Destiny 2 subclasses have grown stale over time, with many falling behind with the advent of Stasis. Bungie has since sought to revitalize older subclasses, with Void 3.0 making its debut with the release of The Witch Queen and the Season of the Risen. It’s now Solar’s turn for a revamp, launching in tandem with Season of the Haunted.
There’s much to learn about Solar 3.0, what’s changed, and how it impacts you. Here’s what Solar 3.0 means, its impact on the game, and a few of the best Destiny 2 builds to get you started.
Destiny 2 Solar 3.0 explained
Solar 3.0 is a vast overhaul to one of Destiny 2’s fundamental subclasses, revising how combat plays out in one of today's top shooters. The previous three branches of the subclass tree are gone, now replaced with the same Fragments and Aspects that were integral to the design of both the Stasis and Void 3.0 subclasses. You can now mix and match the previous Supers with the Aspects and Fragments you desire. Below is a breakdown of the Aspects and Supers available per class.
Solar 3.0: Warlocks
Warlock Aspects
Touch of Flame: Your Healing, Solar, Firebolt, and Fusion Grenade have enhanced functionality. Healing Grenade has improved Cure and Restoration strength. Solar Grenade has increased duration and periodically emits blobs of lava. Firebolt Grenade has increased target search radius and maximum target count. Fusion Grenades will explode twice.
Icarus Dash: Provides Warlocks with an air dodge, and while Heat Rises is active, you have an additional dodge. While airborne, rapidly defeating targets with your Super or weapon grants Cure to you.
Heat Rises: You can fire weapons, melee, and throw grenades while gliding. To activate Heat Rises, consume your grenade by holding the grenade button. Consuming a grenade will also release a burst of healing energy around you. The healing burst is increased when consuming a Healing Grenade. Final blows while airborne increase the duration of Heat Rises and grant Melee Energy.
Warlock Supers
Daybreak: Fashion Solar Light into blades and smite your foes from the sky. Your Daybreak projectiles launch a streak of deadly flames on impact.
Well of Radiance: Thrust your sword into the ground, damaging and Scorching nearby targets. The sword projects a continuous aura, granting Restoration and Radiant effects to nearby allies, protecting them from the effects of Stasis.
Solar 3.0: Titans
Titan Aspects
Sol Invictus: Solar ability final blows, Hammer of Sol impacts, and defeating Scorched targets creates Sunspots. Your abilities regenerate faster, and your Super drains slower while standing in a Sunspot. Sunspots apply Scorch and deal damage to targets inside. Entering a Sunspot applies Restoration.
Roaring Flames: Final blows with Solar abilities or Ignitions increase the damage of your Solar abilities. This stacks up to three times. While Roaring Flames is active, your uncharged melee attack deals Solar damage and Scorches targets.
Consecration: While sliding, activate your charged melee ability to launch a wave of Solar energy forward, damaging and Scorching targets in front of you as you leap into the air. While airborne, activate your charged melee again to slam to the ground and create a second larger wave of damaging Solar energy. If the wave hits a Scorched target, they Ignite.
Titan Supers
Hammer of Sol: Summon a flaming hammer and wreak destruction down upon your enemies with hammers that shatter into explosive shards on impact.
Burning Maul: Summon a flaming maul and crush your enemies with the force of an earthquake.
Solar 3.0: Hunters
Hunter Aspects
Gunpowder Gamble: Defeat targets with abilities, Solar debuffs, or Solar weapons to charge up an improvised Solar explosive.
Knock ‘Em Down: Solar Supers are enhanced. Golden Gun — Deadshot has increased duration, Golden Gun — Marksman has increased damage resistance and duration, and Blade Barrage launches more projectiles. While Radiant, final blows with your equipped Throwing Knife fully refund your Melee energy.
On Your Mark: Precision final blows grant you and nearby allies increased weapon handling and reload speed for a short duration. Stacks 3 times. Activating your Class Ability immediately grants maximum stacks of On Your Mark.
Hunter Supers:
Golden Gun — Deadshot: Summon a rapid-fire flaming pistol that disintegrates targets with Solar Light. Causing Solar Ignitions while your Super is active refunds a Golden Gun round. This Super benefits from the Radiant buff.
