Best Hunter Subclass in Destiny 2 this Season (S23)

Destiny 2 is a complex game with buffs, nerfs, and an ever-changing meta. And since Abilities and Supers are so strong, Subclasses are a crucial part of the game. With the right combination of Aspects, Fragments, and Exotics, the right Subclasses can take your game to the next level, allowing you to create some of the most powerful Hunter builds.

Today we review and rank each Hunter subclass for PvE and PvP. More importantly, we cover each subclass’s strengths and weaknesses and tell you how to optimize them. (PS: These are the best Warlock Subclasses).

Updated as of Season of the Wish (S23).

Best Hunter Class & Subclass for PvE

--	Subclass	Element	Tier	Trend	Area	Rank
	Gunslinger	Solar	Best ❘ S		PvE	S › Best
	Arcstrider	Arc	Best ❘ S	-	PvE	S › Best
	Nightstalker	Void	Strong ❘ A	-	PvE	A › Strong
	Revenant	Stasis	Strong ❘ A		PvE	A › Strong
	Threadrunner	Strand	Average ❘ B	-	PvE	B › Average

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	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	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

Arcstrider (Arc 3.0)

• Ranking: ❘ S Best

Arcstrider went from arguably the worst subclass in the game to a brilliant ad-clearing and damage-dealing subclass with an engaging combat loop. Out of all of the Arc subclasses, Arcstrider has some of the easiest paths to Jolting enemies and becoming Amplified. The synergy of Combination Blow, Lethal Current, and Flow State makes Arcstrider ridiculously potent if you get a nice build going.  Arcstrider is so strong that some players have even been able to speedrun Grandmaster Nightfalls solo.

What makes Arcstrider truly remarkable is its survivability with an exotic like Assassin’s Cowl with its Invisibility and healing, or even Liar’s Handshake with its health restore on Cross Counter melee. On top of this, Combination Blow also heals you on powered melee kill, making Arcstrider one of the tankiest subclasses in the game.

Gathering Storm is also an excellent burst damage super, and when paired with Star-Eater Scales, there is little that can beat it except a Celestial Nighthawk Golden Gun.

Preferred Exotic: Liar’s Handshake for more damage (better for easier content), Assassin’s Cowl for more survivability (better for harder content), Star-Eater Scales as a swap Exotic (best for DPS phases in Raids).

Armor	Class	Type	Requirements	Source	Released	Requires	Exotic Perk
Assassin's Cowl	Hunter	Helm	Shadowkeep	Exotic Engrams	Season 8	Shadowkeep	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.
Liar's Handshake	Hunter	Arms	Forsaken Pack	Exotic Engrams	Season 6	Forsaken Pack	Using your Arc melee ability or being hit by a melee attack will allow you to follow up with an extremely powerful melee counterpunch that will heal you.
Star-Eater Scales	Hunter	Legs	Beyond Light	Lost Sectors	Season 14	Beyond Light	You gain additional Super energy from Orbs of Power you pick up. While your Super energy is full, picking up an Orb of Power overcharges your Super, causing you to gain a burst of healing when cast and a bonus to your Super damage. At maximum overcharge, you also gain an overshield.

Preferred Aspects and Fragments:

• Aspects: Flow State and Lethal Current.
• Fragments: Spark of Resistence, Spark of Shock, Spark of Ions, and Spark of Feedback

Preferred Abilities and Stats:

• Stats: 100 Resilience and 100 Mobility are highly recommended
• Abilities: Gathering Storm Super, Pulse Grenade or Storm Grenade, Combination Blow, and Gambler's Dodge.

Nightstalker (Void 3.0)

• Ranking: ❘ A Strong

Nightstalker is still quite the all-rounder. Good survivability, decent offensive capabilities, and a couple of strong builds that are quite easy to play with. Gyrfalcon’s Hauberk and Omnioculus are still both brilliant exotics that provide a ton of value by themselves, and Nightstalker Supers still have high value in certain situations. In general, the Nightstalker kit does well in high-level content.

However, Void Hunter does see a turn for the worse in raid settings. While the debuff from tether is very strong, many optimal teams will use Tractor Cannon and instead use a higher damage Super like Golden Gun or Gathering Storm.

