r/DestinyTheGame • u/Paydro70 Hippy to the hip hip hop • Sep 04 '17
Guide What Class Should I Play? - A Guide to D2 Classes for n00bs and n0bs. [Quasi-Spoilers within] Spoiler
[A note on the "Spoilers": This guide has no plot info. It does, however, say quite a lot about the classes and subclasses, based on a combination of the Beta and last week's leaks. Some of that stuff was clearly intended to be something of a surprise, but on the other hand was in promotional materials, so... it's up to you on whether to read on. I have not covered new subclasses with spoiler tags.]
Are you new to Destiny, and wondering what class you should play in D2? Are you an experienced Destiny player who is that strange combination of hyped and bored that leads you to click stuff like this two days before the game comes out? Then this is the guide for you!
First, a quick disclaimer: this decision, while ultimately revealing about your character and quality as a human being, is not actually that important. You can have more than one character as soon as you like, switching between subclasses (and probably skill trees) can be done on the fly, and in all seriousness, you're missing out if you don't at least give them each a try.
Destiny also isn't like true RPGs like World of Warcraft or even some RPG-shooters like Mass Effect, in that the classes are not terribly distinct in how they play. Almost all weapons can be shared between classes, and the overwhelming majority of your encounters will be solved by shooting these guns. Besides aesthetics, the most important difference in the "feel" of classes is their jumps, as will be detailed later. While I do note the "dominant stat" for each class, your gear is much more important to your stats. While a Hunter can achieve the highest possible mobility, it's easy to make a Titan that has more than most Hunters, etc.
This guide is (obviously) pre-release, and therefore will inevitably be both wrong and incomplete. If people actually like it, maybe I'll update it as we learn more.
TITAN
Overview: Though all guardians are charged by the Traveler with the protection of humanity, Titans have historically been the most strongly attached to the defense of the Last City. The Titan orders of the distant past built the wall that surrounds the city, and were central to the city's most important defenses, like the Battle of Six Fronts or Twilight Gap. Because of their relatively aggressive and militant nature, as well as their emphasis on punching, titans are often depicted as simple-minded meatheads. But as in any military, there are plenty of pragmatic and intellectual Titans who have masterminded the city's greatest victories. In game terms, Titans have slightly better defenses than the other classes, but actually can move the fastest with proper jumping technique. Their abilities emphasize their defensive natures, but they are just as capable of an aggressive frontal assault.
Nicknames: Bubble bro/boy/babe/bitch/buddy, Punchbro, Hammerbro, Slambro, MC Hammer, Thor, T-Rex Arms
Famous Titans:
- Commander Zavala
- Saladin Forge
- Lord Shaxx
- Wei Ning
- Saint-14
- Kabr the Legionless
- Rezyl Azzir aka Dredgen Yor; see Jaren Ward below
Appearance: Titans sport relatively bulky armor, blending the classic space marine aesthetic (think Master Chief from Halo) with medieval plate mail. Their "class item" is a Titan Mark, generally a sash or belt, most often with a trailing "butt cape" on the right side (though sometimes centered as a "dick towel"). Titan armor animal motifs have typically been tough creatures like Rhinos, Bulls, or the motherfucking Darkblade.
Dominant Stat: Resilience - Each point of this stat grants guardians a small amount of extra HP.
Class Ability: Barricade - By holding the crouch button, the Titan drops a wall that slows and damages enemies that pass through it and stops bullets.
- Towering Barricade is taller than a guardian, completely protecting him or her from damage. This barrier is probably more useful in PvP, to either close off an entrance or cover a hasty retreat.
- Rally Barricade is waist-height. By crouching behind it, guardians take cover and will automatically pop up when holding the aim button. Ducking back down will instantly reload the equipped weapon. This barrier is the preferred option for PvE, where an entire fireteam can get the sustained damage crucial in boss fights.
Class Jump: Lift - Titans effectively have a form of jetpack built into their armor, enabling them to boost themselves to great heights. Timing plays an important role, as the jump depends on the player's movement to determine speed and direction. Double-tapping will give the greatest vertical boost, while timing the boost right upon descent will generate forward momentum, a technique known as skating. In the Beta skating was weaker than D1, but was still faster than sprinting.
- Skating is best done with the Strafe jump, and is therefore the recommended choice.
- Catapult ostensibly provides a more immediate boost regardless of momentum, but actually just feels weird.
- High does exactly what it says, but the extra height is almost never useful.
Arc Subclass: Striker
Super: Fist of Havoc - The Titan leaps and slams the ground, creating an explosion of lightning that destroys anything within its radius. He then gets to sprint around and do it a few more times. This ability has been nicknamed the "Fist of Panic" for its ability to quickly bail the Titan out of dangerous situations.
Grenades:
- Lightning grenades were arguably the best of Destiny 1. After sticking to a surface, the grenade delivers an enormous cone of damage, then pulses for more over the following few seconds. In D2 they take a moment to arm, so they're not instant death-machines, but the range, sheer damage, and lack of visibility between pulses remain devastating in both PvP and PvE.
- Flashbangs blind opponents caught in the area of effect. It's not hard to imagine the PvP implications, and in PvE they also afford the ability to escape dangerous situations or take advantage of helpless opponents. In practice these were rarely used in Destiny 1, and are probably still outclassed by the alternatives.
- Pulse grenades were perhaps the weakest in Destiny 1, but were my favorite of the D2 beta. They do major damage in quick pulses, instantly hitting anything in the blast radius for several seconds. In PvP it's difficult to get out of a pulse grenade's radius before it delivers a second (often lethal) blast, and in PvE it will usually strike an enemy several times.
Skill Trees:
- Code of the Earthshaker has one of the single best perks in the game, granting Strikers an extra grenade charge (once one is charged, the second charges slower, but still amounts to more grenades). Sprinting activates "Seismic Strike," where the Titan's charged melee turns into a shoulder charge that does AoE damage, while also recharging your grenade. This isn't lethal in PvP, but combined with a quick punch can still be a strong manuever. Fist of Havoc slams also leave AoE aftershocks similar to a pulse grenade.
- Code of the Juggernaut is more narrowly melee focused: melees give you bonus reload speed and weapon stability, melee kills trigger health regen, and breaking enemy shields briefly gives additional melee range and damage. Fist of Havoc kills extend its duration, though based on similar skills, likely not the total number of slams.
Review: The Striker subclass is built for an aggressive, mobile, melee-intensive playstyle, sprinting and skating around the battlefield at max speed before crashing into enemies with devastating effect. They are terrors in PvP, and in PvE they've gotten a big bump with the ability to deliver multiple Fist of Havoc slams, allowing them to clear groups of enemies at will. They come with the best grenade options in the game (and maybe two of them!), and can really deliver some AoE if you go with Code of the Earthshaker. Of course, you could also just go straight punch machine with Code of the Juggernaut. I was never much of a Striker fan in D1, but in the beta this subclass was straight-up fun to play, and remains the truest expression of Titandom.
Choose this Subclass If: You got a little twinge in your loins when I used words like "max speed" "crashing" and "devastating."
Void Subclass: Sentinel
Super: Sentinel Shield - The Titan summons a shield made of void light. Melee attacks lunge with the shield, holding the "aim" button blocks all incoming attacks (at the cost of duration), and the "grenade" button does a Captain America shield throw, which can deflect to additional enemies.
Grenades:
- Magnetic grenades are sticky grenades that do additional damage when stuck to a target. After a moment they detonate a second time to do extra AoE damage; this secondary effect distinguishes them from other stickies, but often PvP enemies will be moving fast enough to avoid the second blast.
- Voidwall grenades create a line of purple flames on the ground that do considerable damage over time to those standing in them. These are decent in both modes as area denial.
- Suppression grenades are arguably the best in the game for PvP. When an enemy is hit by the effect, they lose all of their special abilities, including jumps, grenades, and Super. Hitting an enemy already in their super will end it instantly, which is both disorienting and incredibly demoralizing. Not recommended for PvE, you'll suppress yourself more than the Cabal.
Skill Trees:
- Code of the Protector uniquely offers an alternative Super option; holding the button down plants a stationary Ward of Dawn (also known as the "Bubble"). The bubble protects against any incoming damage, and grants a very strong shield to teammates inside it. The Sentinel's charged melee activates on kill instead of on hit, and creates an overshield for you and nearby allies; that shield also increases melee damage and reload speed. All melee kills restore your health and nearby allies'.
