Destiny 2’s sandbox is constantly changing with new buffs, nerfs, Exotic armor pieces, aspects, and in the case of the Destiny 2: Lightfall expansion, a brand-new subclass. It can be hard to keep up with what the best subclass is for both PVE and PVP so today, let's take a look at what the top choices are in the current sandbox for Season of the Witch.
Destiny 2 PVE Tier List
1. Titans
Titans are essential to endgame PVE as they can cover both support and aggressive roles in a fireteam at the same time. While every Titan subclass has benefits, Solar and Strand Titans have the strongest toolkits of the bunch. Solar Titans can take on threats with their trusty “Bonk Hammer”, which is basically the Throwing Hammer melee for Solar Titans, without dying to the point where they can safely solo a dungeon. They can even heal a fireteam with the Sunspots with the Phoenix Cradle Exotic Legs. Moreover, with the addition of the new Pyrogale Gauntlets armor piece, Titans can put out some serious DPS by turning their Burning Maul Super into a one shot Super. This Exotic is just like the Celestial Nighthawk Exotic for Hunters, except players have affectionately been calling it “Celestial Nightbonk”.
As for Strand Titans, they have the strongest utility when it comes to keeping a fireteam alive and strong. They can Suspend targets, turn Tangles into Woven Mail for the fireteam, even heal them while boosting their melee and sword damage, thanks to the Into the Fray and Banner of War aspects respectively.
Still, Thundercrash with Cuirass of the Falling Star, a Bubble for Void, and Diamond Lances for Stasis are good additions for a fireteam.
2. Warlocks
Solar Warlocks play with Well of Radiance by equipping Sunbracers for ad-clear and Lunafaction Boots with weapon surge mods for DPS. Alternatively, Warlocks can use the Cenotaph Mask or Aeon Soul to generate ammo for the fireteam. To aid the fireteam in healing, the Boots of the Assembler Exotic legs can be used to send healing projectiles that track to your allies. Your fireteam already has a Well? Too bad, you should run Well of Radiance too!
3. Hunters
Hunters have a versatile toolkit in PVE as they can either support fireteams with Void Invisibility and Tethers for debuffing, or they can dish out some serious DPS with Arc and Solar Hunters. Void Hunters with Orpheus Rig can spam Deadfall Tethers to keep a room in check while also debuffing a boss if need be. Void Hunters also offer great support with the Trapper’s Ambush aspect that turns them and nearby allies invisible upon throwing their smoke bomb melee. Omnioculus gives Hunters two Smoke Bombs while offering a 40% damage reduction upon activating Trapper’s Ambush. Gyrfalcon’s Hauberk is one of the best Exotics for any class in the game as it offers Volatile Rounds when Hunters come out of invisibility. Combining that with the Stylish Executioner aspect turns Hunters invisible upon getting kills with a Void debuff like Volatile Rounds. Consequently, Hunters can stay in a prolonged state of invisibility with on-demand Volatile Rounds.
Arc and Solar Hunters can use the Star Eater Scales Exotic to buff up their Supers by picking up Orbs of Power, which are always around. Arc Hunters can also help with ad-clear by chaining Lightning by getting melee kills. Solar Hunters are ideal for DPS with additional Exotics like Celestial Nighthawk and Foetracer. There’s also a way for a group of Solar Hunters with Golden Gun and Celestial Nighthawk to endlessly chain Golden Guns for heavy boss DPS.
Destiny 2 PVP Tier List
1. Titans
Arc Titans have the strongest toolkit in the current PVP meta. The Touch of Thunder aspect allows Arc Titans two Lightning grenades without the Armamentarium Exotic — which other Titan subclasses need to access two grenades. Moreover, these Lightning Grenades also Jolt targets without needing the Spark of Shock Exotic. Other aspects are solid too. Knockout makes Titans’ punches more powerful if they wound a target, giving them more range on their melee lunges. This ability heals Titans and makes them Amplified so they can run away or attack opponents more quickly. The last aspect is Juggernaut, providing Guardians a shield when they sprint with full class energy. Any combination of these Exotics makes Titans stupidly powerful. Oh, Arc Titans also have a near unstoppable Super in Thundercrash.
