in higher-level content, this is a great build to run in seasonal activities and other lower-end content if you want to mix it up.

 

Void Warlock

Commander of Chaos

Excels In: Grandmaster Content

Goal of the Build: Be able to debuff everything in sight while maintaining Devour for survivability.

Mandatory Gear: Our two exotics for this build are Collective Obligation and Secant Filaments. While Collective can prove hard to get, its ability to spread Void debuffs is unmatched.

ArmorClassTypeRequirementsSourceReleasedRequiresExotic Perk
Secant Filaments Warlock Destiny 2 art

Secant Filaments

WarlockLegsThe Witch QueenLost SectorsSeason 16The Witch Queen Destiny 2 icon
The Witch Queen
Exotic Perk: "Casting an empowering rift will grant you Devour. Damage dealt by you and your allies from within your empowering rift will disrupt combatants."
  • Aspects: Feed the Void and Child of the Old Gods.
  • Fragments: Echo of Undermining, Echo of Instability, Echo of Domineering, and either Echo of Expulsion or Echo of Harvest
  • Abilities: We’ll utilize Suppressor Grenade for additional debuffing potential, and Secant Filaments require Empowering Rift to work.
  • Stats: Resilience is, as always, the most crucial stat here, with Recovery and Discipline not far behind.
  • Mods: The only mods you’ll need are:
    • Helm: Harmonic Siphon
    • Arms: Grenade Kickstart
    • Chest: Charged Up
    • Legs: Stacks on Stacks
    • Class Item: Bomber

Gameplay Loop

Because there are so many moving parts to this build, there’s no one “loop” you’ll need to execute. You have multiple ways to debuff enemies: Weaken and Suppression with a grenade, Volatile from melee and Volatile Rounds, and more Weaken from Child of the Old Gods. Plus, you’ll get Devour by placing your rift or getting an ability kill.

After debuffing an enemy with any of these sources, shoot them once with Collective Obligation. Holding reload will cause the weapon to fire bullets that debuff enemies with any effect you shot earlier. After the chaos subsides, you should have most abilities recharged and ready for a second round.

Like the Harnesser of Flame build, this is strong on its own but can be expanded upon in numerous ways to fit the activity you’re playing.

Going further...

 

Delicate Tomb Exotic

Blinding Stormbringer

Excels In: Endgame (Dungeons, Raids, Legend content)

Goal of the Build: Blind and Jolt hordes of enemies through both your rift and weapons, allowing you and your allies to easily control the battlefield.

Mandatory Gear: Vesper of Radius is our choice for exotic armor. For weapons, you’ll want an Arc special weapon. We recommend Delicate Tomb for casual content and Coldheart for higher-difficulty activities, but anything should work.

ArmorClassTypeRequirementsSourceReleasedRequiresExotic Perk
Vesper of Radius Warlock Exotic Destiny 2 art

Vesper of Radius

WarlockChestFree-to-PlayExotic EngramsSeason 2Free to Play Destiny 2 icon
Free-to-Play
Exotic Perk: "Rifts periodically release Arc shockwaves. Final blows with these shockwaves create an Arc explosion. While an Arc subclass is equipped, the shockwaves and subsequent explosions blind nearby targets. Rift energy recharges faster when you are surrounded by targets."
  • Aspects: Electrostatic Mind is the only required aspect for the build. Lightning Surge can be fun for more casual content, while Arc Soul can easily benefit allies.
  • Fragments: Spark of Brilliance, Spark of Beacons, Spark of Resistance, and Spark of Volts.
  • Abilities: While no specific abilities are required here, we highly recommend Chaos Reach, Ball Lightning, Storm Grenade, and Healing Rift.
  • Stats: Resilience and Recovery. Discipline is next on that list if you have mod slots to spare, but the other two are significantly more important.
  • Mods:
    • Helmet: Harmonic Siphon, Special Ammo Finder
    • Arms: Bolstering Detonation, Focusing Strike
    • Chest: Charged Up
    • Legs: Elemental Charge, Insulation, Recuperation
    • Bond: Distribution, Special Finisher, Powerful Attraction

Gameplay Loop

To begin the loop of this build, simply place a rift near a group of enemies. This should both blind the enemies (thanks to Vesper of Radius) and grant some rift energy back (from Distribution).

