In previous Seasons of Destiny 2, there wasn’t really a clear winner for the best PVP Class.
This is not the case for the current PVP sandbox, however, as you will soon find out. We will go over what the best PVP Class is as well as options for other Classes.
Recommended Read: What Are the Best Crafted Weapons in Destiny 2?
The best Class in Destiny 2 PVP is currently Arc Titant with Thundercrash. Hunters are a close second with Strand, while Warlocks have both Dawnblade and Shadebinder.
Table of Contents
What Is the Best PvP Class in Destiny 2?
I’m sure it comes as no surprise that Titan is the best PVP Class in Destiny 2, as it has dominated PVP for months now thanks to all of the neutral game benefits that its Arc subclass has to offer, paired with the single best Super ability in the sandbox right now.
You can compete on Hunter and Warlock, though if you want the best chances of winning in The Crucible, you’d be smart to load in with your Titan.
Arc Titan
Here is a quick overview of how you will want to build your Arc Titan.
Arc Titan Abilities
The Abilities you will want to use are pretty straightforward:
- Towering Barricade: This has long been the only real option for PVP. It is possibly one of the most versatile Abilities in the game, allowing you to claim space for your team, protect yourself while reviving teammates, and pick up Heavy ammo without the enemy stopping you.
- Catapult Lift: You can honestly use whatever jump you are comfortable on, however, the Catapult Lift is best suited for PVP. Using it, you can skate around the map much faster than the other classes, letting you easily flank or pick off players in a bad position.
- Shoulder Charge: Yet another very versatile ability. While it no longer instakills players (without a little help), it can still clean up messy shotgun fights. It is also a great movement ability, letting you zoom past sniper lanes and take space fast.
- Lightning Grenade: While other options are available, nothing can compare to Lightning Grenades right now. While not an easy ability to use, skilled players will push enemies off of hard-to-handle angles with this grenade, putting them between a rock and a hard place. It is a great finisher when enemies run behind cover and can even be used to deny revives or Heavy ammo without risking your life.
- Thundercrash: This Super has long been considered the best Super ability in the sandbox, beating out every roaming Super, every counter Super, and is one of the only Supers to beat both Bubble and Well. The speed makes it easy to run down fleeing enemies while dodging any bullets they shoot at you. This ability is one of the only Supers in the game that makes high Intellect worth running.
Arc Titan Aspects
The Aspects you will want to run for this build are even more straightforward:
- Knockout: The reason many players hate to play against this build. Breaking your enemy’s shield will increase your melee range and damage, allowing you to lunge an insane distance and get the edge in any close-quarters fight. To top it off, getting melee kills starts your health regen and amplifies you, allowing you to take on fight after fight and remain healthy.
- Touch of Thunder: This Aspect enhances your grenade of choice. For our build, it will grant us an additional Lightning Grenade and cause them to Jolt enemies on the initial blast, forcing enemies to stay away from each other and giving you more space to 1v1. Lightning Grenades are already a top-tier grenade choice, having an additional grenade is just unfair.
Arc Titan Fragments
The Fragments vary slightly, although there are two must-have options for our build.
- Spark of Feedback: After taking melee damage, your melee damage is Increased. This Fragment is the reason you will never win a fistfight against a titan, even if you are the one to start it. All it takes is a single shot with your weapon and a follow-up melee to finish off most enemies, as they attempt to melee you twice. This also means your Shoulder Charge will instakill a full health player. To top it off, you are getting a +10 Resilience bonus when choosing this Fragment.
- Spark of Recharge: While you are critically wounded, your melee and grenade energy will recharge quickly. Since you won’t be building into Discipline or Strength, this Fragment will give you a much-needed boost to ability regen as you dip in and out of fights.
The last two Fragments are really just stat boosters. We recommend choosing between Spark of Brilliance, Spark of Jolt, Spark of Resistance, or Spark of Instinct, depending on your needs.
Arc Titan Exotic
Titans have a pretty decent selection of Exotic armor pieces. This means you can change your Exotic to better suit your playstyle instead of being forced to learn how to play with what works.
Our choice Exotic, and the one that we’re sure many of you have faced in PVP lately, is going to be Antaeus Wards.
When sliding, you will gain a protective barrier in front of you that deflects any incoming projectiles, and we do mean any. This thing can deflect a Nova Bomb if timed right.
This Exotic will single-handedly win you every shotgun duel, give you the opening advantage to any Hand Cannon fight, and allow you to safely take a peek at enemy snipers without getting your head taken off immediately.
If you don’t have this Exotic unlocked yet, or have a moral high ground against it, you have other options.
While not as dominant as it once was, One-Eyed Mask is still a great Exotic choice that will give you the chance to 1v3 or even 1v6 the entire enemy team, granting you an overshield for every kill so you can take yet another unfair fight. The fact that it gives you wall hacks is a bonus.
Citan’s Ramparts will create a one-way shield that you and your teammates can shoot through. When this Exotic was released, it was everywhere. Now, while still potent, it gets overshadowed by the other options a bit.
Dunemarchers are always a great choice for enhanced slide and movement speed.
Alternative Titan Subclass
If you are looking for a little more variety in your play sessions, Void Titan with Ward of Dawn is a great build that can secure your team rounds simply by casting your Super on the capture point.
The abundance of overshields also makes this subclass hard to deal with without outnumbering it, giving your teammates a chance to make space while the enemy is preoccupied with you.
Strand Hunter
The amount of mobility and utility that Strand gives you makes this a good pick for Hunter mains.
With Strand, you will be able to create one-sided fights for you and your team by diving into enemies and Suspending them.
Strand Hunter Abilities
The Abilities you will want to use are:
- Markman’s Dodge: While Gambler’s Dodge is just as great, we will go with this dodge as it has a lower cooldown, giving us more opportunities to use Ensnaring Slam.
- Strafe Jump: Any jump will do. Strafe Jump is good for getting around the map fast in PVP.
- Threaded Strike: Currently our only melee option. Great for finishing low-health enemies. It also severs targets, meaning you will spawn a Tangle when defeating them.
- Grapple: The only real option for PVP and our main movement ability. It is very versatile for both offensive and defensive play. Use your Grapple to set up an Ensnaring Slam and score easy kills.
Strand Hunter Aspects
There are really only two options for Hunter Aspects:
- Widow’s Silk: Grants an additional grenade charge, meaning you now have two Grapples available. You will also leave behind a Grapple Tangle after using your Grapple, letting you and your teammates freely Grapple without expending a grenade charge.
- Ensnaring Slam: Activate your air move and consume your dodge to dive into the ground and Suspend all nearby enemies. This is what makes Strand Hunter so good. Combine this with your Grapple to dive into enemy teams and leave them Suspended in the air for your team to pick off.
Strand Hunter Fragments
The first two picks are a must-have for the build:
- Thread of Ascent: Using your grenade ability will reload your equipped weapon and grant bonus Handling and airborne effectiveness. Since your Grapple counts as a grenade ability, this means you will receive some nice benefits every time you use it to engage in a fight.
- Thread of Continuity: Extends the duration of your Strand-related abilities. For our build, this means enemies will be Suspended for longer and Severed for longer when using our melee ability.
The last two Framents are up to personal preference.
You can either use them to flesh out your stats or use something like Thread of Mind or Thread of Warding for more neutral game buffs.
Strand Hunter Exotics
Hunter has one of the most versatile selections of Exotic armor pieces among the three Classes.
We recommend either The Sixth Coyote for multiple dodge charges, meaning multiple Ensnaring Slams, or Cyrtarachne’s Facade for that extra bit of Resilience when using Grapple.
Some other good options are ST0MP-EE5, The Dragon’s Shadow, Wormhusk Crown, Gemini Jester, and Speedloader Slacks. Choose whatever suits your playstyle, as nothing is necessary for this build.
Alternative Hunter Subclass
If you prefer to stay back and support your team, Solar Hunter with Blade Barrage is a good choice. You will have access to Tripmines and Proximity Knifes to lockdown space for your team or flush out enemies from cover.
Pair this with the Exotic Young Ahamkara’s Spine for enhanced Tripmine grenades that will one-shot any enemy in PVP.
Stasis Warlock
While many may prefer the movement the Dawnblade has to offer, Shadebinder is much better suited for handling today’s PVP meta.
The ability to freeze incoming Hutners out of the air or stop a shotgun-rushing Titan in their tracks makes this a deadly contender.
Stasis Warlock Abilities
Use whatever jump, Rift, and melee you want. The only ability worth mentioning is Coldsnap Grenades.
These are a must for this build, as you will want every chance of freezing enemies you can get. They also tie into our Exotic of choice.
Stasis Warlock Aspects
For our build, we will be using the following Aspects:
- Iceflare Bolts: Shattering a frozen enemy will create a Seeker that chases and freezes nearby enemies. This can potentially lead to you freezing the entire enemy team with a single ability. Use this to stop enemy rushes and punish anyone trying to trade you out after a kill.
- Frostpulse: Using your Rift will create a shockwave that freezes nearby enemies. This is a great tool to use when you are low, as you can bait enemies in and then cast your rift to both heal you and freeze anyone who got too close. Time it just right and you can even freeze enemies out of their Supers.
Stasis Warlock Fragments
Our Fragment choices are pretty slim but pretty good for our build:
- Whisper of Chains: Reduces incoming damage while near frozen enemies. This will allow you to survive in melee fights after freezing a single enemy.
- Whisper of Rending: Increases your Primary weapon damage to frozen enemies. Good for finishing targets that are too far for your shotgun.
- Whisper of Fissures: Creates an enhanced burst when shattering frozen enemies. This will let you wipe out groups of enemies that rush together by killing just a single frozen target.
- Whisper of Torment: Grants grenade energy each time you take damage. Great way to get your Coldsnaps back throughout the match.
Stasis Warlock Exotics
What makes this build especially potent is the use of Osmiomancy Gloves. This Exotic grants you an additional Coldsnap grenade charge while increasing grenade recharge rates on direct impacts.
It also enhances the Seeker that your grenade spawns, letting it travel further while chasing down enemies.
If you don’t have Osmiomancy Gloves yet, you can always use Ophidian Aspect for general neutral game enhancements.
Alternative Warlock Subclass
As mentioned earlier, Solar Warlock is still a very good pick for PVP, giving you full control of the air with Icarus Dash and Heat Rises.
This Subclass is better suited for playing far back with a Pulse or Sniper Rifle to support your team.
There we have it. Looks like the Titans will remain on top for yet another Season.
What Class have you been enjoying in PVP recently? Let us know in the comments!
