Best Hunter exotics in Destiny 2: Season 20 Tier List Ranking

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. We’ll rank them from best to worst, and explain how to use them for maximum lethality.

Updated as of Season of Defiance (S20).

Destiny 2 Hunter Exotics Tier list

The Tier list below includes every Hunter Exotic armor piece in the game. It starts with the S Tier weapons and moves down from there:

Name	Type	Rank	Excels	Subclass	Source	Requirements	Armor	Tier rank	Subclass?	Final Verdict	Class
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
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
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
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.	Hunter
St0mp-EE5	Legs	S › Best	PvP	Neutral	Exotic Engrams	Free-to-Play	St0mp-EE5	Best ❘ S Excels in: PvP	Neutral	Source: Exotic Engrams Exotic Perk: "Increases sprint speed and slide distance. Improves High Jump, Strafe Jump, and Triple Jump." ► St0mp-EE5, despite their airborne effectiveness nerf, remains a big favorite among PvP Hunter mains. The quality of life that Stompees provide and the ability to outmaneuver your opponents are rightfully valued highly and can take your movement to another level.	Hunter
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
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
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
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 is still a beast. After its rework, many will argue that it is even more powerful now, as you can chain invisibility while constantly making enemies Volatile.	Hunter
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 Arc weapons deal increased damage to combatants for a short time, and you deal increased damage to all slowed or frozen combatants." ► 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
Celestial Nighthawk	Helm	A › Strong	PvE	Solar	Exotic Engrams	Free-to-Play	Celestial Nighthawk	Strong ❘ A 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 Super these days, and Star-Eaters being as potent as they are, Celestial's single-shot burst is never something to scoff at.	Hunter
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
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
Liar's Handshake	Arms	A › Strong	PvE	Arc	Exotic Engrams	Free-to-Play	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
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
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 remains potent, it has been completely overshadowed by Young Ahamkara's Spine, which does the same thing but better. Shinobu's Vow requires more setup while doing less damage than Young Ahamkara's, which means that Shinobu's isn't worth the effort.	Hunter
Young Ahamkara's Spine	Arms	S › Best	PvP	Neutral	Exotic Engrams	Free-to-Play	Young Ahamkara's Spine	Best ❘ S Excels in: PvP	Neutral	Source: Exotic Engrams Exotic Perk: "Increases Tripmine Grenade duration and blast radius. Ability damage grants Tripmine Grenade energy." ► 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
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 and the ability to stun unshielded combatants for a short time." ► 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
Foetracer	Helm	A › Strong	PvP	Neutral	Exotic Engrams	Free-to-Play	Foetracer	Strong ❘ A Excels in: PvP	Neutral	Source: Exotic Engrams Exotic Perk: "Visually marks targeted enemies. Deals more damage to low-health marked enemies." ► With the changes to airborne combat, Foetracer was buffed to grant +20 airborne effectiveness to all weapons, which can massively help you snag kills that you might miss due to airborne inaccuracy. Foetracer also temporarily gives you wallhacks on enemies you hit, making it an excellent neutral dueling exotic.	Hunter
Graviton Forfeit	Helm	B › Average	PvE + PvP	Void	Exotic Engrams	Free-to-Play	Graviton Forfeit	Average ❘ B 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 has become increasingly redundant as time goes by. With the introduction of powerful invisibility exotics like Omnioculus and Gyrfalcon's Hauberk, it's hard to justify using Graviton's Forfeit. However, this doesn't make it a terrible option, and it can work well if you want to stay invisible as much as possible.	Hunter
Khepri's Sting	Arms	A › Strong	PvP	Void	Exotic Engrams	Free-to-Play	Khepri's Sting	Strong ❘ A 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 recent changes, Khepri's Sting remains a strong option for Nightstalker Hunters. Wallhacks are always a strong tool in high-stakes PvP game modes like Trials of Osiris, where a single pick can dictate the course of an entire round.	Hunter
Shards of Galanor	Arms	B › Average	PvE + PvP	Solar	Exotic Engrams	Free-to-Play	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
The Dragon's Shadow	Chest	A › Strong	PvE + PvP	Neutral	Exotic Engrams	Free-to-Play	The Dragon's Shadow	Strong ❘ A 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 hot-swap between three different weapons rapidly, resulting in very high DPS. In PvP, it's a 'feel good' exotic that helps low-handling weapons perform better.	Hunter
The Sixth Coyote	Chest	A › Strong	PvE	Neutral	Exotic Engrams	Free-to-Play	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
Radiant Dance Machines	Legs	B › Average	PvE	Neutral	Lost Sectors	Beyond Light	Radiant Dance Machines	Average ❘ B 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." ► Previously only used to reload spam during DPS phases, the Radiant Dance Machines exotic can now be used with the new Hunter Aspect, Ensnaring Slam, to achieve high Suspend uptime; however, there are still better picks in general.	Hunter
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
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
Gwisin Vest	Chest	D › Worst	-	Void	Exotic Engrams	Free-to-Play	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
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." ► 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
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 Arc Bolt Grenade and has a chance to recharge it each time it deals damage. A full chain always recharges." ► 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
Oathkeeper	Arms	D › Worst	-	Neutral	Exotic Engrams	Free-to-Play	Oathkeeper	Worst ❘ D	Neutral	Source: Exotic Engrams Exotic Perk: "Bows charges can be held indefinitely." ► 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
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 serve much of a 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
Mechaneer's Tricksleeves	Arms	C › Weak	-	Neutral	Exotic Engrams	Free-to-Play	Mechaneer's Tricksleeves	Weak ❘ C	Neutral	Source: Exotic Engrams Exotic Perk: "Increases Sidearm ready and reload speed. While you're critically wounded, swapping to a Sidearm increases its damage." ► Now that sidearms can finally compete in PvP, the Mechaneer's Tricksleeves exotic is more relevant. Despite this, though, this remains a very conditional exotic, meaning that it might only be helpful once or twice in a game, which is not a lot...	Hunter
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." ► 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
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
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
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 Whirlwind Guard early. Guarding does not consume extra Super energy." ► 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
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
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