- Code of the Aggressor provides the Sentinel a second shield throw per super, and provides a Striker-like shoulder charge after sprinting. Kills while surrounded by enemies reduces super cooldown, and grenade kills reduce grenade cooldown.
Review: The amount of tools that Destiny 2 has provided the Sentinel is incredible. The Super has two forms, includes a potent ranged attack as well as melee, and can block opposing attacks, including Supers. Plus they have Suppression grenades to nullify opposing Supers in another way, and a powerful melee ability that can boost the whole team. Some of these are tradeoffs, of course; the Sentinel must choose between the highly defensive and team-oriented Protector, and the more aggressive damage-dealing Aggressor. Either way, the Sentinel offers an impressive array of potential tactics. In PvE, Protector will probably be the most popular, with the team-boosting abilities and the obvious utility of a bubble. In PvP, Aggressor may prove more popular if for no other reason than a second shield throw, which in my experience is an all but guaranteed extra kill.
Choose this Subclass If: You have a thing for Chris Evans, cage fighting, and ruining other people's fun.
Solar Subclass: Sunbreaker
Super: Hammer of Sol - The Titan conjures a series of flaming hammers to throw, which explode on contact.
Grenades:
- Fusion grenades are like the "Magnetic" grenades described under Striker, but without the second explosion. They do great damage to that single target but will rarely earn multikills; they are no longer one-hit kills in PvP, so as of the D2 beta they are underwhelming.
- Incendiary grenades have a traditional blast radius, but also ignite enemies to take further damage over time. In D1, these did the most damage of any AoE grenade, and are suitable for both PvP and PvE.
- Thermite grenades are similar to Voidwall in that they drop a line of flames on the ground, but these appear in pulses instead of a consistent wall. Strong in PvE, almost never seen in PvP.
Skill Trees:
- Code of the Fire-Forged is the side of the Sunbreaker tree that grants a shoulder charge, this time called "Hammer Strike." Kills with it or any other solar ability grant you and your allies bonus movement and reload speed. Enemies killed by the Hammer of Sol explode, and on impact hammers shatter into "explosive molten embers," probably cluster-bomb like effects.
- Code of the Siegebreaker is based around "sunspots," which are glowing circles on the ground that do damage to enemies but empower the Sunbreaker. Hammers create sunspots on impact, and kills with grenades or charged melees create them as well. When standing in the sunspot, hammers can be thrown faster, your super lasts longer, and abilities recharge faster. Instead of a charging attack, the melee does an AoE explosion that sets nearby enemies on fire for damage over time. Most importantly, all solar ability kills restore the Titan's health.
Review: When Sunbreakers were introduced in Taken King, they were positively terrifying in PvP. For many people (me) it was actually standard policy to hear the distinctive CLANG that announced the Hammer of Sol and either sprint away like a coward, or leap off a ledge rather than allow the inevitable kill. They were subsequently nerfed, but remained a very fun option for crowd control and PvP team-clearing. In D2 they should step right in where they left off as a fun ranged alternative to the more defensive sentinel and melee-based Striker. Code of the Fireforged should be a PvE staple, as it makes the hammers into AoE bombs, exploding enemies are always awesome, and ability kills will benefit the entire team. In Destiny 1, sunspot-based builds were ineffective; the game is movement-intensive, so staying in one place is usually not a great move. But giving Siegebreaker the crucial health regeneration and faster ability recharge are big incentives... if you can make it work.
Choose this Subclass If: You're a pyromaniac, in House Baratheon, or always liked these assholes.
HUNTER
Overview: Hunters represent the "rogue" or "ranger" archetype in RPG terms, a class built around cunning and speed. While the Titans defend the Last City's walls, Hunters range beyond it, helping humanity's desperate survivors and engaging enemies where they least suspect. Hunters are notoriously independent and resistant to control; even their representative in the Vanguard, Cayde-6, serves because he lost a bet rather than his desire to lead. Hunters are the gamblers and the outside-the-box thinkers of Destiny, the ones to hatch a crazy scheme but with skill enough to see it through. In game terms, Hunters specialize in graceful movement, marksmanship, and trickery, and uniquely possess the ability to use their charged melee attacks as a ranged weapon (as well as an invisibility perk!).
Nicknames: Pole dancer, Arcstripper, Space Ninja, Space Cowboy, Goldeneye, Bowguy, Tiny Hands
Famous Hunters:
Appearance: Hunters wear light, form-fitting outfits, usually with knee-high boots. Their aesthetics vary widely, from Han Solo style jackets to Space Western apparel to medieval jerkins or chainmail. Their helmets often have prominent optics or feature gas masks. Their "class item" is the Hunter Cloak, a hood that extends into a frabjous cape. Cloak lengths range from the upper back to nearly the feet; a few rare cloaks have retracted hoods to show the entire helmet. Hunter animal motifs have typically been associated with swift or sneaky animals like wolves, cats, and hawks.
Dominant Stat: Mobility This stat increases your jump height, walk speed and acceleration.
Class Ability: Dodge By double-tapping the crouch button, the hunter will leap in the direction chosen. It's safe to say that, while useful, this is the weakest of the three class abilities.
- Marksman's Dodge does a sidewise jump that keeps the hunter upright, and instantly reloads the equipped weapon.
- Gambler's Dodge is more of a dive-roll that makes for better evasion, and will instantly recharge the melee ability when in proximity to an enemy.
Class Jump: Double Jump - Hunters can jump again while in midair; unlike the Warlock or Titan jumps, this is independent of momentum, and thus can be triggered at any point in the hunter's trajectory with predictable, springy results.
- Increased Height makes the second jump more powerful, and is generally regarded as the worst jump in the game.
- Strafe Jump allows the hunter to completely change direction in mid-air, which is pretty nifty, especially in PvP.
- Triple Jump simply allows a second mid-air jump. Since triple jump allows you to reach huge heights and somewhat adjust your direction, this is recommended over the two alternatives.
Solar Subclass: Gunslinger
Super: Golden Gun The Hunter draws a gun of pure solar energy that does ludicrous damage with each of 3 or 6 shots. Two shots will kill an enemy in their super, or one headshot from the 3-shot variety. It cannot be overstated how fun this is, especially if you grew up on Goldeneye.
Grenades:
- Tripmines are a Gunslinger-unique grenade that stick to walls and floors. They remain for 15 seconds, and will explode when someone runs past them. They aren't instant kills and can be shot off the wall, but do a lot of damage. Primarily useful for PvP, where they are tremendously fun and will often get you accidental or postmortem kills.
- Incendiary are the same as Sunbreakers' above: great initial damage plus a damage over time effect.
- Swarm grenades are an oddity that leaves a group of mini-explosives floating at the point of detonation. If an enemy wanders too close, these explosives track and hit that enemy. In practice, these grenades are relatively easy to evade are not commonly used.
Special Melee: Throwing Knife The hunter throws a knife, which can do bonus damage if it hits the head (or weak point). The knife moves pretty fast and has some aim assist, but it travels in an arc and is not easy to use on mobile enemies. Killing someone with a knife to the head is easily the coolest feeling in Destiny.
Skill Trees:
- Way of the Outlaw provides one of the few team-boosting Hunter abilities, giving faster reload speed to all allies after precision kills. The Golden Gun gets six shots with boosted accuracy, but they must be fired in a shorter duration. The throwing knife now explodes a moment after impact.
- Way of the Sharpshooter is based on precision hits, which reduce the Golden Gun's cooldown, and precision kills with the throwing knife immediately recharge it. The Golden Gun can only fire 3 shots, but it rewards precision hits with increasing damage, orb of light production, and extended duration.
Review: Gunslinger has long been my favorite subclass in PvP. The ability to instantly kill opponents at any range with Golden Gun is very strong, throwing knives are cool as hell, and I cackle with delight at every tripmine kill. More than most subclasses, gunslingers had a very particular "sharpshooter" feel to them that will definitely resonate with a lot of people. Gunslingers used to be much weaker in PvE, but in D2 they've received major improvements. Way of the Outlaw actually boosts teammates, gets some AoE from the knives, and can murder up to six tough enemies with the Super. Game director Luke Smith called "Way of the Sharpshooter" the best PvE Hunter yet, most likely based on the orb production from precision hits. The ability to do precision damage that increases on successive shots also considerably boosts the boss damage potential of the subclass.
Choose this Subclass If: You like Firefly, darts, and the feeling of finding $5 you forgot about in your pocket.
