Hunter
Destiny 2 · Class Guide · Monument of Triumph Sandbox

Hunter

The edge. Hunters win on tempo — invisibility, dodges that reset the fight, melee chains, and the cleanest burst Supers in the game. Gunslinger runs a build-defining aspect in Crackshot, Wormhusk is reworked, and the stat math now rewards balance over single-stat stacking. Built on the Monument baseline, Destiny 2's final content sandbox; this is where Hunter settles, not a moving target.

Subclasses
65 elements + Prismatic
Class ability
Dodge+ Crackshot, Acrobat's
Identity
TempoInvis · burst · mobility
Safe pick
Star-EaterNever wrong in PvE
Top DPS
Still Hunt+ Celestial Nighthawk
00 · Class Identity

How Hunter wins

Less about standing your ground, more about controlling the pace. Three pillars define modern Hunter.

The Dodge

Your class ability is a toolkit: Marksman's reloads, Gambler's refunds melee, Acrobat's grants Radiant. Now there's Crackshot too — it converts the dodge into a mini-Golden Gun that marks targets and fires scorching shots. Hunter buildcraft lives and dies by dodge uptime.

Invisibility

The Void survivability engine. Dodge to vanish, reappear with Volatile Rounds, chain kills with Stylish Executioner to vanish again. Omnioculus and Gyrfalcon's Hauberk turn this into the most reliable way to survive Grandmasters.

Burst Supers

Golden Gun with Celestial Nighthawk (and the Still Hunt sniper) is premier boss DPS. Star-Eater Scales overcharge any Super and are the "never wrong" exotic for PvE damage and uptime.

Monument baseline: last gameplay patch Update 9.7.0.3 (2026-07-07). Update 9.7.0.4 (2026-07-28) shipped without notes; Update 9.7.0.5 (2026-10-07) is an anti-cheat back-end fix only. Checked 2026-10-08. Destiny 2 has no further planned content updates — only health/stability hotfixes — so the sandbox is settled and the picks below are Monument-era recommendations, not a rotating seasonal tier list. Only claims on Bungie's active Known Issues list are flagged inline.
01 · The Subclasses

All six, at a glance

Each element sharpens a different Hunter playstyle. Prismatic mixes Light and Dark and is the flexible endgame default.

Solar
Gunslinger
Super: Golden Gun · Blade Barrage

Precision & fire. The new Crackshot aspect turns your dodge into a mini-Golden Gun; Celestial Nighthawk + Still Hunt is top boss DPS. Blade Barrage knives now scorch.

Void
Nightstalker
Super: Shadowshot · Spectral Blades

Invisibility & debuff. Stylish Executioner + Vanishing Step drive the invis loop; Tether weakens for the team. The most reliable endgame Hunter.

Arc
Arcstrider
Super: Arc Staff · Gathering Storm

Speed & melee. Combination Blow with Liar's Handshake is a self-healing melee chain; Lethal Current and Flow State amplify it. Gathering Storm for burst.

Stasis
Revenant
Super: Silence & Squall

Slow & control. Withering Blade and Winter's Shroud (slow on dodge) lock enemies down; Renewal Grasps make duskfields a survival tool. Crowd control specialist.

Strand
Threadrunner
Super: Silkstrike

Grapple & suspend. Threaded Specter drops a decoy, Ensnaring Slam suspends, and Cyrtarachne's Facade grants Woven Mail on grapple for aggressive, mobile play.

Prismatic
Prismatic
Super: Storm's Edge · Golden Gun…

Combine Combination Blow + invis + slow + Gunpowder Gamble, plus Transcendence. Run the Relativism exotic class item. The most flexible Hunter kit.

02 · Meta Builds

Five builds worth running

Current Monument of Triumph setups. With boss-damage Super generation cut, dedicated DPS Supers (Celestial GG) matter more, while sustain builds lean on dodge loops rather than stat thresholds.

