Destiny 2 Best Solar 3.0 Builds to Dominate Season 23

by | Jan 12, 2024 | Weapons

Not only do the revamped 3.0 Light Subclasses allow you to customize your Guardian more than ever, but they are also much more powerful than before. Are you ready to take your game to the next level? These are the best Solar 3.0 builds in Destiny 2, including builds for Titans, Warlocks, and Hunters.

And by the way, as with all the best Destiny 2 builds out there, these builds will guide you every step of the way, including essential Exotics, Mods, and more.

Top Solar builds

--NameClassAreaSubclassExcels inElementStatus
Solar WarlockSun WizardWarlockPvESolar SolarCasual ContentSolarBest in Class
Boots of the Assembler WarlockNoble AssemblerWarlockPvESolar SolarEndgameSolar
Solar Hunter buildRadiant AssassinHunterPvESolar SolarSolo ContentSolarBest in Class
Hunter Solar SuperGalanor’s PropellantHunterPvESolar SolarEndgameSolar
Solar gameplay Destiny 2 featuredIgniting KnifeslingerHunterPvESolar SolarEndgameSolar
Titan Solar 3.0 featuredUndying FlameTitanPvESolar SolarGrandmaster ContentSolarBest in Class
Solar supersSolar PaladinTitanPvESolar SolarEndgameSolar

Checkmark icon V3Updated as of Season of the Wish (S23).

Hunter Solar builds

Solar Hunter build

 Radiant Assassin

Excels in: Solo Content

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

Mandatory Gear:A Solar primary such as the Calus Mini-Tool and a good close-range Special weapon like Heritage are recommended. A One-Two Punch Shotgun can also work well.

ArtWeaponTypeArchetypeRarityAmmoElementRequirementsIn loot pool?Ammo?Element?TierExcelsSourceCraftable?RequiresReleasedSlotCan be Crafted?Best of?Top Perk?
Heritage Destiny 2 artHeritageShotgunPinpoint SlugLegendarySpecialKineticBeyond LightYesSpecial ammo Destiny 2 SpecialKinetic symbol Destiny 2 Kinetic
Best

S

PvE + PvPDeep Stone Crypt RaidCheckmark icon V3 YesBeyond Light Destiny 2 icon
Beyond Light
Season 12KineticCraftableTop-tierReconstruction
CALUS Mini-Tool artCALUS Mini-ToolSubmachine GunMIDA SynergyLegendaryPrimarySolarBeyond LightYesPrimary ammo Destiny 2 PrimarySolar Solar
Best

S

PvEPresageCheckmark icon V3 YesBeyond Light Destiny 2 icon
Beyond Light
Season 17EnergyCraftableTop-tierIncandescent

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

ArmorClassTypeRequirementsSourceReleasedRequiresExotic Perk
Assassin's Cowl Hunter Exotic Destiny 2 art

Assassin's Cowl

HunterHelmShadowkeepExotic EngramsSeason 8Shadowkeep Destiny 2 icon
Shadowkeep
Exotic Perk: "Powered melee final blows grant invisibility and restore a portion of health and shields. Finishers and final blows against more powerful targets increase the duration of the invisibility and the amount of health and shields."
  • Aspects: Knock ‘em Down is necessary. The other Aspect is up to you. However, we do recommend On Your Mark for the ability to equip 5 Fragments.
  • Fragments: Ember of Torches is mandatory too. For the rest, Ember of Mercy, Ember of Torches, Ember of Empyrean, Ember of Singeing, and Ember of Searing are all suitable.
  • Abilities: Gambler’s Dodge, Blade Barrage, Healing Grenade, and Knife Trick.
  • Stats: High Mobility and Resilience are recommended for optimal uptime on your Gambler’s Dodge and heightened levels of damage resistance.
  • Mods:
    • Helmet: Hands-On, Harmonic Siphon, and Powerful Friends
    • Arms: x2 Heavy Handed and Impact Induction
    • Chest: Concussive Dampener and Resist mods depending on enemy damage
    • Legs: Surge mods matching your weapons
    • Class Item: Time Dilation and Powerful Attraction

Gameplay Loop

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

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

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

 

Dragon's Breath Exotic rocket launcher featured Destiny 2

Galanor’s Propellant

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

Goal of the Build: Combo your abilities to keep causing Ignitions to fuel Dragon’s Breath.

