Exotic armor is a truly unique and important part of Destiny 2. While weapons get most of the attention, your choice of armor plays a crucial role too. This is especially true for Exotic armor, as that one single piece of equipment can elevate your playstyle and lethality to new levels. Destiny 2 is all about finding synergies within your gear, and Exotic armor is often the first piece of the puzzle.
This guide covers every Hunter Exotic in Destiny 2, including the brand-new Mothkeeper’s Wraps. We’ll rank them from best to worst, and explain how to use them for maximum lethality.
Updated as of Season of the Deep (S21). See Updates.
Destiny 2 Hunter Exotics Tier list
This Tier list features the Top-tier Hunter Exotic armor piece in the game and covers both PvE and PvP:
Name
Type
Rank
Excels
Subclass
Source
Requirements
Armor
Tier rank
Subclass?
Final Verdict
Class
Best of?
Star-Eater Scales
Legs
S › Best
PvE
Neutral
Lost Sectors
Beyond Light
Star-Eater Scales
Best
❘ S
Excels in: PvE
Neutral
Source: Legend/Master Lost Sectors
Exotic Perk: "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."
► Star-Eater Scales is a beast. It focuses entirely on your super and can buff Hunters' supers to the highest DPS levels in the game. When using Star-Eater Scales, all subclasses get the highest DPS supers in the game, making Star-Eater Scales an excellent pick everywhere, no matter the difficulty.
Hunter
Top-tier
Omnioculus
Chest
S › Best
PvE + PvP
Void
Lost Sectors
Beyond Light
Omnioculus
Best
❘ S
Excels in: PvE + PvP
Void
Source: Legend/Master Lost Sectors
Exotic Perk: "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."
► Omnioculus is a ridiculously strong exotic. Granting an extra smoke bomb charge and giving melee energy when you make allies invisible is already excellent. However, giving your team damage resistance on demand takes Omnioculus to another level in both PvP and PvE.
Hunter
Top-tier
Assassin's Cowl
Helm
S › Best
PvE
Neutral
Exotic Engrams
Shadowkeep
Assassin's Cowl
Best
❘ S
Excels in: PvE
Neutral
Source: Exotic Engrams
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."
► The Assassin's Cowl is the perfect Solo exotic. Both Gunslinger and Arcstrider can use this exotic brilliantly with the correct setup, allowing you to basically stay invisible forever. You can find a detailed build on how to synergize Radiant and Assassin's Cowl here.
► Young Ahamkara's Spine continues to be a fantastic pick for any Solar Hunter. These Exotic arms pack a serious punch and let you cause ignitions left and right.
Hunter
Top-tier
Renewal Grasps
Arms
S › Best
PvE
Stasis
Lost Sectors
The Witch Queen
Renewal Grasps
Best
❘ S
Excels in: PvE
Stasis
Source: Legend/Master Lost Sectors
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."
► Renewal Grasps took a big (and deserved) nerf in PvP. Its damage resistance was reduced, and the cooldown was massively increased. Despite this, Renewal Grasps retained their PvE damage resist, making them an incredible option for players looking to be more defensive. We have a build using these on our Hunter Builds guide.
Hunter
Top-tier
Caliban's Hand
Arms
S › Best
PvE
Solar
Lost Sectors
The Witch Queen
Caliban's Hand
Best
❘ S
Excels in: PvE
Solar
Source: Legend/Master Lost Sectors
Exotic Perk: "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."
► Caliban's Hand turns your Explosive Knives into Ignition proccing machines. Simply getting a kill with your Explosive knife will cause an Ignition. We have an excellent build using the Caliban's Hand here. Caliban's Hand can turn your knives into add clearing machines with the right setup.
Hunter
Top-tier
Gyrfalcon's Hauberk
Chest
S › Best
PvE + PvP
Void
Lost Sectors
The Witch Queen
Gyrfalcon's Hauberk
Best
❘ S
Excels in: PvE + PvP
Void
Source: Legend/Master Lost Sectors
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."
► Gyrfalcon's Hauberk remains a beast. After its rework, many will argue that it is now more powerful, as you can chain invisibility while constantly making enemies Volatile.
Hunter
Top-tier
Mask of Bakris
Helm
A › Strong
PvE + PvP
Stasis
Lost Sectors
Beyond Light
Mask of Bakris
Strong
❘ A
Excels in: PvE + PvP
Stasis
Source: Legend/Master Lost Sectors
Exotic Perk: "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."
► Mask of Bakris' effect can be very potent in skilled hands as a short-range 'teleport' in PvP can fool your opponents and let you get the drop on them. However, Mask of Bakris can be pretty hard to master and, to some, may not be worth using over more straightforward options.
Hunter
Top-tier
Radiant Dance Machines
Legs
A › Strong
PvE
Neutral
Lost Sectors
Beyond Light
Radiant Dance Machines
Strong
❘ A
Excels in: PvE
Neutral
Source: Legend/Master Lost Sectors
Exotic Perk: "Activating your dodge ability while near targets allows you to dodge additional times for a short period. Defeating targets extends the duration of the additional dodge."
