Destiny 2: Best Hunter Builds for PvE and PvP (Season 21)

Season of the Deep is well underway and following changes to a wide range of Exotics Destiny 2 players are eagerly searching for new builds. Thankfully, we’ve got you covered with the best Hunter Builds to use in both PvE and PvP.

Season 21 saw a lot of Exotic Armor pieces get reworked including some fan favorites. The likes of ST0MP-EE5 received hefty nerfs whilst underappreciated Exotics like Oathkeeper and Sealed Ahamkara Grasps were noticeably buffed.

With all of the changes, it can be hard to keep up with what’s good and what’s bad in the current meta. To help Hunter players out we’ve put together a couple of build recommendations – a powerful DPS-oriented Champion slaying build for PvE and a defensive yet potent build for PvP.

Here are our favorite Destiny 2 Hunter builds that will let you dominate everything from Grandmaster Nightfalls to the Crucible.

Contents

PVE Build

• Hunter PvE Lucky Pants Strand build
• Hunter PvE abilities, Aspects & Fragments
• Hunter PvE Weapons & Exotic
• Hunter PvE Armor Mods
• Hunter PvE Stat Priority
• Hunter PvE build: Gameplay loop

PvP Build

• Hunter PvP FR0ST-EE5 Strand build
• Hunter PvP abilities, Aspects & Fragments
• Hunter PvP Weapons & Exotic
• Hunter PvP Armor Mods
• Hunter PvP Stat Priority
• Hunter PvP build: Gameplay loop

Hunter PvE Lucky Pants Strand build

Lucky Pants builds are nothing new but recent seasons have seen two big additions that make this incredible DPS loadout one of the best all-rounders in Destiny 2. One, the addition of the Strand subclass, and two, Malfeasance getting a shiny new catalyst.

Thanks to these two changes gunslinging has never been more versatile. Not only are you going to melt just about anything in your path, but you’ll also be able to assist your team with dealing with champions and slaying even the strongest of bosses.

Hunter PvE Abilities, Aspects & Fragments

Abilities

• Super: Silkstrike
• Class Ability: Gambler’s Dodge
• Movement: Triple Jump
• Melee: Threaded Spike
• Grenade: Shackle Grenade

Aspects

• Widow’s Silk: You have an additional grenade charge. Your grappling Hook creates a Grapple Tangle at the grapple point.
• Ensnaring Slam: Activate your air move to consume your Class Ability energy and dive to the ground, suspending all nearby targets on impact. Using this ability extends Class Ability cooldown time.

Fragments

• Thread of Generation: Dealing damage generates grenade energy. (-10 Discipline)
• Thread of Isolation: Landing rapid precision hits emits a severing burst from the target.
• Thread of Mind: Defeating suspended targets grants Class Ability energy.
• Thread of Warding: Picking up an Orb of Power grants Woven Mail. (-10 Resilience)

Hunter PvE Weapons & Exotic

Kinetic: Malfeasance is the centerpiece of this build. It’s an excellent Exotic Hand Cannon that deals great damage, stuns Unstoppable Champions, and it has a 180 RPM fire rate which is perfect for Lucky Pants. The best Legendary alternative is the Seventh Seraph Officer Revolver with Reconstruction and Vorpal.

Energy: This slot is flexible but some strong options include a Wave Frame Grenade launcher (Forbearance, Harsh Language), SMG (Funnelweb, IKELOS SMG), Glaive (The Enigma, Nezarec’s Whisper), and any other meta Energy weapon (Acasia’s Dejection, Iterative loop, Nessa’s Oblation, etc.)

Heavy: A Rocket Launcher with Auto-Loading Holster works well with Lucky Pants as you can shoot, switch to your Hand Cannon, deal damage, and then switch back to the reloaded launcher for another shot once Lucky Pants goes on cooldown. The best options are Hothead, Palmyra-B, and Bump in the Night.

