Looking for the best Destiny 2 Solar 3.0 build for your subclass? The space game’s new Solar rework introduces a number of new ways to customise your character if you’re using the Dawnblade, Sunbreaker, or Gunslinger subclass. However, with so many possible grenade, melee, super, and special ability combos, which you can further enhance with fragments, it can be tough to figure out what the best build for your Guardian is. In addition, Destiny 2 Exotics and other perks can enhance the build, so there are heaps of possibilities.
The Solar 3.0 rework uses the same system of Aspects and Fragments as the Void 3.0 rework that launched with The Witch Queen. In case you’re returning from a very long Destiny hiatus, Aspects affect a class-specific ability and also come with a number of slots that can hold Fragments. The effects from Fragments aren’t quite as strong, but they’re universal across their subclass. The best build boasts Aspects and Fragments that synchronise for massive buffs.
Join us as we list our picks for the best Destiny 2 Solar build following the arrival of Season of the Haunted.
Here’s the best Destiny 2 Solar build for each subclass:
- Dawnblade Warlock
- Sunbreaker Titan
- Gunslinger Hunter
Dawnblade Warlock build
- Super ability: Well of Radiance
- Class ability: Healing Rift
- Movement ability: Burst Glide
- Melee ability: Incinerator Snap
- Grenade: Healing Grenade
- Aspect 1: Heat Rises
- Aspect 2: Touch of Flame
- Fragment 1: Ember of Solace
- Fragment 2: Ember of Benevolence
- Fragment 3: Ember of Empyrean
- Fragment 4: Ember of Tempering
Having the Warlock Well of Radiance paired with the chest piece Phoenix Protocol has always been a great way to help your team generate Orbs of Light so that players can continually replenish Supers. You can also prolong these effects with Ember of Solace, which increases radiant duration, and Ember of Benevolence, which buffs your team’s grenade, melee, and class ability regeneration for a short time. Add in a solid Solar weapon like Eriana’s Vow and the embers of Tempering and Empyrean, and you’ll be a beacon of restorative goodness for any allies.
Please note that Ember of Benevolence isn’t currently working as it was bugged at launch. However, assuming Bungie fixes this without rebalancing the Fragment, it’ll be an important part of this build when it returns.
Sunbreaker Titan build
- Super ability: Hammer of Sol
- Class ability: Rally Barricade
- Movement ability: Strafe Lift
- Melee ability: Throwing Hammer
- Grenade: Incendiary Grenade
- Aspect 1: Roaring Flame
- Aspect 2: Sol Invictus
- Fragment 1: Ember of Solace
- Fragment 2: Ember of Benevolence
- Fragment 3: Ember of Singeing
- Fragment 4: Ember of Ashes
You can’t go wrong using the Titan’s Hammer of Sol and the Roaring Flame and Sol Invictus Aspects. Together, they’ll increase your Solar ability damage and create Sunspots, which prolongs your super. Because the Sunspots apply scorch, you can further enhance this with Fragments like Ember of Singeing, which causes your class ability to recharge faster when you scorch targets, and Ember of Ashes, which applies more scorch stacks to targets.
You can then add Ember of Combustion so that your super starts spreading ignite around, and then bolster that with Ember of Char to keep the cycle going for as long as possible. More sunspots, longer supers, and an inferno of scorch and ignition for all – what’s not to love?
Gunslinger Hunter build
- Super ability: Blade Barrage
- Class ability: Acrobat’s Dodge
- Movement ability: Strafe Jump
- Melee ability: Weighted Throwing Knife
- Grenade: Solar Grenade
- Aspect 1: Knock ’em Down
- Aspect 2: Gunpowder Gamble
- Fragment 1: Ember of Beams
- Fragment 2: Ember of Torches
- Fragment 3: Ember of Combustion
- Fragment 4: Ember of Blistering
Hunters can focus their Blade Barrage for pure power to give it that broken feeling it once had. The Knock ’em Down Aspect enhances Solar Supers, so combine that with the Ember of Beams Fragment, which buffs target acquisition, and the Ember of Combustion fragment, which causes enemies hit by Solar Super final blows to ignite, and you’ve got an explosive chain reaction.