► Radiant Dance Machines have become a very solid option for DPS on Hunters, especially given that Rocket Launchers are so prevalent right now. However, using these in a 6-man Raid DPS phase scenario will probably just end up tilting your team more than anything.
Hunter
Top-tier
Aeon Swift
Arms
A › Strong
PvE
Neutral
Exotic Engrams
Free-to-Play
Aeon Swift
Strong
❘ A
Excels in: PvE
Neutral
Source: Exotic Engrams
Exotic Perk: "Aeon Exotics have an additional mod socket which is used for Aeon Cult mods."
► The Aeon set of exotics were previously a must-have, but with the amount of Heavy and Special Ammo you can generate now through mods on your helmet and by using double Special weapons, Aeon Safe has seen a noticeable decline in popularity. That said, they remain a solid method to get more ammo.
Hunter
Top-tier
Foetracer
Helm
A › Strong
PvP
Neutral
Exotic Engrams
Free-to-Play
Foetracer
Strong
❘ A
Excels in: PvP
Neutral
Source: Exotic Engrams
Exotic Perk: "Damaging a powerful combatant or Guardian with an ability grants you a temporary bonus to weapon damage matching your subclass type. Defeating that target with a weapon matching the damage type of your subclass creates an elemental pickup."
► With the changes to airborne combat, Foetracer is quite a solid option for general dueling. Providing brief wallhacks on a target is always going to be powerful, and it has some super niche uses in PvE with its damage-enhancing effect on low-health targets.
Hunter
Top-tier
Graviton Forfeit
Helm
A › Strong
PvE + PvP
Void
Exotic Engrams
Free-to-Play
Graviton Forfeit
Strong
❘ A
Excels in: PvE + PvP
Void
Source: Exotic Engrams
Exotic Perk: "Increases the duration of any invisibility effects. While you are invisible, your melee recharges faster, your weapons reload faster, and your Recovery is greatly increased."
► Graviton Forfeit is a part of the 'Nightstalker Trifecta' of Exotics. While it probably is the weakest of the three, as Omnioculus and Gyrfalcon's Hauberk are both so strong, it still is one of the simplest ways of remaining invisible forever.
Hunter
Top-tier
Fr0st-EE5
Legs
A › Strong
PvE + PvP
Neutral
Exotic Engrams
Free-to-Play
Fr0st-EE5
Strong
❘ A
Excels in: PvE + PvP
Neutral
Source: Exotic Engrams
Exotic Perk: "Increased grenade, melee, and dodge regeneration while sprinting. Dodging increases your sprint speed."
► Fr0st-EE5 are a great alternative to other movement exotics like St0mp-EE5 as they passively increase your sprint speed which is a substantial benefit. However, the main draw of the Frostees is the improved ability regeneration while sprinting, which can allow you to spam even more abilities, especially in PvP.
Hunter
Top-tier
Gemini Jester
Legs
A › Strong
PvP
Neutral
Exotic Engrams
Free-to-Play
Gemini Jester
Strong
❘ A
Excels in: PvP
Neutral
Source: Exotic Engrams
Exotic Perk: "Dodging disorients nearby enemies and temporarily removes their radar."
► Gemini Jester is a super annoying exotic to play against in PvP. When paired with the Vanishing Step aspect on Nightstalker, you can easily get the drop on many people. Gemini Jester also disables the opponent's radar temporarily, and given how strong radar is in PvP, Gemini Jester can be an invaluable tool.
Hunter
Top-tier
Liar's Handshake
Arms
A › Strong
PvE
Arc
Exotic Engrams
Forsaken Pack
Liar's Handshake
Strong
❘ A
Excels in: PvE
Arc
Source: Exotic Engrams
Exotic Perk: "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."
► Liar's Handshake has skyrocketed up the rankings with the release of Arc 3.0. Liar's Handshake can deal absurd damage to high-health enemies once you get Combination Blow up to maximum stacks. However, using this build may be slightly risky in endgame content because it focuses on meleeing, which is always dangerous.
Hunter
Top-tier
Mechaneer's Tricksleeves
Arms
A › Strong
-
Neutral
Exotic Engrams
Free-to-Play
Mechaneer's Tricksleeves
Strong
❘ A
Neutral
Source: Exotic Engrams
Exotic Perk: "Increases Sidearm ready and reload speed. While you're critically wounded, swapping to a Sidearm increases its damage."
► Sidearms have been thrust into the PvP meta, meaning that Mechaneer's Tricksleeves naturally benefit. Despite this though, they can be quite niche, but many players will still be able to take advantage of its incredible benefits.
Hunter
Top-tier
Orpheus Rig
Legs
A › Strong
PvE
Void
Exotic Engrams
Free-to-Play
Orpheus Rig
Strong
❘ A
Excels in: PvE
Void
Source: Exotic Engrams
Exotic Perk: "Provides ability energy for each enemy tethered by Deadfall anchors. Moebius Quiver has more shots."
