The Best Destiny: TTK Subclasses for PvP Ranked

9: Sunsinger

The Sunsinger’s biggest issue is its super. Its biggest strength is that it can revive itself from the dead, but that requires you to be killed to even take advantage of it. If you opt to skip the revive and use it as is, then all it is essentially is slinging grenades around which, unlike some of the other subclass supers on this list, are not easy kills.

Sure Sunsinger isn’t all about the super. It has the excellent (but no longer unique) Fusion Grenades. Its melee attack perk, Flame Shield, is one of the best in the game. Not only does it have the signature Warlock range, it doesn’t need a kill to activate its overshield, giving Sunsingers a huge leg up in hand-to-hand combat. Still though, that doesn’t bring it up further than some of the other, more PvP oriented, subclasses.

8: Nightstalker

The Nightstalker has quickly emerged to be one of the strongest PvE classes in the game and it’s certainly no slouch in PvP either. Nightstalkers can alter their super, Shadowshot, to be able to be fired three times with the modifier Quiver. Quiver is tailor made for PvP as it allows the Nightstalker to potentially get three kills with its super and if they can anchor anyone then chalk them up as easy prey for even more kills. Also, while Nightstalkers miss out on Blink, they do get the incredibly useful Shadestep which allows them preform an evade maneuver to not only dodge attacks, but also confuse Crucible combatants. Smoke, their unique melee attack, is also great for sneaking around and helping allies in Rift.

So why is Nightstalker pretty far down our list at eight? Nightstalkers need to work a little harder to be successful in PvP. Getting kills with their super requires more effort than some of the other subclasses on this list. It’s a lot easier to miss Shadowshot than Striker’s Fist of Havoc or Bladedancer’s relentless assaults from Arc Blade. Also, a lot of Nightstalker’s abilities are geared towards PvE play. In order to be at your PvP/Crucible best, you’ll need to spec your Nightstalker in a specific way (such as using Quiver as mentioned above), thus killing some potential creativity.

7: Defender

The Titan Defender, the subclass that normally tops our list of best PvE classes, resides towards the bottom of our regular Crucible PvP list. Why? Because its main utility, the Ward of Dawn AKA Titan bubble, requires people to be foolish enough to either walk in or hang around it order to get any kills out of it.

Sure, you can lock down a Control point or Salvage a relic easier but in pure deathmatch based modes, Defender is really lacking. Yes, there is the old Ward of Dawn orb of light spam, but only novice or unorganized teams should actually have a hard time with that. Besides Ward of Dawn, Defenders have Magnetic Grenades which are pretty great as far as sticky grenades go but have a melee that only triggers when it gets a kill. Defenders, are still very usable in PvP despite being towards the bottom of this list, but they are just very geared towards objective based game types to be worth it.

6: Stormcaller

Another new Destiny: TTK subclass, the Stormcaller, comes in towards the middle at number six. Stormcallers have incredible destructive power with their super, Stormtrance, and can easily rip through groups of Crucible combatants. Also, the already powerful Warlock melee gets even more range when used with Amplitude, making those 1-2 shotgun-melee combinations even more deadly. Finally, Perpetual Charge helps keep the Stormcaller’s grenade and melee attacks charged up at all times.

Stormcaller only has a couple of glaring flaws. Like the subclasses that came before it, there are other subclasses that can super just as effectively but with more safety. Stormcallers, like Bladedancers and Gunslingers, need to time their supers at the right time otherwise they will be chasing people around with no one to kill. Also, Stormcaller is a glass cannon of sorts that lacks any kind of health recovery or defensive abilities. Finally, many of Stormcaller’s abilities are tailormade for crowd control, a situation that doesn’t come up all too often in the Crucible and PvP.

5: Voidwalker

One of the OGs of the Destiny PvP and Crucible world is still very reliable in TTK Year Two. Nova Bomb is never going to not be great. It’s a wrecking ball that can still easily and instantly wipe entire teams in one fell swoop and leaving a deadly DOT effect in its wake atop objectives when used with Vortex. Also, despite the addition of Nightstalker, Axion Bolt is still unique to Voidwalker and remains one of the most powerful and deadly grenades in the Crucible.

In Year One, Voidwalker greatly benefited from some of its exotics, such The Ram, that added some really helpful modifiers. While they have lost The Ram going into Year Two (which matters in Iron Banner), they are still able to keep other fan favorites such as Obsidian Mind and Voidfang Vestiments. While Voidwalker may leave something to desire in PvE, it’s still a high-end PvP class in Destiny: TTK. It’s only glaring problem is that Nova Bomb requires some skill to use and can easily be botched by sending it straight into a wall or debris.