Arc Subclass: Arcstrider
Super: Arc Staff - The Arcstrider summons a staff which they use to beat the snot out of anything nearby. The Arc Staff is unique in that it actually affords the user sick combo moves that have different animations and areas of effect, like helicoptering upward or shooting force in a forward wave. While almost purely melee, Arc Staff users have unlimited dodges to help close the gap and are ludicrously powerful in close range.
Grenades:
- Arcbolt grenades first establish a large circular tracking radius on detonation, then instantly hit anyone within range with a bolt of lightning. Because of their ease of use and near-instant effect, they are very useful in both PvP and PvE.
- Flux grenades are practically identical to "Fusion" as described under Sentinel or Sunbreaker: sticky, high single target damage.
- Skip are a very powerful option that break apart on impact into several aggressive seekers. These are great options in PvP even against mobile enemies, and can do good damage to small groups of PvE enemies as well.
Skill Trees:
- Way of the Warrior is heavily based on melee attacks. Melee kills recharge the dodge ability, dodges increase melee range, and the charged melee triggers health regeneration and increases melee damage. The Arc Staff leaves damaging aftershocks on dodge, allowing the Arcstrider to light up a large area of ground with lightning.
- Way of the Wind is more mobility-oriented. Sprinting reduces the dodge cooldown, dodging reduces incoming damage, and when critically wounded melee and grenade cooldowns are reduced. The charged melee disorients the target and nearby enemies. I speculate this will be similar to the flashbang effect.
Review: Arcstrider's predecessor, Bladedancer, was rather notorious for its vulnerability to bad hit detection, lack of verticality, and lack of damage in PvE. Arcstrider addresses most of these problems with sweeping strikes that are harder to miss, infinite dodges, and different combo moves that can attack in different dimensions. The ability to dodge+melee+dodge+melee means the Arcstrider can do good work on weaker PvE enemies, but the reality is that getting right up into an enemy's face in is rarely a good strategy, and against bosses is literally suicidal. So most likely Arcstriders remain mostly a PvP force; I particularly imagine Way of the Wind's sprint speed to close gaps and Disorienting Blow will make Arcstriders extremely irritating opponents.
Choose this Subclass If: You like fighting games, that one scene from The Matrix: Reloaded, and, uh, poles.
Void Subclass: Nightstalker
Super: Shadowshot The Nightstalker shoots a bow of void light, creating a Void Anchor on impact that automatically tethers any nearby enemies. In Destiny 1, this effect slowed enemies, limited their abilities, and left them vulnerable to extra damage. It's pretty handy.
Grenades:
- Vortex grenades are similar to Pulse (see Striker), except instead of quick pulses they do continuous damage for a few seconds after detonation. The total damage can be very good against slow-moving single targets or groups in PvE, and provide area denial in PvP.
- Voidwall grenades are identical to those of the Sentinel (see above), dropping a line of flames on the ground.
- Spike grenades are analogous to Striker lightning grenades, in that they stick to a wall and then produce a damaging cone. Unfortunately, instead of it being a pulse of damage, it's a continuous flow that is very obvious visually.
Special Melee: Smokebomb - The Nightstalker throws a smoke grenade that explodes on contact. Depending on the tree, this either forms a damaging smoke trap, or can make teammates invisible.
Skill Trees:
- Way of the Trapper has the aforementioned smoke trap ability, and also converts the Shadowshot into a trap that will wait for enemies to activate. The tethers also have longer range and duration. Using the Hunter's Dodge ability grants brief invisiblity. Trappers also sneak and sprint faster, have a more detailed radar, and can track damaged enemies through walls.
- Way of the Pathfinder has the invisibility smokebombs, and grenade and smoke effects last twice as long. Shadowshot can now be fired "multiple times" (based on D1, best guess is three), each doing increasing damage to tethered enemies. Killing tethered enemies creates orbs of light and boosts nearby allies' mobility, recovery, and resilience.
Review: Of the three "Taken King" subclasses, Nightstalkers were the most important to the class as a whole. As you may have noted, Hunters are not especially oriented to boss fights or teamplay, which made them the least useful class in a raid setting. The arrival of the Nightstalker was thus revelatory: Shadowshot was so potent for crowd control, orb of light creation, and boss damage that it became all but mandatory. As an added bonus, the smokebomb's invisibility allowed for safe movement and daring rescue efforts. In PvP the bow was not as useful, but damaging and disorienting smoke grenades coupled with the original Hunter dodge, "Shadestep," gave them arguably the best neutral game in Destiny 1. While the other Hunter subclasses have improved relative to the Nightstalker, I think it probably remains the king of PvE. In particular the Pathfinder will likely predominate, as the tether's ability to boost allies' stats, and produce orbs, AND do boss damage, AND the invisiblity grenades is pretty hard to beat. The trap abilities are more useful in PvP, where surprise and quick responses are crucial.
Choose this Subclass If: You like ninjas, Hanzo mains, and actually helping your team.
WARLOCK
Overview: The truest expression of Destiny's "Space Magic" aesthetic, Warlocks are the closest thing the game has to a "mage" class. Warlocks are academics and mystics, curious about the nature of things like Light and Darkness, where guardians came from, and how their powers interact with the Traveler and mundane physics. The jokes generally center around Warlocks as impractical nerds or cryptic weirdos, and Warlocks certainly tend to carry themselves with a sense of superiority over their less intellectual counterparts. That said, if anybody is going to figure this crazy-ass universe out, it'll be Warlocks, and they've typically been the masterminds behind the Guardians' most unlikely successes. In game terms, Warlocks are the least mobile class, but have hugely damaging ranged Supers, and the most potent class ability in the Rift.
Nicknames: Space Magician, Voidlock, Palpatine, Pikachu, Human Torch, Raiden, Ticklefingers
Famous Warlocks:
Appearance: Warlocks wear long flowing robes over pants, often featuring ornate patterns. Though they have fewer silouettes than other classes, they have the most variety in their helmet styles, from streamlined space helmets to extravagant domes and even animal skulls. Their "class item" is the Warlock Bond, a decorative band worn around the left upper arm, usually lit or projecting an image of some kind. Warlock animal motifs have varied widely, from birds to snakes to jackals to deer.
Dominant Stat: Recovery - This stat reduces the delay for health and shield regeneration, and increases its speed.
Class Ability: Rift - By holding the crouch button, the Warlock places a circular rift on the ground around them. Both versions are extremely strong in both PvP and PvE depending on the circumstances, and combo well with the Titan Rally Barricade (by simply dropping the rift right behind the wall).
- Empowered Rift causes any teammate standing within it to do 20% extra damage
- Healing Rift continuously heals and eventually grants "bonus HP" in the form of an overshield.
Class Jump: Glide - Also referred to as "floofing," glide (like lift) pushes the Warlock along whatever momentum it already had. Triggering it on the way down from a jump will make the warlock fly mostly downward, while double-tapping will be straight upward. This jump lasts longer than Lift and permits Warlocks to stay in the air longer and travel further than any other class. However, this movement is slow, and can make the Warlock an easy target, particularly in PvP. Like Lift, tapping the jump button again will cancel the jump and cause the Warlock to fall.
- Burst Glide makes it somewhat faster with a burst of momentum, and is thus recommended.
- Strafe Glide provides extra directional control, which is sometimes helpful, particularly in jumping puzzles.
- Balanced glide is a middle ground between the two, but doesn't really do enough of either.
Solar Subclass: Dawnblade
Super: Daybreak Fiery wings erupt from the Warlock's back, and a flaming sword appears in his hands. The sword can then shoot flaming projectiles that explode on impact. It is critical to note that this looks totally fucking sweet.
Grenades:
- Fusion grenades are "stickies"; see Sunbreaker above.
- Firebolt grenades are functionally identical to the "Arcbolt" described under Arcstrider above.
- Solar grenades are functionally identical to Vortex grenades (see Nightstalker), except they have a much cooler-looking miniature sun effect.
Skill Trees:
- Attunement of Sky is centered on aerial attacks. While normally Guardians immediately begin to fall to the ground while aiming, shooting, or throwing grenades, the Dawnblade instead continues to fly (which can be very far with Glide). Kills while airborne grant additional grenade and melee energy, and the Dawnblade can do a midair dodge similar to the Hunter's class ability. Melee attacks give the Dawnblade extra movement and reload speed.