◈
Void · Nightstalker
Invis Loop · Gyrfalcon's Hauberk
Most reliableEndgame
ExoticGyrfalcon's Hauberk (chest)
ArtifactTablet of Ruin · Void Breach loop
SuperShadowshot: Deadfall (Tether)
AspectsStylish Executioner · Vanishing Step
ClassGambler's Dodge
FragmentsEcho of Persistence · Harvest · Starvation · Undermining · Instability
WeaponsVoid primary + your exotic (Tractor for team weaken)
SwapOmnioculus for GM survival
How it plays: Dodge → invisible → exit with Volatile Rounds → kill a volatile target → Stylish Executioner → invisible again, forever. You're constantly hidden, dealing volatile damage, and Tether weakens bosses for the team. The safest way to clear Grandmasters and solo content. Armor: Specialist or Reaver · Class for dodge uptime, then spread.
☀
Solar · Gunslinger
Crackshot Spam · Speedloader Slacks
New this patchPvE
ExoticSpeedloader Slacks (legs)
ArtifactQueensfoil Censer · Radiant ignitions
SuperGolden Gun: Marksman
AspectsCrackshot · Knock 'Em Down
ClassCrackshot dodge
FragmentsEmber of Searing · Singeing · Ashes · Torches · Empyrean
WeaponsSolar w/ Incandescent · any exotic (Dragon's Breath shines)
How it plays: Dodge fires a mini-Golden Gun (Crackshot) that marks and scorches; Speedloader Slacks reloads your guns on dodge and refunds class energy as you deal damage with its buff up, while scorch from your weapons feeds Ember of Singeing to recharge the dodge again. The result heals, clears, and applies Solar nonstop. Armor: Reaver or Specialist · Class stat to keep the dodge loop spinning.
★
Solar · Gunslinger
Nighthawk DPS · Celestial Nighthawk
Top boss DPSRaids
ExoticCelestial Nighthawk (helmet)
ArtifactHunter's Journal · sniper DPS support
SuperGolden Gun: Marksman
WeaponStill Hunt (Solar sniper)
AspectsGunpowder Gamble · On Your Mark
FragmentsEmber of Torches · Solace · Empyrean · Benevolence · Beams
PairTractor Cannon / Div for debuff
HeavyRocket / LFR to fill the rotation
How it plays: Celestial turns Golden Gun into one massive shot, and Still Hunt builds its own Golden Gun you can fire from the sniper — effectively two huge nukes per damage phase. The definitive Hunter boss-burst package; layer a debuff and a heavy rotation around it. Known Issue: if a teammate runs Lumina, its "Blessing of the Sky" buff can override your Radiant on a Golden Gun cast — and because that override replaces the damage buff, it costs Golden Gun its bonus damage; have the Lumina holder hold their noble round during your nuke. Armor: Paragon or Powerhouse · Super for the nuke, Weapons for the rotation.
✦
Prismatic
Combination Blow · Relativism
Melee / flexEndgame
Class itemRelativism: Spirit of Assassin + Spirit of Synthoceps
ArtifactHunter's Journal · Prismatic support
SuperStorm's Edge / Golden Gun
MeleeCombination Blow
AspectsStylish Executioner · Winter's Shroud
FacetsCourage · Balance · Blessing · Protection
GrenadeGrapple (Tangle melee resets)
How it plays: Combination Blow heals and ramps melee damage on each kill; dodge refunds it, Winter's Shroud slows for safety, and the Assassin perk grants invisibility on melee finals. Courage makes Light abilities deal more damage to targets with Darkness debuffs (slow, freeze, suspend, unravel, sever), Balance and Blessing keep the melee loop fed and healed, and Protection covers the surrounded brawl. Endlessly flexible — punch, vanish, grapple, repeat. Armor: Brawler or Skirmisher · Melee primary for the loop.
⚡
Arc · Arcstrider
Liar's Combo · Liar's Handshake
MeleePvE
ExoticLiar's Handshake (or Assassin's Cowl)
ArtifactNPA Repulsion Regulator · Amplified & Jolt economy
SuperGathering Storm
MeleeCombination Blow
AspectsLethal Current · Flow State
ClassGambler's Dodge
FragmentsSpark of Resistance · Feedback · Shock · Ions · Amplitude
WeaponsAny — melee carries the damage
How it plays: Liar's Handshake gives your counter-punch a huge damage-and-heal hit; chain it with Combination Blow and Gambler's Dodge for a self-sustaining melee loop that becomes Amplified for speed and resilience. Assassin's Cowl is the tankier alternative (invis + heal on melee kill). Armor: Brawler · Melee primary, Health for the brawl.
Exotic shortlist: Star-Eater Scales (Super uptime/damage, never wrong), Gyrfalcon's Hauberk (Void invis), Celestial Nighthawk (GG nuke / Still Hunt), Omnioculus (GM survival), Liar's Handshake (melee), and Relativism (Prismatic class item). Wormhusk Crown was reworked into a dodge-heal exotic; all post-Edge-of-Fate exotics are now Tier 5.
Everyday builds · bring your own exotic

Weapon-agnostic engines for general play: the loop lives in the exotic armor + subclass, so drop in whatever exotic weapon you're leveling a catalyst on. (Lock specific weapons for raids and DPS — see the central slotting rules.)