Golden Gun — Marksman: Summon a precision flaming pistol that disintegrates targets with Solar Light. Your Golden Gun deals massively increased precision damage, overpenetrates targets, and creates Orbs of Power on precision hits. This Super benefits from the Radiant buff.
Blade Barrage: Vault into the air and unleash a volley of Solar-charged explosive knives.
Solar 3.0 Fragments
Regardless of which class you play as, a shared pool of Fragments is also available. These Fragments emphasize your chosen approach to Solar 3.0 and provide some added bonuses or penalties if the Fragment is particularly potent, in the form of stats. Some of these Fragments follow.
Ember of Singeing: Your Class Ability recharges faster when you Scorch targets.
Ember of Benevolence: Applying Restoration, Cure, or Radiant to allies grants increased Grenade, Melee, and Class Ability regeneration for a short duration. Equipping this perk will reduce your Discipline by 10 stat points.
Ember of Beams: Your Solar Super projectiles have stronger target acquisition. Equipping this perk will increase your Intellect by 10 stat points.
Ember of Empyrean: Solar weapon or ability final blows extend the duration of your restoration and radiant effects applied to you. Equipping this perk will reduce your Resilience by 10 stat points.
Ember of Combustion: Final blows with your Solar Supe cause targets Ignite. Equipping this perk will increase your Strength by 10 stat points.
Ember of Torches: Powered melee attacks against combatants make you and your nearby allies Radiant.
Ember of Char: Your Solar Ignitions spread Scorch to affected targets. Equipping this perk will increase your Discipline by 10 stat points.
Ember of Tempering: Solar weapon final blows grant you and your allies recovery for a short duration. Attacks three times while Ember of Tempering is active, and your weapons have increased airborne effectiveness. Equipping this perk will reduce your Recovery by 10 stat points.
Ember of Blistering: Defeating targets with Solar Ignitions grants Grenade energy.
Ember of Solace: Radiant and Restoration effects applied to you have increased duration.
Ember of Eruption: Your Solar Ignitions have increased area of effect. Equipping this perk will increase your Strength by 10 stat points.
Ember of Ashes: You apply more Scorch stacks to targets.
Ember of Wonder: Rapidly defeating multiple targets with Solar Ignitions generates an Orb of Power. Equipping this perk will increase your Resilience by 10 stat points.
Ember of Searing: Defeating Scorched targets grants melee energy. Equipping this perk will increase your Recovery by 10 stat points.
Solar 3.0 Keywords
You might have noticed there are also new keywords associated with the Solar 3.0 subclasses. Each of these keywords plays into the new identity of what it means to wield a Solar subclass. The full list of new keywords follows.
Scorch: Applies Solar damage over time. Enemies can be inflicted with several stacks of Scorch. After several stacks of Scorch are applied, a target will Ignite.
Ignition: The end result of a series of stacked Scorch attacks. Ignitions produce a large Solar explosion that deals significant damage.
Radiant: Applies a timed buff Guardians that increases weapon damage and some Super damage by 10% in PvP and 20% in PvE.
Restoration: Applies a buff to Guardians that recovers health continuously over a period of time.
Cure: A short burst of healing through Solar Light.
Solar 3.0 Grenades
Grenades have also had an extensive revision following Solar 3.0, increasing the variety of options available, as well as updating the existing grenades to fit more soundly into the new structure and support the keywords. There are now eight types of grenade for the Solar subclass in total:
Solar Grenade: Creates a flare of Solar Light that continuously damages and Scorches targets in its area of effect.
Incendiary Grenade: Explodes in a fiery burst and heavily Scorches nearby targets.
Thermite Grenade: Sends forth a burning line of fire, dealing damage and Scorching targets in its path.
Tripmine Grenade: Sticks to surfaces and detonates when targets pass through its laser trigger, dealing damage and moderately Scorching them.
Swarm Grenade: Detonates on impact, releasing multiple drones that seek nearby targets. Each drone slightly Scorches affected targets.
Firebolt Grenade: Unleashes bolts of damaging Solar Light at nearby targets and slightly Scorches them.
