9: Sunsinger
Just like our list of the best Destiny PvP classes for normal Crucible, Sunsinger resides at the bottom of our list of subclasses for Trials of Osiris. At first you might think that self-resurrecting would be great in a game mode where a death is crushing and staying alive is so important. All of that is true, but it sounds a lot better in paper that it actually performs in practice. Trials of Osiris is a game mode where offensive supers can win you rounds by itself, and would it be foolish to go to battle without one.
Furthermore, if you’re playing an experienced team, there is a good chance you won’t be able to self-resurrect anyway. Competitive teams will have a Sniper Rifle or teammates guarding dead enemies at all times. Especially if the round is over and you’re trying to pull off a game saving Fireborn. A smart team is checking what subclasses are being used and keeping an eye on any Sunsingers. More often than not, you’re going to be met with two or three enemy Guardians ready to jump you the second you try it. So just don’t. Instead of playing to die, play to kill, and pick a more offensive class for Trials of Osiris.
8: Defender
Defender ranked high on our list last time, but the PvP game has changed since then. The emergence of Hand Cannons halfway through the last Trials of Osiris cycle called for more offensive based subclasses to deal with them. Rarely are you going to use a Ward of Dawn bubble to make an offensive push, because you spend more time hanging back behind cover with either a Sniper Rifle or a Hand Cannon then you are rushing in with something else. While you won’t see Thorns anymore in Taken King’s Year Two PvP game, you’re still going to want to focus on killing as efficiently as possible.
Two of the three new subclasses are offensive minded and Defender will have a hard time keeping up. Sure, Defender has two excellent PvP grenades in Magnetic and Suppressor, but that isn’t enough. Its melee needs to register a kill to activate and be useful, and its super can’t kill anyone directly. Only silly people charge into a Defender’s Ward of Dawn. The only place where Defender can really shine is in overtime, where a Ward of Dawn over the final control point can make or break a round. Still, it isn’t worth picking Defender just for that reason. Unless you’re a long time Defender PvP main and are very comfortable using it, we’d go with a different class.
7: Nightstalker
OK, so we have a big step up from Defender to Nightstalker. From this point on, you can’t really go wrong with anything you choose, just some classes are better suited to Trials of Osiris than others. Nightstalker ranks lower on our list for a couple of similar reasons that we outlined in our regular Crucible PvP rankings. First its super, Shadowshot, requires more effort, and more precision than most others. Even with Quiver, there’s no guarantee you’re going to be able to get two or three kills. Especially in Trials of Osiris, where players are usually not sitting right on top of each other. Also, many of its passive/active abilities such as Courage of the Pack or Light of the Pack are PvE and crowd control centered and likely won’t be leaned on heavily in Trials of Oriris.
That being said, Nightstalker has two main perks that make it worthy of using in Trials of Osiris, but only in the hands of an experienced player. First, Nightstalker is one of the few hard counters to two very dangerous threats, Sunbreakers and Stormcallers. Shadowshot will end their rampages instantly if they can be hit with it. Shutting down another subclass’ super is a game changer without question. Second, Shadestep is an amazing perk that can be abused in the right hands. If you have the skill to effectively use that in close combat, then don’t hestitate to pick Nightstalker and use it to its fullest.
6: Bladedancer
Bladedancer, like the Defender, hasn’t gotten worse but instead the addition of new classes has added new threats that it can’t necessarily deal with. With the edition of Nightstalker (that can shut down an Arc Blade with Shadowshot), Stormcaller, and Sunbreaker, there are now three more classes that can easily kill the powerful but squishy Bladedancers from a distance with their super. In Trials of Osiris, supers are a big part of the game as they can win rounds on their own. Where before Bladedancers maybe only had to worry about getting hit with Fist of Havoc out of nowhere or a Gunslinger activation while charging in, there are now three more classes that can counter them hard.
If you’re going to pick Bladedancer for Trials of Osiris in The Taken King, you need to be very picky about when you decide to charge in and Arc Blade the opposing team. Pay attention to when supers were used so you don’t waste yours. Also, take advantage of your Arcbolt Greandes, which are still one of the best grenades in the game. Just getting it near enemies is good enough to do some serious damage especially if the opposing team is grouped up.
5: Voidwalker
Voidwalkers are pretty much going to continue doing what they have always did before. Always kind of a jack of all trades master of none in Destiny, Voidwalkers doesn’t necessarily have the best anything, but can do a lot of things very well in Trials of Osiris. For starters its Nova Bomb super is just as effective as its always been. It’s a little trickier to use than other supers since you only get one shot at it and can be missed. However, as long as you know what you’re doing with it, it’s just as powerful as any other super and can wipe the opposing team from a distance.
Its melee, Energy Drain, can be modified to restore health (never a bad thing) and will always be helping you get back precious grenade energy. And if Voidwalker has the best anything, it is probably their Axion Bolt grenades which wreak havoc on in Trials of Osiris (and Destiny’s PvP in general). These homing grenades are relentless and if they don’t hit and kill opponents, at the very least they will force enemies out of position and disrupt whatever it is they were doing.