► Orpheus Rig bolsters Moebius Quiver even further by allowing you to fire another volley of arrows. This can increase your damage, or it can give you more ad control over an area. Orpheus Rig shouldn't be ignored as it remains a very strong DPS exotic.
Hunter
Top-tier
St0mp-EE5
Legs
A › Strong
PvP
Neutral
Exotic Engrams
Free-to-Play
St0mp-EE5
Strong
❘ A
Excels in: PvP
Neutral
Source: Exotic Engrams
Exotic Perk: "Increases sprint speed and slide distance while your dodge energy is full and improves High Jump, Strafe Jump, and Triple Jump."
► With all the changes that St0mp-EE5 have seen, it's hard to enjoy them as much as before, especially now that their effect is only active when your class ability is up. They are decent for movement, though, making them a solid, and enjoyable, option.
Hunter
Top-tier
The Sixth Coyote
Chest
A › Strong
PvE
Neutral
Exotic Engrams
Forsaken Pack
The Sixth Coyote
Strong
❘ A
Excels in: PvE
Neutral
Source: Exotic Engrams
Exotic Perk: "Gain a second dodge charge."
► Sixth Coyote is a decent pick these days. Previously outclassed by Omnioculus for Void, Sixth Coyote has found its place and can be best used during DPS phases with Rocket Launchers (which are meta right now) or with Ensnaring Slam.
Hunter
Top-tier
Wormhusk Crown
Helm
A › Strong
PvE + PvP
Neutral
Exotic Engrams
Free-to-Play
Wormhusk Crown
Strong
❘ A
Excels in: PvE + PvP
Neutral
Source: Exotic Engrams
Exotic Perk: "We strive to know infinity, and sharpen our minds on the whetstone of the impossible."
► A comfort exotic, Wormhusk Crown is a solid backup option for any Hunter that doesn't really know what Exotic to use. +67hp on dodge is indeed very powerful in PvP. However, it has slightly fallen off due to the vast number of more accessible survivability options right now.
Hunter
Top-tier
Cyrtarachne's Facade
Helm
A › Strong
PvE + PvP
Strand
Lost Sectors
Lightfall
Cyrtarachne's Facade
Strong
❘ A
Excels in: PvE + PvP
Strand
Source: Legend/Master Lost Sectors
Exotic Perk: "Gain Woven Mail when activating grapple. Increased flinch resistance while Woven Mail is active."
► The easiest way of getting Woven Mail, Cyrtarachene's gives Hunters the opportunity to grapple around with a free 58% damage resist. Pairing this with Thread of Ascent lets you rain fire down on your enemies constantly, with the safety of Woven Mail. This Hunter Build covers this strategy in detail.
Hunter
Top-tier
Speedloader Slacks
Legs
A › Strong
PvE + PvP
Neutral
Lost Sectors
Lightfall
Speedloader Slacks
Strong
❘ A
Excels in: PvE + PvP
Neutral
Source: Legend/Master Lost Sectors
Exotic Perk: "Dodging boosts reload speed, handling, and airborne effectiveness for you and nearby allies. While the buff is active, final blows and additional dodges increase the buff strength and refresh the timer. Maxes out at 5 stacks."
► Speedloader Slacks is a sidegrade to The Dragon's Shadow. They both do very similar jobs, yet Speedloaders is easier to keep going. While Dragon's Shadow gives maxed-out Reload Speed and Handling, as well as 50 Mobility, the buff can be hard to maintain. With Speedloaders, however, you can chain kills to keep the buff active, albeit a less powerful buff.
Hunter
Top-tier
These are the different Tier levels used for our list:
S Tier – Best: Highest ranking weapons in our Tier List.
A Tier – Strong: Very strong weapons, but not on the same level as S Tier Choices.
B Tier – Average: Decent choices that can be lethal in the hands of a skilled player.
C Tier – Weak: The middle of the pack, somewhat mediocre.
D Tier – Worst: Lagging behind the competition, these don’t have much to offer.
Swaps: You’ll see a couple of armor pieces ranked as “Swap“. Swap refers to those armor pieces that are generally not great but can be excellent in very specific situations, namely when using your Super. For that reason, these deserve a different ranking as they still have a place in your loadout.
Hunter Exotics: The rest of the best
This database includes all the other Hunter Exotics available in Destiny 2:
Name
Type
Rank
Excels
Subclass
Source
Requirements
Armor
Tier rank
Subclass?
Final Verdict
Class
Best of?
Athrys's Embrace
Arms
B › Average
PvE + PvP
Solar
Lost Sectors
Beyond Light
Athrys's Embrace
Average
❘ B
Excels in: PvE + PvP
Solar
Source: Legend/Master Lost Sectors
Exotic Perk: "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."
► Athrys's Embrace is a strong pick for those wanting to land some cheesy kills with their Weighted Knife. This combo has only gotten stronger with the addition of the Knock 'em Down aspect, which allows you to get your knife back on any kill, letting you chain one-hit kill knives.
