Episode: Heresy has set itself up to offer one of the best experiences for Destiny 2‘s Arc Subclasses. With sweeping buffs across the Subclass, new Aspects, and a new keyword, Bolt Charge, to play with, it looks like Arc may be the strongest it has ever been for Heresy.
Of course, an individual Guardian’s experience may vary, which typically depends on the quality of a player’s build. If you know how to craft a setup that leans into what’s currently hot, you’ll have no problem playing with all of Destiny 2‘s new Arc Subclass toys. If not, well, that’s what I’m here for.
Start strong with the Artifact
For Episode: Heresy, Guardians can access the Tablet of Ruin as an Artifact. While the Tablet of Ruin isn’t as singularly focused as the Stasis-centric Artifact from Episode: Revenant, there are quite a few options that benefit Arc players. With the, frankly, wild changes to the Arc Subclass and a number of its features, the Heresy Artifact ensures players can have a blast while riding the lightning.
In particular, Overclock And Load is available in the second column, offering bonus Handling and Reload Speed stats to any Arc weapons wielded while you’re Amplified or have Bolt Charge active. This proves especially nice as a compliment to the reworked Amplified state, now granting damage resistance and making enemies less accurate.
The third column has two Artifact Perks of note, Dielectric and Photonic Flare. Dielectric ensures that players gain a stack of Bolt Charge whenever they defeat an enemy with an Arc debuff (Blind or Jolt). On the other hand, Photonic Flare creates a Blinding explosion whenever an Exhausted or Severed enemy is defeated with Arc damage. Sever is easy enough to apply with Strand weapons, and Exhausted comes from Overload weapons or those with specific Origin Traits.
There’s only one Arc Artifact Perk in the fourth column, but it’s absolutely worth having. Flashover massively interacts with the new Bolt Charge keyword, increasing its lightning bolt damage and making Guardians Amplified when they reach max stacks of Bolt Charge. With Amplified as good as it is, you’ll want to be in that state as often as possible.
Finally, the last column of the Artifact has Defibrillating Blast. Still, depending on the final build setup, you may get more mileage out of Particle Reconstruction or Heavy Ordnance Regeneration. Defibrillating Blast grants max stacks of Bolt Charge when players stun a Champion. The Arc bolt created heals the wielder and Jolts nearby enemies.
Of course, with alternatives like Volatile Marksman, Horde Shuttle, and Particle Reconstruction, you may be tempted toward another elemental affinity. The good news is, there’s some wiggle room for these alternatives, even if players go for all of the Arc options. So, feel free to throw on that Strand Support Frame auto rifle to heal in The Nether.
Warlock
Players can choose between two main Arc build styles with the Warlock Class. Guardians can either go all in on support with Ionic Traces to ensure god-like ability regeneration for themselves and allies or opt to maximize damage. Either build can work wonders; it’s just a matter of the content players intend to tackle and what kind of gameplay they want.
Ionic Trace farmer Warlock
Ionic Traces are great. The Arc-exclusive pickups restore ability energy on their own, and they can be buffed with all manner of Aspects, Fragments, and Exotics to do some truly remarkable things. For instance, with the right setup, Warlocks can become an Ionic Trace-generating machine and gain stacks of Bolt Charge in the process. Not only do those Ionic Traces restore energy to all of your abilities, but whenever an Ionic Trace tracks to you, allies benefit, too.
This build starts with the Subclass, where Warlocks will want to play with some new Aspects and Fragments. For regular abilities, Healing Rift, Chain Lightning, and Flashbang Grenade offer additional support, allowing for healing, Jolt, and Blind, respectively. Super choice can be up to players, but I’ve enjoyed having Chaos Reach for some big damage whenever needed.
Arc Aspects for this support-focused build are Ionic Sentry and Electrostatic Mind. Ionic Sentry is a new Aspect that gives Warlocks easy access to Bolt Charge stacks. As players eliminate foes with Arc weapons or abilities (or Kinetic weapons), they build progress toward an Ionic Sentry turret. When activated, it Blinds enemies on impact and chains Arc damage to nearby foes. Electrostatic Mind helps add to the near-constant flow of Ionic Traces Guardians will create, spawning one whenever enemies are defeated with Arc abilities or if they’re affected by Jolt or Blind. Electrostatic Mind also refreshes Amplify whenever an Ionic Trace is nabbed.