Defeating any of these blinded targets will generate an Ionic Trace, which will then make you amplified. Becoming amplified allows you to then blind even more combatants with your Arc special weapon of choice. Using your other abilities in addition to your weapon will generate more Ionic Traces and ability energy, allowing you to begin the loop again.

If you ever run out of special ammo, you should be making enough Orbs of Power to do special finishers whenever you need them. Also remember that, depending on what you picked earlier, you can add tons more depth to this build. Arc Soul can continuously empower allies, while Lightning Surge is a powerful ability that synergizes perfectly with Vesper of Radius. 

This build is perhaps the most diverse and powerful one on this list; it excels in all activities you put it up against and can even be focused to excel in higher-difficulty content.

 

Warlock Subclass

Mindspun Suspender

Excels In: Endgame (Dungeons, Raids, Legend content)

Goal of the Build: Dominate the battleground with both Suspend and Threadlings, immobilizing and damaging combatants with little effort.

Mandatory Gear: There aren’t any clear Exotic armor choices for this build as it’s entirely contained in the subclass. Our favorite is Necrotic Grip, but any subclass-agnostic Exotic should work great. A primary weapon with Demolitionist also helps this build run smoother. Bonus points if it’s Strand!

ArmorClassTypeRequirementsSourceReleasedRequiresExotic Perk
Necrotic Grip Destiny 2 art

Necrotic Grip

WarlockArmsBeyond LightLost SectorsSeason 12Beyond Light Destiny 2 icon
Beyond Light
Exotic Perk: "Damaging combatants envenoms them with poison that deals increasing damage over time. Defeating a poisoned combatant spreads the condition to nearby targets."
  • Aspects: Mindspun Invocation and The Wanderer are our choices for Aspects.
  • Fragments:For Fragments, you’ll want to equip Thread of Mind, Generation, Continuity, and Warding.
  • Abilities & Stats: Shackle Grenade is the top pick here because of its uses with Mindspun Invocation.
  • Stats: Discipline is easily the most crucial stat to build into, with Resilience and Recovery being extremely useful as well.
  • Mods:
    • Helmet: Harmonic Siphon
    • Arms: Grenade Kickstart, Impact Induction
    • Chest: Charged Up
    • Legs: Elemental Charge
    • Class Item: Bomber, Outreach

Gameplay Loop

Consuming your Shackle Grenade with Mindspun Invocation grants you 25 seconds of Weaver’s Trace, making all final blows create an explosion of Suspend. Killing these Suspended targets will create a Tangle and grant class ability energy.

Throwing that Tangle at another group of enemies will Suspend them, starting the process over again. All of these Suspend instances also last longer due to Thread of Continuity. To top it all off, collecting Orbs of Power from your Siphon mod will give you Woven Mail and grenade energy indirectly via Grenade Kickstart.

 

Osmiomancy Gloves Warlock Destiny

Stasis Engineer

Excels In: Grandmaster Content

Goal of the Build: Slow and freeze large groups of enemies using countless Bleak Watcher turrets.

Mandatory Gear: The Osmiomancy Gloves are the exotic we’ll be using for this build.

ArmorClassTypeRequirementsSourceReleasedRequiresExotic Perk
Osmiomancy Gloves Warlock Destiny 2 art

Osmiomancy Gloves

WarlockArmsThe Witch QueenLost SectorsSeason 16The Witch Queen Destiny 2 icon
The Witch Queen
Exotic Perk: "Your Coldsnap grenades have an additional charge that recharges quicker on direct impact. The seeker spawned from Coldsnap grenades travels further."