Hunter
Rest
Celestial Nighthawk
Helm
B › Average
PvE
Solar
Exotic Engrams
Free-to-Play
Celestial Nighthawk
Average
❘ B
Excels in: PvE
Solar
Source: Exotic Engrams
Exotic Perk: "Modifies Golden Gun to fire a single high-damage shot. Enemies eliminated by the shot explode and grant you Super energy."
► Celestial Nighthawk will always be a solid pick. Despite Golden Gun not being the highest damage these days, and Star-Eaters being as potent as they are, Celestial's single shot burst is never something to scoff at.
Hunter
Rest
Khepri's Sting
Arms
B › Average
PvP
Void
Exotic Engrams
Forsaken Pack
Khepri's Sting
Average
❘ B
Excels in: PvP
Void
Source: Exotic Engrams
Exotic Perk: "Punching someone with full melee energy will instantly cast Smoke Bomb. Gain Truesight while in your own Smoke Bomb effect. Your smoke bombs deal increased damage."
► Despite its recent change, Khepri's Sting remains a strong option for Nightstalker Hunters. Wallhacks are simply such a strong tool in high-stakes PvP game modes such as Trials of Osiris, where a single pick can dictate the course of an entire round; however, other Exotics are more fun, and provide an instant impact.
Hunter
Rest
Shards of Galanor
Arms
B › Average
PvE + PvP
Solar
Exotic Engrams
Forsaken Pack
Shards of Galanor
Average
❘ B
Excels in: PvE + PvP
Solar
Source: Exotic Engrams
Exotic Perk: "Hits and kills with Blade Barrage will return Super energy after the Super ends."
► Shards of Galanor are a decent option, and with the resurgence of Blade Barrage with Solar 3.0, it is unsurprising to see them used more. However, other options like Star-Eater Scales are used much more as they bring a more noticeable effect. The super regeneration is okay, but it doesn't transform Blade Barrage.
Hunter
Rest
Shinobu's Vow
Arms
B › Average
PvE + PvP
Arc
Exotic Engrams
Free-to-Play
Shinobu's Vow
Average
❘ B
Excels in: PvE + PvP
Arc
Source: Exotic Engrams
Exotic Perk: "Improves Skip Grenade, and you gain an additional Skip Grenade charge. Skip Grenade returns energy when it damages enemies."
► While Shinobu's Vow grenade spam with Arc 3.0 is potent, it is completely overshadowed by Young Ahamkara's Spine, which fills the same niche, but much better. Shinobu's Vow requires more setup and does less damage than Young Ahamkara's.
Hunter
Rest
The Dragon's Shadow
Chest
B › Average
PvE + PvP
Neutral
Exotic Engrams
Free-to-Play
The Dragon's Shadow
Average
❘ B
Excels in: PvE + PvP
Neutral
Source: Exotic Engrams
Exotic Perk: "Dodging reloads all weapons and increases both movement and weapon handling speeds for a brief time."
► The Dragon's Shadow is a prime example of a niche pick done well. In PvE, it has a solid skill ceiling as it can be used to rapidly hotswap between three different weapons, giving you very high DPS. And in PvP, it's a 'feel good' exotic that helps low-handling weapons perform better.
Hunter
Rest
Knucklehead Radar
Helm
C › Weak
-
Neutral
Exotic Engrams
Free-to-Play
Knucklehead Radar
Weak
❘ C
Neutral
Source: Exotic Engrams
Exotic Perk: "Provides radar while you're aiming. Enhances your radar resolution while crouched. Visually marks targets. Deals more damage to low-health marked targets. Provides a small benefit to the airborne effectiveness stat of all weapons."
► Knucklehead Radar sounds good on paper, and while having your radar while aiming down sights is nice, you won't often get much value out of this exotic. Other PvP exotics bring much more to the table than only having your radar up at all times.
Hunter
Rest
Lucky Pants
Legs
C › Weak
-
Neutral
Exotic Engrams
Free-to-Play
Lucky Pants
Weak
❘ C
Neutral
Source: Exotic Engrams
Exotic Perk: "When you ready a fully loaded Hand Cannon that deals kinetic damage or a damage type that matches your subclass energy type, each hit from that Hand Cannon increases the damage of the next shot for a short time against a combatant. Hand Cannons ready faster and are more accurate immediately after swapping to them."
► Lucky Pants are a fun, niche option that Hunters can use with Hand Cannons. Pairing it with Exotics like Malfeasance or Eriana's Vow can have you dealing decent damage. However, given that Heavy Weapons like Linear Fusion Rifles deal so much damage, it can be hard to recommend investing in Lucky Pants.
Hunter
Rest
Ophidia Spathe
Chest
C › Weak
-
Solar
Exotic Engrams
Free-to-Play
Ophidia Spathe
Weak
❘ C
Solar
Source: Exotic Engrams
Exotic Perk: "Grants two knives per charge."
