Destiny 2 Hunter Exotic Armor Tier List (PVP)
Welcome to our PVP Destiny 2 exotic armor tier list for Hunter!
The armor will be organized by S/A/B/C tiers with specific categories for Helmet, Gauntlets, Chest, and Legs.
To learn more about our methodology, head to the bottom of the article.
Note: White represents Witch Queen Exotic, teal represents Arc subclass, red represents Solar subclass, purple represents Void subclass, and blue represents Stasis subclass.
In Destiny 2’s newest update, The Final Shape, a new Prismatic Subclass changes the meta. Check out Prismatic builds for Hunters, Warlocks, and Titans to keep you ahead of the curve.
If you’re looking for our other armor tier lists, check them out here:
- Hunter PVP
- Titan PVE
- Titan PVP
- Warlock PVE
- Warlock PVP
Destiny 2 Hunter Armor Tier List for PVP
- S-tier
- Helmet
- Workhusk Crown
- Gauntlets
- Caliban’s Hand
- Young Ahamkara’s Spine
- Chest
- Omnioculus
- Helmet
- A-tier
- Helmet
- Mask of Bakris
- Gauntlets
- Renewal Grasps
- Shinobu’s Vow
- Chest
- The Sixth Coyote
- The Dragon’s Shadow
- Legs
- Gemini Jester
- Fr0st-EE5
- St0mp-EE5
- Helmet
- B-tier
- Helmet
- Graviton Forfeit
- Assasin’s Cowl
- Knucklehead Radar
- Foetracer
- Gauntlets
- Athrys’s Embrace
- Shards of Galanor
- Liar’s Handshake
- Khepri’s Sting
- Aeon Swift
- Mechaneer’s Tricksleeves
- Oathkeeper
- Chest
- Ophidia Spathe
- Lucky Raspberry
- Gwisin Vest
- Legs
- Lucky Pants
- The Bombardiers
- Radiant Dance Machines
- Helmet
- C-tier
- Helmet
- Celestial Nighthawk
- Blight Ranger
- Gauntlets
- Sealed Ahamkara Grasps
- Chest
- Raiju’s Harness
- Raiden Flux
- Legs
- Star-Eater Scales
- Orpheus Rig
- Helmet
Destiny 2 Hunter Armor Exotic Tier List Commentary
S-tier Helmet
Workhusk Crown
Not as strong as it once was, but still a top exotic in the game due to being able to turn a fight around instantly.
S-tier Gauntlets
Caliban’s Hand
This exotic gives the ability to chain together kills off a throwing knife kill. Amazing way to kill multiple enemies grouped together with the right fragments.
Young Ahamkara’s Spine
This exotic makes Tripmine grenades even stronger for area denial as they will have a lot of health.
S-tier Chest
Omnioculus
If used with a coordinated team this exotic can be oppressive. Pairs well with a void titan that can give overshields, the hunter makes the team invisible, then you win.
A-tier Helmet
Mask of Bakris
Makes dodge an even more effective escape tool, but is restricting in that it is only for the stasis subclass.
A-tier Gauntlets
Renewal Grasps
These are still good for area denial, but aren’t as oppressive as they once were after the damage reduction nerf.
Shinobu’s Vow
These make skip grenades very annoying to play against. If Arc 3.0 is a hit these can easily become S tier.
A-tier Chest
The Sixth Coyote
Lets you be more elusive with a second dodge, but other exotics give beneficial effects on a dodge you cannot benefit from.
The Dragon’s Shadow
The bonuses it gives are fantastic, not worth S tier as the On Your Mark aspect gives roughly the same bonus on dodge as well.
A-tier Legs
Gemini Jester
Radar is so valuable in PvP and this exotic makes flanking very easy due to the less than stellar directional audio in Destiny.
Fr0st-EE5
Abilities are good, and this helps you get them back faster. These work when running in to a wall as well.
St0mp-EE5
These were arguably the best exotic in the game for PvP, but the air effectiveness brought them down as shooting in air was the main playstyle of this exotic.
B-tier Helmet
Graviton Forfeit
Gives extra invisibility time, but brings the timer above the point in which you flash on enemy radar giving some downside to the exotic.