No weapons are required, but some can exponentially increase the effectiveness of this build. You can run a primary gun with Demolitionist or one with Headstone. Wellspring as the second perk can help even more.

  • Aspects: Iceflare Bolts and Bleak Watcher, allowing you to slow and freeze the maximum number of enemies possible.
  • Fragments: Whisper of Refraction, Durance, Torment, and Chains. If you choose to run a Headstone weapon, you’ll want Whisper of Refraction, Durance, Chains, and Shards.
  • Abilities: Coldsnap Grenade is essential here as it will give you two grenade charges via Osmiomancy Gloves.
  • Stats: Discipline is far and away the most crucial stat here to allow for the maximum amount of turrets possible.
  • Mods:
    • Helmet: Harmonic Siphon
    • Arms: 2x Grenade Kickstart, Bolstering Detonation
    • Chest: Charged Up
    • Legs: x2 Innervation
    • Class Item: Bomber

Gameplay Loop

The primary loop of this build is just to throw turrets onto the field whenever you get them. Whisper of Torment and max Discipline will hopefully carry you to your next grenade charge without a problem. However, this is also where the two types of weapons mentioned previously come into play.

Adding a Demolitionist/Wellspring weapon here is self-explanatory: getting kills with it will regenerate your grenade quicker.

In comparison, the setup with a Headstone weapon is slightly more complicated but benefits you a little more. Once you trigger Headstone and generate a stasis crystal, simply destroy it to get increased grenade regeneration for five seconds (via Whisper of Shards).

This build has been a monster in Grandmaster Nightfalls since Bleak Watcher was released, but Osmiomancy Gloves and Headstone weapons have boosted it to another level. Freezing so many enemies not only makes them easier to kill but also inhibits them from hurting you and your fireteam in any way, making this a simple yet well-rounded build that can fit any team composition.

 

Top 3 Titan Builds

 

Titan Strand featured 3 Destiny 2

Berserker of War

Excels In: Endgame (Dungeons, Raids, Legend content)

Goal of the Build: Utilise the Banner of War Aspect to continuously grant healing bursts to yourself and allies while also dealing outrageous melee damage.

Mandatory Gear: The only hard requirement for this build is the Synthoceps Exotic. No weapons are needed, but a One-Two Punch Shotgun makes your damage go through the roof. The Navigator, with its Exotic Catalyst, can also be a unique pick that can help. Tractor Cannon can serve as a self-provided debuff.

ArmorClassTypeRequirementsSourceReleasedRequiresExotic Perk
Synthoceps Titan Destiny 2

Synthoceps

TitanArmsFree-to-PlayExotic EngramsSeason 1Free to Play Destiny 2 icon
Free-to-Play
Exotic Perk: "Increased melee lunge range. Improved melee and Super damage when you're surrounded."
  • Aspects: Into the Fray and Banner of War.
  • Fragments: Thread of Fury, Thread of Warding, Thread of Generation, and Thread of Ascent.
  • Abilities: Grapple, Frenzied Blade, and either Barricade works.
  • Stats: Resilience, Strength, and Discipline. Recovery is fine too.
  • Mods:
    • Helmet: Hands On and a Siphon mod matching your weapon
    • Arms: Heavy Handed, Momentum Transfer, and Firepower
    • Chest: Damage resistance mods
    • Legs: Invigoration, Absolution, and Innervation
    • Class Item: Distribution, Bomber, and Outreach

Gameplay Loop

The gameplay loop for this build is quite simple. You’ll want to leverage your Grapple Melees to engage fights, killing a minor enemy, and then use your Banner of War buffed Frenzied Blades melee attacks to deal outrageous damage.