Fragments are where players have a bit of wiggle room. A few, like Spark of Resistance, are an auto-include because damage resistance is so important, but others are more dependent on play style. Spark of Discharge is also worth using, ensuring all those Ionic Traces grant stacks of Bolt Charge and offering a chance to create more Ionic Traces when using Arc weapons. From there, the other two Fragments aren’t set in stone. Personally, I like Spark of Frequency and Spark of Beacons. The two Fragments help strengthen other aspects of the build, spreading the Blind debuff and improving Amplified.
Moving to gear, the piece that makes this build come alive is the Fallen Sunstar Exotic helmet. The Exotic improves Ionic Traces, making the pickups track to you faster and granting bonus ability energy. Taking things to the next level, nearby Fireteam members also get ability energy back whenever you do. Complimenting the Exotic helm is an Arc fusion rifle from Season of the Plunder: Delicate Tomb. The Exotic fusion rifle now benefits from massive buffs, including Particle Reconstruction. It also generates Ionic Traces and Jolts enemies, playing into everything else we have going on.
Stat-wise Guardians will want to ensure they’re hardy enough by capping Resilience at 100. From there, this build wants ability energy for frequent Flashbang grenades, so Discipline comes next, followed by Recovery.
| Slot | Mods |
| Head | Harmonic Siphon, Heavy Ammo Finder, Heavy Ammo Scout |
| Arms | Bolstering Detonation, Firepower |
| Chest | Resistances to match elemental burns |
| Legs | Recuperation, Innervation, Arc Weapon Surge |
| Class Item | Reaper, Bomber x2 |
Electric friends Warlock
If Warlocks want to focus on pumping out as much damage as possible instead of supporting the Fireteam, Arc still has plenty to offer. Arc Warlocks always had the option to take along an Arc Soul, shooting at anything foolish enough to get in your way. Well, now that Arc buddy can be accompanied by the new Ionic Sentry turret, leading to destructive displays of friendship and power. Part of the allure of this build is its simplicity and flexibility. It can be used with any number of Exotics or heavy weapons to accommodate demanding Raid encounters or other high-difficulty activities.
The build starts in the Subclass menu, where players will want to opt for Healing Rift, Chain Lightning, and Flashbang Grenade, just like the previous build. The Aspects are also the same options, Electrostatic Mind and Ionic Sentry. The reasons are different; however, with Electrostatic Mind only in the build to ensure Ionic Traces make us Amplified. Ionic Sentry is more in the spotlight in this build, as we’ll use it as fast as possible.
Fragments are also similar to those chosen for the support build. Guardians still want Spark of Discharge for Bolt Charge access and Spark of Resistance for hardiness. To that end, Spark of Beacons will almost always be active, and the Blind effect helps ensure Arc Artifact Perks trigger. Finally, as this build will be played more aggressively and with more emphasis on Bolt Charge, Spark of Frequency offers a better Amplified effect and makes Bolt Charge stacks count for more.
While much of the Subclass setup is similar, the build comes into its own with the Exotic choice. The Getaway Artist Exotic gauntlets allow Warlocks to consume their Arc grenade to become Amplified and gain an empowered Arc Soul instantly. With Flashbang Grenade’s low cooldown and a few Ionic Traces, players will find that they have their grenade recharged before their Arc Soul fizzles out.
There isn’t any one specific Exotic weapon that makes this build function, and that’s okay. Players can use whatever heavy and primary weapons they want, but it is worth having an Arc special weapon equipped to make use of Spark of Beacons. With Piercing Sidearms in the Artifact this Episode, Indebted Kindness fits the bill nicely — especially if players managed to earn a roll with Voltshot.