Mandatory Gear: Dragon’s Breath is a must. A Solar Primary is preferable, such as Calus Mini-Tool, Epochal Integration, or Zaouli’s Bane, and a Kinetic slot Fusion Rifle like Scatter Signal or Riptide. For the Exotic, you'll definitely need Shards of Galanor:

ArmorClassTypeRequirementsSourceReleasedRequiresExotic Perk
Shards of Galanor Hunter Exotic Destiny 2 art

Shards of Galanor

HunterArmsForsaken PackExotic EngramsSeason 4Forsaken Destiny 2 icon
Forsaken Pack
Exotic Perk: "Hits and kills with Blade Barrage will return Super energy after the Super ends."
  • Aspects: Knock ‘em Down is necessary. Gunpowder Gamble or On Your Mark is a personal preference. However, Gunpowder Gamble may net you more damage.
  • Fragments: Ember of Empyrean, Ember of Torches, Ember of Ashes, and Ember of Singeing. Opt for Ember of Solace if you are running On Your Mark and have an additional slot.
  • Abilities: Blade Barrage, Healing Grenade, Knife Trick and Gambler’s Dodge.
  • Stats: High Mobility and Resilience should be specced into. Intellect is a good option, too.
  • Mods:
    • Helmet: Hands-On, Solar Siphon, and Heavy Ammo Finder
    • Arms: Heavy Handed, Impact Induction, and Focusing Strike
    • Chest: Resistance Mods
    • Legs: 1x Solar Surge, 1x Surge matching your Kinetic weapon, and Recuperation
    • Class Item: Time Dilation, Reaper, and Powerful Attraction

Gameplay Loop

This build entirely revolves around building your Super as fast as possible. Thanks to Shards of Galanor’s ‘Sharp Edges’ perk, we can refund up to 50% of our Super if we hit all our Blade Barrage Knives. Additionally, killing enemies with our Knife Trick will net us between 2.5-5% Super energy. This, coupled with the Super energy gain from Hands-On, nets us our Super in no time at all.

Dragon’s Breath is one of the main sources of damage we have, and to fuel it (literally), we want to cause as many Ignitions as we can. This is possible thanks to Knife Trick’s high Scorch potential and Ember of Ashes and Focusing Strike refunding our Gambler’s Dodge as often as possible.

A Fusion Rifle like Scatter Signal or Riptide allows us to get our Super back even faster as these weapons generate Super energy incredibly fast. Super energy is generated through ‘instances of damage’, not the damage value itself, meaning that every single bolt from the Fusion Rifle will grant a small bit of Super energy.

Overall, look to spam your Knife Trick to build Super energy, make sure that you are getting the full 50% refund on Blade Barrage, and look to cause as many Ignitions as you can when damaging a boss, granting your Dragon’s Breath as much power as possible.

 

Caliban's Hand Hunter Exotic

Igniting Knifeslinger

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

Goal of the Build: Chain Proximity Knives back to back with constant Radiant while causing Ignitions to clear waves of enemies.