Preferred Exotic: Gyrfalcon’s Hauberk is generally the best option, but in Grandmaster Nightfalls, players may prefer Omnioculus for survivability.

Armor	Class	Type	Requirements	Source	Released	Requires	Exotic Perk
Gyrfalcon's Hauberk	Hunter	Chest	The Witch Queen	Lost Sectors	Season 18	The Witch Queen	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.
Omnioculus	Hunter	Chest	Beyond Light	Lost Sectors	Season 13	Beyond Light	You gain a second Smoke Bomb charge and have damage resistance while invisible. When you make an ally invisible, they gain damage resistance while invisible and you gain melee energy.

Preferred Aspects and Fragments:

• Aspects: Vanishing Step is by far the best aspect. Stylish Executioner and Trapper’s Ambush can be swapped depending on your needs/playstyle.
• Fragments: Echo of Persistence, Echo of Starvation, Echo of Undermining, and Echo of Cessation/Obscurity.

Preferred Abilities and Stats:

• Stats: 100 Mobility and 100 Resilience are highly recommended. High Discipline and Recovery are also good.
• Abilities: Moebius Quiver Super for boss damage, Deadfall Super for ad clear/debuffing, Vortex Grenade, and Gambler’s Dodge when using Omnioculus, Marksman’s Dodge when using Gyrfalcon.

Revenant (Stasis)

• Ranking: ❘ A Strong

With the release of Strand, Stasis subclasses have seen a general decline in usage, as their strengths pale in comparison. Suspend is simply stronger than Freezing, and Woven Mail is superior to Whisper of Rime’s overshielding capabilities. Plus, if you truly want to use Stasis, a Shadebinder Warlock can do everything a Revenant Hunter can do but better.

Many claim that Strand is basically an improved version of Stasis, which is unfortunate as the Stasis kit can be quite fun. Exotics like Renewal Grasps and Fr0st-EE5 can massively improve your Duskfield Grenade game, and Mask of Bakris can provide a solid damage buff while also being fun to use.

It is unfortunate that Stasis is where it is right now, but with a couple of changes, Revenant could be back on top soon enough.

Preferred Exotic: Renewal Grasps and Mask of Bakris.

Armor	Class	Type	Requirements	Source	Released	Requires	Exotic Perk
Mask of Bakris	Hunter	Helm	Beyond Light	Lost Sectors	Season 12	Beyond Light	Replaces your Stasis subclass Dodge ability with a longer range, faster moving shift that partially cloaks you during use. After shifting, your Stasis and Arc weapons deal increased damage for a short time.
Renewal Grasps	Hunter	Arms	The Witch Queen	Lost Sectors	Season 16	The Witch Queen	Your Duskfield grenades have a much larger effect radius. Allies inside the Duskfield take reduced damage and targets inside the area deal reduced damage.

Preferred Aspects and Fragments:

• Aspects: Touch of Winter and Grim Harvest.
• Fragments: Whisper of Chains, Whisper of Conduction, Whisper of Shards, Whisper of Torment, and Whisper of Rime.

Preferred Abilities and Stats:

• Stats: 100 Mobility and 100 Resilience are highly recommended.
• Abilities: Silence and Squall Super, Duskfield Grenades, Withering Blade melee, Gambler’s Dodge.

Threadrunner (Strand)

• Ranking: ❘ B Average

Threadrunner is an ‘okay’ subclass. It doesn’t have the destructive power of Solar, nor the survivability of Arc and Void, but it does have excellent crowd control which can be just as valuable in high-end content. However, compared to the other Strand subclasses, Threadrunner feels quite weak. There aren’t too many situations where a Threadrunner is exactly needed. In solo content, other subclasses like Nightstalker and Arcstrider will simply be stronger, and in team-based, high-level content, there will likely be a Strand Warlock or Titan on the team which can fill the crowd control role much better than a Threadrunner can, making the subclass slightly redundant in some people’s eyes.

However, just because other classes are stronger does not mean Threadrunner is bad. Strand Hunter has unmatched mobility thanks to the two Grapple Grenades from Widow’s Silk and the autonomous add clear with Threaded Maelstrom.