Warlocks should be ripping across the battlefield like a bolt of lightning. Start encounters by consuming your grenade to create an Arc Soul, and then start decimating foes with Arc weapons. It shouldn’t be long before players have an Ionic Sentry available. Then it’s just a matter of keeping the two Arc buddies going while triggering Bolt Charge lightning strikes and plugging away with whatever else Guardians want to use. Like the other Warlock build, Resilience and Discipline are king. Once both are at 100, Guardians can dump the rest of their stats into Recovery.
| Slot | Mods |
| Head | Harmonic Siphon, Ashes To Assets, Heavy Ammo Finder (or Special Ammo Finder) |
| Arms | Firepower, Bolstering Detonation |
| Chest | Resistances to match elemental burns |
| Legs | Recuperation, Insulation, Arc Weapon Surge |
| Class Item | Reaper, Bomber x2 |
Hunters
Though Hunters may not have gotten a whole new Arc Aspect, the Class did get some substantial Subclass changes. As such, there are now some notable options if Hunters are looking for a shocking new build. With Bolt Charge on the table, players can incorporate it into a well-rounded Arc setup or build completely into the new effect to get as much out of it as possible.
Hive Boomer Hunter
If Guardians ever wanted to know what it felt like to play as the Hive in Destiny 2, this Hunter build is probably as close as we’ll ever get. The setup allows players to wield an iconic Hive weapon and reap benefits that even the Lightbearing Hive don’t have access to. Hunters will become a thunderous wrecking ball powered by Hive magic and electricity.
Getting the build rolling, Hunters will want to equip Gambler’s Dodge, Disorienting Blow, and any grenade players wish. We’re taking Gambler’s Dodge to ignore the long cooldown on Disorienting Blow, and we’re taking that so we can become Amplified whenever we strike an enemy with the melee ability. It also grants Bolt Charge stacks and blinds the target. For a Super, Gathering Storm is an all-around solid choice, but there’s no harm if you really want to use another.
Aspect-wise, Ascension got a bit of a glow-up since its initial arrival, now offering more Fragment Slots and the ability to Amplify allies. It also Jolts enemies within range, too. The other Aspect of choice is Flow State, refreshing Amplified whenever Hunters defeat a Jolted enemy. For Fragments, Spark of Resistance offers that nice damage resistance, and Spark of Frequency makes Amplified and Bolt Charge even better.
Spark of Ions works alongside Flow State, creating an Ionic Trace when Jolted enemies go down. Those Ionic Traces benefit from Spark of Discharge, granting more total Bolt Charge stacks. It’s up to players for the last Fragment, but Spark of Amplitude can be nice for some free Orbs of Power.
The thing that makes this entire build work is the combination of two Exotics: the Mothkeeper’s Wraps and the Ex Diris grenade launcher. The Mothkeeper’s Wraps Exotic changes grenades to two charges of a new ability. This new grenade releases moths that target enemies, Blinding them on detonation. If they find an ally instead, they grant Void Overshields. Ex Diris also works with moths, creating them on direct or final blows. However, when the two are combined, Ex Diris can create multiple moths when its effect occurs, and the same happens when you toss a moth grenade.
To make the most out of this build, players will need to ensure special ammo is plentiful. To that end, getting the armor mods section of this setup is extra important. For stats, Guardians will want to hit 100 Resilience first before pouring as much as possible into Discipline, then Mobility.
| Slot | Mods |
| Head | Harmonic Siphon, Special Ammo Finder, Ashes To Assets |
| Arms | Focusing Strike, Bolstering Detonation, Momentum Transfer |
| Chest | Resistances to match elemental burns |
| Legs | Absolution, Arc Weapon Surge |
| Class Item | Reaper, Bomber, Outreach |
Lightning strike Hunter
If Hunters want more flexibility in their weapon choice, the next build offers plenty of opportunities for Bolt Charge. It even incorporates the weapons that inspired the feature to double down on lightning strikes on priority targets. Guardians can bring a storm’s wrath anywhere they like on the battlefield and reposition to another target in the blink of an eye.
For Subclass setup, players can take Marksman’s Dodge and Combination Blow if they need to lay into bosses during a prolonged damage phase. Otherwise, Hunters should opt for Disorienting Blow and Gambler’s Dodge more generally for the Bolt Charge stacks, the primary means of getting the Amplified buff, and the Blind debuff on enemies. The grenade choice should be Pulse. For Supers, if boss damage is a concern, Gathering Storm is the way to go. Otherwise, Storm’s Edge offers impressive clearing capabilities and acts as an emergency eject button.