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.

More Destiny 2 Exotic Armor Tier lists:

• Titan Exotics
• Warlock Exotics
• Lost Sector Exotics

Best Destiny 2 Hunter Exotic armor in 2022

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. Renewal Grasps

 Excels in PVE

Renewal Grasps is perhaps one of the best defensive exotics on Hunter and possibly one of the best in the entire game. Other defensive options on Hunter involve making your team invisible, which is an excellent tool. However, once you take the offensive, you leave invisibility and, thus, lose your defensive advantage. Renewal Grasps, on the other hand, doesn’t have this problem.

Renewal causes enemies to deal 50% less damage if they are inside your Duskfield Grenade, and it grants allies 25% damage resistance if they are inside your Duskfield. Renewal Grasps also comes with the benefit of increasing the size of your Duskfield Grenade, and when this is combined with the Touch of Winter aspect, it turns your Duskfields into massive AoE freeze zones. You can also add in Whisper of Chains for even more damage resistance.

Renewal Grasps is an excellent pick for any Hunter wanting a more active form of defense and the crowd-control potential of Stasis.

How to get it: Renewal Grasps can only via acquired via solo Legend/Master Lost Sectors.

Armor	Class	Type	Requirements	Source	Released	Requires	Exotic Perk
Renewal Grasps	Hunter	Arms	The Witch Queen	Lost Sectors	Season 16	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."

9. 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		Free-to-Play	Exotic Perk: "We strive to know infinity, and sharpen our minds on the whetstone of the impossible."

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		Free-to-Play	Exotic Perk: "Aeon Exotics have an additional mod socket which is used for Aeon Cult mods."

7. 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."

6. St0mp-EE5

Best PvP Hunter Exotic in Destiny 2

Stompees are strange. Objectively, they aren’t the best exotic. The effect they provide is entirely a ‘feeling’ buff. Many players will opt for exotics that offer a strong impact effect, like Khepri’s Sting’s wallhacks, but nothing matches Stompees’ movement potential.

Many top players still use Stompees as the “feel” they provide is too good to pass up. When combined with Strafe Jump, you can bounce your head off a ceiling to gain incredible momentum to fly at your enemies and close the gap rapidly. Gaining the movement advantage, especially in a game with such broad movement, should not be ignored, regardless of the nerfs that Stompees may have received.

Stompees will forever be a top pick for Hunters as it is fun, powerful, and just feels really nice to use, which will always give Stompees a high ranking.

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
St0mp-EE5	Hunter	Legs	Free-to-Play	Exotic Engrams		Free-to-Play	Exotic Perk: "Increases sprint speed and slide distance. Improves High Jump, Strafe Jump, and Triple Jump."

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.

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.