Add the Gunpowder Gamble Aspect and you can use your abilities to charge a Solar Grenade, which will deal even more damage to hordes. Combine all this with the Shards of Galanor gauntlets, and you’ll get more Super energy for Blade Barrage hits and kills. You can also chain the grenade and melee together, so you scorch a mass of targets before igniting them all for a huge torrent of damage.
All Destiny 2 Solar Fragments
- Ember of Singeing: Class ability recharges faster when you scorch targets.
- Ember of Char: Solar ignitions apply scorch to targets. (+10 Discipline)
- Ember of Tempering: Solar weapon final blows grant you and allies increased recovery. This stacks 3 times. Weapons also have increased airborne effectiveness. (-10 Recovery)
- Ember of Blistering: Defeating targets with Solar ignitions grants grenade energy.
- Ember of Benevolence: Applying restoration, cure, or radiant to allies grants increased grenade, melee, and class ability regeneration. (-10 Discipline)
- Ember of Beams: Increased target acquisition for Solar Super projectiles. (+10 Intellect)
- Ember of Solace: Increased duration for radiant and restoration effects.
- Ember of Empyrean: Solar final blows extend restoration and radiant effects. (-10 Resilience)
- Ember of Eruption: Solar ignitions have increased area of effect.
- Ember of Combustion: Solar Super final blows cause targets to ignite. (+10 Strength)
- Ember of Ashes: Apply more scorch stacks to targets.
- Ember of Torches: Powered melee attacks make you and your nearby allies radiant.
- Ember of Wonder: Rapidly defeating targets with ignitions grants an Orb of Power. (+10 Resilience)
- Ember of Searing: Defeating scorched targets grants melee energy. (+10 Recovery)
All Destiny 2 Solar Aspects
Heat Rises: This allows you to fire weapons, melee, and throw grenades while gliding. Holding the grenade button will consume a grenade and activate Heat Rises, causing any final blows while airborne to extend Heat Rises’ duration and grant melee energy. This Aspect has 2 Fragment slots. (Warlock)
Touch of Flame: Buffs the Warlock grenade. This Aspect has 2 Fragment slots. (Warlock)
Icarus Dash: The Guardian can dodge quickly while airborne. If Heat Rises is active, you gain an additional dodge. This Aspect has 1 Fragment slot. (Warlock)
Roaring Flames: Final blows with Solar abilities or ignitions increase the damage of Solar abilities. This stacks three times. This Aspect has 2 Fragment slots. (Titan)
Sol Invictus: Solar ability final blows, Hammer of Sol impacts, and scorched targets create Sunspots. In a Sunspot, your Super drains more slowly, and abilities regenerate more quickly. These Sunspots also scorch and damage targets, and entering a Sunspot applies restoration. This Aspect has 2 Fragment slots. (Titan)
Consecration: While sliding, activating your charged melee launches out Solar energy, which damages and scorches targets. While airborne, activating your charged melee again slams you into the ground and creates a large wave of Solar energy. If the wave hits a scorched target, it ignites. This Aspect has 1 Fragment slot. (Titan)
Knock ‘em Down: Enhances Solar supers. Also, while radiant, final blows with the Throwing Knife will refund melee energy. This Aspect has 2 Fragment slots. (Hunter)
Gunpowder Gamble: Defeating targets with abilities, Solar debuffs, or Solar weapons charges a Solar grenade, which players can shoot mid-air to ignite. This Aspect has 1 Fragment slot. (Hunter)
On Your Mark: Precision final blows grant you and your allies increased reload speeds and weapon handling – this can stack three times. Activating the Hunter class ability will also grant maximum stacks. This Aspect has 3 Fragment slots. (Hunter)
While we wait on Bungie’s Arc subclass rework, be sure to check out our guides to Destiny 2 characters, the best Destiny 2 builds, and all the new Season 17 Exotics to make sure you’re optimising your character for maximum impact.