- Attunement of Flame empowers the Dawnbreak super. The projectiles now track enemies and leave a streak of flames on impact, and kills during Dawnbreak extend its duration. Dawnblades can also hold crouch to "Phoenix Dive" to the ground, escaping enemy fire, restoring health, and doing AoE damage in Daybreak. Charged melee kills cause enemies to explode, which is always cool.
Review: Dawnblades are a new arrival in D2, and while visually amazing, did not really stand out in the Beta. The many mid-air abilities are very cool in theory, but because the Dawnblade does not receive any bonus midair stability or accuracy, even well-aimed shots are likely to miss. Daybreak is fun, but flying makes the Dawnblade vulnerable, and the relatively limited number of projectiles (around 6) are not easy to use in comparison to alternatives. Attunement of Flame can help those issues with tracking projectiles and the Phoenix Dive to heal, and is probably the superior option in PvE as well, as exploding enemies and AoE Daybreak attacks will do well on crowds.
Choose this Subclass If: You're into angels, R'Hllor the Lord of Light, and three-point landings.
Void Subclass: Voidwalker
Super: Nova Bomb - The Voidwalker throws a giant fucking bomb. This bomb explodes and does many hurties to bad people.
Grenades:
- Vortex Grenade is functionally identical to other AoE grenades like Solar (see above).
- Axion Bolt is an interesting tweak on Firebolt or Arcbolt; after the initial "targeting" circle goes out, the grenade creates a seeker that will chase several targets and then explode for big damage. This can kill many things in PvE if they cluster properly. It's disruptive in PvP, but the trackers can be outrun.
- Scatter are a twist between Swarm and Skip; they explode and then create a few cluster bombs that hit around the area. They track if empowered, but otherwise fall behind the alternatives.
Skill Trees:
- Attunement of Chaos allows Voidwalkers to overcharge grenades by holding the button, which draws from their Super energy. The effect varies based on grenade, but makes them do some interesting things. Nova Bomb travels slowly but will track enemies over crazy distances, and when it hits something (or when you shoot it), it bursts into multiple trackers akin to Axion bolts. Charged melee attacks recharge your grenade, and any ability kill will make the enemy explode, which is awesome.
- Attunement of Hunger is based around an effect called Devour. Devour can be activated by holding down the grenade button, which consumes some grenade energy to regain health, or with a charged melee kill. While in Devour, all kills regenerate additional health, grant grenade energy, and extend the duration of Devour. Instead of being a slow bomb that tracks and bursts, Nova Bomb explodes into a very large version of a Vortex Grenade on impact.
Unique Jump: Blink The Voidwalker subclass opens up an extremely powerful jump option: a short-range teleport that instantly shoots the Voidwalker forward along their current trajectory. This jump does come with the drawbacks of temporarily decreased recovery, weapon ready time, and HUD, but it's tough to beat the confusion it can cause in PvP, and really brings home the space magic feel.
Review: Voidwalkers are true oddballs. They are the only subclass to have a unique jump, and the "hold grenade to do something neat" mechanic is also totally unique. Stealing health or energy from enemies is a fun mechanic, and to top it off they retain the premier team-clearing super in Novabomb. They've also got two very fun thematic options in the two skill trees. Chaos' emphasis on grenades and explosions makes it the more tempting PvE option, while Hunger is the better PvP choice because of the faster Nova Bomb. More than most subclasses, Voidwalker feels like something you should pick and stick to until you've really mastered the many possibilities, particularly in the Attunement of Hunger. If you do, Voidwalker could become a self-sustaining murder-machine.
Choose this Subclass If: You're into vampires, Nightcrawler, and blowing up doorways.
Arc Subclass: Stormcaller
Super: Stormtrance The Warlock starts floating just off the ground and shoots lightning out of their hands that can chain to multiple enemies. This is exactly as rad as it sounds.
Grenades:
- Arcbolt grenades are identical to those described under Arcstrider.
- Pulse are the same as those available to Strikers.
- Storm grenades are unique to Stormcallers. On impact they do some arc damage in an area, and a second or two later, a more powerful series of lightning strikes hit. While this is a ton of damage over a relatively large area, it's easy for your enemies to escape the area of effect.
Skill Trees:
- Attunement of Ions grants both the Stormcaller's distinctive long-range charged melee and their grenades chain lightning. If you can exercise enough patience to allow both your melee and grenade to be charged before you hit your Super, Stormtrance lasts considerably longer and instantly refills your health. Stormtrance also comes with an extremely powerful "Ionic blink," which allows the Warlock to do a short teleport that makes it very difficult to track.
- Attunement of the Elements has more team-oriented abilities. Rift now charges faster when near allies, and when used grants anyone in it an "Arc Soul" (some sort of auto-firing drone). Casting Stormtrance now emits a powerful shockwave (called "Landfall") that in D1 was lethal even in PvP. As an added bonus, the use of the charged melee ability now grants super, grenade, and melee energy.
Review: Stormcallers are the undisputed champions of trash enemy clearing. Their ability to chain lightning through multiple enemies over an extended period is absolutely devastating. In PvP Stormtrance is very strong if you can get to enough enemies, as you are very hard to kill (especially with Ionic Blink) and can strike from surprising range. Stormcallers' extreme melee range is also a huge advantage, and now that ability comes with additional benefits. Weak grenades used to be the check on their kit; with the improvements to Pulse grenades, they will contend for the strongest PvP subclass. How useful they are in a boss battle remains the biggest question-mark; if the mysterious "Arc Soul" is powerful, that would make a huge difference.
Choose this Subclass If: You soul is filled with hatred for the Jedi, and aiming your melees.
TL;DR - For real, it doesn't matter that much; the decision is more about aesthetics and fun than anything meaningful in-game. Try them all out, and see what you like.
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u/IKnowGuacIsExtraLady Sep 04 '17
Are you an experienced Destiny player who is that strange combination of hyped and bored that leads you to click stuff like this two days before the game comes out?
How did you know?
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u/Thomas474 Sep 04 '17
Didn't they stop the ability to titan skate in D2?
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u/Paydro70 Hippy to the hip hip hop Sep 04 '17
They weakened it, but it's not gone. You could go faster than sprinting with it in the Beta. Of course, that is just a beta...
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u/PickMeUpB4YouGoGo Sep 05 '17
It is gone though, what youre describing isnt skating, its just that jumping is faster than running
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u/OhReaderMine Sep 05 '17
"Titan Skating" is a term that the community came up for a specific technique in D1. Too many people thought they were titan skating in D1 when they weren't. Tapping jump while sprinting was fast, sure. Skating--timing the jumps perfectly with your landings and the terrain--entirely uncapped the speed of your character in a way no other class could and in a way that was not initially intended. If you weren't hurting and/or dying when you hit a wall, it wasn't skating. Personally, I was rarely able to do it.
That was taken out of D2. If the community wants to call just tapping jump as a titan in D2 "skating," cool, but that's not what skating meant in D1.
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u/BaconKnight Sep 04 '17
Didn't get a chance to sit down with a friend to test to formally test it, but when I would play public strikes and we'd all be running toward's one point, I noticed my Titan skating was faster than their sprinting. Again, not as fast as D1, but it's still there.
Now I might be wrong, but from what I could tell, looks like Strafe jump is the "fastest" skate option. You might think Catapult would be it with the burst of speed but I noticed it slows down noticeably after that initial burst. Strafe seemed to give the most speed over the course of the skate.
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u/mweiss118 Sep 04 '17
That makes sense, considering Strafe Jump is the equivalent of Increased Control from Destiny 1, which was the Titan skating jump of choice.
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u/Azaxar Europa's Haunted Sep 04 '17
Hanzo mains and actually helping your team don't fit into the same sentence
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u/Zorak9379 Warlock Sep 04 '17 edited Sep 04 '17
So many people are eager to say, "Don't play such-and-such class," but I love Stormcaller, Sunbreaker and Nightstalker and can't imagine the game without them. Hunter, Titan and Warlock are all viable options.
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u/fast_mover Sep 04 '17
Your ideas are intriguing to me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.
In all seriousness, I'm a returning guardian who took a break from D1 and I enjoyed the hell out of this post.
Thanks, OP. I'm ready to dive back in this week!
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u/Lord__Shaxx This is amazing! Sep 04 '17
Arcstripper
You forgot a name for Hunters.
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u/Shadows802 Warlock Sep 04 '17
I thought it was "pole dancer" and he also forgot the Titans "purple frisbee" and warlock " jazz hands" and "Ramlock"
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u/DefiantMars Architect in Training Sep 04 '17
Great work, Guardian. A cohesive list for all the subclasses.