► Ophidia Spathe doesn't have much purpose these days, with the Knock 'em Down aspect being so prevalent. If you can fully recharge your throwing knife on a kill, why waste a valuable exotic slot on another throwing knife?
Hunter
Rest
The Bombardiers
Legs
C › Weak
-
Neutral
Exotic Engrams
Shadowkeep
The Bombardiers
Weak
❘ C
Neutral
Source: Exotic Engrams
Exotic Perk: "Dodging leaves behind an explosive that detonates after a short delay, damaging targets around it and creating a secondary effect based on your subclass energy type: Arc Blinds, Solar Burns, Void Suppresses and Stasis Slows targets."
► The Bombardiers are an incredibly niche pick that can synergize nicely with some builds and can see success in PvP, but they are certainly more of a 'fun' option than a viable one, as there are simply better and more consistent options.
Hunter
Rest
Triton Vice
Arms
C › Weak
-
Neutral
Lost Sectors
Lightfall
Triton Vice
Weak
❘ C
Neutral
Source: Legend/Master Lost Sectors
Exotic Perk: "Increases Glaive reload speed and melee damage when surrounded. Glaive melee final blows overflow a round to the magazine. Glaive projectile final blows detonate if the Glaive deals damage matching your subclass type."
► Outside of perhaps one or two niche situations, Triton Vice, on the whole, is quite useless. That being said, if Glaives ever become a top pick, Triton Vice will surely become a stronger option naturally.
Hunter
Rest
Gwisin Vest
Chest
D › Worst
-
Void
Exotic Engrams
Forsaken Pack
Gwisin Vest
Worst
❘ D
Void
Source: Exotic Engrams
Exotic Perk: "Each Spectral Blades kill you make before going into stealth will restore more of your Super energy."
► Gwisin Vest has fallen far from its glory days. This is not only because it has been massively nerfed but mainly because Spectral Blades is a pretty poor super in PvP right now. Committing a lackluster exotic to a mediocre at best super isn't wise, especially when there are better options.
Hunter
Rest
Lucky Raspberry
Chest
D › Worst
-
Arc
Exotic Engrams
Free-to-Play
Lucky Raspberry
Worst
❘ D
Arc
Source: Exotic Engrams
Exotic Perk: "Increases the chaining capabilities of Arcbolt Grenades. Damaging enemies with Jolt lightning strikes and collecting Ionic Traces both grant additional Arcbolt Grenade energy. Arcbolt Grenades stun [Disruption] Overload Champions and delay their health regeneration."
► Arcbolt Grenades. Lucky Raspberry is an RNG-based exotic making it incredibly unreliable, which is not what you want from an exotic that only works with a single ability. The bonus it provides isn't too exciting either, as it simply increases the chaining chances of Arcbolt Grenades and adds a small chance for it to replenish.
Hunter
Rest
Oathkeeper
Arms
D › Worst
-
Neutral
Exotic Engrams
Forsaken Pack
Oathkeeper
Worst
❘ D
Neutral
Source: Exotic Engrams
Exotic Perk: "Bow charges can be held indefinitely. Gain a bonus to the Bow's damage when released, based on how long the charge was held. Provides a moderate benefit to the airborne effectiveness stat of Bows."
► Le Monarque benefits well from this exotic. However, when you can simply redraw your arrow to maintain that perfect draw without needing to use the exotic, it makes Oathkeepers redundant as the only effect they provide can be done with a little bit of practice.
Hunter
Rest
Sealed Ahamkara Grasps
Arms
D › Worst
-
Solar
Exotic Engrams
Free-to-Play
Sealed Ahamkara Grasps
Worst
❘ D
Solar
Source: Exotic Engrams
Exotic Perk: "Dealing melee damage reloads your currently equipped weapon. Charged melee final blows reload all weapons. Provides a large benefit to the airborne effectiveness stat of all weapons, and movement speed and jump height after dealing melee damage."
► Sealed Ahamkara Grasps are very underwhelming, and there are very few situations where you will take advantage of this exotic's perk. Plenty of other exotics yield better results with much less risk.
Hunter
Rest
Blight Ranger
Helm
D › Worst
-
Arc
Lost Sectors
The Witch Queen
Blight Ranger
Worst
❘ D
Arc
Source: Legend/Master Lost Sectors
Exotic Perk: "Attacks you redirect with your Arc Staff deal massively increased damage and generate Orbs of Power for your allies."
► Blight Ranger is a bit of a joke of an exotic right now. The 'massively increased' damage from the exotic perk is laughable as you still deal negligible damage, and the only purpose this exotic serves is to build a good fashion set.
Hunter
Rest
Raiden Flux
Chest
Swap
PvE
Arc
Exotic Engrams
Free-to-Play
Raiden Flux
Swap
Excels in: PvE
Arc
Source: Exotic Engrams
Exotic Perk: "Quick successive attacks with Arc Staff increase its damage output and duration."