Fusion Grenade: Attaches to targets, damaging and moderately Scorching them on detonation.
Healing Grenade: Cures allies on impact and creates Orbs of benevolent Solar Light granting Restoration to allies when picked up.
Solar 3.0 Abilities
Some classes even got new abilities too. Warlock saw the “Phoenix Dive” return as a Class Ability and received the new “Incinerator Snap” as a Melee Ability. Hunters also saw similar improvements in their abilities with the “Acrobat's Dodge” Class Ability and “Lightweight Knife” Melee Ability — both of which are tied to the Radiant keyword. Titans were unfortunately left in the dust. Sorry, Titans.
The Resilience stat has also changed for the Season of the Haunted release. Previously, Resilience only really contributed to the cooldown of a Titan’s Class Ability and had a minute impact on the overall health of all Guardians. Resilience will now govern your overall Damage Resistance. This means that, outside of Titan, Resilience has flipped from a somewhat underwhelming stat to the most crucial stat for all Guardians. It’s like a permanent, pre-nerf — Protective Light buff is enabled on your character at all times when you reach tier 10 Resilience.
Not all Fragments or Grenades were available when the Season of the Haunted was released, with some locked until the community completed 20 million Containment events. Thankfully, the rest of the Solar 3.0 Fragments have since been unlocked.
While they are unlocked, that doesn’t mean they’re instantly available. Unfortunately, each cost a bit of Glimmer. To equip unlocks related to Solar 3.0, Guardians must visit Ikora Rey in the Tower and purchase them. Fragments cost 25,000, and Grenades cost 3,000. After you have purchased whatever you need (we’d recommend everything), you need to meditate next to Ikora.
Best Solar 3.0 Builds: Titan, Warlock, Hunter
| Unkillable Solar Titan |
|---|
| Class and Subclass: Sunbreaker Subclass (Solar). Aspects; Roaring Flames and Sol Invictus. Fragments; Ember of Torches, Ember of Singeing, Ember of Empyrean, and the fourth Ember of your choosing. Hammer of Sol (Super), Throwing Hammer (Melee), and Rally Barricade (Class) are the recommended abilities. |
| Key Exotic: Loreley Splendor Helm |
| Weapons: PvE weapons of choice |
| Priority Stats: Resilience and Intellect |
| Suggested Mods: Elemental Charge, High-Energy Fire, Well of Ordnance, Melee Wellmaker |
Of all the builds and classes, Titan gets the most out of the new keywords in a single build. With the help of Loreley Splendor Helm, Titans can stack Resilience, continuously provide the Restoration buff, and increase your ability regeneration thanks to the Sol Invictus aspect.
Sol Invictus also emphasizes the use of the Titan’s Throwing Hammer, which grants Cure when you pick it up. Kills with the Throwing Hammer create Sunspots, which in turn Scorch enemies, apply Restoration to Guardians, and increase Guardian ability regeneration. We then double down on the effectiveness of Throwing Hammers further with Roaring Flames, which can increase the damage of Solar abilities up to three times.
To increase the build's effectiveness, add the Ember of Torches, Ember of Singeing, Ember of Empyrean, and the fourth Ember of your choosing. This combination of Fragments makes you Radiant every time you hit an enemy with your Melee Ability, increasing your damage. Solar Weapons or Abilities will also extend the duration of both Restoration and Radiant. You’ll even get an extra Class Ability for finishing any enemy affected by Scorch, which means you can place another Rally Barricade.