Preferred Exotic: Cyrtarachne’s Facade is the best Strand Hunter exotic.

Armor	Class	Type	Requirements	Source	Released	Requires	Exotic Perk
Cyrtarachne's Facade	Hunter	Helm	Lightfall	Lost Sectors	Season 20	Lightfall	Gain Woven Mail when activating grapple. Increased flinch resistance while Woven Mail is active.

Preferred Aspects and Fragments:

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

Preferred Abilities and Stats:

• Stats: Focus on Resilience, Discipline, and Mobility is best.
• Abilities: Silkstrike Super, Shackle Grenades, Threaded Spike melee, Marksman’s Dodge.

Best Hunter Subclasses for PvP

--	Subclass	Element	Tier	Trend	Area	Rank
	Threadrunner	Strand	Best ❘ S		PvP	S › Best
	Gunslinger	Solar	Best ❘ S	-	PvP	S › Best
	Revenant	Stasis	Strong ❘ A		PvP	A › Strong
	Nightstalker	Void	Strong ❘ A		PvP	A › Strong
	Arcstrider	Arc	Weak ❘ C	-	PvP	C › Weak

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	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.

Gunslinger (Solar 3.0)

• Ranking: ❘ S Best

Gunslinger in PvP is in an excellent spot right now as it boasts some of the strongest abilities and ability-altering exotics that can be used right now. Weighted Knife is still quite an easy skill shot to hit, letting you 1-shot anyone if you get a precision hit, and overall, the subclass simply feels very easy and fluid to play thanks to the On Your Mark Aspect and the burst of health from Healing Grenade.

Athrys’s Embrace is also another cheesy yet powerful option. Being able to make your Weighted Knife even deadlier is not something to ignore, especially when the activation condition is so simple.

Overall, Gunslinger is just solid across the board. Strong Supers, good abilities, and generally fluid gameplay.

Preferred Exotic: Young Ahamkara’s Spine with Tripmine Grenades, Athrys’s Embrace with Weighted Knives, or St0mp-EE5 for overall gameplay

Armor	Class	Type	Requirements	Source	Released	Requires	Exotic Perk
Athrys's Embrace	Hunter	Arms	Beyond Light	Lost Sectors	Season 12	Beyond Light	Weighted Knife gains a second bounce. Rapid precision hits with your weapons grant Weighted Knife a significant damage bonus, bonus strength, and the ability to stun unshielded combatants for a short time. Empowered Weighted Knife is strong against Unstoppable Champions.
Caliban's Hand	Hunter	Arms	The Witch Queen	Lost Sectors	Season 17	The Witch Queen	Your Proximity Knife scorches targets it damages with its explosions, or ignites targets on a direct hit. After throwing a Proximity Knife, you gain increased melee regeneration until the knife explodes.
St0mp-EE5	Hunter	Legs	Free-to-Play	Exotic Engrams	Season 1	Free-to-Play	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: Knock ‘em Down and On Your Mark.
• Fragments: Ember of Torches, Ember of Combustion with Deadshot, Ember of Solace, Ember of Beams.

Preferred Abilities and Stats:

• Stats: 100 Mobility and 100 Recovery is best.
• Abilities: Deadshot Super, Healing Grenade/Tripmine Grenade/Solar Grenade, Weighted Knife/Proximity Explosive Knife, Gambler’s Dodge.

Revenant (Stasis)

• Ranking: ❘ A Strong

Revenant has basically one thing going for it, and that is the Touch of Winter Duskfield Grenades. Thankfully, these can be extremely potent in the right hands and can secure kills with ease. Revenant also has access to a number of exotics that synergize nicely with the subclass, like Frostees or Mask of Bakris.

Where Revenant can be let down, though, is in the Super and melee. Silence and Squall is one of the worst shutdown supers in the game, as it has a ridiculously long cast time compared to options like Blade Barrage. The melee is somewhat pathetic in terms of damage, but it does have the utility of slowing targets.

Revenant, overall is a solid pick, but it is outpaced by some of the most potent and oppressive subclasses that Hunter has to offer.