Mandatory Gear: No specific weapons are required. However, guns that roll with Swashbuckler can synergize well with the constant melee kills you will be getting. Dragon’s Breath can be a decent pick, too. For the Exotic, you'll definitely need:

ArmorClassTypeRequirementsSourceReleasedRequiresExotic Perk
Caliban's Hand Hunter Destiny 2 art

Caliban's Hand

HunterArmsThe Witch QueenLost SectorsSeason 17The Witch Queen Destiny 2 icon
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."
  • Aspects: Knock ‘em Down is necessary. The second aspect is up to you. Gunpowder Gamble can provide solid add clear, while On Your Mark grants another Fragment slot.
  • Fragments: Ember of Torches is required, and Ember of Empyrean is excellent. The other Fragments are up to personal preference, but Ember of Eruption is good.
  • Abilities: Proximity Knife is required. Healing Grenade is best for constant Restoration through Ember of Empyrean.
  • Stats: Maximum Mobility and Resilience are recommended, and high Discipline is also helpful.
  • Mods:
    • Helmet: Hands-On, Heavy Ammo Finder, Heavy Ammo Scout.
    • Arms: Heavy Handed, Impact Induction, and Focusing Strike.
    • Chest: Concussive Dampener and resistance mods matching your enemy’s damage.
    • Legs: Surge Mods matching your weapons.
    • Class Item: Time Dilation and x2 Outreach.

Gameplay Loop

The gameplay loop for this build is very simple. The only condition that you must always meet to keep the engine running is a kill with your Proximity Knife. That is it. The build is entirely dependent on your knives, which is why you are going to want to have your Gambler’s Dodge always ready as a backup option.

With your Fragment choices, you will be able to create constant orbs through Ember of Wonder, and with Ember of Blistering, you can have high uptime on your Grenades, allowing for either more survivability with Healing Grenade or even more burning with Solar Grenade.

Getting the final blow with the knife is key. The additional Scorch damage from the Proximity Knife does not count as a knife kill, thus not causing the Ignition.

 

🔷 Pro tip: You can find more builds on our dedicated Hunter Builds hub.

Warlock Solar builds

Solar Warlock

Sun Wizard

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

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

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

ArmorClassTypeRequirementsSourceReleasedRequiresExotic Perk
Sunbracers Warlock Exotic Destiny 2 art

Sunbracers

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

Gameplay Loop

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

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

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

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

 

Boots of the Assembler Warlock

Noble Assembler

Excels In: Casual and Endgame content

Goal of the Build: Empower yourself and allies using support exotics and abilities such as Healing Grenade and Lumina.

Mandatory Gear: The two main pieces of equipment we’ll use here are Lumina and Boots of the Assembler.

ArmorClassTypeRequirementsSourceReleasedRequiresExotic Perk
Boots of the Assembler Destiny 2 art

Boots of the Assembler

WarlockLegsBeyond LightLost SectorsSeason 14Beyond Light Destiny 2 icon
Beyond Light
Exotic Perk: "Standing in a healing rift creates Noble Seekers that seek out allies that are not in a rift and heal them. Noble Seekers from Empowering rift grant both you and your ally a damage bonus. Each time a Noble Seeker finds one of your allies, the duration of your rift is briefly extended."

Both will empower allies and you, making this build a fantastic option for team play.

ArtWeaponTypeArchetypeRarityAmmoElementRequirementsIn loot pool?Ammo?Element?TierExcelsSourceCraftable?RequiresReleasedSlotCan be Crafted?Best of?Top Perk?
Destiny 2 Lumina artLuminaHand CannonExoticExoticPrimaryKineticForsaken PackYesPrimary ammo Destiny 2 PrimaryKinetic symbol Destiny 2 Kinetic
Best

S

PvE + PvPExotic KioskError icon V2 NoForsaken Destiny 2 icon
Forsaken Pack
Season 7KineticNoTop-tier
  • Aspects: Heat Rises and Touch of Flame.
  • Fragments: This build only requires three fragments: Ember of Benevolence, Torches, and Solace. The fourth slot is entirely up to you.
  • Abilities: Healing Grenade is best here to build into the support identity even more.
  • Stats: Discipline is excellent to get your Healing Grenade back quicker. Beyond that, Resilience and Recovery are the clear options here, as always.
  • Mods:
    • Helmet: Kinetic Siphon
    • Arms: Impact Induction, Focusing Strike
    • Chest: Resist mods
    • Legs: Innervation, Insulation
    • Class Item: Bomber

Gameplay Loop

While there isn’t a specific gameplay ‘loop’ for this build, everything works in conjunction, and understanding all the moving parts is vital to your success.

