You are a newcomer in the world of Destiny 2 and don’t know which class to start with? Is there a best class? Here is our class guide with all the information at a glance.
Titan, Hunter or Warlock – What are these terms you have to decide between at the beginning of Destiny 2? How do these classes differ and which one is right for me?
Destiny 2 – Class Overview
In Destiny there are three classes: The Titan, the Warlock and the Hunter. Each class has several subclasses with different abilities.
Apart from the abilities of the respective subclasses, the three classes in Destiny mainly differ through their armor, melee animations, class-specific items, and different movement modes.
- Titan (Brute Force): Titans are defenders and frontline fighters. They can create barriers but also deal devastating damage. Their melee is feared (Punchbros anywhere?), their class-specific item is a sash worn at the right hip. Titans are equipped with boosters that allow them to jump high quickly.
- Warlock (Mystic): The Warlocks use arcane “magical” powers that grant them healing abilities and powerful ranged attacks. Their class-specific item is a bracelet worn on the left arm. Warlocks glide through the air.
- Hunter (Agility): Hunters are agile and nimble guardians who can move quickly between cover. Hunters prefer knives that they can throw at enemies. Hunters wear capes of all variations as their class-specific items. They are fast in the air and can change direction quickly. They don’t float in the air but have double or multiple jumps.
In Destiny 2, the melee attacks of all three classes have the same range.
New Class Abilities in Destiny 2
Bungie has made changes to the classes in Destiny 2. Each class now has its own special abilities. This further distinguishes the classes from each other and gives players the opportunity to adopt specific roles or playstyles when selecting a class and the corresponding equipment.
The Titan is now equipped with a barrier that allows him to take cover anywhere and be protected from enemy fire. You can also choose between a large and a small cover. The small cover allows shooting over the barrier at enemies, and it has the advantage of reloading equipped weapons directly.
The Warlock gains with Destiny 2 special abilities that make him a kind of supporter. The Warlock can create a circle around him in which he and allied players regenerate health or deal increased damage.
All Hunter subclasses in Destiny 2 can dodge to avoid damage. This further increases the Hunter’s agility and allows him to reload weapons directly or reduce the cooldown of the melee upon successfully dodging.
The Subclasses in Destiny 2
Players in Destiny 2 can choose their preferred subclass within their class. To use all abilities of a subclass, they must first be unlocked with experience.
Each subclass is associated with an element: Void, Arc, and Solar. These three elements can be encountered all over the game: some weapons deal elemental damage, some enemies have elemental shields, and each Guardian subclass is tied to an element.
Each Guardian subclass offers different supers and skills, such as melee modifications or grenades.
Destiny 2 will offer 9 subclasses – three for each of the three classes:
Titan Subclasses
- Striker (Arc) – The Striker favors an aggressive play style. You slam down with your fists in the super and deal area damage. This subclass becomes available after you obtain an artifact and complete the subsequent mission.
- Sentinel (Void) – The Titan generates a powerful Void shield with his super attack, which he can use as protection, as a melee weapon, and as a ranged weapon. This subclass is automatically unlocked during the game.
- Sunbreaker (Solar) – The Sunbreaker throws hammers, dealing significant damage from a distance. For this subclass, you need to find an artifact and complete the subsequent mission.
Hunter Subclasses
- Gunslinger (Solar) – The Gunslinger comes with a “Golden Gun” that can shoot enemies from a distance. For this subclass, you need to find an artifact and complete the subsequent mission.
- Arcstrider (Arc) – This Hunter twirls an Arc staff around him to acrobatically eliminate enemies. His super is effective in melee. This subclass is automatically unlocked during the game.
- Nighthawk (Void) – This Hunter has several abilities to suppress, slow down, and weaken opponents. His super is an arrow that chains enemies, causing them to take more damage. For this subclass, you need to find an artifact and complete the subsequent mission.
Warlock Subclasses
- Voidwalker (Void) – The Voidwalker throws a “Nova Bomb” at enemies – an explosive orb that can be customized in various ways. For this subclass, you need to find an artifact and complete the subsequent mission.
- Dawnblade (Solar) – The Warlock receives a flaming sword in his super, which he can throw Solar blades at enemies. This subclass is automatically unlocked during the game.
- Stormcaller (Arc) – The Warlock emits Arc electricity from his arms, moving across the battlefield to eliminate as many enemies as possible. For this subclass, you need to find an artifact and complete the subsequent mission.
The new subclasses in Destiny 2 are presented here in overview.
Which class should I play?
You should ideally try out all classes once to find your favorite.
Play around with the different jumping traits, as these also determined the fate of a class in Destiny 1. The melee skills are also quite different in some cases.
Here are a few considerations:
First, consider how you prefer to play shooters. As a frontline fighter with a shotgun or rather from a safe cover? Titans are great in the front-line combat, while Warlocks and Hunters have advantages in combat from a safe distance.
What about mobility? Destiny rewards agile, mobile gameplay, but not everyone enjoys jumping around with quick direction changes. If you prefer high agility, the Hunter might be your class of choice.
In a group or a lone wolf?
The Warlock is particularly suitable as a supporter with his new special ability. Your teammates will thank you if they can deal more damage or get healed. The Titan can create cover behind which allies can also find protection.
The Hunter is a welcome companion both as a solo player and as a group member, as he can operate from a distance with his high agility, but also quickly revive fallen allies.
Now let’s get to the last point, the appearance. You think it doesn’t matter?
You will likely have your character in front of you in the main game for hundreds of hours in the menu. And over the question of which class has the best style, wars and ugly discussions have already taken place. To answer the question: Warlocks.
All Destiny veterans will agree with me when I say that one could have a fantastic time with every class in Destiny 1. The differences listed here were not always strongly felt in gameplay – because all classes are fun and ultimately it’s about dealing a lot of damage to enemies.
Our Class Guide Collection for More Details!
In the meantime, we have continuously expanded our guide collection. You can now find guides under the following links that deal in detail with the abilities and skills of each class.
As an added bonus, we took a look at every exotic piece of gear for each class and provide you with various build suggestions. Enjoy browsing:
- Class Guide Titan with all skills / Exotic Guide for Titan with Build Suggestions
- Class Guide Warlock with all skills / Exotic Guide for Warlock with Build Suggestions
- Class Guide Hunter with all skills / Exotic Guide for Hunter with Build Suggestions
Best Class in Destiny 2 – Is there even such a thing?
If you now think “Appearance and abilities don’t matter to me – I want the best class!”, then here’s a reality check: There is no best class in Destiny 2. At least, none has been discovered yet.
Each class has its advantages and disadvantages; each class performs differently in various situations. It’s possible that in the future a “best class for PvP” or a “best class for this strike” will emerge, but that is not the case at present.
If you’re wondering which class is the most popular – we conducted a survey before the release of Destiny 2. The results were very close, but the Hunter secured the first place. You can read the full results here: The most popular class at the release of Destiny 2 – You voted!
Which class will you play? Let us know in the comments!
This article was published for the beta of Destiny 2 and updated shortly before the launch of Destiny 2.
