If incredible DPS and flashy abilities are what you like most, then Hunter is the class for you. Here are the best Destiny 2 Hunter builds for The Final Shape Episode 1: Echoes, featuring both meta Prismatic and Solar setups.
Buildcrafting is one of the most important parts of Destiny 2, with players being given all kinds of options to fine-tune their loadouts. From top-tier Exotic weapons to unique Exotic armor pieces, there’s plenty to explore.
Hunter is one of the most popular classes in Destiny, but the stylish gunslingers aren’t the easiest to play with their lack of sustain and survivability being a huge downside. That said, their record in the Last Salvation raid is more than enough to show that they have the potential to be the most potent class of all.
Bearing all of that in mind, here are our recommendations for the best Destiny 2 Hunter build for both Prismatic and Solar.
Best Destiny 2 Prismatic Hunter Build: Liar’s Handshake
Few changes have the potential to alter Destiny 2 as much as Prismatic in the coming months and years. Taking features from all of the existing subclasses, it has opened an entirely new avenue of buildcrafting, and there’s a lot to learn.
Punch Hunters have been a notoriously strong play for a while, but Prismatic somehow gives us the chance to make it even better. Interestingly, Assassin’s Cowl is out thanks to the reworked Stylish Executioner, replaced in this build by Liar’s Handshake.
Happily, this build also takes advantage of a playstyle that should suit everyone from new players to experienced Guardians. The regular invisibility and health regeneration that it offers are key to its viability in the most difficult activities, while still allowing room to output excellent damage against red bars and bosses.
There are other options in the Prismatic subclass that players can take advantage of. Graviton Forfeit, in combination with a Void-focused Prismatic build, is proving popular, but we believe the guide below gives you the best chance of success.
Destiny 2 Hunter Prismatic Build: Abilities, Aspects, & Fragments
Abilities
- Super: Silence and Squall
- Class Ability: Gambler’s Dodge
- Movement: Triple Jump
- Melee: Combination Blow
- Grenade: Duskfield Grenade
Aspects
- Winter’s Shroud: “Dodging slows nearby targets. Slowing targets briefly increases your class ability regeneration.”
- Stylish Executioner: “Defeating a target affected by any elemental debuff grants invisibility and Truesight. After performing a Stylish Execution, your next melee attack while invisible weakens targets.”
Fragments
- Facet of Dawn: “Powered melee hits against targets makes you radiant. Powered melee final blows make you and nearby allies radiant (-10 Strength).”
- Facet of Courage: “Your Arc, Solar and Void abilities deal increased damage to targets afflicted with Darkness debuffs (+10 Discipline).”
- Facet of Ruin: “Increases the size and damage of the burst when you shatter a Stasis crystal or frozen target, and increases the area of effect of Solar ignitions (+10 Mobility).”
- Facet of Purpose: “Picking up an Orb of Power grants either Amplified, Restoration, Frost Armor, Woven Mail, or Overshield based on the damage type of your equipped Super (-10 Recovery).”
- Facet of Protection: “While surrounded by combatants, you are more resistant to incoming damage. While transcendent, the effect is increased (+10 Strength).”
Hunter Prismatic Weapons and Exotic
As this is chiefly a melee build, weapon choice is largely going to be situational or down to personal preference. That said, we do have some recommendations that should synergize well with the Prismatic options we have chosen.
Kinetic: Conditional Finality is a remarkably flexible Exotic at the best of times, but it works exceptionally well here. The Paracausal Pellets perk adds the ability to Freeze more targets, which combos up brilliantly with our charged melee. The other great option here is a Legendary shotgun like Wastelander, particularly with the One-Two Punch perk.
Energy: If running Conditional Finality in the Kinetic slot, it can be nice to have something with more range for PvE activities. Doom of Chelchis is a nice play in that case, thanks to its remarkably strong perk pool. Equally, double Special is another way that this could be played, offering unrivaled destructive power. You shouldn’t have too much trouble with ammo, thanks to your ability to get kills with melee attacks.
Heavy: Heavy is very much the player’s call, depending on what activity they are heading into. It’s possible to pull out a pretty crazy damage rotation with Tractor Cannon when up close and personal with bosses. Otherwise, you can’t go far wrong with powerful options from each weapon type, like Apex Predator, Taipan-4fr or Commemoration (thanks to the perk refresh in Season of the Seraph).
Hunter Prismatic Armor Mods
Helmet
- +10 Stat Mod of choice (3-4)
- Hands-On (3)
- Dynamo (3)
Arms
- Heavy Handed x 3 (3 per copy)
Chest
- +10 Stat Mod of choice (3-4)
- Concussive Dampener (3)
- Melee Damage Resistance (3)
Legs
- +10 Stat Mod of choice (3-4)
- Absolution (3)
- Innervation (1)
- Harmonic Scavenger (2)
Class Item
- Affordable +10 Stat Mod of choice (3)
- Reaper (3)
- Bomber (1)
- Distribution (3)
Hunter Prismatic Stat Priority
- Resilience > Discipline > Mobility = Intellect > Strength > Recovery
You’re going to be up close and personal with a lot of enemies when using this build, so you’re going to want to max out Resilience when possible. You’re also going to be pumping out a lot of grenades, so Discipline is a solid pick, even with the build’s help in recharging our meters.