► Raiden Flux has been the go-to exotic for Arc Staff Hunters in PvE since its launch, as it increases the damage and duration of the super. This makes Arc Staff one of the strongest add clear supers in the game, and when Synapse Junctions reaches maximum stacks, you can take down high-health targets very quickly.
Hunter
Rest
Raiju's Harness
Chest
Swap
PvP
Arc
Exotic Engrams
Shadowkeep
Raiju's Harness
Swap
Excels in: PvP
Arc
Source: Exotic Engrams
Exotic Perk: " In Super, deactivate Arc Staff early to create a blinding explosion and gain a temporary boost to Arc weapon damage. Arc Staff consumes energy more slowly when not attacking."
► Raiju's Harness is a powerful exotic for a powerful super. Arc Staff's ability to deflect is one of the strongest abilities on a super, and making this feature last for much longer is always a plus. On top of this, being able to cancel your super early adds even more versatility to the super.
Hunter
Rest
Mothkeeper's Wraps
Arms
Ongoing
-
Neutral
Lost Sectors
Season 22
Mothkeeper's Wraps
Ongoing...
Neutral
Source: Legend/Master Lost Sectors
Exotic Perk: "Your grenade becomes a cage of loyal moths that release on impact and fly toward the nearest target or ally. If they reach a target, they detonate in a blinding explosion; if they reach an ally, the moths grant your ally a Void overshield."
This section not only covers the top Exotic armor pieces for Hunter currently in the game, but it also tells you where you can find them. On top of being top-tier options for PvE and PvP, some of them look great. So much so, that they are often seen in Destiny 2 fashion contests.
Overall, these are our Top 10 favorite Hunter Exotics for PvE and PvP.
10. Wormhusk Crown
Excels in PVE and PVP
Wormhusk Crown is a bit of a ‘Jack of all trades, Master of none’ pick for Hunter players, but despite its ranking, I would recommend Wormhusk over all other exotics for a Hunter getting into the game. Its versatility is remarkable and something that should not be overlooked.
Wormhusk’s benefit is straightforward. However, that’s part of what makes Wormhusk so great, its simplicity. A health bump by simply dodging is remarkable and is valuable everywhere in the game. However, versatility isn’t everything, and in a game like Destiny (especially in this current meta), it is much more valuable to specialize in one powerful ‘thing’. For example, constant invisibility, a high damage Super, or incredible add clear. Wormhusk’s effect simply isn’t anywhere near potent enough to warrant fully speccing into as other exotics provide defensive tools for your allies.
Wormhusk, overall is an exotic that will serve you well regardless of what content you are playing. However, when you want to begin truly optimizing your builds and strategies, Wormhusk falls out of contention.
How to get it: Wormhusk Crown can be acquired via Exotic engrams, Xûr, or farming Lost Sectors.
Armor
Class
Type
Requirements
Source
Released
Requires
Exotic Perk
Wormhusk Crown
Hunter
Helm
Free-to-Play
Exotic Engrams
Season 3
Free-to-Play
Exotic Perk: "We strive to know infinity, and sharpen our minds on the whetstone of the impossible."
9. Fr0st-EE5
Excels in PVE and PVP
Fr0st-EE5 or ‘Frostees’ is one of the best exotics to get all your abilities back on Hunter. Some builds let you spam near-constant abilities like the ‘Flash Freeze’ build on our Top Hunter Builds post.
These boots are also quite a decent pick in PvP. Abilities are always strong, and having more of them can never hurt. However, you may be better off with more potent options like Young Ahamkara’s Spine.
Overall, Frostees are very solid. While they aren’t the strongest or flashiest pick, they get the job done and provide a solid exotic effect.
How to get it: Fr0st-EE5 can be acquired via Exotic engrams, Xûr, or farming Lost Sectors.
Armor
Class
Type
Requirements
Source
Released
Requires
Exotic Perk
Fr0st-EE5
Hunter
Legs
Free-to-Play
Exotic Engrams
Season 3
Free-to-Play
Exotic Perk: "Increased grenade, melee, and dodge regeneration while sprinting. Dodging increases your sprint speed."
8. Aeon Swift
Excels in PVE
Aeon Swift is a very powerful exotic. It can help you bypass the ammo economy and the RNG that comes with it by simply performing a finisher on a yellow-bar enemy. This obvious strength is notable. However, given the prevalence of ability damage and Special weapon DPS, Aeon’s aren’t exactly a necessity unless you are fully trying to optimize your runs.
The Aeon suite of exotics are also rather one-dimensional. The other two ‘sect’ choices are pretty lackluster and force you into running Sect of Insight. Furthermore, the player using the Aeon exotic does not receive the heavy or special ammo drops that come with the exotic.
Despite the downsides, the Aeon exotic armor pieces are very good at what they do and are never a bad pick in a Grandmaster Nightfall.
How to get it: Aeon Swift can be acquired via Exotic engrams, Xûr, or farming Lost Sectors.
Armor
Class
Type
Requirements
Source
Released
Requires
Exotic Perk
Aeon Swift
Hunter
Arms
Free-to-Play
Exotic Engrams
Season 2
Free-to-Play
Exotic Perk: "Aeon Exotics have an additional mod socket which is used for Aeon Cult mods."