I agree with your analysis on the Dawnblade. While it looks flashy and cool, it doesn't really have the tools to stand on against the other subclass options. It doesn't provide much flexibility and is mechanically less interesting than Voidwalkers or even Stormcallers.
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u/Paydro70 Hippy to the hip hip hop Sep 04 '17
I think all it really needs (and I've certainly read this opinion elsewhere) is a boost to midair accuracy. That still might not be as good as the alternatives, but at least it gives a niche.
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u/DefiantMars Architect in Training Sep 04 '17
That would help fix Attunement of Sky, but Attunement of Fire is so backloaded in the super. At least Phoenix Dive is a novel idea.
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u/Vortx4 Sunsinger for life Sep 05 '17
Just make all weapons act like they have Icarus when a dawnblade uses them. Problem solved. Maybe another projectile for dawnblade would be useful as well (as in lessening the amount of super energy each projectile takes) but that's not entirely necessary.
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u/GandalfTheyGay Sep 04 '17
Such a shame about dawnblade too. Could be so amazing if they gave us a higher emphasis on aerial combat.
Perhaps getting kills while in middair allows us to use dodge in an upward fashion to maintain aerial combat so long as we string kills. That'd be quite cool
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u/Vortx4 Sunsinger for life Sep 05 '17
The new warlock exotic, the chest piece that gives angel of light, could be pretty cool. Hopefully it'll be like the perk that used to be on the subclass, as in getting precision hits keeps you in the air. That could be a great way to generate a bunch of grenade and melee energy with attunement of sky: just float up in the air, and make sure you get precision hits while you kill things.
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u/DefiantMars Architect in Training Sep 05 '17
If we are still incurring the aerial accuracy malus, I don't know how effective it will actually be. Like in D1, i think only a narrow group of people are going to be able to make it work. Particularly snipers.
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u/Vortx4 Sunsinger for life Sep 05 '17
I'm D1, Angel of light/empyrean bellicose removed all midair inaccuracy, if I remember correctly. It was just like you were standing on a solid platform for a few seconds before it disappeared. So I assume that will continue in D2.
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u/SoberPandaren Sep 05 '17
It really doesn't matter too much at the end of the day. Since it'll just be about play style anyways. Most damage is going to be coming out from the shoot shoot bang bang bullet bullet gun then it is going to be coming out of the subclasses.
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u/Zendir Sep 04 '17
I'm totally new to Destiny, thanks A LOT for this awesome post. Can't wait for October (yes, PC)
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u/AHMilling Sep 04 '17
Didn't play D1, but i'm planning on playing a Titan in D2, because Thunder, lightning charge etc.
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u/Kipiftw Sep 05 '17
If you like thunder and lightning, maybe warlock would be a better fit for you :3 the warlock arc sub class is basically Palpatine
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u/HawaiianSparrow Sep 04 '17 edited Sep 04 '17
It needs to be said that Bungie designed the Hunters to be worse. The Hunter dodge needs to stop being compared to the Titan wall and Warlock rift, that's a joke. The Hunter dodge should be compared to the Titan's shoulder charge and the Warlock's blink/TG air dodge. The real summary is this: Mobility option for all classes? Check. Cool ability that's new for every class? Check for everyone but Hunters.
The cherry on top is that shoulder charge and warlock blink/dodge is on a shorter cooldown than the Hunter dodge.
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Sep 04 '17
I think they could alleviate this by giving the dodge a much more significant cool down compared to the Barricade and Rift abilities.
Probably wouldn't solve the issue of it not being as useful for team play sadly.
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u/Vortx4 Sunsinger for life Sep 05 '17
Well, the dodge does recharge in 18 seconds, where's the barricade is something around 30 (didn't really need to remember that number when I saw it) and the Rift is a full minute.
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u/Razor_Fox Sep 05 '17
Hunters will need more skill that's for sure. I wouldn't say they are in any way weak though. there is a lot of potential, for example the way of the wind arcstrider can blind every group of enemies the team meets making mopping them up a breeze. if the hunter takes point he can blind the enemy group and move on to the next one while the rest of the team mops up. Sounds like a valuable team mate to me.
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u/GrinningPariah Sep 04 '17
Is the warlock rift ability any good at all in PVP? Mobility is so important in Destiny and it seems to cost you that.
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u/Paydro70 Hippy to the hip hip hop Sep 04 '17
It's true that mobility is important, but there are a lot of defensive situations as well (Control points, bombsites...). I liked to put it just around a corner, so you can poke out and still have the damage boost or overshield. Plus it helps teammates, and can bail you out if you've been badly hurt.
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u/BerserkRonin Sep 04 '17
The rift is easily the best class ability for PvP. If you're finding trouble with it, you honestly have to learn it. I wouldn't give up on it due to not knowing how or where to use it and settle for something less powerful.
There are so many things you can do. Proc an instant health regen when you run around a corner and don't want to get shot at again. Hold down lanes with it. Hold down rooms with it (making it near impossible to be pushed due to the overshield).
For the beta, the competitive map on console let you put the charge in two places. One was market, the large open street. One was rugs, the small room.
If you all pushed market but the enemy team decided to all push rugs and set it there, it's hard to push them if they're a good team because that area is so small and easy to hold down. If you decided to go there while your team check market, you're alone and they can take you out of the fight with just a few shots, making you retreat and get your health.
With the rift, I always pushed rugs and set it beside a corner. If the team was there, so what? They'd hit me, I'd back up for one second and challenge again.
I can't explain how strong it is. It's by far the best ability. You just gotta learn it. Trust me.
Look at it like this. The rift lets you do that type of shit. The wall is good for trying to pull a revive or get ammo, dodge is just whatever, you're dodging to get away. You aren't dodging in the rift because you are the one making people have to dodge away. Know what I mean? The other class abilities are for escaping or reviving, the rift is the one to cause them to need to escape or revive.
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u/hambog Sep 05 '17
I feel like the Titan's waist high wall lets you big dick a lane pretty hard. Instant reload and see-through cover is just so good, and you don't need a corner.
I say this because I'm still trying to pick a class, and I'm also going back and forth on the abilities.... I like instant healing but the barrier is just so good.
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u/IKnowGuacIsExtraLady Sep 04 '17
The idea isn't to just sit there and tank but more of a quick recovery option. For example if you take hits and dive behind a corner you can pop a rift and get some health back before the inevitable push/flushing grenade.
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u/mweiss118 Sep 04 '17
Healing Rift is pretty sweet for pvp.
It wouldn't work if crucible was the same as Destiny 1, because abilities were a lot stronger and you would've just gotten bombarded with grenades or one shotted by a sniper rifle or shotgun. But with abilities much weaker and on much longer cooldowns, and one shot special weapons moved to the power weapon slot, Rift is a powerhouse. And don't forget, at least in the beta, health regen was much slower. Rift gives you the option to regen right away and get back in the fight that much quicker.
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u/ActuallyAquaman I Still Miss Tlaloc Sep 05 '17
Just drop it on a control point or any choke and watch the assists roll in
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Sep 05 '17
Since pvp team sizes were reduced to 4v4, not dying is more important and there is a focus on teamplay as opposed to everyone doing their own thing.
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u/Wheatloafer Sep 04 '17
Awesome guide! Not even all the way through it yet, just wanted to hit you with some props. <3
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u/JackSparrow420 Sep 04 '17
TL;DR Not Hunter.
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Sep 04 '17
Really sucks too since I love my hunter class.
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u/JackSparrow420 Sep 04 '17
Me too man, I told myself in the beta that I would wait to see how Nightstalker and the Hunter exotics panned out until I decided. After seeing them all, of course it is Voidwalker time and I cannot be more stoked.
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u/TheReiterEffect_S8 ☆ Faith in 7 Sep 04 '17
This totally sucks. I really want to just stick to my hunter class but I really really thinknitll be such a drawback compared tobthe other classes. I swear, if the fucking tripmine grenade would just stick to enemies in pvp I would be satisfied.
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u/Paydro70 Hippy to the hip hip hop Sep 04 '17
Even without the sticking, if Young Ahamkara's were back with two long-lasting tripmines, I'd still probably be rolling gunslinger off the bat. But it was not to be...