A tip to follow is ensuring that you actually hit the enemy with your Grapple attack to proc the melee generation from Momentum Transfer. Killing an enemy with the Grapple Melee will create two Orbs of Power thanks to Heavy Handed and Firepower, and Orbs you grab will grant plenty of melee energy, allowing you to slay out with your Frenzied Blades, practically one-shotting any enemy that isn’t a multi-million health boss.

 

Titan Solar 3.0 featured

Undying Flame

Excels In: Grandmaster Content

Goal of the Build: This build aims to create an unkillable Titan by harnessing the power of Solar 3.0 and the Loreley Splendor exotic helm.

Mandatory gear: This build is all about the Lorely Splendor exotic helm, and hence this exotic piece is a must-have. Since this build focuses on survivability, there a no mandatory weapons, but solar weapons will see the most benefit due to their synergy with Solar 3.0. 

You can alternatively opt for Synthoceps instead. You'll deal much more damage but have less survivability.

ArmorClassTypeRequirementsSourceReleasedRequiresExotic Perk
Loreley Splendor Helm Titan Destiny 2 art

Loreley Splendor Helm

TitanHelmThe Witch QueenLost SectorsSeason 16The Witch Queen Destiny 2 icon
The Witch Queen
Exotic Perk: "When you have Sun Warrior, your Sunspots heal you. When you are critically wounded, create a Sunspot at your location."
Synthoceps Titan Destiny 2

Synthoceps

TitanArmsFree-to-PlayExotic EngramsSeason 1Free to Play Destiny 2 icon
Free-to-Play
Exotic Perk: "Increased melee lunge range. Improved melee and Super damage when you're surrounded."
  • Aspects: Sol Invictus is the only hard requirement for this build. The secondary aspect is up for debate: Roaring Flames can be more beneficial in endgame content, but Consecration is a fun and solid choice.
  • Fragments: Ember of Solace, Ember of Singeing, Ember of Empyrean, and Ember of Torches are recommended.
  • Abilities: Healing Grenade is good for extra survivability, but Solar Grenade might help for add clear. Throwing Hammer is a must for this build, and Rally Barricade is preferred as it has a shorter cooldown and provides several buffs for you and your team.
  • Stats: High or Max Resilience is the only requirement for this build.
  • Mods: Whilst no mods are needed for this build to work, Heavy Handed can help you pump out plenty of Orbs of Power for your team though.

Gameplay Loop

This is one of the easiest and most straightforward builds for Titan. It requires little to no setup and functions extremely well in all levels of content.

This build revolves around the Loreley Splendor exotic helmet. Its exotic perk, “Cauterizing Flame,” creates a sunspot upon barricade cast or when you are critically wounded. This allows you to get the Restoration buff which regenerates your health and shields over time. This cannot be stopped by damage and only runs out when the buff itself runs out. Ember of Solace increases this duration.

Ember of the Empyrean allows you to maintain this restoration buff by chaining solar weapon kills to refresh the duration. Opting for Synthoceps instead of Loreley Splendor removes your barricade from the loop, but the whole idea of throwing your hammer over and over at enemies stays the same.

 

Titan Void gameplay

One Punch (Bash) Man

Excels In: Endgame (Dungeons, Raids, Legend content)

Goal of the Build: Titans are known for their punching skills, and this build aims to take it to a new level. Void 3.0 and Wormgod Caress allow you to one-punch anything from strike Bosses to soloing Raid bosses; the raw damage potential of this build is unmatched.

Mandatory gear: Wormgod Caress is the only hard requirement here. Since this build is all about punching things, weapons that improve/recharge/benefit from melee excel. One-Two Punch shotguns are heavily recommended.