4: Bladedancer

Even after the release of the The Taken King, nothing quite strikes fear into the hearts of Crucible players quite like a Bladedancer’s Arc Blade. The Arc Blade continues to be one of the most powerful supers in all of Destiny. When timed correctly, a Bladedancer can relentlessly tear through an entire Crucible fireteam in a matter of moments. Also, Bladedancers benefit from added defense while in Arc Blade, making them much more difficult to kill.

In addition to its excellent super ability, Bladedancers get a great melee attack that has extra range and can be modified to go invisible. They also get the powerful Arcbolt Grenades that can be thrown in the vicinity of combatants and still find its way to deal maximum damage to multiple enemies.

Why isn’t Bladedancer ranked higher than four then? From this point on the competition is extremely tough and we’re honestly nitpicking. Whether it’s Bladedancer or any of the next three classes you can’t go wrong. However Arc Blade has more room for error than some of other supers ahead on this list. If you pop Arc Blade too early or in front of too many enemies that see you coming, you’re going to be toast rather quickly.

3: Striker

The classic Titan Striker may be last on our PvE list but is rightfully third on our list of the best Destiny classes for PvP. There’s nothing quite as satisfying as dropping Fist of Havoc onto a control point filled with enemies and dancing on their lifeless corpses. It’s just so easy especially with the help of modifiers such as Death From Above. The Helm of Inmost light (a Year One Exotic still viable in normal Crucible) allows Strikers to use both Death from Above AND Aftershock which is great for racking up extra kills.

Strikers also have three grenades that are all primed for PvP but the best is probably Lightning Grenade. When used properly (on a wall or over an objective) Lightning Grenades can easily catch Guardians off guard and rack up multiple kills. Stormfist, while nothing crazy, when used with Overload can allow for easier melee kills (being able to use it twice in a row) or can be used to charge up Fist of Havoc. We have the all important and unique Shoulder Charge as well which, in the hands of the right Guardian, is a weapon capable of dominating the Crucible all by itself. Finally, let’s also not forget that if a Striker can catch a few people in its Fist of Havoc, they can also produce a good amount of orbs for the rest of the team.

Striker has everything it needs to dominate in the Crucible and is narrowly beat by only two classes in our list of the best Destiny classes for PvP in TTK Year Two.

2: Gunslinger

Like the Striker, Gunslinger falls towards the bottom of our PvE list but beats out tough competition from Bladedancer and Striker to be number two on our best Destiny PvP classes for the Crucible in Year Two! No matter the game type, Gunslingers and their Golden Gun are capable of destroying an entire team, within seconds, from across the map. Unlike other subclasses that need to work the mechanics of their super, Golden Gun is as easy as firing a weapon, just don’t miss!

Gunslingers also have a multitude of modifiers that can boost various aspects of their gunplay, giving them a much needed edge against other dangerous human controlled enemies. Chain of Woe can increase your reload speed, Gunslinger’s Trance can increase your stability, and Knife Juggler can keep your melee attack charged and ready if you’re accurate. These three skills may not pay off as well in PvE, but can be the difference between losing and winning a PvP firefight when used properly. Finally, let’s not forget Tripmine grenades that, when placed properly, are able to instantly kill unsuspecting enemies.

1: Sunbreaker

The Sunbreaker has burst onto the scene as the best new PvP subclass in Destiny: The Taken King. Its super, Hammer of Sol, is absolutely phenomenal for quickly taking out enemies. The Hammers can be modified to track enemies and you can easily get as many as five hammers off, leaving no Guardian alive. Also, Cauterize allows you to regenerate health after kills, making Sunbreakers incredibly tough to take down while using Hammer of Sol. It’s easy to make the argument that Hammer of Sol is the best PvP super in the Destiny right now. As long as you have the ability to fire it accurately, think of it as a Golden Gun with more shots and AoE capability.

While Hammer of Sol is the main draw and is absoutely brutal, it also has great grenade and melee attacks as well. Melee kills can be modified to drop Sunspots that can be used as an overshield in emergency situations. Or you can use Melting Point and have it so another teammate can easily finish the job for you from afar. Thermite Grenades can be used to rain fire down on an objective or you can opt for the classic Fusion Grenades for reliable sticky kills.

Sunbreaker is tailor made for Crucible which is why it tops our list of the best Destiny subclasses for PvP! Disagree with our list? Tell us your top nine below. Also be sure to check our list of the best Destiny classes updated for Year Two!

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