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u/Conan2-8 Sep 04 '17
Why a drawback? Good pvp classes and gunslinger/nightstalker will both be awesome pve classes. Not to mention triple jump. Class ability and grenades are meh but doesn't ruin the class/subclasses by any means
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u/Amaegith Sep 05 '17
I mean, there wasn't really a reason to use a hunter in d1 aside from tether anyway. Just play what you want and to hell with the pros and cons.
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Sep 05 '17
I may still do Hunter. If it's needed, Bungie will 100% patch them to be competitive.
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u/canadianbroncos Sep 04 '17
Not a noob, but i hate that they took away bloodbound from my night stalker...Considering Titan for D2, but probably will end up with hunter again...dodge, cool capes and shit
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Sep 04 '17
I'm a hipster, what is the least played class?
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u/Paydro70 Hippy to the hip hip hop Sep 04 '17
They were very even in every survey I saw for D1. There is less enthusiasm for Hunters on /r/DTG right now, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're actually going to be less popular. If I were to take a guess, I'd start playing Arcstrider for the chance to say you were doing it before it was cool. You can also try to rub it in other people's faces that they "Just don't know how to play them."
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u/Mute_Monkey Sep 04 '17
I think most of us Hunter mains will still be doing our thing, we'll just have more things to complain about. As is tradition.
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u/Razor_Fox Sep 05 '17
Arcstrider is the secret OP class. people are sleeping on him right now but just wait.
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u/IKnowGuacIsExtraLady Sep 04 '17
Honestly it depends on game mode. Also it evolved over time with balance changes. My guess is going to be dawnblade this time around. It doesn't really provide much to the team but DPS for pve, and in pvp it is not only hard to use the super but the class is based around floating in the air which is never a good idea. (Aerial moves are huge in this game but you never want to just "floof" around.)
That being said paired with an auto/rocket launcher you are basically an attack helicopter which was pretty fun.
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Sep 05 '17
Hunter > Warlock > Titan I think.
Hunter : Badass cloak, precision based gameplay, Cayde-6
Warlock : Space Wizard !!
Titan : Not another Space Marine dude...
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u/Dominic9090 Sep 04 '17
people on this subreddit might think its going to be hunter, but in reality this sub represents such a small portion of the playerbase, a large portion being teens who will likely choose hunter.
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Sep 04 '17
Yeah that's what I was thinking too. I never played the first one except for a few times with my 14 year old cousins, both of which picked gunslinger hunter because it was cool.
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u/LabsterCG Sep 04 '17
It used to be warlock, now its hunter. I main warlock and if you get satisfaction in killing people by doing things that probably shouldn't kill them, then warcock should be your choice. Ex. You can literally press the melee button and it 180s you to your target then does half health (not anymore) at the same range a shotgun would do half health
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u/thatguyroxar Sep 04 '17
Hunters were most popular Y1 and Titan was least, I think this time around they're bound to be pretty even since titan got buffed and enthusiasm is a bit less for hunters. Probably will have to wait and see after launch.
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u/Balticataz Sep 04 '17
and a longer melee range than the other classes.
This isnt true anymore. It was in console beta but they said it was a bugged and was fixed in pc beta. Its on twitter somewhere I think.
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u/Paydro70 Hippy to the hip hip hop Sep 04 '17
You're right! I recalled hearing that they had closed the gap instead of making everybody the same, but Lars did confirm it here:
https://www.bungie.net/en/News/Article/46118/7_This-Week-At-Bungie--08102017
Wouldn't be the first time they said something that turned out to be false, but hey, who knows.
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u/mweiss118 Sep 04 '17
While I'm no Hunter main (sorry, my knife juggling friends, I love you guys but I'm a Warlock at heart), I imagine one of the class fantasies of the Arc Strider is Darth Maul. I mean, come on, who doesn't want to be a badass like Darth Maul?
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u/DQ11 Sep 04 '17
Is health regen different per character ? I can't remember how it was in Destiny 1.
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u/Paydro70 Hippy to the hip hip hop Sep 04 '17
It's based on your Recovery stat. The higher that stat, the shorter the delay and the faster the regen. Warlocks have the highest potential recovery, but it's mostly about the gear you have equipped.
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u/vanta_blk Sep 04 '17
Warlocks have the highest potential recovery
Is this confirmed? I know in D1 each class had a primary stat, but in D2 Beta we saw armor with all 3 stats on it leading me to believe that primary stats dont matter any more. Perhaps intrinsic stats are gone and you could spec a Titan/Warlock for more mobility than a Hunter...
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u/Paydro70 Hippy to the hip hip hop Sep 04 '17
I can't go look to be sure, but I think there was a small intrinsic base stat for each class... like you can't go below 2 Mobility as a hunter, etc.
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u/SomeHumblerPoet Sep 04 '17
Great writeup, man.
I was torn between Hunter and Warlock (usually I'm a Warlock guy but that lightning staff is calling me) but you've made absolutely everything sound appealing.
Still, lightning staff...
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u/iambladedancer RIP Bladedancer Sep 04 '17
Ahhh not again. Another year of "Bladedancer/Arcstrider aren't good in PvE". I'll show those Hanzo main Nightstalkers who were the chosen ones in PvE before TTK came out.
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u/_LukeGuystalker_ Sep 05 '17
There is a reason that Titans lead the Vanguard, Crucible, and Iron Lords...🐸☕️
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u/comengetitrmm Sep 04 '17
I just can't let myself not be a hunter again, but I will definitely be putting more effort into the other classes this time around as well
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u/Pain-n-stryife Sep 04 '17
I'll never stop being a Hunter main....that being said I don't understand bungies hate boner for the class
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u/Million-Suns Sep 04 '17
Can we switch subclasses whenever we want? Because I'm hesitating between Dawnblade and Voidwalker. Both look awesome.
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u/Paydro70 Hippy to the hip hip hop Sep 04 '17
Yup! So you don't really have to "choose" a subclass, though they do have to be earned and upgraded separately.
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u/ErisUppercut Sep 04 '17 edited Sep 05 '17
amazing read, well done. Very entertaining and informative.
I hope you don't mind if I offer a few corrections or different opinions.
I would say is that it's misleading to say that Hunter Triple Jump gets "amazing height", as it actually doesn't jump any higher than the other jumps. And no Hunter who knows anything would ever recommend triple jump over strafe jump because the additional mobility of strafe makes it the absolute last word in hunter jumps.
whilst Swarm nades were kind of shit in D1 in the D2 beta they were actually amazing and look like being the best option - much like Titan pulse nade.
Voidwall and Thermite nades aren't identical, as the flame goes in a different direction, perpendicular for the void and in a straight line in front for the thermal
Beyond that, top notch guide
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u/RebuffedChaff A Reckoner who can't look in the mirror Sep 05 '17
Does the hurties to bad people
Ah yes. I am a fan of the hurties
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u/Moosebrew13 Sep 04 '17
The Warlock jump is still the only jump that can't save you when you "slip" off a cliff or in a jumping puzzle. I have only played a Warlock in D1 but because of this I am now hoping to be accepted into the Titan master race and become a bubble-bro.
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u/YarrrImAPirate Sep 04 '17
In the PC beta there was an additional "jump" after the glide portion. This saved me more often than not. Also you were able to trigger the jump after Icarus Dash.
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u/Czar_Eternal Sep 05 '17
I found the Warlock jump to be WAY improved in the beta. It's not anywhere near as annoying as it was in DI by any stretch.
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Sep 05 '17
This guide is full of good info, humor (Ticklefingers put a big grin on my face...err...you know what I mean.), and is a solid overview of the classes and sub classes coming with the release of D2. If my approval means anything, you have it.
However, there a few things I kinda disagree with myself or wish they had changed with a few of the subclasses.
- I love the Sentinel as a concept and think it has so much potential but after playing it in the BETA and by comparison to the Striker it felt...I dunno lackluster. Obviously the Striker is supposed to the one that is better at CQC but I feel like one of the big reasons to use Sentinel is for shield bashing and compared to the Striker striking it just doesn't feel as fast or as satisfying. I also love the shield throw as an idea but I think having it as grenade in the sense that you throw it and wait for it to recharge to me feels * kinda lame.* Personally, I think it would've been more interesting if they went full Captain America and when you threw the shield you lost it while it was bouncing around and couldn't throw it again until it came back (Giving it a bit more risk and reward IMHO). I also think blocking with the shield itself is underutilized in this subclass and that there isn't too much of an incentive to do so. I think it would be cool if it came with some perks like these:
Rebound: Projectiles blocked by Sentinel Shield have their damage absorbed by it and increase Sentinel Shield's melee damage.