Hunter PvE Armor Mods

Helmet:

• +10 Stat Mod of choice (3-4)
• Kinetic Siphon (2)
• Siphon Mod that matches Special/Heavy weapon’s element (1-3)
• Hands-On (1, requires S21 Authorized Mods: Melee Artifact Perk)

Arms:

• +10 Stat Mod of choice (3-4)
• Kinetic Loader (3)
• Grenade Kickstart (3)

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)
• Absolution (3)
• Recuperation (1)
• Innervation (1)

Note: In easier content, Kinetic Weapon Surge (3) is optimal to maximize damage at the cost of survivability & utility.

Class Item:

• +10 Stat Mod of choice (3-4)
• Reaper (3)
• Outreach (1)
• Bomber (1)

Note: If using Kinetic Weapon Surge, Time Dilation (3) is preferred to Reaper (3) as it makes it easier to upkeep Weapon Surge damage bonus.

Hunter PvE Stat Priority

Discipline and Resilience are the most important stats to prioritize. Discipline is extremely important as the Shackle Grenade is central to this entire build. Meanwhile, having high Resilience is also nice for the extra tankiness it provides.

Both Recovery and Mobility are useful stats but not worth going out of your way for. Gambler’s Dodge isn’t overly important here as it’s more of a convenience than anything while outside of Warlock builds, Recovery is a situational stat that is less impactful than just using cover.

Hunter PvE build: Gameplay loop

Lucky Pants revolve around a buff called ‘Illegally Modded Holster’ which triggers every time you switch to a fully reloaded Hand Cannon. When active this buff increases Hand Cannon damage by 60% for every shot landed for up to 5.5 seconds. After the buff runs out Lucky Pants goes on cooldown for 10 seconds.

To take advantage of Lucky Pants you want to do the following rotation:

• Open up by firing a Rocket Launcher at a boss or group of enemies.
• Immediately switch to Malfeasance and fire as many shots as possible, dealing massively increased damage thanks to Illegally Modded Holster.
• Empty the Malfeasance’s magazine, reload, and then continue dealing damage with either your Energy or Heavy weapon.
• Once Lucky Pants’ ten-second cooldown has passed, repeat.

That’s how the DPS rotation works, but here are some additional tips for getting the most out of this build in PvE:

• Shackle Grenade is an incredible ability that can be used to stun Champions, clear ads, and buy time.
• At the cost of Class Ability energy, an Air Move can be used to shackle enemies in a wide radius. When combined with Shackle Grenade you can stun a room full of enemies in mere seconds.
• Orbs of Power provide Woven Mail, a top-tier defensive buff that grants 72% damage reduction at 100 Resilience.
• Silkstrike also provides Woven Mail when activated. This Super should mainly be used to survive tough situations and pull off clutch revives rather than to deal damage. However, its alternate attack is awesome for dealing wide area of effect damage.

Best Hunter PvP FR0ST-EE5 Strand build

For the longest time, the only Hunter PvP Exotic worth running was ST0MP-EE5. However, it got hit with a hard nerf in Season 21 leaving it in an underwhelming state. Now Hunter mains are having to look for an alternative Exotic to fulfill its role.

FR0ST-EE5, often referred to as just “Frosties,” are a wonderful option. They make it so that all of your abilities regenerate faster while sprinting. Given the fast nature and constant movement of Crucible, this is a natural fit that works nicely in PvP.

Hunter PvP Abilities, Aspects & Fragments

Abilities

• Super: Silkstrike
• Class Ability: Marksman’s Dodge
• Movement: Triple Jump
• Melee: Threaded Spike
• Grenade: Shackle Grenade

Aspects

• Threaded Specter: Activating Class Ability deploys a decoy that draws the attention of nearby combatants. After taking damage or when a combatant approaches, the decoy detonates, dealing damage and releasing Threadlings that seek out and attack nearby foes.
• Widow’s Silk: You have an additional grenade charge. Your grappling Hook creates a Grapple Tangle at the grapple point.

