9) Arc Blade – Bladedancer
Author’s Note: Before we proceed with the ranking it’s important to understand the criteria for this list and what we are judging to determine which Super is the best and worst. We are not considering the base sub-class in terms of its grenades, viability, and skills that don’t directly relate to the Super itself. So any changes you can make to the ultimate ability such as the Ward of Dawn buffing defense or attack will be noted, but how the entire sub-class functions as one giant unit will not be factored. How the actual Super functions in both PvE (Player vs. Environment) and PvP (Player vs Player) will be considered for this list. It’s also important to note that none of these Supers are bad, but when stacked against each other some outshine others in their viability. Finally, given Bungie constantly updates the various Supers and their viability in Destiny, this ranking could change based on when it’s being read.
Coming in at number nine, the Arc Blade used t0 reign as one of the most fearsome Supers in all of Destiny. Yet, after a variety of nerfs it’s become a shadow of its former self, especially when it comes to the PvE aspect of the game itself. Unlike many of the other ultimates in this game, the Arc Blade just doesn’t offer enough damage to destroy yellow health barred enemies. While it can take out smaller tier mobs, the Arc Blade offers way to much risk for too little of a reward. It’s rare that this ability will ever make a significant impact on the battlefield, especially given it can run out of energy very quickly.
When it comes to PvP, the Arc Blade is decent as there is a good amount of versatility in terms of what passives you can upgrade it with. This allows players to move from target to target quickly and decimate all those that stand in that Hunter’s way. However, this Super is unruly and can be easily stopped if a player is skilled with a shotgun or fusion rifle. While it can easily catch foes off guard thanks to its speed, this Super just lacks an overall punch that the other sub-classes offer.
8) Fists of Havoc – Striker
The Striker sub-class is perhaps one of the flashiest and coolest looking in all of Destiny. Charging into the chaos head first only to slam your fists down and devastate anything around you definitely wins style points, however, the Striker can be a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to its usefulness in PvE and PvP engagements. Sure the Striker can decimate a large group of normal mobs, but against stronger enemies jumping into a group of them could easily get you killed. Couple onto the fact that the Fists of Havoc are way riskier when used against bosses and you have just a decent PvE Super.
Looking to PvP, the Striker is absolutely fantastic for objective based game modes or smaller more confined maps. Yet, if a team plays smart and scatters about the area it will make it difficult for a Striker to pick up more than one kill per Super. If you are playing this sub-class, try and be more unpredictable with your Super as hitting the enemy from behind or the side can leave them no time to react and get out of the way.
7) Radiance – Sunsinger
The issue with Radiance is in its actual design as the ability to resurrect upon death acts more of a do-over than anything special. While you can equip the other powers, the whole concept of just having an out if you die almost encourages reckless moves which can get an entire team wiped if they aren’t careful. The problem is one you resurrect that user only has a few seconds to make the most out of their Super before it dissipates. You can fix this by removing the resurrect all together, the hurling of grenades is rather hit and miss in terms of effectiveness against actual enemies. However, its chance to stack damage debuffs on enemies is quite useful, but is inferior when compared to the Ward of Dawn or Shadowshot.
When it comes to PvP, the Radiance ability is fantastic depending on which game mode you’re playing. For a long time the Sunsinger class was a complete menace in Trials of Osiris as the ability to come back could change the entire game. Yet, it’s fairly weak when involved in big 6 vs 6 style game modes as it just doesn’t have enough of an impact on the players to make a significant difference.
6) Golden Gun – Gunslinger
The Golden Gun is perhaps the most damaging Super in all of Destiny, as it allows players to fire solar energy rounds from a flaming handcannon for a very, very brief period of time. This will typically one or two shot any enemy that stands in a Hunter’s way, however, due to the limited rounds you get it can be really tricky to make the most out of this Super. While other high damaging supers like the Nova Bomb can clear entire rooms out, the Golden Gun’s small magazine makes it only useful for taking down one or two high-level foes. Outside of finishing off a boss or major threat, the Golden Gun lacks any real flexibility. It’s good, but not great as other Supers can perform the same job if not better.
Looking to the competitive side of things, the Golden Gun is strong in the right hands as it allows players to snipe targets from a considerable distance. There is also a good amount of aim assist on this weapon, making it easier to track targets that are on the movie or trying to escape. Yet, it’s not great in a pinch unless you’re exceptionally quick on the trigger as enemies can either avoid or outright dodge the shots entirely. Since the rounds themselves aren’t that large a skill a Titan using the Twilight Garrison can easily juke an incoming round from a user. It’s a fun Super, but isolating it away from the rest of the sub-class only enhanced the weaknesses it has.