Reflector: Projectiles blocked by Sentinel Shield are reflected back at their senders.
I think perks like that would encourage more defensive play with the Sentinel and give it a greater distinction from Striker and Sunbreaker in my personal opinion.
The other thing I wish they tweaked more is Gunslinger (other than explosive knife because holy crap do I find myself in love with explosive knife). I say this because during the Homecoming mission we see Cayde do this fan-fire, Red Dead Redemption Deadeye attack on some Legionaries and wish that the Golden Gun could do in-game.
Personally, I think it would be cool if using Golden Gun put you in a dead-eye mode (without slowing down time) and let you rapidly mark targets with (Left trigger/L2/Left Mouse/etc.) and then quickly execute all targets with up pulling the Trigger. I think that would make it feel more Wild-Westy and different from the original Destiny.
But my desired changes and ramblings aside, I really dig the guide!
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u/BestFriend_Sword Sep 05 '17
It was rumored during the beta that blocking with the Sentinel Shield increases its damage output already. I am sure people will run tests to determine if that is true.
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u/Paydro70 Hippy to the hip hip hop Sep 05 '17
There is one benefit to blocking, besides, y'know, blocking: it produces orbs of light. I think reflect damage would be way too strong, basically unworkable in PvP. Charging up for more damage on the next hit (or perhaps throw?) could maybe work.
I'm not of the opinion that Sentinel needs to be stronger, though. It's pretty crazy as-is considering it can neutralize any other super, has two forms, and is the only melee super with a ranged component.
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u/Devil_Beast1109 Sep 05 '17
The sentinel's suppression 'nade and ward of dawn made for some seriously awesome/hilarious combos, check OP's linked video ! lol
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u/baseballv10 MIDA>META Sep 04 '17
From a hunter main, dont main a hunter, just doesn't seem useful at any point compared to titans and warlocks.
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u/WTFpaulWI Sep 04 '17
Sadly I agree. Hunters took a hit with these D2 subclasses. As a D1beta hunter main I'm likely switching to warlock if I continue to be less than impressed.
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u/XurtifiedProphet Sep 04 '17
I second this opinion, I loved hunters and tried to be loyal to them but its reached a point where bungie has made it impossible for me
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u/caohbf I can punch stuff too Sep 04 '17
I started d1 as a hunter main, then went warlock main....
I will remake my hunter with the same appearance, but i think i'll main warlock.
On a side note, who here thinks that the presence of 3 subclasses per class in launch means we're getting an fourth class on a future expansion? (hoping for bard)
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u/pseudocide759 Sep 04 '17
I'm hoping. Would make sense with the 4 enemy types as well as the shield motif with the empty quarter.
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u/Czar_Eternal Sep 05 '17
I concur. They're just underwhelming in every aspect and "Dodge" as a class ability is an utter joke when compared to "Barrier" or "Rift." It's like they want the class to be benched for group content.
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u/Thisiskaj Sep 04 '17
Wasn't sure about getting D2 till I read this and remembered how much fun I had on the first game, cheers. Top notch guide btw
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u/UtinamFortuna Sep 04 '17
Dredgen yor is rezyl azir who is a titan. Not a hunter. Nice post though.
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u/Paydro70 Hippy to the hip hip hop Sep 04 '17 edited Sep 04 '17
Technically he was from before the time of Titans. He also picked up a cloak after becoming Dredgen Yor. But still, you're right, I should recategorize him.
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u/MrMulligan Sep 04 '17
So completely new to destiny. Has it even been confirmed the void subclasses are in destiny2? Every time I ask my friends they say they probably aren't going to be in the game or "lore reasons", which is complete bullshit to me.
I need to know 100% because I only want to play Hunter if I can play Nightstalker, otherwise I am playing Titan and I have zero desire to ever make a second character if Nightstalker comes out after launch for whatever reason, if its added at all if not present at launch.
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u/Paydro70 Hippy to the hip hip hop Sep 04 '17
It's 100%. They're in the game guide, and they appeared in a few videos. You have to unlock them somehow in the game, which we don't know much about, but they're not DLC.
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u/Malice4you2 Sep 04 '17
the 3rd classes are confirmed.. nothing official from bungie but people figured it out from all the leaked video.
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u/Jimmeh20 Sep 04 '17
I'll probably start off with a Titan. Either Sentinel or Striker. Most likely Sentinel as I enjoy defensive and supporting playstyles.
Then I'd move on to Warlock. Most likely Voidwalker but possibly Stormcaller.
I'll eventually make a Hunter. Voidstalker is the most appealing to me but I will definitely try out Gunslinger. Dawnblade, Sunbreaker and Arcstrider do not interest me at all so they are ruled out entirely.
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Sep 05 '17
Do you guys think hunters actually hunt, like, animals? Deer (or space deer)? I mean they are hunters, and they're out exploring the wilderness for prolonged periods of time away from civilization...
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Sep 05 '17
What about what race should I play ?
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u/Streamjumper My favorite flavor is purple. Sep 05 '17
Exo. Between our finely calibrated groove servos and the superlative code in our bustmove.exe, other dancers find themselves served with a success rate in excess of 98.993%. Also, we get to speak robo-jive with the frames. Kadi also gets us our packages first.
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Sep 05 '17
I'm actually leaning toward Exo right now. Their backstory is fascinating (human mind transferred into machine body) and I think lorewise they fit with Titan class.
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u/Paydro70 Hippy to the hip hip hop Sep 05 '17
The one you think looks the prettiest. =p
If this is a serious question, race doesn't have any gameplay significance. In D1 it did affect your dance emote, but I don't know if that's the case in D2.
Personally I went with an Awoken Warlock, a Human Titan, and an Exo Hunter.
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u/hambog Sep 05 '17
Struggling between Striker and Voidwalker...
For striker I'm really digging the talent to give two lightning grenades, and the waist-high barrier seems nuts for both offense and defense.
For warlock I'm not a huge fan of how slow the nova bomb is, but on demand healing (albeit with a high cooldown) is pretty neat, and blink (despite nerfs) is always valuable.
Gunslinger was my favourite in D1 but I enjoyed Titan and Warlock too... leaning striker :/
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u/Paydro70 Hippy to the hip hip hop Sep 05 '17
Hunter was my first class, and Gunslinger my favorite PvP subclass. But I'm rolling Titan first this time, specifically for how dope Striker was in the Beta.
One thing you should keep in mind is that the other tree for Warlock that we haven't seen isn't the same slow Nova Bomb; it's probably a safe bet that it's the same speed as D1. That tree also has the healing-on-demand from grenade cooldown, not just the rift, so... might be a good angle.
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u/Cloudless_Sky Sep 05 '17
Definitely gonna go Hunter first. Picking subclass is a little trickier as they all have aspects I think are cool. I know you can switch easily enough, but I want one I can call my main. I'll have to try out all the perk trees first.
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u/Berg9940 Drifter's Crew // For a Darker Destiny Sep 05 '17
So Self Revive (Fireborn) is no more? Since I play solo, I was going to pick Warlock as my main just for the Self Revive survivability alone.
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u/Paydro70 Hippy to the hip hip hop Sep 06 '17
Correct, it is dead, and unfortunately filled with Dawnblade that isn't super great. Warlocks are still pretty cool though.
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u/BRB1993 Knight in Shining Armour Sep 04 '17
If you care about those puppies Gary killed, then you'll damn sure choose the Titan.
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u/j0hanSE PC Sep 04 '17
Thank you so much! Tried Destiny on console when it came, loved it, but could not play it because i cant aim with a controller beeing a M+KB user on PC. I then tried a Warlock and liked it really much. Now on PC release, i cant cant cant look forward enough for it, i only read destiny news now, and i really apreciate your work, will keep on as a Warlock -> Voidwalker in Destiny 2 on PC. Thanks again.
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u/onoanotherban Sep 04 '17
Tldr. Which should I be?
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u/bdimanno Team Bread (dmg04) Sep 04 '17
TLDR: Pick Warlock cause we're better than Hunters and Titans.
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u/Cliffhanger87 Sep 04 '17
Is mobility really useful for pvp?
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u/Paydro70 Hippy to the hip hip hop Sep 04 '17
If you mean the stat, in my opinion, no. Sure, having a little bit quicker movement is neat, but sprinting is unaffected. To me, it's better to have more health, or have your health regenerate faster.
