Destiny 2 Arc 3.0 rework aims to “go fast and hit stuff”

Bungie has unveiled full details for the Destiny 2 Arc 3.0 rework coming to the FPS game. Following on from the Void 3.0 and Solar 3.0 makeovers, The Arc 3.0 revamp is set to overhaul the lightning-based subclass with a wealth of new abilities including new supers, buffs and debuffs, and more tricks than ever before – including the return of some much-discussed abilities from Destiny’s past such as Hunter Blink to the multiplayer game. Destiny designer Samm Dunn says that the core fantasy that the revamp aims to achieve is to “go fast and hit stuff.”

Citing 2009 action movie Crank 2: High Voltage as a leading inspiration, designer Mike Humbolt says, “that was the emotional fantasy that we wanted to go for: very much like ‘living on the edge.’” This design ethos leads directly into Arc 3.0’s first major buff – Amplified. When Amplified, Guardians become faster (affecting both movement speed and weapon handling) and more agile, with the ability to perform long slides.

By default, all Arc classes will become Amplified after rapidly defeating targets with any Arc damage, and equipped Aspects and Fragments can offer additional benefits. Bungie describes the speed boost and additional slide gained by an Amplified Guardian as “full-on Metroid speed booster mode, only Samus is now wielding Gjallarhorn.” Once the speed boost is active, it will remain for as long as the Guardian keeps sprinting – even if the Amplified status falls off.

Two debuffs are also joining as part of the Arc 3.0 rework – Blind and Jolt. Blinded opponents in PvE will be disoriented and unable to fire their weapon, while blinded PvP opponents will experience a white-out effect alongside temporary HUD removal and a ringing audio effect described as similar to that of your average videogame flashbang grenade. Jolted opponents will periodically send out chain lightning to nearby enemies when they are damaged, allowing for rapid area-of-effect damage.

Perhaps most notable among the changes for Hunters is the return of the Blink movement ability. “Blink hasn’t really been touched since Destiny 2’s release, and never quite reached the heights of its previous reign of terror,” Humbolt explains, “We felt this was a good time to walk a few of the tuning changes back a little and bring Blink’s potency at baseline up without needing an Exotic equipped.” These buffs will also be applied to other classes which can use it, such as Void Warlocks.

Hunters also see the return of the Arc Staff Super, but they will also gain access to a brand new Arc-themed Super called Gathering Storm. This sees the Hunter leaping into the sky, hurling their staff into the ground and creating a damaging burst that applies Jolt to nearby enemies. Soon afterwards, a giant bolt of lightning strikes the staff and overcharges it, creating a large zone delivering damage over time for several seconds.

Somehow, Emperor Palpatine returns yet again – this time as one of the obvious inspirations for the Arc 3.0 Warlock design. “We wanted the player to feel like they are channelling the power of the storm through their body,” explains Dunn. The two Supers available will be Chaos Reach, offering concentrated beams of Arc energy shot from the hands, and Stormtrance, the Super which best evokes the Sith lord by causing Guardians to float around the world firing raw electricity from their fingertips.

“The Arc Titan’s ultimate goal is to punch you in the face,” Humbolt says of the Arc 3.0 rework for the third class, “so a lot of what we did for Arc Titan was to try and figure out how we facilitate fist-to-face contact as much as possible.” Along with the speed boosts provided by the new Amplified effect, Arc 3.0 sees the return of the Fist of Havoc and Thundercrash Supers. The former gets some adjustment too, with an adjusted slam radius leaving a damaging ground field or AoE effect depending upon whether it is used from the ground or air.

One of the biggest changes for Titans will be the addition of a Thruster ability that resembles the evade capabilities of a Hunter’s Dodge. With the double-tap of a button, the TItan can perform a quick evade in their current throttle direction, giving them huge mobility options. A brand new charged melee called Thunderclap can be built up to the level where it can one-shot Guardians in PvP at the 90-percent charge mark (with the team noting comedy anime One Punch Man as an obvious reference point).

Several Fragments are also teased to complement the new Arc 3.0 subclasses. Spark of Beacons causes blinding explosions from Arc special weapon kills. Spark of Resistance grants increased damage protection when surrounded. Spark of Momentum will reload your weapon and grant melee energy when sliding over ammo. Spark of Shock will cause Arc grenades to also deliver the Jolt debuff to any enemies hit.