Assassin’s Cowl
Helps prevent you from getting traded out, but getting health back and invisibility on dodge with Wormhusk is far easier to get conssitent value from.
Knucklehead Radar
If you are stuck in ADS this is a decent option for you, but this can be achieved by descoping every once in a while and waiting half a second.
Foetracer
You need to hover over an enemy for 1 second to activate these. Weapons have a sub 1 second time to kill, so this exotic has a good chance of not activating before a fight is over.
B-tier Gauntlets
Athrys’s Embrace
When activating lets your weighted throwing knife one hit kill to the body. Playing around this exotic is a bit of a chore for minimal payout.
Mechaneer’s Tricksleeves
If you love sidearm these are great for you, but are essentially useless otherwise.
Oathkeeper
Decent option for bow users as it allows you to hold an angle for as long as you’d like, but that angle is usually better held by a sniper which can 1 hit kill.
Shards of Galanor
Helps get super back, but basing your exotic solely around your super which you get once, maybe twice a game isn’t worth it. The only way to use these is to hot swap to them while you have super then swap off after using it.
Liar’s Handshake
This allows you to win melee duels, but in a world of shotguns double melee duels where this is a difference maker aren’t all too common.
Khepri’s Sting
Helps you win melee duels and avoid getting traded by another enemy in those scenarios.
Aeon Swift
These are better with fast firing weapons as a handcannon will kill the target before the perk is active. But in a coordinated team this can be a way to farm supers.
B-tier Chest
Ophidia Spathe
Throwing knives are in a good spot, this lets you throw them more freely.
Gwisin Vest
Another exotic that is only applied for a super. Good to hot swap to then take off after super activation.
Lucky Raspberry
Helps with grenade cooldown, but arc bolts aren’t the hottest thing in PvP right now.
B-tier Legs
Lucky Pants
Are situational for those who find themselves swapping to a hand cannon after a secondary weapon shot for a cleanup.
The Bombardiers
Only useful in niche cases, and relying on these for a kill isn’t an optimal way to get a close quarter kill.
Radiant Dance Machines
More than one dodge in succession is quite redundant. Typically one is all that is needed as you can still be targeted and hit mid dodge and are unable to fight back if your character is rolling around on the ground for 5 seconds straight near an enemy.
C-tier Helmet
Celestial Nighthawk
These actively hurt your golden gun super as you get fewer shots.
Blight Ranger
These are good to style on someone with a reflect kill, but most players are just going to run if you are in super blocking.
C-tier Gauntlets
Sealed Ahamkara Grasps
The times in which a reloaded gun after a melee is the difference between life and death is slim. Another melee will just kill the target.
C-tier Chest
Raiju’s Harness
Super only exotic for a weak super. Only makes it so you can block more which just lets enemies run away.
Raiden Flux
Arcstrider one shots, you don’t need this unless an enemy is also in super and most supers are ranged regardless.
C-tier Legs
Orpheus Rig
These are pretty much just a PvE exotic.
Star-Eater Scales
Blade barrage one shots, having it deal more damage doesn’t have any benefit in PvP
Exotic Armor Tier List Methodology
When ranking exotics the following criteria are taken into account:
- Is the effect the exotic brings strong?
- If the exotic is class, weapon, or element specific, is that respective class, weapon, or element strong that it is worth building around or does this exotic make that otherwise weak aspect strong?
- Will the exotic have a lot of uptime in which the effect is active or usable?
- If an exotic solely buffs a super it is taken into account that it can be swapped to for just a super, but is not rated as if the exotic is only used when super is casted due to the convenience of a hot swap to a certain exotic for a super and then a swap back.
- Do other exotics perform a similar function or role better?
- Is the exotic good in content that is both low and high difficulty?
S Tier
- Not necessarily a must use, but these exotics are the strongest and applicable to most if not all situations.
A Tier
- Slightly less strength and or use cases than S Tier. Some of these exotics are top options for particular situations and are good exotics for most situations.
B Tier
- Typically only fairly good unless a build solely revolves around the exotic, and even if that is done, the build is less than optimal or is only a good option in a very specific situation. These exotics are worth using if you have limited options otherwise.
C Tier
- These exotics are typically not worth the slot and their effect is either minimal or extremely niche.
For more meta analysis, check out our other Destiny tier lists.