ArmorClassTypeRequirementsSourceReleasedRequiresExotic Perk
Wormgod Caress Titan Destiny 2

Wormgod Caress

TitanArmsFree-to-PlayExotic EngramsSeason 3Free to Play Destiny 2 icon
Free-to-Play
Exotic Perk: "Melee kills increase melee damage for a period of time. Additional kills extend duration and increase effects."
  • Aspects: Bastion and Offensive Bulwark.
  • Fragments: While no fragments are mandatory, there are several fragments that enhance this build, including Echo of Undermining, Echo of Leeching, and Echo of Expulsion.
  • Abilities: Any barricade will work for this build. In terms of grenades, Vortex or Void Wall are best. For melee, Shield Bash is the required option.
  • Stats: High or Max Resilience (increased damage reduction and faster class ability) with as high as possible Recovery, Discipline, and Strength as possible.
  • Mods: Whilst not mandatory, mods can be used to enhance this build. Such mods include Heavy Handed, Melee Kickstart, Hands-On, and Focusing Strike.

Gameplay Loop

The aspects used in this build work hand in hand with each other to help strengthen your melee damage you output. Bastion grants an overshield when using your barricade, allowing Offensive Bulwark to activate. This increases your melee damage, range, and regeneration. It also allows for melee final blows to increase the duration of the overshield. This loop of constant overshield helps you regen your other abilities faster and help keep the melee chain going.

Wormgod Caress adds to this chain by significantly increasing the melee damage dealt with each kill. When combined with a 1-2 punch shotgun, you will be able to punch your way through anything you encounter. It is worth saving your weakening grenade and shield bash for when you encounter a more difficult opponent such as a champion or mini-boss. Weaken them with your grenade and use a 1-2 punch bash for an instant kill (or an easy finisher). To do this, make sure you shoot when sliding as it will allow you to shield bash coming out of the slide.

Going further...

 

Titan Stasis gameplay

Ice Fortress

Excels In: Endgame (Dungeons, Raids, Legend content)

Goal of the Build: In a similar fashion to a Heart of Inmost Light build, this build utilizes the Hoarfrost-Z exotic to cover an area in stasis crystals and maintain high ability uptime.

Mandatory gear: Hoarfrost-Z is the only mandatory piece of gear for this build, but a Stasis weapon with Headstone or a Stasis Power weapon for DPS can help make this build more viable in endgame content.

ArmorClassTypeRequirementsSourceReleasedRequiresExotic Perk
Hoarfrost-Z Titan Destiny 2 art v2

Hoarfrost-Z

TitanChestThe Witch QueenLost SectorsSeason 16The Witch Queen Destiny 2 icon
The Witch Queen
Exotic Perk: "When using the Stasis subclass, your Barricade becomes a wall of Stasis crystals that slows nearby targets when created. Standing behind this barricade will grant you and your allies increased weapon reload speed, stability, and range."
  • Aspects: Tectonic Harvest is mandatory for this build. For the second aspect, Howl of the Storm provides an extra source of stasis crystals, which this build revolves around.
  • Fragments: Whisper of Shards and Whisper of Conduction are the two key fragments needed for this build.
  • Abilities: Rally barricade is the best choice due to its shorter cooldown and the fact that Hoarfrost-Z changes the barricade itself. Glacier grenades are great as they provide an additional source of stasis crystals.
  • Stats: High or Max Resilience (increased damage reduction and faster barricade cooldown) and Discipline are the two most important stats for this build.
  • Mods: Mods that reduce the cooldown for abilities are best suited for this build. Grenade Kickstart and Utility Kickstart/Bomber are some examples. This build can also incorporate an Orbs of Power build by using Heavy Handed or Firepower mod to create Orbs of Power.

Gameplay Loop

This build can fill entire areas with stasis crystals and use them to deal high shatter damage to close-by enemies.

The Hoarfrost-Z exotic perk, “Glacial Fortification,” takes the normal Titan barricade and replaces it with a wall of stasis crystal. This special wall can be shattered like a normal stasis crystal. This means it can be used to create another source of stasis crystals.