7. Lucky Pants
Excels in PVE
Lucky Pants are situational, but in their niche, little can match a Hunter with Malfeasance and Lucky Pants outside of burning through Heavy Ammo.
Lucky Pants force players into using a Hand Cannon, and most players will opt to use either Malfeasance with its exotic catalyst or Eriana’s Vow. Eriana’s is a decent option, but Malfeasance is the true star of the show when it comes to Lucky Pants, as the amount of burst damage possible from this weapon is ridiculous. In fact, some players have defeated the Root of Nightmares Raid Boss, Nezarec, using a strategy that involves the brief use of the Malfeasance Lucky Pants loadout.
This deadly duo can be used in an extended DPS rotation; however, most bosses in Destiny will die before you can even get a full rotation of Lucky Pants Malfeasance and Rockets out. This loadout also suffers from the prominence of double Special Weapon loadouts due to their interactions with Heavy Ammo drops. However, running this exotic combo in a high-level Nightfall or Lost Sector is a viable strategy.
How to get it: Lucky Pants can be acquired via Exotic engrams, Xûr, or farming Lost Sectors.
Armor
Class
Type
Requirements
Source
Released
Requires
Exotic Perk
Lucky Pants
Hunter
Legs
Free-to-Play
Exotic Engrams
Season 1
Free-to-Play
Exotic Perk: "When you ready a fully loaded Hand Cannon that deals kinetic damage or a damage type that matches your subclass energy type, each hit from that Hand Cannon increases the damage of the next shot for a short time against a combatant. Hand Cannons ready faster and are more accurate immediately after swapping to them."
6. Caliban’s Hand
Excels in PVE and PVP
Caliban’s Hand is probably the best way to cause ignitions in the game consistently. By simply throwing your Proximity knife at a group of enemies, you can cause them all to instantly explode by merely landing a kill on one of them.
While Caliban’s does require you to run a specific melee ability, it is very well worth it as you can turn your throwing knives into mini-nukes. In some situations, Caliban’s can even alleviate the need for a primary weapon as the sheer amount of ad clear that comes with Caliban’s is unmatched. Having the option to run two special weapons feasibly is excellent.
Caliban’s is also great in PvP. Landing a kill with your explosive knife will still cause an ignition which can deal massive damage to nearby enemies, and you can wipe out entire teams on your own.
How to get it: St0mp-EE5 can be acquired via Exotic engrams, Xûr, or farming Lost Sectors.
Armor
Class
Type
Requirements
Source
Released
Requires
Exotic Perk
Caliban's Hand
Hunter
Arms
The Witch Queen
Lost Sectors
Season 17
The Witch Queen
Exotic Perk: "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."
5. Young Ahamkara’s Spine
Excels in PVE and PVP
Young Ahamkara’s Spine is ‘the’ exotic for Gunslinger Hunters right now. These gloves give you Tripmine grenades that are practically infinite and deal chunky damage to major enemies. This build is so strong I exclusively used it in the Legendary Campaign and Day 1 raid for Root of Nightmares, as I was able to take down beefy enemies without spending a single bit of ammo.
Ahamkara’s Spine is remarkable in PvP too. The Tripmines are incredibly annoying to destroy and take any enemy down to 1HP, allowing for an easy cleanup kill or putting high amounts of pressure on opponents, which can be invaluable in elimination game modes like Trials of Osiris.
We have a build detailing how to take these gloves to the next level on our Hunter Builds guide.
How to get it: Young Ahamkara’s Spine can be acquired via Exotic engrams, Xûr, or farming Lost Sectors.
Armor
Class
Type
Requirements
Source
Released
Requires
Exotic Perk
4. Assassin’s Cowl
Excels in PVE
Assassin’s Cowl can turn you into an unkillable, death-dealing machine with the right build. Viable on every single subclass, Assassin’s Cowl gives you invisibility and healing on any powered melee kill.
With the changes to build crafting that came with Lightfall, Orbs of Power are the main focus, and thankfully, you can generate these constantly with the right setup. When combined with certain mods, you can continuously pump out orbs for your entire Fireteam while also getting your Super back every minute. The potential this Exotic has to offer cannot be overstated.
We have two builds detailing how to take Assassin’s Cowl to the next level on Solar and Arc subclasses here.
How to get it: Assassin’s Cowl can be acquired via Exotic engrams, Xûr, or farming Lost Sectors.
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."
3. Star-Eater Scales
Excels in PVE
Star-Eater Scales is a fantastic option for any Hunter looking to top the damage charts in boss fights. Given how strong some setups can be on other classes, like Starfire Fusion Grenade Warlock, Hunters can often be overlooked. However, with Star-Eaters, this all changes.
Star-Eater Scales provide a 70% damage buff to your Super at maximum stacks. This allows Hunter’s already high base damage Supers to rocket into nearly 1 million damage numbers with specific options such as Gathering Storm, Blade Barrage, or Silkstrike.
