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Each of the classes inDestiny 2offer different things that attract different people, and while all of them are viable, some do stand out more than others, whether it’s in terms of survivability, utility, or damage potential. The difference between each class only grows wider when you consider subclasses and how drastically they affect playstyles.
Destiny 2is constantly evolving, andevery season/episodeoffers something new for players to experience. This guide aims to put every class and subclass into perspective within the context of Episode: Heresy, which should hopefully give players an idea of which ones to play if they want to be as effective as possible.
B-Tier
Stasis
Prismatic is an S-tier subclass across all classes simply due to how versatile it is. Not only does it give players access to all elemental damage types, but the builds you can make with them often have amazing synergies that overshadow pure Light/Dark subclasses.
Arc Titanties with Prismatic Titan thanks to the Storm’s Keep Aspect, which lets players build Bolt Charge stacks whenever the Titan uses their class ability. When standing a Rally Barricade, playersget Bolt Charge stacks over time, and their weapons can discharge Bolt Charge when stacks are maxed out. Combine this with the Thundercrash Super to deal massive damage during DPS phases.
Solar, Void, and Strand Titan subclassesall tie under the A-tier, though they are very close to Arc Titan’s performance scenarios outside of boss fights. They all offer solid survivability, good damage builds, and decent utility. These can easily climb up to S-tier depending on what seasonal artifacts are available.
Stasis Titanfalls under B-tier for one reason: it relies heavily on Stasis Crystals. This somewhat limits your buildcrafting options, and spamming too many crystals in the field can be frustrating for your teammates, as you’ll essentially be blocking their bullets. Stasis Titans aren’t necessarily weak, but compared to other subclasses, they require more work to be effective, and in difficult content, using Stasis for Titans can be risky.
Arc
Once again, thePrismatic subclassfor Hunters is in S-tier for the same reasons as Prismatic Titan. It’s incredibly versatile, which means you can use your different Aspects and Fragments to cover for any weaknesses your build might have.Solar Hunterties with Prismatic in the S-tier thanks to the subclass' innate healing and damage buffs as well as builds usingCelestial NighthawkExotic Helmet and the Knife Trick melee ability.
Void Hunterremains a solid choice across all difficulty levels due to the sheer utility it can provide. Team-wide Invisibility and Weakening effects are always great, and while you likely won’t deal as much damage than if you were using other subclasses, your team will love you for the support you can provide. Meanwhile,Stasis and Strandhave great builds that provide both utility and DPS —Stasis with Mask of Fealtyand Tangle builds with Strand’s Whirling Maelstrom Aspect can cause a lot of chaos in a fight.
Arc Hunterisn’t necessarily weak, but compared to other subclasses, this one doesn’t offer as much value. It’s incredibly fun to play builds like Combination Blow with Liar’s Handshake, but if we’re talking performance, the other subclasses can clear content just as well (or even better, in some cases) without putting players at risk of death.
Strand
Same deal withthe Prismatic subclass for Warlocksas above, and as many players would have suspected,Solaris in the S tier thanks to the buffs, healing, and AoE damage it provides. Despite getting nerfed,Well of Radianceis still an excellent all-around Super, and if it’s damage you want, the other Supers can be very effective with the right builds.
Arc and Stasis Warlockscan lock areas down with Ionic Sentry and Bleak Watcher turrets respectively, and with their roaming Supers, they can clear large hordes of enemies in high-difficulty raids, dungeons, and Nightfalls with ease. If it’s boss damage you want, thenswitch to Void Warlock with Nova Bomb. The latter also has several Devour-centric builds for players who want high self-healing.
Strand Warlockis much like other B-tier subclasses — it’s not necessarily bad, but it isn’t as simple/easy to play or build into compared to others. For example, builds that focus on Suspend with the Mataidoxia Exotic chest piece can rival the crowd control level of Bleak Watcher builds, but won’t deal as much damage as the latter. Still, the difference isn’t that major, and picking one or the other all boils down to playstyle preference.
Which Class Should You Pick?
All three Guardian classes are strong in their own rights, and the main deciding factor on which one you should start with ispure fantasy fulfillment. All classes have builds that can fill in for the usual RPG roles of Tank, DPS, and Support, but if you’re looking for more practical advice, here’s a brief overview of each class:
