Best Destiny 2 PvE Classes & PvE Subclasses, Ranked (2021)
After running through Destiny 2’s various PvE activities, we came up with a ranking of which classes you want fighting on your side. Updated for 2020 through Beyond Light here are the best Destiny 2 PvE classes and PvE subclasses.
12. Striker Titan
Best Destiny 2 PvE Classes & Subclasses for 2020
Let’s start this list by saying that although we have the Striker last here on our best Destiny 2 subclasses for PvE, there’s no completely unviable subclass. There’s room for six people, and as long as you’re well balanced with support and damage subclasses, anything can work.
There are going to be times when you need support abilities to burn down a boss. Those roles are more specialized which is why they tend to rise further up on this list. But there are also times where you just need someone clear out enemies in a hurry.
That’s where the Striker’s bread has been buttered for years now. The issue with Striker is that it’s just very one-dimensional.
It’s as simple as this as far as PvE goes: hit super, make the all the bad guys go bye bye. Use Fist of Havoc to clear out packs, and after that, shoulder charge any tougher majors as much as possible.
Middle tree Striker AKA Code of the Missile, has perhaps the best neutral game (while your super is down) of all the Striker paths, especially when paired with the Insurmountable Skullfort exotic helmet which can allow it to basically death from above melee slam infinitely onto weak packs of enemies and boost its weapon damage easily.
11. Arcstrider Hunter
Best Destiny 2 PvE Classes & Subclasses for 2020
The Arcstrider, especially with its middle tree super, has a lot of versatility to offer a fireteam. It is excellent at clearing out packs of enemies quickly, like it always has been.
It’s also uniquely suited towards effectively stunlocking many bosses in Destiny 2, which is not something that a lot of other subclasses can easily replicate.
With middle tree, it has extreme defensive utility with Whirling Guard which still lets it smack enemies around. However, it now comes with the added bonus of being able to block incoming projectiles and launch them back at enemies.
Honestly, Arcstrider falls into the category of totally viable once you have the other more crucial spots like Nightstalker, Sentinel and/or Dawnblade filled.
You’re going to want some damage dealing specialists, and the Arcstrider is a great choice with its excellent survivability regardless of the skill tree that you choose.
10. Behemoth Titan
Best Destiny 2 PvE Classes & Subclasses for 2020
While the Titan Behemoth is incredibly fun to play in PvE, it plays very similarly to Striker, except with a little more utility, and has a harder time in very dangerous scenarios for PvE.
Titan Behemoths love to slide. The main gameplay loop for Behemoths is lay down lots of Stasis crystals everywhere; whether you’re using your grenade, your super Glacial Quake or even the new Stasis exotic weapon Salvation’s Grip, and then crash through them with your aspected slide or melee attack for massive damage to enemies while also reaping perks for your netural game.
It’s incredibly satisfying and powerful, it’s just also incredibly risky as you’ll need to put yourself in harms way to get the most out of it.
If you’re doing something lower key, Behemoths can make quick work of trash enemies without needing to rely on its super. If you’re going to take it into something like a Nightfall, though, definitely be more measured with your attacks or you’ll end up real dead, real fast.
9. Stormcaller Warlock
Best Destiny 2 PvE Classes & Subclasses for 2020
The Stormcaller as of Beyond Light still pretty much holds the exact same role that it did pre-Beyond Light. Clearing out adds and just pure overall damage.
The middle tree Forsaken super, Chaos Reach, is a little better towards single enemies than the other two Attunements and is a popular option for times when ammo is scarce.
Stormcaller is arguably the best Destiny 2 subclass for dealing out damage to packs of weak enemies. It will chew through Thrall, Psions, and red-barred enemies with comical ease with a super that feels like it lasts forever. There are plenty of sections in raids where this is a hurdle for the team, and the Stormcaller is the tool to clear that.
The perk that really helps the Stormcaller stand out, though, is found in the Attunement of Elements tree (bottom path) and is called Arc Soul.
What this does is add an Arc Soul to your rift ability so anyone who runs through your rift gets a violent little ball of electric fury over their shoulder that attacks any and all nearby enemies. You can combine this with the No Time to Explain exotic and almost turn Stormcaller into Destiny 2’s only pet job!
It seems like a small deal, but it does make a big difference in DPS, and can make tough spots in activities like the Nightfall much more manageable, since you now essentially have an extra gun over your shoulder that fires freely and can help watch your back.
It doesn’t necessarily give you more health or armor, but it can help keep aggressors at bay, while also backing up your allies too.
If you already have a Dawnblade or two, throwing an Stormcaller into the mix for Arc Soul during boss DPS phases and some improved add clearing to mop of packs of enemies in Nightfalls and Deep Stone Crypt is definitely helpful, it should just never be picked over Dawnblade if you don’t already have one in something very difficult and has stiff competition from other Warlock subclasses as well.
8. Sunbreaker Titan
Best Destiny 2 PvE Classes & Subclasses for 2020
Sunbreaker still holds onto its niche, even if it’s less important than it once was: great at clearing out enemies and the ability to debuff a single-target pretty much whenever it wants.
Hammer striking a boss or champion is still useful at times, but there’s plenty of other safer and longer-lasting methods of buffing up a DPS phase now as of Beyond Light.
That said, it’s still a very useful melee attack for taking out majors and other tankier enemies like Servitors. You can’t have a Sentinel’s bubble around all the time, and it’s in non-Boss scenarios where Sunbreaker shines now.
If you have plenty of Ward of Dawns, having one Hammer Strike Sunbreaker around to help the group burn down smaller, but still tougher enemies is still helpful.
If you’re running Hallowfire Heart, you can pretty much have Hammer Strike up almost whenever you want.
Bottom tree Sunbreaker, AKA Sunspots, got an indirect buff through the release of the exotic armor piece, Phoenix Cradle which allows team members that pass through the Sunspots to gain its effects, further solidifying its roll of the off-brand buff/debuff guy, especially when you’re on the move.
Finally, with middle tree you get two useful perks. First, the neutral game with the potentially unlimited ranged melee is nice if you use it effectively. Second, the super is very effective at stun locking bosses if you spam the slam attack which is nice for stuff like Strike bosses.
In any event, Sunbreakers also get the luxury of having one of the best grenades in the game, Thermite Grenades, which are capable of shutting down an entire lane/spawn point of enemies.
7. Voidwalker Warlock
Best Destiny 2 PvE Classes & Subclasses for 2020
The Voidwalker, unlike many of the Destiny 2 subclasses in this list, has never evolved very much. The Voidwalker is a very competent damage dealer for all scenarios with lots of survivability tools in PvE. That’s been its role pretty much forever and it remains the same as of Beyond Light.
The Voidwalker is arguably the tankiest neutral-game Warlock that can do massive damage via Nova Bomb and assist with clearing out packs of enemies without having to worry about dying as much. Use the Attunement of Hunger, and feast with Devour.
Just make sure that people don’t steal your kills otherwise, you could be in trouble. Equip Nazarec’s Sin to double the fun.
Slowva Bomb in particular helps it with boss damage too and can be helpful in the Deep Stone Crypt raid for a number of encounters including Taniks for quickly ripping the nuclear cores off of his shank.
The only reason the Voidwalker this low is because other Warlocks and even Hunters and Titans, can do a lot of the same things, but with added utility as well. Still, the Voidwalker is a solid team member and with the right exotics can be quite useful.
6. Revenant Hunter
Best Destiny 2 PvE Classes & Subclasses for 2020
The Revenant is an extremely well-done Stasis subclass for Hunter that excel both in PvE and PvP scenarios. In PvE, though, the Revenant is best known for its powerful super, Silence and Squall.
There are few supers right now that can shutdown a wider area of enemies better than Silence and Squall. Not only does it do massive damage to a massive area (depending on your aim), icy tornadoes will spawn and will continue to slow and freeze enemies for what seems like forever. There are few supers that are as dominant as Silence and squall
If you’re going to play Revenant, lean into this super and try and utilize builds that will let you Silence and Squall as often as possible and leverage fragments such as Whisper of Bonds.
Revenant, like other Stasis subclasses, also can utilize other fragments to keep the slow and freeze effects going while also enhancing their damage.
While it’s not going to replace something like a Gunslinger or Nightstalker for boss DPS, there are few better options when it comes to area control in the game right now than a Revenant. It’s just a little too reliant on its super in PvE, which is why it’s just below yet another Stasis subclass.
5. Shadebinder Warlock
Best Destiny 2 PvE Classes & Subclasses for 2020
Shadebinder, the new Warlock stasis subclass, shoots up towards the top of our list of best Destiny 2 PvE subclasses.
The Shadebinder just has so many options when it comes to fragments that torment enemies and champions by keeping them constantly frozen while also enhancing the effectiveness of the Shadebinder itself.
Shadebinders with the Aspect of Control can use their grenades to consistently keep enemies slowed and frozen more than any other Stasis subclass right now as anytime a frozen enemy an ice bolt will seek out and freeze another.
Combine that with its super, Winter’s Wrath, Shadebinder Warlocks can consistently manipulate a battlefield to their benefit and also apply powerful weapon damage buffs to themselves.
Stasis lacks the sheer firepower as other classes, so to make the most of them you’ll want to leverage that ability to stop enemies in their tracks. Just a second or two of freeze is enough time to allow another fireteam member to show up with The Lament and wreck a difficult enemy.
4: Nightstalker Hunter
Best Destiny 2 PvE Classes & Subclasses for 2020
The Nightstalker remains one of the most useful subclasses thanks to its super, Shadowshot, which is never not helpful. Shadowshot is just so clutch in just about every single PvE situation that you can think of.
It can help debuff a boss similar to the Sunbreaker’s Melting Point, but it also is capable of shutting down an entire area of enemies and generating a boatload of orbs in the process.
As far as paths go for the Nightstalker, both are incredibly useful depending on your play style. Way of the Trapper (the top path) allows for you to use the Vanishing Step.
This adds invisibility to your dodge roll, and will keep you alive in dangerous situations. Keen Scout adds extra mobility, and your Shadowshot becomes a trap rather just a simple arrow, able to be left around corners or over doorways for unsuspecting foes.
Way of the Pathfinder is a bit more aggressive and plays more to helping your allies.
The Moebius Quiver lets you fire off multiple arrows which deal high damage, Heart of the Pack helps to increase Orbs of Light production, and Vanish in Smoke lets you turn yourself and allies invisible (great for speeding through areas in Nightfall Strikes).
If you really missed Bladedancer from Destiny 1, you sort of get that back via the middle tree Nightstalker with Spectral Blades, however it still lives in the shadow of Shadowshot in PvE situations.
3: Gunslinger Hunter
Best Destiny 2 PvE Classes & Subclasses for 2020
The Gunslinger still is among the best burst DPS subclasses in the game for both AoE and single-target damage, and until that changes it will remain a fixture in difficult PvE scenarios.
The Gunslinger can now melt a boss either from across the map with total safety with Golden Gun, or if the risk is worth it, they can get right up in your face and do even more damage plus clear out some minions while they are at it with Blade Barrage.
What’s also still super powerful is Celestial Nighthawk plus Golden Gun, a staple for any strategy that relies on burst DPS. Gunslingers have found a solidified raid team spot helping with one to two phasing bosses thanks their awesome boss melting supers.
The Way of the Sharpshooter as a whole focuses more on rewarding players for precision hits and kills. This is definitely a subclass that’s geared more towards highly-skilled players, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing, as in the right hands this is an absolute beast.
It still lacks a bit of PvE utility outside of the extremely useful niche of melting bossses, however. It will never be as proficient at clearing wide swaths of enemies like a Striker or a Stormcaller.
Nor, will it ever compete with the support specialists like Sentinel, Nightstalker and Dawnblade. However, if you have all that covered, and just need something that can wreck a boss, the Gunslinger is great for filling out a spot or two in your fireteam.
2. Sentinel Titan
Best Destiny 2 PvE Classes & Subclasses for 2020
The Bubble Bros. are back! The Sentinel with the addition of Weapons of Light to Ward of Dawn (top tree) instantly launched the Sentinel back towards the top of the PvE meta game and remains there as of Destiny 2: Beyond Light.
Combined with Well of Radiance, the Ward of Dawn super is crucial for burning down the toughest enemies such as the Atraks-1 in DEep Stone Crypt, and surviving an onslaught of enemies in the hardest Nightfall activities, especially while using the Helm of Saint-14.
Also Defensive Strike is one of the best melee effects in the game and if you use Doom Fang Pauldron, you can contribute towards getting your bubble back too.
It’s not all just top tree either for PvE the Path of the Commander still has some uses too if you have 1-2 bubbles already. The Banner Shield is a good mobile cover for situations when you want to protect a vulnerable DPS squad while still enhancing damage. Plus it still is far better at offense than top tree, making it a more balanced choice if you have bubbles already.
Finally, you could also just opt to go Captain America all over everyone’s ass still with bottom tree. However, there are other subclasses, within Titan even, that can do that as well, if not better. Save bottom tree for PvP.
1. Dawnblade Warlock
Best Destiny 2 PvE Classes & Subclasses for 2020
Dawnblade may not be as broken as it used to be, but it’s still a no-brainer Warlock pick in just about any PvE situation.
Well of Radiance, Dawnblade’s most useful super for PvE, creates a super rift that has extremely powerful healing capabilities and empowers anyone in it. Plus, if you don’t need your grenade energy, Dawnblades can turn it into portable overshield for an ally.
Well of Radiance and Lunfaction boots are still very good, they just aren’t broken anymore or as critical, but they are still welcome in any DPS phase whether it’s Last Wish, Garden of Salvation, or Deep Stone Crypt.
Similar to the Ward of Dawn from Destiny 1, there’s really no bad time to have a Well of Radiance in your back pocket. It’s universally useful in just about every situation you can think of in Destiny 2’s PvE scene.
When Dawnblades use their top tree, they turn into one of the most mobile subclasses in Destiny 2, able to skate around with Icarus Dash at high speeds. And with Dawn Chorus, they can turn into a damage over time DPS monster as well thanks to their powerful burning abilities.
Between its ability to skate around at high speeds, clear groups of enemies, or effectively make a team nearly invincible in even the toughest of PvE scenarios. There’s basically nothing a Dawnblade can’t do.
That does it for which subclasses and classes we think are the best for PvE in Destiny 2: Beyond Light! Let us know if you agree or disagree down below.