All subclasses
Star-Eater Scales
Weapon: anything

Orb pickups overcharge your next Super into a huge damage-and-energy spike. The "never wrong" PvE exotic — any subclass, any gun.

Stasis · Revenant
Renewal Grasps
Weapon: anything

Your Duskfield grows large, grants Frost Armor to allies inside, and makes enemies inside deal reduced damage. Pure control and survival — the weapon slot is yours.

Strand · Threadrunner
Assassin's Cowl
Weapon: anything

Powered-melee kills heal you and turn you invisible. A self-contained survival loop that asks nothing of your gun.

03 · Fragments

Key fragments by element

Fragments are the small levers that turn Hunter from "fast" into self-sustaining. These are the staple picks that support the dodge, invis, melee, and burst-DPS loops above.

Solar · Embers
Gunslinger

Singeing — scorched targets recharge class ability faster, which feeds Crackshot.
Searing — scorched kills grant melee energy and a Firesprite.
Torches — powered melee hits make you and allies Radiant.
Empyrean — Solar weapon or ability kills extend Restoration and Radiant.

Void · Echoes
Nightstalker

Persistence — invisibility, overshield, and Devour last longer.
Starvation — Orbs and Void Breaches grant Devour for solo sustain.
Undermining — Void grenades weaken targets for safer kills.
Obscurity — finishers grant invisibility, covering you while dodge is down.

Arc · Sparks
Arcstrider

Resistance — damage resistance while surrounded, essential for melee chains.
Feedback — taking melee damage increases your outgoing melee damage.
Ions — jolted kills create Ionic Traces for ability energy.
Amplitude — rapid kills while Amplified create Orbs.

Stasis · Whispers
Revenant

Refraction — defeating slowed or frozen targets grants class ability energy.
Durance — Slow effects last longer, helping Winter's Shroud control rooms.
Rime — Frost Armor lasts longer and stacks higher.
Shards — shattering crystals speeds grenade recharge.

Strand · Threads
Threadrunner

Warding — Orbs grant Woven Mail, the safest Strand survivability layer.
Mind — defeating suspended targets grants class ability energy.
Generation — dealing damage builds grenade energy.
Continuity — Suspend, Unravel, and Sever last longer.

On Prismatic: Prismatic uses Facets, not these element fragments. For the Combination Blow build, start with Courage, Balance, Blessing, and Protection, then tune around your class-item roll and survivability needs.
04 · Wiring It Up

Buildcraft after the June patch

The Monument of Triumph sandbox shifted stat priorities for everyone — Hunter included.

Stats: spread, don't dump

  • Max cooldown bonus from a stat was capped at 125% (down from 190%), so dumping everything into one stat is now penalized.
  • Get your main stat (often Class for dodge builds, or Melee for combo builds) to ~100, then distribute the rest.
  • Super energy from boss damage is down 60% — bring a dedicated DPS Super (Celestial GG) rather than expecting it back mid-phase.
  • Lean on dodge loops, invis, and set bonuses for uptime over raw stat thresholds.

Mods & archetypes

  • Dodge/ability builds → Reaver/Specialist; melee → Brawler/Skirmisher; Super DPS → Paragon/Powerhouse.
  • Mods: Siphon helmet mod (Kinetic, Harmonic or the matching element), arms Bolstering Detonation / Harmonic Loader, chest resists/ammo generation, leg Weapon Surge matching the weekly element, and class-item Bomber/Distribution for dodge loops.
  • Survivability: Concussive Dampener + resistance mods matched to the enemy damage type.
  • Run two 2-piece set bonuses for flexibility, or a 4-piece for specialized endgame.
Quick start: the Void Gyrfalcon invis loop is the most forgiving way back in — you spend most fights invisible and weakening bosses, which carries you through GMs and solo content. Add the Celestial Nighthawk + Still Hunt package when you need raid boss DPS, then use the fragment section above to tune the loop before importing a full DIM setup.
05 · Crucible

Hunter in PvP

A starter kit, not a full PvP guide — the duel-first detail lives in the PvP spine.

The tempo duelist

Hunter wins by choosing fights: dodge resets, invisibility, and the cleanest burst Supers let you start the duels you want and vanish from the ones you don't.

  • Dodge is your reset button. Break a losing peek, reload, and re-engage with advantage — don't burn it for the neutral-game perk alone.
  • Control the start. Lean on Void invis and verticality to pick engagements instead of brute-forcing them.
  • Anchor Weapons + Health, set Class for the dodge cooldown that feels right, then spread (~100 in your main stat, not 200).
Go deeper: PvP Buildcrafting — class kits · PvP Weapons — your range pair · Crucible fundamentals
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