Preferred Exotic:

Armor	Class	Type	Requirements	Source	Released	Requires	Exotic Perk
Fr0st-EE5	Hunter	Legs	Free-to-Play	Exotic Engrams	Season 3	Free-to-Play	Increased grenade, melee, and dodge regeneration while sprinting. Dodging increases your sprint speed.
Mask of Bakris	Hunter	Helm	Beyond Light	Lost Sectors	Season 12	Beyond Light	Replaces your Stasis subclass Dodge ability with a longer range, faster moving shift that partially cloaks you during use. After shifting, your Stasis and Arc weapons deal increased damage for a short time.

Preferred Aspects and Fragments:

• Aspects: Touch of Winter and Winter’s Shroud.
• Fragments: Whisper of Chains, Whisper of Durance, Whisper of Torment. The remaining 2 are up to you.

Preferred Abilities and Stats:

• Stats: 100 Mobility and 100 Recovery are best.
• Abilities: Duskfield Grenades, Withering Blade, Gambler’s Dodge.

Nightstalker (Void 3.0)

• Ranking: ❘ A Strong

Nightstalker isn’t the beast it once was, but that doesn’t mean its a bad Subclass. With Invisibility on demand and potent abilities like your Smoke Bomb and Vortex Grenade make Nightstalker a force to be reckoned with.

In addition, Nightstalker is still great for getting the drop on enemies, as the actual Invisibility effect can be quite difficult to see, especially in areas with poor lighting.

Preferred Exotic: St0mp-EE5 for general play or Wormhusk Crown for incredible survivability.

Armor	Class	Type	Requirements	Source	Released	Requires	Exotic Perk
St0mp-EE5	Hunter	Legs	Free-to-Play	Exotic Engrams	Season 1	Free-to-Play	Increases sprint speed and slide distance while your dodge energy is full and improves High Jump, Strafe Jump, and Triple Jump.
Wormhusk Crown	Hunter	Helm	Free-to-Play	Exotic Engrams	Season 3	Free-to-Play	We strive to know infinity, and sharpen our minds on the whetstone of the impossible.

Preferred Aspects and Fragments:

• Aspects: Vanishing Step and Trapper’s Ambush are the best here.
• Fragments: Echo of Persistence, Echo of Leeching, Echo of Remnants.

Preferred Abilities and Stats:

• Stats: 100 Mobility is key. A mix of high Recovery, high Resilience, and high Discipline is recommended.
• Abilities: The Super is up to personal preference; however, we recommend Spectral Blades,  Vortex or Voidwall Grenade, and Gambler’s Dodge.

Arcstrider (Arc 3.0)

• Ranking: ❘ C Weak

Arcstrider is a solid subclass that can be devastating in skilled hands. Its tools like Amplified, Disorienting, and Arc Staff can be incredibly powerful. However, compared to other Hunter subclasses that offer abilities such as invisibility, freezing, or damage buffing, Arcstrider is lacking in that special "X factor."

Nevertheless, skilled players can still take advantage of Arcstrider's neutral game and powerful melee abilities. It's worth noting that there are no exotics that have massive synergies with Arcstrider, unlike other subclasses. As a result, it may not be the most popular choice for PvP players right now. However, don't be discouraged - with practice, dedication, and a willingness to learn, any subclass can be a viable option.

Preferred Exotic: St0mp-EE5 for higher movement potential.

Armor	Class	Type	Requirements	Source	Released	Requires	Exotic Perk
St0mp-EE5	Hunter	Legs	Free-to-Play	Exotic Engrams	Season 1	Free-to-Play	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: All are viable.
• Fragments: Spark of Resistance, Spark of Shock, Spark of Recharge, Spark of Magnitude, and Spark of Momentum (if not using Lightning, Pulse, or Storm Grenades).

Preferred Abilities and Stats:

• Stats: 100 Mobility and 100 Recovery are highly recommended
• Abilities: Arc Staff Super, Arcbolt Grenade/Lightning Grenade/Storm Grenade, Disorienting Blow, Gambler’s Dodge.

Before you go…

If you truly want to master the Hunter class in Destiny 2, we have also ranked all Hunter Exotics and written entire playbooks for the best Hunter builds in the game right now!