5) Hammer of Sol – Sunbreaker
No sound may be more frightening then the clang of a Hammer of Sol that’s just been activated. Perhaps one of the most destructive Supers in all of Destiny, this powerful ability can decimate both teams of enemies and aliens alike. It’s a single-minded Super that is focused on dealing as much damage to a team as humanly possible within a small timeframe. This makes it a fun super to use in both sections of Destiny, however, the Hammer of Sol is way more useful in PvP.
This is mainly due to the range you can throw them and how much damage they cause when hitting near or at a target. The hammers are also great for PvP because they allow a Titan to clear out entire rooms of high level enemies with zero issues. Its only drawback is the additional perks in the sub-class don’t add anything especially useful or new.
4) Stormtrance – Stormcaller
Perhaps one of the most destructive Supers in all of Destiny, the Stormtrance ability allows a Warlock to channel their inner Sith Lord and electrocute everyone in sight. This makes the Stormtrance one of, if not the best ability at wiping out large groups of enemies in both PvE and PvP. Given you can chain the hits between multiple targets and cause a massive shockwave upon activation means it’s very easy to clear entire floors of enemies.
The Stormtrance also has a good amount of synergy within the class itself, as it can charge up when you remain close to your allies and feed off your melee hits. It adds a nice layer to this Super, which allows for players to be more flexible with its use. This, of course, extends to PvP where the Stormtrance can easily wipe out an entire team even if they’re not all grouped together. Combine this with the passive to extend the length of the Super to ensure that you shock every Guardian in your path.
3) Ward of Dawn – Defender
Ward of Dawn is one of the only two true support based Supers as it allows a Titan to not only power theirself up but all those that pass through their dome of light. By doing this, a Defender Titan can turn an entire engagement around or help pour on more damage against a tough boss. In both PvP and PvE a skilled player can use their bubble for a variety of different things including gifting the team with an overshield, increasing their damage, or making it virtually impossible to be killed while inside of it.
It’s this versatility that makes the Ward of Dawn so powerful in Destiny, as it allows the user to customize their Super to the team’s needs. Since it’s not confined to a specific road, this allows a nice level of creativity that can be implemented for how to utilize your bubble of doom.
2) Nova Bomb – Voidwalker
While Stormtrance may allow you to kill more enemies, the sheer level of synergy and power behind the Nova Bomb bumps it to the second spot. This Super, when activated, releases a massive orb of energy that will effectively kill anything within the immediate blast radius. Players are easily able to wipe out entire groups of either regular or major enemies with a single move with relative ease. Couple on the fact that you can split the Void Bomb into three parts via the Shatter perk and this potent Super only becomes far more dangerous.
Yet, the real power behind the Nova Bomb lies in how a Voidwalker can fuel their entire class around this ability. Not only can you feed your Super meter via the Obsidian Mind exotic, but players can greatly reduce the cooldown of their grenades and melee. This turns a talented Voidwalker into a perpetual machine of pure destruction, allowing them to chain their Super into various other moves. There is also a nice level of customization for the Nova Bomb, as all three various are incredibly useful in the right scenarios.
1) Shadowshot – Nightstalker
Despite every Super in Destiny being powerful in the right hands, none have reached the level of the Shadowshot ability from the Nightstalker Hunters. Unlike every other powerful ultimate in the game, the Shadowshot has effectively been a requirement by end game players as the massive damage increase a team gets on the target is too good to ignore. While the Ward of Dawn can supplement this, there have and still are many instances of teams solely looking for Hunters due to this Super. Not only can it speed up a battle, but the tethering effect can help win an entire engagement.
Moving to PvP, the Shadowshot ability with Quiver (allowing three arrows instead of one) lets players instantly decimate targets from half way across the map. Not only that but it can suppress an enemy super upon direct hit, making it a potentially game-changing move. Not to mention regardless of where the actual arrow hits your target it will instantly kill that Guardian, making it incredibly useful. Yet, even if you do miss, the tethers will spring out and slow that enemy down allowing you to kill them regardless. It’s exceptionally powerful and for the longest time the Shadowshot reigned as one of the best Supers in the Crucible.
Despite Destiny being full of dangerous weapons and armor, none are more intimidating than the Supers. While they might all be created equal, unleashing them upon a group of Vex or Hive is still very satisfying. Now if you excuse us, we need to go farm some exotic engrams in preparation for Age of Triumph.
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