Intellect is the next priority, reducing the cooldown our the potent super used in this build. The reduced dodge cooldown offered by Mobility isn’t important here, as it should refresh after each powered melee. That said, it is always a nice stat to have for the increased jump range.
Strength is in a similar boat to mobility, as the cooldown for our charged melee is reset when we dodge, forming the basis of the gameplay loop for this build. Recovery is the least important thanks to the invisibility proc, and the likelihood of close-quarters damage is high, preventing Recovery from being particularly effective.
Destiny 2 Hunter Prismatic build: How to use Liar’s Handshake
In a very simple sense, the two Aspects used in this build are the major drivers behind how it functions. Combination Blow increases melee damage with each subsequent hit, stacking up to three times. In addition, it also grants a portion of health back and refreshes class ability with each kill.
This pairs perfectly with the reworked Stylish Executioner, which now grants invisibility when players defeat a target affected by a debuff. This build is stacked with debuffs thanks to the Stasis abilities and the slowing effect of Winter’s Shroud, so it is pretty easy to stay invisible in most encounters. This is the reason that Prismatic melee builds no longer need the invisibility proc from Assassin’s Cowl, allowing us to use our Exotic to build into greater damage instead.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
Liar’s Handshake plays into the above perfectly in two ways. Either using Combination Blow or being hit by an enemy melee allows us to use a hugely powerful counterpunch. This scales the damage of the build significantly, playing into its strengths.
In terms of actual play, this build couldn’t be much simpler:
- Gambler’s Dodge into enemies to get within melee range, then begin to use melee attacks to stack up your Combination Blow damage.
- Use your max stack on yellow bar enemies and bosses for the maximum possible output. The continue to rotate between dodging and using your melee.
- Take Gambler’s Dodge out of the rotation when up close and personal with a boss, as it won’t refresh without adds. Use melee in combination with a One-Two Punch shotgun and Tractor cannon.
- Take advantage of Duskfield Grenades to apply Stasis debuffs before heading into melee range against large groups.
Best Destiny 2 Solar Hunter Build: Celestial Nighthawk
With just how much survivability both Titan and Warlock have, it has historically been hard to justify playing Hunter at times. More recently, we have seen the class clear the competition in terms of DPS, leaving Warlock as a support and Titans with a lower presence in difficult endgame activities.
This Solar Build is centered on maximizing that damage, particularly against bosses, with Celestial Nighthawk greatly enhancing the effects and damage of Golden Gun. This Exotic was previously nothing special but has become a top-tier option following a damage buff at the start of Season 23 in Lightfall.
Even so, it’s not quite as easy as equipping this Exotic and shooting things with a big firey gun. To make this build truly effective, you’ll need to be using this recommended setup which makes generating Super Energy extremely consistent and fast.
The addition of the Exotic Sniper Still Hunt has elevated the potential of this build further, with unbelievably high sustained damage in raids and dungeons.
Destiny 2 Hunter Solar Build: Abilities, Aspects, & Fragments
Abilities
- Super: Golden Gun – Marksman
- Class Ability: Gambler’s Dodge
- Movement: Triple Jump
- Melee: Knife Trick
- Grenade: Healing Grenade
Aspects
- On Your Mark: “Precision final blows grant you and nearby allies increased weapon handling and reload speed for a short duration. Stacks 3 Times. Activating your class ability immediately grants maximum stacks of On Your Mark.”
- Knock ‘Em Down: “Your Solar Supers are enhanced. Marksman Golden Gun has increased duration. While Radiant, final blows with your equipped Throwing Knife fully refund your melee ability.”
Fragments
- Ember of Searing: “Defeating Scorched targets grants melee energy and creates a Firesprite (+10 Recovery).”
- Ember of Tempering: “Solar weapon final blows grant you and your allies increased recovery for a short duration. While active, weapons have increased Airborne Effectiveness, and Solar weapon final blows create a Firesprite (-10 Recovery)
- Ember of Solace: “Radiant and Restoration effects applied to you have increased duration.”
- Ember of Torches: “Powered melee attacks against combatants make you and nearby allies radiant.”
- Ember of Empyrean: “Solar weapon or ability final blows extend the duration of Restoration and Radiant effects applied to you (-10 Resilience).”
Hunter Solar Weapons and Exotic
Kinetic: It may be a surprise inclusion, but Bad Juju is a great choice for this build. Chaining Final Blows with this Exotic Pulse Rifle not only refills its magazine and increases damage output but, most importantly, grants additional Super energy, giving it fantastic synergy with Celestial Nighthawk.
