Best Destiny 2 Hunter builds for PvP and PvE in Arc 3.0

The best Destiny 2 Hunter builds are more potent than ever within the FPS game. The game’s relatively recent introduction of aspects and fragments means players have tons of tools in their toolkits to customise their builds to conform with their playstyles.

Our Destiny 2 Hunter build guide takes a deep look at the numerous ways players can develop their characters, culminating in the most powerful builds possible. These are all based on the current Arc 3.0 meta, but some players find the Arc 3.0 overhaul weaker than Bungie granted with the Solar and Void revamps from the previous seasons. So, we’ve developed the strongest builds based on the tools we have at our disposal this season.

Here are the best Destiny 2 Hunter builds for PvP and PvE in Arc 3.0.

Best Hunter PvP build: The radiant renegade

This Destiny 2 Hunter build makes the most of the Gunslinger’s secret weapon: radiance. When a player is radiant, they deal increased weapon damage to enemies. While this only amounts to 10% more damage in PvP, it will make a massive difference in any situation where you and your enemy are otherwise evenly matched.

Further, in this build, we pair radiance with weapon damage buffs from elemental wells, increasing the damage output to even greater numbers.

Class: Gunslinger – Golden Gun – Deadshot

• Deadshot: Disintegrates targets with Solar Light. Causing Solar ignitions with active Super refunds Golden Gun round. Also benefits from being radiant.
  • Ignition causes a large Solar explosion which deals damage in an area around the target.
  • Radiant deals increased weapon damage to foes.

Essential stats

• 100+ recovery
• 80+ mobility
• 80+ intellect

Gain this by masterworking armour to maximise stats, using armour mods that increase them even more, and using fragments that increase stats.

Class abilities

• Healing Grenade: Cures allies on impact and creates an Orb of benevolent Solar Light, which grants restoration to allies when picked up.
• Acrobat’s Dodge: Dodge-ability provides Radiant to yourself and nearby allies.
• Triple Jump: Sustain air jump with a second or third jump.
• Lightweight Knife: Knife deals moderate damage, while precision hits make you radiant.

Aspects

• Knock ‘Em Down: Enhanced Solar Supers. Deadshot has increased duration. While radiant, final blows with an equipped throwing knife fully refund melee energy.
• On Your Mark: Precision final blows grant you and nearby allies increased weapon handling and reload speed. Stacks three times. Activating Class Ability grants maximum stacks.

Fragments

• Ember of Empyrean: Solar weapon or ability final blows extend the duration of restoration and radiant effects on you. (-10 Resilience)
• Ember of Torches: Powered melee attacks make you and your allies radiant.
• Ember of Benevolence: Applying restoration, cure, or radiant to allies grants increased grenade, melee, and class ability regeneration. (-10 Discipline)
• Ember of Solace: Radiant and restoration effects applied to you have increased duration.
• Ember of Beams: Solar Super projectiles have stronger target acquisition. (+10 Intellect)

Exotic armour

• ST0MP-EES: Increases sprint speed and slide distance and improves jump, but decreases all weapon airborne effectiveness stats.
  • Alternatively, you can use Celestial Nighthawk for high-damage shots that cause explosions and prolong your Super. This stacks with radiance and Font of Might, further enhancing your weapon damage (explained below).
  • You can also use Star-Eater Scales to gain additional Super energy from Orbs of Power you pick up. Further, while Super energy is full, picking up an Orb of Power overcharges your Super, causing you to gain a burst of healing when cast and a bonus to your Super damage, which stacks with radiance for even more damage. And, at maximum overcharge, you gain an overshield.

Armour mods

Use mods that support the types of weapons you use in PvP. For seasoned players, this will often mean prioritising hand cannons, shotguns, and rocket launchers. You’ll also want to use the following:

• Elemental Light: Defeating a combatant with your super spawns an elemental well that matches your subclass type.
• Bountiful Wells: Elemental well mods now stack, spawning additional wells for each copy of the mod equipped.
  Place as many of these as possible, as they will allow you to stack
• Elemental Time Dilation: Extends the duration of timed buffs.
  • Must have multiple copies of the mod that you want to extend. In this case, it would be Font of Might.
• Font of Might: Picking up an elemental well that matches your subclass type grants a bonus to weapon damage.
  • Place as many of these as possible, particularly if you have a teammate producing elemental wells, to extend the duration of the buff.