4: Stormcaller
What sends Stormcaller towards the top of this list is Stormtrance and quick recharge. The running theme in Trials of Osiris is that skill is definitely the number one most important factor, but supers are a pretty close second. There will usually be at least one or two rounds that are decided by supers. Stormtrance is an excellent one to have in your back pocket. Like Bladedancer, you need to be careful of when you decide to charge in and use it, but unlike Bladedancer, Stormcallers get more breathing room considering it’s a natively ranged attack. If you can catch teams off guard or on their flank, Stormcaller is more than capable of wiping an entire team in a matter of seconds with very little effort. Consider using Ionic Blink to help close the gap.
Stormcaller also has an excellent, long ranged melee attack that can be modded to help recharge Stormtrance, gain extra range, or even chain to other enemies. All valid choices and all very useful in Trials of Osiris. Finally, unlike regular PvP where most people are running around all over the map, Stormtrancers can take advantage of Electrostatic Mind in Trials of Osiris, especially early on in the match. If you’re feeling the other team out with Sniper Rifles at the start, stick close to your team and let that super recharge faster.
3: Striker
Despite needing lots and lots of help on the PvE side of things, Striker’s happy place is in PvP that certainly extends to Trials of Osiris as well. One of the last classes you want to find in a dark alleyway is the Striker because of how quickly and instantly they can ruin your sh!t. Is a Stormcaller or Bladedancer giving you trouble? Fist of Havoc will put a stop to that real quick. With the use of Death from Above, Striker’s can also effectively deal with Sunbreakers from the air, which is nice if you don’t want to have to run straight into flaming hammers to try and take them out.
What makes Striker shine is more than just its super. It also has arguably the best grenade in Destiny, Lightning Grenades. A well placed Lightning Grenade can be devastating. Throw it behind enemies in cover and watch them scramble for their lives. In Trials of Osiris, position is everything. Being able to force enemies out of cover is such a huge perk and that can’t be understated. And because of how powerful Lightning Grenades are (especially with Aftershock), it’s either leave cover or get killed, fast. The cherry on top is Striker’s melee, Storm Fist, always hits for max power (no kill activation required) and has the ability to charge your all important super on a kill. Nice.
2: Sunbreaker
*CLANK* Sunbreaker has officially replaced Bladedancer as the most intimidating subclass in Destiny PvP. There’s nothing more terrifying than hearing the clank from a Hammer of Sol. You better run for your life or you won’t be long for this world. Hammer of Sol is no less effective in Trials of Osiris as it is in regular Crucible PvP. Sunbreakers are nigh unkillable while using Hammer of Sol, and have the ability to cut through teams like a hot knife through butter.
Anyone who has played PvP since The Taken King was released knows how effective Sunbreaker is. However, it topped our regular PvP list so you might be asking why isn’t it topping Trials of Osiris as well? Sunbreaker has two major flaws that dump it down a spot (nitpicking of course, since it’s just going from first to second). First, when Sunbreaker isn’t Hammer of Soling everyone to death, its melee and grenade leave something to be desired. All of its melee or grenade modifiers are either just so-so or PvE focused. Second, because Trials of Osiris is only 3v3 with limited respawns, that also means you have limited chances to get kills and rack up that super faster. Unlike regular Crucible, there isn’t just fodder running around everywhere for you to pick off and build up your super with. Because of how reliant Sunbreaker is on its super, this is a problem worth noting. Even with those two flaws though, Sunbreaker is worth it, because Hammer of Sol is just that damn good. Just make sure to max out that intelligence stat.
1: Gunslinger
A true Crucible OG. The Gunslinger tops our Destiny: TTK edition of the best Trials of Osiris classes for Year Two. First, let’s talk super. Golden Gun remains as one of the best supers in the game, especially for Trials of Osiris. Much of Trials is spent being far away from your opponent. Not a problem for Gunslingers that can insta-kill with their super from across the map. Sunbreakers may get more Hammers than Gunslingers get Golden Gun shots, but there are only three enemies to worry about. Golden Gun has more precision and as long as you don’t miss, it won’t even matter that Sunbreakers get more hammers. All you need is three well placed shots.
Also, unlike Sunbreakers, Gunslingers get much more utility outside of their super. Tripmine Grenades are tough to use, but in the hands of a skilled Guardian are extremely powerful. They can be used to create choke points, one-shot Guardians that aren’t paying attention, or even be used as a Lightning Grenade of sorts by throwing it behind enemy cover. If they aren’t quick to move, they will be quick to die. Also, if you’re handy with a Sniper Rifle or Hand Cannon, skilled Gunslingers can take advantage of precision kill bonus perks to give them that edge over the competition. It may not have a big impact in PvE, but in Trials of Osiris and PvP, every slight advantage counts.
While we want to see Gunslinger get some new toys for PvE play, Gunslinger has everything it needs to dominate in Trials of Osiris and is well deserving of our #1 spot! Disagree with our list, that’s OK! Tell us your top subclasses in the comments.
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