Best Hunter builds in Destiny 2

All of the classes in Destiny 2 offer builds capable of dishing out massive loads of damage, but no class has quite the expansive list as the Hunter class. The Hunter is a formidable DPS option for PvE options and a daunting opponent in any PvP activity like Crucible or Gambit.

With the perfect combination of subclass tree abilities and exotic armor, any Hunter can go from a good damage dealer to a great one. Here are some of the best Hunter builds across Destiny 2.

Gunslinger + Ophidia Spathe + Monte Carlo

It’s knife to meet you. One of the benefits of the Gunslinger subclass, the Solar subclass for Hunters, is its variety of throwing knife options. Each Gunslinger tree offers a different knife variant that adds explosive damage, burning damage, or precision damage—and this build maximizes the number of knives you can throw.

The Ophidia Spathe chest armor piece grants you a second charge of the throwing knife. Combined with the Monte Carlo auto rifle that rapidly recharges your melee ability with damage and kills, the Gunslinger Hunter becomes a rapid knife-throwing machine. For PvE activities, the Way of the Outlaw maximizes this subclass build, with the explosive knife and Golden Gun six-shooter built to clear massive troves of enemies. Way of the Sharpshooter is also ideal for either PvP or taking down big bosses.

Arcstrider + Raiden Flux

The Arc Staff super ability is one of the most powerful in the game, dealing a ton of damage via wide melee swings and Arc damage that chains to multiple enemies. On its own, it already has a decent duration, but it becomes even more powerful with the Raiden Flux chest armor piece equipped.

With Raiden Flux equipped, chained Arc Staff hits buff its damage and durations, expanding the length and power of the super. This is best amplified by the Way of the Warrior tree, which adds a lightning aftershock to Arc Staff hits when used after a dodge.

Nightstalker + Graviton Forfeit

The Way of the Wraith tree of the Nightstalker subclass switches out Shadowshot for an entirely new super, Spectral Blades. Summoning this ability allows you to become invisible until you attack next. And if you right-click with your heavy attack, you can disappear once again. It’s useful for clearing out priority enemies in PvE activities and can be a game-changer in different PvP modes. Wraith players can also turn invisible from getting kills while crouched.

Like with the Arc build, we want to maximize this super as much as possible—and for that, we need the Graviton Forfeit helmet. This exotic helmet increases the duration of any invisibility effect, and while one’s invisible, they gain faster melee recharge, weapon reloads, and improved Recovery. This means the super’s invisibility effects will last longer and Hunters can get all those benefits from just crouching and killing.

Revenant + FR0ST-EE5

With so many variants available to unlock and use in the Hunter Stasis class, Revenant, you want something to amplify the freezing and slowing effects that also gives you a tremendous mobility boost. To accomplish this, you want the FR0ST-EE5 exotic boots, which cause sprinting to increase the regeneration of grenades, melee, and your dodge ability.

Dodging also increases your sprint speed, so if you’re freezing enemies either with your grenade or super, you can quickly close the distance and use a Shatterdive to take out a huge group all at once.

Check out our recommendations for the best Titan and Warlock builds, too.