Weapons

Equip weapons with the Vorpal Weapon perk to enhance damage output to even greater numbers.

Best Hunter PvE Build: Infinite Invisibility

This Destiny 2 Hunter build takes advantage of several Void mechanics to grant the player nearly unlimited invisibility. The goal is to suppress, weaken or apply volatility to them. Defeating these targets with Stylish Executioner will give you invisibility and truesight. A minor modification involves using Trapper’s Ambush instead, depending on whether your priority is yourself or your teammates.

You’ll also gain invisibility through dodging with Vanishing Step. With the exotic chest piece Omnioculous, you’ll gain damage resistance for you and your teammates while invisible. However, if you simply prefer continuous invisibility, you can use Six Wolves, which grants a second dodge that also takes advantage of Vanishing Step. Additionally, Void elemental well mods will offer extra protection and grant bonuses to weapon damage.

Class: Nightstalker – Shadowshot – Moebius Quiver

Moebius Quiver: Tether enemies to anchor, weakening and suppressing them. Fire two volleys of arrows that seek nearby targets. Shadowshot makes targets volatile and increases damage to tethered targets. Defeating tethered targets grants Orbs of Power.

Essential stats

Gain this by masterworking armour to maximise stats, using armour mods that increase them even more, and using fragments that increase stats.

Class abilities

• Suppressor Grenade: Explosive grenade suppresses enemies and prevents them from using abilities for a short time.
• Gambler’s Dodge: Perform a tumble to avoid enemy attacks. Dodging near enemies fully recharges melee ability.
• Triple Jump: Sustain air jump with a second or third jump.
• Snare Bomb: Throw a smoke bomb, which attaches to enemy surfaces and pings enemy radar. Weakens targets on detonation.

Aspects

• Vanishing Step: Dodging makes the player invisible.
• Stylish Executioner: Defeating a weakened, suppressed, or volatile target grants invisibility and truesight. Your next melee attack while invisible weakens the target.
  • With truesight, enemies are shaded and pulse red through walls.
• Alternatively, you can use Trapper’s Ambush, which allows you to activate Quickfall to create a smoke cloud that leaves allies invisible. Your smoke bomb will also attach to allies and make them invisible. The benefit of this is that it will offer more damage protection for your teammates when used with Omniolcus.

Fragments

• Echo of Domineering: After suppressing a target, you gain increased mobility, and your equipped weapon is reloaded from reserves.
• Echo of Reprisal: Final blows surrounded by combatants grant Super energy.
• Echo of Obscurity: Finisher final blows grant invisibility. +10 Recovery

Exotic armour

• Onnioculus: Extra smoke bomb charge and gain damage resistance (50%) when invisible and for your nearby allies when you make them invisible. Also, gain melee energy when making them invisible.
  • Alternatively, if you prefer additional invisibility instead of damage reduction and aren’t leveraging Trapper’s Ambush to offer damage reduction to your teammates, you can use The Sixth Coyote, which grants a second dodge charge.

Armour mods

Use mods that support the types of weapons you’re using for your chosen PvE activity. Additionally, use the following:

• Reaping Wellmaker: Upon activating your Class Ability, the next weapon final blow spawns a Void elemental well.
• Well of Tenacity: Picking up a Void elemental well reduces the damage you take from enemies for a short period.
• Font of Might: Picking up an elemental well that matches your subclass energy grants a bonus to weapon damage.

Weapons

Tractor Cannon (Exotic Power Shotgun): Pushes enemies away, suppresses their abilities and leaves them vulnerable.

Players should customise any Destiny 2 Hunter build to work with their playstyle. For example, you may wish to experiment with different jump styles, grenade types or fragments that may work better to highlight your strengths. If you’re looking for more ideas, check out our guide to the best Destiny 2 Titan builds in Arc 3.0 and our best Destiny 2 Warlock builds in Solar 3.0. We also have a guide for developing the best Destiny 2 builds, along with guides to Void 3.0 and Solar 3.0 generally.