When I first heard about “dad builds” in games like Destiny 2, I was shocked that I hadn’t come up with the concept. Obviously I know a little something about Destiny, and I also consider myself something of an expert on dads, having hosted a podcast on the subject for some time. How someone beat me to merging the two is beyond me.
In any case, a dad build is one which attempts to thread the needle of playing a game effectively with as little grinding as possible. It’s for people who want to enjoy a game like Destiny 2 but don’t necessarily play it as part of their job. You know, normal people. Is it weird that it’s gendered? I don’t know, I think anyone can be a dad. Basically, if you want to play Destiny 2 but you also want to play other games or leave the house, then a dad build is for you.
The question for dad build players is how to strike the balance of effectiveness versus effort. In assembling this guide, I erred on the side of putting in as little effort as possible. As such, I tried to focus on equipment you might find over the course of playing Destiny 2 normally. That means no long quest grinds, no raid gear, and no nightfall rewards. Pretty much everything can drop from Legendary Engrams or from packages you obtain from the various vendors in the Tower. Are there better weapons if you’re willing to put in more work? Certainly. But what we have here will get you far — and it also includes some of the top-tier choices in the meta right now.
Regarding randomly rolled perks: unless you’re playing at an extremely high level (competitive Crucible or Prestige Raids), you can basically look at them as bonuses. “God rolls” aren’t mandatory for most players, and you shouldn’t feel like you have to grind for them if you don’t want to.
More Destiny 2:
- Destiny 2 Warlock Guide
- Is It Too Late (Or Too Early) To Get Back Into Destiny 2?
- Destiny 2 Exotics: All Kinetic, Energy, and Power Weapons
Destiny 2 Dad Build Guide — Kinetic Weapons
Auto rifles are great Primary slot weapons, and there are two Kinetic ones in particular that I recommend. First, Halfdan-D is a high-impact, slow-firing archetype you can obtain from Banshee-44. It has great range and a good-sized magazine, with its only real issue being stability.
Tigerspite, which is a random drop from Dreaming City activities, is also a great choice. It has a lower impact but a higher rate of fire.
Moving on, pulse rifles are extremely popular in the Crucible right now. If you’re willing to play Gambit to get one, Bygones is probably the best choice. If not, then Go Figure is almost as good. The latter can be found in Legendary engrams and is a powerful four-shot burst weapon. It’s a fantastic all-around PVE and PVP weapon, and with the right perks can be a real monster.
Finally, if you prefer to use a Special weapon in your Kinetic slot then you can’t go wrong with Dust Rock Blues. This shotgun is a random drop through Tangled Shore activities and is an absolute beast regardless of whether you’re facing Scorn or other Guardians.
Destiny 2 Dad Build Guide — Energy Weapons
If you prefer to run an assault rifle in your Energy weapon slot, then go for Misfit. It has an extremely high rate of fire and a relatively predictable recoil pattern. You can find it in Legendary Engrams.
Speaking of weapons with a high rate of fire, there are several Energy submachine guns that are worth a look. Calus Mini-Tool is a guaranteed drop from the Menagerie with the right Rune selection and has an absurdly high rate of fire. As a bonus, it also increases your movement speed.
Riskrunner is an Exotic, but you can get it over the course of the Destiny 2 campaign. Outside of Crucible Pinnacle weapons, this is probably the best submachine gun in the game. Its main perk means that whenever you get hit with arc damage, your shots are powered up, you take less damage, and your clip constantly refills. Oh, and as long as you’re getting kills, you can stay in that mode indefinitely. Highly underrated.
Finally, Erentil FR-4 is hugely popular in the Crucible right now, and unlike most meta weapons it’s easy to get from Banshee-44. Fusion rifles were buffed big-time in Season of Opulence, and this one absolutely slaps against other Guardians with high impact and good range. Once you master the timing on the charge, you’ll be one-shotting people out of their supers.
Destiny 2 Dad Build Guide — Power Weapons
A lot of the truly great Power weapons in Destiny 2 right now are Exotics. But there are still some amazing choices amongst Legendary drops, too.
Edge Transit has gone from being a joke to an actually viable choice in PVE this season. Rolled with Spike Grenades, it’s a top-tier boss killer.
Hammerhead is the best light machine gun in Destiny 2, but it requires playing the Black Armory forge content. It’s relatively easy to get, but if you’re having a hard time then Fixed Odds is also a good choice. You can obtain it from the Menagerie, and while it has a lower rate of fire and stability, it boasts much higher impact.
With the right perks, Bad Omens is a great rocket launcher. You can get a fantastic one with Cluster Bombs and tracking from resetting your Gambit rank twice, but that takes forever. You can try and luck out by getting one as a random Gambit drop, or try getting a Zenobia-D from Banshee-44.
Destiny 2 Dad Build Guide — Class
I’m biased as a Warlock main, but the Stormcaller top tree (Attunement of Conduction) is probably one of the best all-around and easiest classes to play in Destiny 2 right now. Ever since arc abilities got buffed last season, Chain Lightning and Arc Web are unreal add clear abilities. Yes, you’ll miss out on Arc Soul, but it’s worth it for your grenades to wipe out half a dozen enemies at once. The Stormcaller super Stormtrance is an effective roaming super in both PVE and PVP.
If you play a lot of PVE with friends, then consider the Dawnblade middle tree (Attunement of Grace). The Well of Radiance super is one of the most useful in the game in PVE situations, and simply by casting it you’ll be hugely benefitting your entire fireteam.
That’s all for my Destiny 2 dad build guide. I hope you found it useful, and if you have any tips for aspiring dad Guardians out there, please leave them in the comments below.