Kills with Lumina will drop Noble Rounds, which you can shoot at allies to give both you and them a damage buff. This will also proc Ember of Benevolence, giving you more ability energy. This ability energy will give you your melee back, which, when used, will provide you and your nearby allies Radiant (which, once again, procs Benevolence). Throwing or swallowing your grenade will also grant Restoration, giving you even more ability energy.

Lastly, placing down your rift will activate Boots of the Assembler’s perk, spawning Noble Seekers and empowering allies while giving you the Ember of Benevolence buff. As you can see, everything has a place in this build, allowing you to chain support ability after support ability. Even better, you’ll receive buffs from most of these sources, making you more potent while also helping allies.

 

🔷 Pro tip: You can find more builds on our dedicated Warlock Builds hub.

Titan Solar builds

Titan Solar 3.0 featured

Undying Flame

Excels In: Grandmaster Content

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

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

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

ArmorClassTypeRequirementsSourceReleasedRequiresExotic Perk
Loreley Splendor Helm Titan Destiny 2 art

Loreley Splendor Helm

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

Synthoceps

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

Gameplay Loop

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

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

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

 

Solar supers

Solar Paladin

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

Goal of the Build: Create lots of Sunspots to turn your Titan into a "budget warlock." With Phoenix Cradle exotic, these sunspots will help your teammates too. This build is solid in team activities where sources of healing are scarce.

Mandatory gear: The only hard requirement for this build is the Phoenix Cradle exotic leg armor.

ArmorClassTypeRequirementsSourceReleasedRequiresExotic Perk
Phoenix Cradle Titan Destiny 2

Phoenix Cradle

TitanLegsShadowkeepExotic EngramsSeason 8Shadowkeep Destiny 2 icon
Shadowkeep
Exotic Perk: "Sun Warrior lasts twice as long. Allies who pass through your Sunspots are granted Sun Warrior."
  • Aspects: This build is quite flexible in terms of the aspects needed. Only Sol Invictus is required.
  • Fragments: Fragments that work with/benefit Sol Invictus are the best choice, including Ember of Torches, Ember of Solace, Ember of Empyrean, and Ember of Tempering.
  • Abilities: Thermite and Solar grenades are the best bet when dealing with large groups of enemies. For the melee, Throwing Hammer is recommended, as it also provides the Cure buff when picked up.
  • Stats: High or Max Resilience (increased damage reduction and faster barricade cooldown) is the main stat to focus on. Strength and Discipline are the next most important stats.
  • Mods: Whilst requiring no mods to function, this build can benefit from a simple Orbs of Power set-up. In addition, mods that reduce the cooldown for your abilities, such as Bomber or any Kickstart mods, can be great, as more abilities mean more sunspots.

Gameplay Loop

The gameplay loop here revolves around creating as many sunspots as possible.

The Phoenix Cradle’s exotic perk, “Beacons of Empowerment", significantly buffs the sunspots created by Sol Invictus. The sunspots last twice as long, and your fireteam members can now gain buffs when passing through them. They grant both Sol Invictus and Solar Restoration. This makes the sunspots function as a makeshift Warlock Healing Rift whilst keeping their ability to scorch enemies.

Unlike Warlock rifts, it is possible to have several sunspots at once. This is done by defeating enemies with solar abilities or defeating enemies while they are scorched in order to proc Sol Invictus. Therefore, the gameplay loop for this build is quite straightforward. Use your solar abilities/weapons to create sunspots and move from sunspot to sunspot to have a constant source of Restoration.

 

🔷 Pro tip: You can find more builds on our dedicated Titan Builds hub.

Before you go…

While most of these builds are geared toward endgame content, most will be extremely lethal in casual and seasonal content. Did we miss an Solar build you think should definitely be added? Let us know in the comments below!

About The Author

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