The amount of burst damage Hunters can put out is unparalleled right now, and Star-Eaters is a big reason for this. We have two builds with Star-Eater Scales on how to really become the DPS master of your Fireteam and top the charts every single time.
How to get it: Star-Eater Scales can only via acquired via solo Legend/Master Lost Sectors.
Armor
Class
Type
Requirements
Source
Released
Requires
Exotic Perk
Star-Eater Scales
Hunter
Legs
Beyond Light
Lost Sectors
Season 14
Beyond Light
Exotic Perk: "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."
2. Omnioculus
Excels in PVE and PVP
Omnioculus remains arguably the best support exotic in the game. Keeping your entire team invisible forever is not something to scoff at, and the resistance that comes with the exotic is second to none.
In PvE, Omnioculus brings Nightstalker to a new level, and in Grandmaster content, playing Nightstalker and not running Omnioculus is just hindering yourself (with the exception of Gyrfalcon’s Hauberk). Omnioculus does so much for your team that it can be tough to pass up.
We have a build detailing the ‘anchor’ playstyle that you can master with Omnioculus. By mastering this playstyle, you can technically carry anyone through the most challenging content in the game as you can keep your entire team safe or secure revives in even the most dangerous situations.
How to get it: Omnioculus can only via acquired via solo Legend/Master Lost Sectors.
Armor
Class
Type
Requirements
Source
Released
Requires
Exotic Perk
Omnioculus
Hunter
Chest
Beyond Light
Lost Sectors
Season 13
Beyond Light
Exotic Perk: "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."
1. Gyrfalcon’s Hauberk
Best PvE Hunter Exotic in Destiny 2
The Gyrfalcon’s Hauberk got a change early into Season 19, which reworked it to provide Volatile Rounds whenever you leave invisibility. This may sound like a nerf at first. However, the build-crafting potential that permanent Volatile Rounds provide is second to none. Combining this exotic with the Stylish Executioner fragment and a Repulsor Brace weapon makes you near unkillable as you’ll be mowing through ads like no tomorrow.
Another benefit of Gyrfalcon is the sheer ease of use of the exotic. With how simple the exotic perk is, it almost feels as if Gyrfalcon is a build on its own, but when paired with Lightfall’s mod system, you can take any build with Gyrfalcon to the next level. We have a build detailing how to get the most out of the exotic in our Top Hunter Builds post.
How to get it: Gyrfalcon’s Hauberk can only via acquired via solo Legend/Master Lost Sectors.
Armor
Class
Type
Requirements
Source
Released
Requires
Exotic Perk
Gyrfalcon's Hauberk
Hunter
Chest
The Witch Queen
Lost Sectors
Season 18
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."
Destiny 2 Hunter Exotics sources: How to get them
Unlike Exotic weapons, finding Exotic armor is a straightforward affair. This is not to say it’s easy to farm for specific armor pieces. It, unfortunately, isn’t. To be fair, if you’re starting out and just want to find as many different exotics as possible, it can be done. Things become difficult when you are looking for good rolls of armor.
Exotic Engrams
Most Exotic armor can be found within Exotic Engrams: These can be found in the Season pass, they are sold by Xur and can also drop randomly at any time.
There isn’t much more to say about Exotic engrams, only that they have a higher chance to drop from end-game activities. If collecting exotics is your priority, Nightfall: The Ordeals are for you. And the higher the difficulty, the higher the chance to get one.
Lost Sectors
A few specific armor pieces can only be found in Legend and Master Lost Sectors when completed solo. Lost Sectors are on a daily rotation (with only one Legend and one Master available each day), as well as their rewards (one day will reward Legs pieces, the next day only Arms pieces, etc). You can find the daily rotation and list of exclusive Lost Sector Exotics here.
See latest Updates
We keep our content up to date! These are the latest changes made to this guide:
July 17, 2023: General updates and the inclusion of Seasons 21 Exotics.
March 24, 2023: Inclusion of Lightfall Exotics.
November 24, 2023: General updates based on the current meta and the inclusion of Year 4 (The Witch Queen) Exotics.
February 28, 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
Matthew Evans
I've been hooked on Destiny 2 for years now... I've racked up countless hours and plenty of experience, which I hope to share with Blueberries who want to get involved with Destiny. You can find Matthew on Twitter.
Very useful guilde and site overall for starting players, but i cant find same list for other classes. And also there is no link to this page at your starting web page, cant even remember how i found this page to try find other classes lists like this.
Swaps: You’ll see a couple of armor pieces ranked as “Swap“. Swap refers to those armor pieces that are generally not great but can be excellent in very specific situations, namely when using your Super. For that reason, these deserve a different ranking as they still have a place in your loadout.
Excels in PVE
Best PvE Hunter Exotic in Destiny 2
Very useful guilde and site overall for starting players, but i cant find same list for other classes. And also there is no link to this page at your starting web page, cant even remember how i found this page to try find other classes lists like this.