We’re looking to get the most functionality out of our Exotic armor choice, so for Aspects, we’ll be taking Tempest Strike and Ascension. Tempest Strike lets Hunters use a powered melee while sliding to unleash an Arc uppercut projectile that Jolts anything it hits. The Aspect also grants Bolt Charge stacks when defeating enemies. Ascension also functions based on movement, allowing players to activate while airborne to travel upwards, Jolting enemies with Arc damage and Amplifying allies.
In the realm of Fragments, Hunters want to maximize all their effects in play. As such, Spark of Shock and Spark of Magnitude will improve Pulse grenades, increasing duration and making them Jolt targets. Working with that, along with all of our other sources of Jolt, Spark of Ions generates ability energy-restoring Ionic Traces. Finally, Spark of Frequency and Spark of Resistance make Hunters hardier, boosting Amplified effects, increasing Bolt Charge stacks gained, and increasing damage resistance.
For gear, Hunters are looking at the Gifted Conviction Exotic. This chest armor ensures that a volley of bouncing Arc explosives also Jolts nearby enemies whenever Ascension or Tempest Strike is activated. If the effect Jolts enemies, Hunters additionally gain bonus damage resistance. We’ll take either the Thunderlord Exotic machine gun or the Cloudstrike Exotic sniper to make that setup all the sweeter. Either choice creates the same lightning strike effect that inspired Bolt Charge with repeated damage.
After everything is put together, players can use Ascension, Tempest Strike, or even Storm’s Edge to maneuver around the battlefield. As players use their abilities and movement tech, they’ll be Jolting enemies and becoming Amplified on a near-constant basis. All the while, ability energy and Bolt Charge will be plentiful, which can lead to back-to-back big hits between the Pulse grenade, Ascension, Tempest Strike, Bolt Charge, and whichever Exotic weapon players choose. Stat priorities are much like most other Hunter builds, 100 Resilience first, then stack Discipline and Mobility.
| Slot | Mods |
| Head | Harmonic Siphon, Ashes To Assets, Heavy Ammo Finder (or Special Ammo Finder) |
| Arms | Bolstering Detonation, Momentum Transfer, Firepower |
| Chest | Resistances to match elemental burns |
| Legs | Recuperation, Innervation, Arc Weapon Surge |
| Class Item | Bomber x2, Reaper |
Titan
The Titan Class has seen a lot of changes over the last two Episodes, both to Subclass functionality and general performance. Arc is looking pretty spicy for Heresy, with great build options to let players become a never-ending Bolt Charge amplifier or an unkillable vanguard breaking through the front lines.
Lightning Rod Titan
The first Titan build leans into the new Bolt Charge feature, allowing the whole Fireteam to seamlessly build stacks and discharge the feature passively through weapon damage. Titans will be holding the line, dropping a recently improved Barricade and unloading on foes with Arc weapons and abilities to unleash lightning strike after lightning strike of Bolt Charge.
Starting with Subclass selection, Titans want to take Rally Barricade for its short cooldown, as it will heavily play into Aspects. Thunderclap generally works pretty well for a powered melee, even if players can’t charge it all the way. If you’re confident in your Ballistic Slam abilities, it was buffed to grant Bolt Charge and deal more potential damage. Pulse grenade is also on the menu, similarly working with a chosen Aspect. For Super, Titans can take Thundercrash for massive damage whenever it’s up.
In the world of Aspects, Titans are going for Touch of Thunder and Storm’s Keep. Touch of Thunder improves several grenade options, including Pulse grenades, increasing its damage over time and generating Ionic Traces. Storm’s Keep is the new Aspect, rewarding multiple stacks of Bolt Charge to the user and nearby allies whenever a Barricade is deployed. Guardians behind the Barricade gain additional stacks of Bolt Charge, and weapon damage can discharge the effect.
Fragments are straightforward, improving grenades, buffing Amplified, and making Bolt Charge stacks count for more. Titans will want to take Spark of Shock, Spark of Magnitude, Spark of Resistance, and Spark of Frequency. Together, these should make Titans and their Barricade a solid rally point.