The gameplay loop is simple: Use both the Hoarfrost-Z and the glacier grenade to create a mass of stasis crystals. Standing next to these crystals will provide more damage resistance. Shattering a crystal will provide you with enhanced ability regeneration and a small portion of an overshield. The shards created can then also be used with the Elemental Shard mod to act as an easy source for an Elemental well build. A quick and easy way to shatter lots of crystals is to use a wave frame grenade launcher.

 

Titan Arc 3.0 featured

God of Thunder

Excels In: Casual Content (Seasonal Activities, Strikes, etc.)

Goal of the Build: This build aims to turn you into the ultimate ad clearing machine harnessing the power of the new Arc 3.0 subclass and the Heart of Inmost Light exotic (we also have a Strand build that works wonders with HoiL!).

Mandatory gear: This build focuses on ability uptime, and hence no weapons are mandatory. This allows you to tailor your weapon choice to best fit the activity you are completing, such as weapons that have season champion mods. The only hard requirement is the Heart of Inmost Light Titan exotic.

ArmorClassTypeRequirementsSourceReleasedRequiresExotic Perk
Heart of Inmost Light Titan Destiny 2

Heart of Inmost Light

TitanChestForsaken PackExotic EngramsSeason 4Forsaken Destiny 2 icon
Forsaken Pack
Exotic Perk: "Using an ability (grenade, melee, or Barricade) empowers the other two abilities. Empowered means abilities have faster regen, melees and grenades do more damage, and Barricades have more hit points."
  • Aspects: Touch of Thunder is the only required aspect for this build. That means the second aspect is up to personal preference.
  • Fragments: Spark of Magnitude is the only required fragment. However, Spark of Shock and Spark of Ions are strongly recommended to enhance this build.
  • Abilities: Storm Grenades combined with Rally Barricade or Thruster are the best suited for this build.
  • Stats: High or Max Resilience (increased damage reduction and faster barricade cooldown) and Discipline are the two stats that you should focus on.
  • Mods: Heart of Inmost Light doesn’t require any mods to excel, but mods that help reduce ability cooldowns help strengthen this build.

Gameplay Loop

This is one of the strongest builds in Destiny with a very simple and easy playstyle. It excels in both solo and team content.

The playstyle of this build revolves around the Heart of Inmost Light and maintaining high ability uptime. Heart of Inmost Light’s exotic perk ‘Overflowing Light’ empowers your abilities when you use one. This increases both the damage and the regeneration of your abilities. This can stack up to 2x for each ability, and the goal is to maintain a 2x stack by using your abilities whenever they are off cooldown.

When Heart of Inmost Light is combined with storm grenades and the required aspects/fragments, you can achieve a 100% uptime on your grenade. These nades are extremely good for both ad clear and damaging bosses. With this aspect, they roam around following enemies, which makes them even more deadly. Any enemies that survive the constant barrage of thunder from the roaming grenades can be easily dealt with using your empowered melee. This results in one of, if not the best ad clearing builds in the game currently.

 

Before you go…

If you want to go deeper down the rabbit hole that is build crafting in Destiny 2, you should also check our Subclass tier lists for Hunter, Warlock, and Titan.

See latest Updates

We keep our content up to date! These are the latest changes made to this guide:
  • September 13, 2023: Updates based on the Season 22 meta and the addition of the “Berserker of War” build.
  • July 3, 2023: Updates based on the Season 19 meta.
  • January 16, 2023: Updates based on the Season 18 meta.
  • October 6, 2022: The guide is published for the first time.

Stay tuned, and don’t forget to bookmark this page for next season!

About The Author

Ric Molina
Ric Molina
I've been covering gaming since 2012, and some of my work has been featured by large brands, including MSN.com, Forbes, Rock Paper Shotgun, and more. I've been obsessed with Destiny 2 (and now Diablo 4) for years now, and I hope to provide new and returning players with the guides and resources I wish I had when I first started.
More from Ric Molina
1 Comment
  1. Erikatron

    Harnesser of flame for warlock links to a titan build?

    Reply
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