Thanks to the chemistry of the build, your abilities, mainly your Melee and Class Ability, will be so frequently used that you can then adopt an Elemental Well approach, particularly Melee Wellmaker, to constantly generate Elemental Wells. We then convert those Wells to Charges of Light with Elemental Charge and use those Charges with High–Energy Fire. The only downside is that Grenade Energy sometimes feels lacking, so you might want to squeeze in Well of Ordnance on a piece of armor.
| Infinite Tripmine Hunter Build |
|---|
| Class and Subclass: Gunslinger Subclass (Solar). Aspects; Knock ‘Em Down and Gunpowder Gamble. Fragments; Ember of Torches, Ember of Singeing, and Ember of Empyrean or Ember of Solace. Tripmine Grenade and Gambler’s Dodge are necessary, but Melee and Super are flexible. |
| Key Exotic: Young Ahamkara’s Spine |
| Weapons: Preference of PvE weapons, but weapons with the Incandescent perk will improve the build. |
| Priority Stats: Mobility and Resilience |
| Suggested Mods: Elemental Ordnance, Melee Wellmaker, Bomber, Hands-On, and Well of Ordnance, as well as the Season of the Haunted Seasonal Mod, Class Restoration. |
Like many other Solar builds, the Infinite Tripmine Hunter revolves predominantly around using abilities. What sets this build apart, however, is that it relies upon the Class Restoration Seasonal Mod. It’s also incredibly durable, thanks to how often you can proc any of your abilities.
The build is centered around alternating between Tripmine Grenades and your Melee Ability. When you land a Melee attack, you will become Radiant thanks to Ember of Torches, and subsequent melee kills will fully replenish the ability while Radiant. This, in turn, generates Tripmine Grenade energy, and these two Solar Abilities combined will earn you the ability to use the Gunpowder Gamble projectile.
As a fail-safe, you also have Gambler’s Dodge, which will replenish your Melee Ability. This ability will nearly always be active, given your Throwing Knives apply Scorch, which plays into the Ember of Singeing Fragment, replenishing your Class Ability when Scorching targets. Other mods below are extras that can be tweaked to improve damage or sustainability. We recommend playing with this build while Classy Restoration is still about, as it considerably ups the viability of this build.
Regarding weapons, the build is quite flexible. Still, you might want to consider weapons with the Incandescent perk as it boosts the power of Ember of Singeing and increases the likelihood of Solar Ignitions. If you don't have an option with those perks, Solar weapons still play into the Gunpowder Gamble perk and will net you more explosives than you ever need.
| Big Explosion Warlock Build |
|---|
| Class and Subclass: Dawnblade Subclass (Solar). Aspects; Touch of Flame and Icarus Dash. Fragments; Ember of Torches, Ember of Singeing, Ember of Empyrean, and the fourth Ember of your choosing. Fusion Grenade and Empowering Rift are also necessary. The Super and Melee ability are up to you. |
| Key Exotic: Starfire Protocol |
| Weapons: A “damage over time” exotic (Witherhoard, Anarchy, or Le Monarque) and weapons with the Demolitionist or Incandescent perks. |
| Priority Stats: Recovery, Resilience, and Intellect |
| Suggested Mods: Ashes to Assets, Explosive Wellmaker, Elemental Ordnance, Well of Ordnance, and Bomber. |
There are throwing grenades, and then there are throwing grenades. This build is about throwing grenades. They don’t stop, and with the second Fusion Grenade from Starfire Protocol and the second explosion on the enhanced Fusion Grenade through Touch of Flame, you’ll be hard-pressed to find time for all your other weapons.
The core premise is about sitting in your empowering rift and clearing anything that dares to cross your line of sight. Be it with a grenade or with your weapon. As long as you stand in your Empowered Rift, weapon damage will regenerate your grenade. Grenade kills while wearing Starfire Protocol will generate your Class Ability. And using your Class Ability will give you a bit of Grenade Energy, thanks to Bomber. It’s a truly vicious cycle.
As far fragments go, Ember of Torches, Ember of Singeing, Ember of Empyrean, and the fourth Ember of your choosing are once again the recommendations for Solar builds. This trio of abilities works so well, ensuring that Radiant buffs last longer, Scorching targets nets back your Melee Ability, and Melee Abilities grant you the Radiant buff.
There’s not much else to the build. Thanks to all the mods, there’s even a relatively generous margin of error. The damage over time from things like Witherhoard or Anarchy means that you will gain Grenade Energy while throwing Grenades as your weapons are still dealing damage. You can even slap on Momentum Transfer as a mod on a pair of Arc Gauntlets, which will mean that you can regularly use your Melee to proc Radiant and some weapons with the Demolitionist perk to deal serious damage.