The Exotic armor piece that helps bring this setup to life is an old favorite: Heart of Inmost Light. The Exotic chest armor is perfect for a build using Barricades as often as possible, as using one ability empowers the other two with faster regeneration and increased damage. Titans can drop a Barricade and immediately gain enhanced Pulse grenades (which are already benefitting from several buffs) and a beefier Thunderclap. Of course, the Barricade and Storm’s Keep are interacting to provide Bolt Charge, not only to you but also to the whole Fireteam.
Guardians can finish the build with an Exotic weapon like Thunderlord to double down on Arc lightning Strikes. And that machine gun can be made all the better with the Heavy Ordnance Regeneration Artifact Perk. To make the most out of this setup, Titans will want to prioritize Resilience above all else, as it’s also the stat used for its Class abilities. That ensures Barricade uptime is as optimal as can be, and additional stats can go into Discipline and then Recovery.
| Slot | Mods |
| Head | Harmonic Siphon, Heavy Ammo Finder, Dynamo |
| Arms | Firepower, Momentum Transfer, Bolstering Detonation |
| Chest | Resistances to match elemental burns |
| Legs | Recuperation, Insulation, Arc Weapon Surge |
| Class Item | Powerful Attraction, Distribution, Bomber |
Amplified Berserker
The alternate Titan build is for Guardians who want to be a menace to the enemy force, running headlong into swarms and obliterating swathes of foes. Players will have ample protection and heal while they take out their rage in melee combat.
Titans will want their Arc Subclass tuned, including important Aspect and ability choices, to get this build rolling. For Class ability, this build uses Thruster because we’re not building into Barricade interactions, and it has the shortest cooldown out of the available options. Our melee ability will be Thunderclap, and it will be a cornerstone of the build. Flashbang works great as a grenade choice, offering a fantastic opener or a way to escape a sticky situation. As for the Super, Either Fists of Havoc or Thundercrash both work well, depending on what the content calls for.
Aspect-wise, this Titan build uses Juggernaut and Knockout. Juggernaut provides a front-facing shield when sprinting with a charged Class ability. If enemies damage the shield, Titans gain a stack of Bolt Charge. Being Amplified increases the strength of the shield. Knockout allows us to become Amplified when we defeat enemies with melee attacks and heals us in the process. The Aspect also buffs regular melee attacks with Arc, increasing range and damage.
Fragment choices are self-explanatory, feeding into the Juggernaut Aspect and the types of gameplay the build best supports. The mainstay choices are Spark of Resistance and Spark of Frequency, increasing protections, and the Amplified buff, respectively. Spark of Frequency also benefits from all the melee Titans will be doing, increasing weapon Reload Speed and Stability after landing a melee hit. Spark of Haste also increases Resilience, Recovery, and Mobility while players sprint (which they’ll be doing quite a bit). Finally, Spark of Feedback is spicy, increasing outgoing melee damage after players receive melee damage.
For Exotic armor, this build excels with An Insurmountable Skullfort. The Exotic helmet fully restores melee ability energy and a chuck of health with each powered melee kill. Considering the sheer power of Thunderclap, even if it’s completely uncharged, that’s no problem when facing down Minor enemies and even some Majors. Even if the Thunderclap doesn’t land a kill, melee energy is restored based on the number of melee hits from the ability.
For weapons, the Monte Carlo Exotic auto rifle completes the build. The Exotic restores melee energy on auto rifle hits, so a whiffed Thunderclap isn’t as big a deal as you might imagine. Even better, if players have the Catalyst, its “melee” attack triggers An Insurmountable Skullfort’s healing and melee regeneration effects. If players want to go the extra mile, they can add a sword to decimate big targets that refuse to go down. Players will want to ensure they max their Resilience at 100 before moving to focus on Discipline and Recovery next. Strength would normally be a consideration, but Monte Carlo’s effect allows us to ignore the stat.
| Slot | Mods |
| Head | Kinetic Siphon, Hands-On |
| Arms | Heavy Handed, Impact Induction, Momentum Transfer |
| Chest | Resistances to match elemental burns |
| Legs | Recuperation, Innervation, Arc Weapon Surge |
| Class Item | Powerful Attraction, Distribution, Bomber |
Published: Feb 5, 2025 03:05 pm