The other choice is Void Titan, which is robust and respectable in its own right, but the main benefit is the ridiculously fast cooldown for Ward of Dawn. A bubble can help win rounds in competitive PVP if used right.
2. Warlocks
Solar and Stasis Warlocks are some of the strongest subclass picks in the current PVP meta, with Void being a wild card pick with everything it has to offer. Now one of the reasons Solar Warlocks are great in PVP is Well of Radiance. This has the same utility as Titan Bubbles, and a well-placed Well can make or break a round of Competitive PVP. Additionally, Icarus Dash works as a get-out-of-jail-free card with the Heat Rises aspect, giving two Icarus Dashes whenever Heat Rises is active. Heat Rises also offers a whopping 70 Airborne Effectiveness to weapons. There’s even some fun interactions with a combination of Heat Rises, the Phoenix Dive class ability and the Incinerator Snap melee, which causes enough Scorch to Ignite Guardians.
As for Stasis, Stasis Warlocks are the best counter to Arc Titans, especially those with Antaeus Wards. A simple freeze with Coldsnap Grenades, or Rift via the Frostpulse aspect, sends a freezing shockwave upon activating a class ability. This can stop Titans in their tracks. Pairing this with the Iceflare Bolts aspect to chainfreeze nearby enemies upon defeating a frozen target, Stasis Warlocks can be menacing in the Crucible. Stasis Warlocks have Stasis Turrets that slow enemies too that can also tag invisible Hunters coming your way. Lastly, the Stasis Warlock Super is arguably the best PVP Super in the game as it can stop opposing Supers coming your way.
Void Warlocks have all the bells and whistles that make Void great in PVP. Things like Echo of Dilation offers enhanced radar when crouching while Echo of Undermining can make grenades apply the Weaken debuff and Echo of Vigilance — which can grant players a Void overshield if they get a kill while their shields are depleted. However, Pocket Accelerant, the Void Warlock melee and the Child of the Old Gods aspect set Void Warlocks apart. Pocket Accelerant can make targets volatile while also forcibly pushing them out of things like Well of Radiance and Ward of Dawn, disorienting enemy players and leaving them open for a clean kill. Child of the Old Gods is essentially a Void Soul that weakens enemies, and in the Crucible, it can track opponents across the map too. It's an excellent tool to push opponents out from a zone or particularly, Titans hiding behind barricades.
3. Hunters
Hunters aren’t the strongest contenders in PVP at the moment, but a skilled Hunter is a force to be reckoned with. Strand Hunters with Suspend, and now the new Whirling Maelstrom aspect can wreak havoc in the Crucible. Also, Suspend is an effective counter for Titans. The Suspend animation can also get Hunters out of tough situations if there are too many Guardians on you in a fight. Cyrtarachne’s Facade, the first and only Hunter Strand Exotic offers Woven Mail after activating a Grapple alongside some significant flinch resistance when Woven Mail is active. Although the Strand Hunter is not the easiest toolkit to learn, it is worth investing time into.
Solar Hunters with Young Ahamkara’s Spine and its enhanced Tripmine grenades can potentially defeat opponents with one grenade. These can also be used for zoning in a map by keeping players boxed in as they shoot the Tripmine grenades, and it has more health than a normal Tripmine. Beyond that, Blade Barrage is an effective Super in Crucible too.
The Touch of Winter and Winter’s Shroud aspects make Stasis Hunters strong in PVP, especially with Stasis grenades. Winter’s Shroud can slow targets down, which can be useful for Hunters or their fireteam as the Slow debuff makes it hard for enemies to shoot back. Combining this with the Gemini Jester Exotic Legs takes away enemy radars, and players can anticipate the opponent's next move while they wait out their slowed debuff.
I also want to point out that if you can’t pick an Exotic to pair with any of these playstyles, ST0MP-EE5 legs are still strong despite its recent nerf that took away the higher jump height and movement speed upon activating a class ability.