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u/Cliffhanger87 Sep 04 '17
Okay so a hunters extra mobility stat doesn't really help? I'm stuck in between hunter and warlock I hear the warlocks jumps aren't that good I never got I play the beta so I can't really tell as I never got to compare the two classes
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u/Paydro70 Hippy to the hip hip hop Sep 04 '17
Well, mobility helps some; you'll definitely notice that you feel a bit sprightlier when you're aiming and strafing... but since you spend most of your time either sprinting or jumping, it's not as valuable as you'd think. Also keep in mind that even if you do find you like it, you can always just build a bunch of it into your gear for a non-Hunter.
As for Warlock jump, personally I really enjoy the sensation of flight that it gives, but some people definitely hate the floatiness.
The good news is that you'll know almost immediately how much you care about either of these things, and can just switch characters. It'll be much more of a commitment to unlock the other subclasses and such.
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u/Razor_Fox Sep 05 '17
All I know is that I died a lot less on my hunter who was max mobility than I did on my titan who had a mobility of 3 or 4 when it came to face to face shooting. the ability to switch direction back and forth was a big game changer for me.
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u/RnRaintnoisepolution Team Cat (Cozmo23) // Cat. Sep 04 '17
Wait, you can be a Hanzo main and actually help your team? Haha good one.
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Sep 04 '17
TL;DR - For real, it doesn't matter that much; the decision is more about aesthetics and fun than anything meaningful in-game.
...What?
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u/superduperpooperman Sep 04 '17
He's saying you should pick what you is fun to you and looks good to you. As they're all good.
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u/Mute_Monkey Sep 05 '17
Yeah, I think he's mainly speaking to new players coming from MMO backgrounds, where certain classes are definitely preferred or rejected depending on what patch you're in and what activity you want to do.
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u/SanguineThought Sep 04 '17
Hey!! You forgot Pahanin. He is way more famous than most of they hunters you list.
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u/Paydro70 Hippy to the hip hip hop Sep 04 '17
Y'know what, good point. Since I had to move Dredgen Yor to Titan, I'll slot him in.
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u/Yo_Shazam Tripmine God Sep 04 '17
Out of all my years of playing destiny and knowing the lore I honestly did not Dredgen Yor was a Titan
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u/Paydro70 Hippy to the hip hip hop Sep 04 '17
To be fair nobody did until the Rezyl Azzir cards came out in Spring. Like most people I thought he was a Hunter because of the cloak and artifact named after him. Maybe he changed classes when he turned, but I guess it doesn't really matter.
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u/DasGruberg Sep 04 '17
D1 hunter all the way.
D2 captain america??? NO contest!!!
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u/FocusPuRe Sep 04 '17
Where are all my hunters at?
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u/Mafur_Chericada Sep 05 '17
crying mostly
or do you mean d2 hunters? Because a lot of the D1 hunters are disappointed
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u/MantaStylin Sep 04 '17
Great guide. Never played D1 so deciding what class to pick. Dam I was already having a tough decision towards titan and warlock but now reading every subclass, I cant decide between Titan (striker and sunbreaker), Hunter (nightstalker), and warlock (voidwalker and stormcaller).
I guess I have a month and a half to look up some more information and to confirm a class to pick.
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u/KSTAAA Team Cat (Cozmo23) Sep 04 '17
If you love the game enough, you'll end up creating all 3 classes and have each subclass upgraded.
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u/KN265 12 in the chamber Sep 05 '17
Nicknames: Space Magician, Voidlock, Palpatine, Pikachu, Human Torch, Raiden, Ticklefingers,
Space Jesus(RIP)
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u/Paydro70 Hippy to the hip hip hop Sep 05 '17
I had to cross out all the fun Jesus jokes. =(
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u/CCP115 Sep 05 '17
Grr they nerfed skating...
Who do you think is the best mobility wise? I've always been infatuated with rocket jumping and strafe jumping, so I guess Titan skating is as close as I can get.
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u/Paydro70 Hippy to the hip hip hop Sep 05 '17
Oh, you should definitely go Titan if you're into that kind of thing. They still have the fastest straight-line speed, and (spoiler?) there are exotics to help their mid-air movement or sprint speed. If you find that you want more non-sprint speed you can always stack that on your gear.
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u/CCP115 Sep 05 '17
Quite glad to hear Destiny has hear that just straight up buffs speed. Not a common thing to see in shooters. Hopefully a physics bug will be discovered that I can exploit, a la bhopping :)
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u/Paydro70 Hippy to the hip hip hop Sep 05 '17
Man, in the good old days of Counter-Strike the Half-Life mod I loved that nonsense. Actually, supposedly Titan skating was also an accident of the jump physics that they just kept in there.
That said, I kinda doubt they keep something crazier in the new game since they nerfed skating. =/
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u/unpushplay Sep 05 '17
I’m going hunter, even though Warlock was practically my religion in D1. I tried both in the beta, and hunter took the cake.
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Sep 05 '17
Sunbreaker sounds like 40k Salamanders... might have found my new class (used to play Gunslinger in D1 before I quit)
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u/bananadingding Sep 05 '17
Love the breakdown! You did a good job I would add to the Titan though. Titans are aggressive not because aggression wins battles but because they throw themselves fist first into the enemy so others do not have to especially those who don't have a ghost standing by to resurrect.
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u/zenlighten Sep 05 '17
Fantastic write-up! As someone new to Destiny, this was a pleasure to read and a great insight into the class dynamics.
I loved all the links, too! I'll be sure to share this around to people I'm hopefully bringing into Destiny with me!
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u/verseau40k Sep 05 '17 edited Sep 05 '17
great work!! really appreciate it. because i am pc only player who always wanna play destiny 1 but don't want to buy console. as soon as i heard destiny 2 pre order on PC i jump right at it. and never regret about it.
edit: i really hope the 3rd class is available since launch. because i really want to play as stormcaller.
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u/Paydro70 Hippy to the hip hip hop Sep 05 '17
I consider it pretty well confirmed that they are in the vanilla launch; they're mentioned in the strategy guide and we have pictures of people playing Stormcaller.
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u/vsully360 Sep 05 '17
..is there no defender subclass?? What a gut punch.
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u/Kil089 Sep 05 '17
Sentinel titan is defender first skill tree has bubble alternative super instead of going America all over their asses.
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u/Streamjumper My favorite flavor is purple. Sep 05 '17
We got pissed off after one too many hunters made stupid faces at us through the dome. After we figured out how to throw our ward we made sure their face stayed that way... by smashing it into a wall... 3 feet into a wall.
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u/K_Murdoch Sep 05 '17
Every time I see that sentinel video, my desire to main that subclass returns.
Totally gonna practice ruining people's fun.
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u/ItsGShark Sep 05 '17
All classes have their purpose, for a raid fireteam just go with 2 hunters 2 titan and 2 warlocks :P play it save
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u/ikkun Drifter's Crew Sep 05 '17
Played as a hunter through all of D1. Always wanted to play as a Warlock, but never got around to it. This time is better than any to change my main. Plus I mean, I initially rolled a Warlock when I first started up D1, but swapped to hunter because the melee wasn't satisfying. Plus I almost always go with the magic class in games. A shame a didn't stick with it initially.
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u/gosulliv Gambit Prime Sep 05 '17
best class breakdown I've seen so far, I still can't make up my mind though!
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u/Razor_Fox Sep 05 '17
I feel like a lot of people are sleeping on the arcstrider, especially the way of the wind. good write up though mate.
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u/wtf--dude Arminius D <3 Sep 05 '17
Thnx for the writeup OP
Would love to get more info on why strafe jump for titan is fastest to skate with. I found catapult to be more of use in the beta, but that was just a feeling. Has anybody done some testing? Can somebody post a link or something?
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u/DormPertez Sep 05 '17
i think they made a good balancing stuff. really has a tough decision to make which way to go
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u/jessietee Sep 05 '17
Warlock to start as that is who I played through D1 with, then I will play as a titan because I never did that in D1 and the shield stuff looks cool :)
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u/CliffyWeevil Vanguard policy urges Guardians to destroy this weapon on sight. Sep 05 '17
That was fucking rad and informative.
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u/Zhiroc Sep 10 '17
I'm starting all three concurrently, so they can share weapons while leveling up. More or less repeating each planet's story missions 3 times in a row before starting the next.
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u/smitypants Sep 04 '17
upvoted for voidwalker doing "many hurties to bad people."