Fragments

• Thread of Ascent: Activating your Grenade ability reloads your equipped weapon and grants bonus Airborne Effectiveness and handling for a short duration. (+10 Mobility)
• Thread of Evolution: Threadlings travel farther and deal additional damage. (+10 Intellect)
• Thread of Finality: Finisher final blows create Threadlings. (+10 Recovery)
• Thread of Binding: Super final blows emit a suspending burst from the target. (+10 Resilience)

Hunter PvP Weapons & Exotic

Kinetic: Given our choice of Energy weapon, a close-range gun like an SMG or Shotgun works best in the Kinetic slot. Some top-tier options are The Immortal, Fractethyst, & Imperial Decree. Alternatively, a strong sniper like Bite of the Fox, Defiance of Yasmin, or The Supremacy can work on maps with long sight lines.

Energy: Graviton Lance is the signature weapon for just about any PvP build these days. This Exotic Pulse Rifle offers a fantastic TTK and is incredibly easy to use. Some great alternatives include IKELOS_SMG_V1.0.3, Matador 64, Cloudstrike, Beloved, and Iterative Loop.

Heavy: Heavy isn’t as important in PvP but it’s nice to have a strong option to use when the opportunity arises. For raw killing potential either a Machine Gun or Heavy Grenade Launcher works best. For utility, The Other Half with Eagar Edge is great for corner peaking in third-person and getting around quickly.

Hunter PvP Armor Mods

Helmet

• +10 Stat Mod of choice (3-4)
• Kinetic Targeting (3)
• Void Targeting (3)

Arms

• +10 Stat Mod of choice (3-4)
• Kinetic Dexterity (3)
• Void Dexterity (3)
• Fastball (1)

Note: Drop Fastball if using a General Armor Mod that requires four energy.

Chest

• +10 Stat Mod of choice (3-4)
• Unflinching Kinetic Aim (3)
• Unflinching Void Aim (3)

Legs

• +10 Stat Mod of choice (3-4)
• Insulation (1)
• Recuperation (1)
• Kinetic Holster (1)

Class Item

• +10 Stat Mod of choice (3-4)
• Utility Kickstart – x2 (6)
• Bomber (1)

Note: Drop Bomber if using a General Armor Mod that requires four energy.

Hunter PvP Stat Priority

Mobility, Recovery, and Discipline are the three most important stats to prioritize. Mobility ensures Gambler’s Dodge is available as often as possible which is key for this build. Meanwhile, Recovery helps us heal faster between gunfights and Discipline keeps Shackle Grenade off cooldown.

Both Resilience and Intellect are useful but should only be considered after the main three stats are optimized. Strength is the lowest value stat as Threaded Spike is a weak ability in PvP that has limited use.

Hunter PvP build: Gameplay loop

This is a fairly defensive build when compared to the other subclasses often ran with FR0ST-EE5. Rather than focusing on increased damage or healing, this build revolves around Marksman’s Dodge triggering the Threaded Specter Aspect.

When activated, Threaded Spector deploys a decoy that damages anyone who goes near it. It’s incredible for disengaging as you can turn a corner, place a decoy, and punish aggressive players who run into it.

An additional benefit of Threaded Spector is that the decoy it deploys releases Threadlings on detonation. It’s not uncommon for the decoy to get a kill and then the Threadlings to chain that into one or two more kills. Even better, this can be triggered manually by destroying your own decoy.

The best part about this build is that FR0ST-EE5 is completely passive. You don’t need to do anything in particular to trigger its ability regenerating effects. Just sprint around, place decoys, throw Shackle Grenades, and get kills. This is a simple yet effective PvP Hunter build.

That’s everything you need to know about the best Hunter builds for PvE and PvP. Consider checking out some of our other useful Destiny 2 content for the latest tips, tricks, and explainers:

Deepsight Harmonizers: How to farm, use, and what weapons to convert | How to fish in Destiny 2 | Best Exotic weapons | Best PvP Weapons | Best PvE Weapons | How to get Infinite Prismatic Pride emblem | Season of the Deep Season Pass: Rewards & ranks | How to get Epochal Integration | Best Titan Builds | Best Warlock Builds | Best Arc 3.0 Builds | Best Solar 3.0 Builds | Best Stasis Builds | Best Void 3.0 Builds