Destiny 2 Arc 3.0 rework details by class:

Titan

Super: Fist of Havoc – Jump and slam, heavily damaging any enemies nearby. Ground slam leaves a damaging field, while slamming from the air causes a damaging AoE effect.
Super: Thundercrash – Fly through the air and crash into the ground, dealing massive damage to any nearby enemies.
Class ability: Thruster – Double-tap a button to perform a quick first-person evade in current throttle direction, comparable in distance to a Hunter’s dodge.
Melee: Seismic Strike – A shoulder charge that blinds enemies. Radius and effect duration increased while Amplified.
Melee: Ballistic Slam – Slam the ground after sprinting in the air, creating a damaging explosion on impact.
Charged Melee: Thunderclap – Charge up Arc energy to unlease in a quick, powerful jab or build up to devastate an opponent. The Titan must be on the ground and remain stationary to charge the punch.
Aspect: Touch of Thunder – Improves Arc grenades. Flashbang fires an additional Blind impulse on its first bounce. Pulse creates an Ionic Trace for the Titan, and damage increases over time. Lightning gains an additional charge and Jolts targets on initial blast. Storm creates a roaming thundercloud that moves and tracks enemies, firing lightning bolts at the ground underneath it.
Aspect: Juggernaut – While sprinting and with full class ability energy, the Titan gains a frontal shield that blocks incoming damage. When Amplified, the shield is stronger. Once the shield is depleted by taking damage, the player’s class energy is depleted.
Aspect: Knockout – Melee kills trigger health regeneration and make the Titan Amplified. Critically wounding an enemy or breaking their shield increases melee range and damage for a brief period. Titan’s base melee becomes Arc-empowered while Knockout is active.

Hunter

Super: Arc Staff – Wield a deadly staff. Allows Hunters to block and deflect projectiles with a button press and perform an armoured dodge that increases damage resistance.
Super: Gathering Storm – Leap into the air, hurling your staff into the ground (or an enemy). Upon impact, staff emits a damaging burst that Jolts nearby enemies. Soon after, a bolt of lightning strikes the staff, creating a large damage zone around it for several seconds.
Class ability: Blink – Teleport a short distance in the direction you are currently moving. Increased travel distance and a reworked travel model will be included to keep the ability fresh.
Melee: Combination Blow – Kills will recharge your dodge energy, increase melee damage, and restore a small amount of health.
Melee: Disorienting Blow – Blinds opponents with a devastating palm attack while also Amplifying the Hunter.
Aspect: Flow State – Defeating a Jolted opponent causes you to become Amplified. When Amplified, the Hunter’s dodge will recharge faster and make you more resistant to damage, and you have quicker reload times.
Aspect: Tempest Strike – Allows the Hunter to perform a sliding melee that launches an Arc wave along the ground, dealing significant damage and Jolting enemies in its path.
Aspect: Lethal Current – After dodging, the Hunter’s melee lunge range is increased and their next melee attack Jolts the target and creates a damaging lightning aftershock. When used with the Arc Staff Super, after dodging, the Hunter’s next staff light attack hits twice. In addition, hitting a Jolted enemy with a melee attack will Blind them.

Warlock

Super: Chaos Reach – Shoot concentrated beams of Arc energy out of your hands to decimate opponents.
Super: Stormtrance – Float around firing electricity from your fingertips, causing a damaging shockwave underneath the player and allowing the Warlock to Blink temporarily while in Stormtrance.
Melee: Ball Lightning – Send out a floating ball of Arc energy that detonates, zapping enemies down from above. While Amplified, the ball will zap enemies three times instead of one.
Melee: Chain Lightning – Send out arcs of lightning to strike and Jolt your primary target, with damage chaining to surrounding enemies. When Amplified, Chain Lightning creates two sets of chains instead of one.
Aspect: Arc Soul – The Warlock casts a rift to create an Arc Soul that will assist the player in battle. Allies who pass through the rift will also earn an Arc Soul. The rift charges faster when allies are near. While Amplified, any Arc Soul you have or gain is supercharged, increasing its rate of fire.
Aspect: Lightning Surge – The Warlock activates their melee while sliding to transform into a ball of lightning and teleport forward, calling down a field of lightning bolts at the exit point that Jolts targets.
Aspect: Electrostatic Mind – Arc ability kills and kills on Arc-debuffed enemies create Ionic Traces. When you collect any Ionic Trace, you become Amplified.

For additional details on the upcoming update, you can read the full Inside Arc 3.0 post on the Bungie website. Fans will be able to see Arc 3.0 in action during the Destiny 2 Showcase on August 23, where Bungie is expected to reveal its upcoming Lightfall expansion for the RPG game. Be sure to check out our guides to the best Destiny 2 builds and best Destiny 2 exotics to ensure your success in the meantime.