Energy: Despite the move towards Prismatic, a Solar weapon with Incandescent is practically essential in the Energy slot for this build. What you use here is going to be dependent on the situation, but Still Hunt is now the only truly meta option for outrageous DPS. If you are using a Legendary weapon in the Kinetic slot then Sunshot is a great option here, with the explosive rounds applying Scorch, making it a solid play for add-heavy fights. If you are looking for a Legendary to complement Bad Juju, Special ammo weapons, including Royal Executioner, Acasia’a Dejection, Greasy Luck, and IKELOS_SG_V1.0.3, all hold up well.
Heavy: A powerful Solar Heavy like Apex Predator or Cataclysmic is nice for armor mod synergy but realistically, any meta Heavy weapon that deals good damage to bosses will work fine. Just be sure to use something powerful as between Golden Gun uses, this is where the majority of your DPS will come from.
Hunter Solar Armor Mods
Helmet:
- +10 Stat Mod of choice (3-4)
- Dynamo (3)
- Kinetic Siphon (2)
- Radiant Light (1)
Arms:
- +10 Stat Mod of choice (3-4)
- Fastball (1)
- Heavy Handed (3)
- Impact Induction (2)
Chest:
- +10 Stat Mod of choice (3-4)
- Arc Resistance (2)
- Solar Resistance (2)
- Void Resistance (2)
Legs:
- +10 Stat Mod of choice (3-4)
- Innervation (1)
- Kinetic Weapon Surge (3)
- Recuperation (1)
Class Item:
- +10 Stat Mod of choice (3-4)
- Bomber (1)
- Powerful Attraction (2)
- Time Dilation (3)
Hunter Solar Stat Priority
- Resilience > Recovery > Discipline > Intellect > Mobility = Strength
Resilience is always the number one priority in Destiny 2, as there is quite simply nothing as impactful as taking less damage. Both Recovery and Discipline are equally important as these are directly tied to your survivability via health regen and Healing Grenade.
Mobility is often seen as important for Hunters but the benefits it offers are relatively limited. Though the cooldown of Gambler’s Dodge is reduced based on this stat, it is far more useful to be able to tank the inevitable hits that will rain in during raids and GM Nightfalls.
The remaining stats are useful but not necessary with each either offering limited improvements to cooldowns or being replaced by more impactful alternatives elsewhere on the build, although putting any spare stat points into Intellect doesn’t hurt.
Destiny 2 Hunter Solar build: How to use Celestial Nighthawk
At its most basic, the way this build works is that you gain Super Energy via Bad Juju and then fire Celestial Nighthawk-boosted Golden Guns to deal an absurd amount of damage. Assuming you land a precision shot it’s possible to hit the damage cap of 999,999 with Golden Gun.
Some smaller gameplay tips can be woven in to get the absolute most out of this build. Here’s the rotation to play the Celestial Nighthawk Hunter Build as efficiently as possible:
- Chain kills together with Bad Juju to farm Super Energy via its unique Perk, String of Curses. Collect all Orbs of Power dropped from this via either Powerful Attraction or running over them.
- Once Golden Gun is ready, throw Knife Trick at a suitable boss or champion and then immediately activate Golden Gun. This will make you Radiant and trigger Revitalizing Blast, an Artifact Perk that weakens bosses.
- Carefully line up the shot onto the enemy’s critical spot and fire your Golden Gun. Assuming you land a precision shot and are at a suitable Power Level, it should deal upwards of 500,000+ damage.
- Repeat this cycle from the beginning while using Healing Grenade to stay alive, Knife Trick to become Radiant, and Gambler’s Dodge to recharge Knife Trick at will.
Here are some further tips if you are running Still Hunt alongside Celestial Nighthawk for boss damage:
- For boss encounters, we recommend swapping out Recuperation for Solar Holster in the Leg mod slot. Though the survivability from Recuperation is great generally, Solar Holster will reload a portion of the weapon’s mag while stowed, allowing for nearly uninterrupted damage output.
- Essentially you are going to want to hit headshots to fill up Still Hunt’s energy bar so you can proc Golden Gun rounds thanks to its unique perk. Hitting all six rounds in the mag should allow you to do this, so do that and then fire your Golden Gun round (ideally also as a headshot)
- Switch out Still Hunt to Apex Predator as soon as your Golden Gun rounds run out. Fire 2-3 shots with your heavy and then switch back.
- This should have been enough time to reload your magazine so you can repeat your damage rotation from here. Though there are brief interruptions to reload Heavy ammo, there is very little downtime.
That’s all there is to know! This guide will be updated once Exotic class items go live in Destiny 2. If Titans or Warlocks are more your speed, we’ve got you covered on the best builds. For more general advice on weapons, check out our best PvE and PvP picks. If you’re looking for a full breakdown of everything on offer in this first episode of The Final Shape, we have broken Echoes down into its constituent parts.
