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- What Is Arc 3.0?
- Unlocking Arc 3.0
- Arc Keywords Explained
- Hunter Arc Aspects
- Titan Arc Aspects
- Warlock Arc Aspects
- All Arc Fragments
Destiny 2's Season of the Plunder launched with a major rework for all Arc subclasses. Following the Void and Solar reworks from past seasons, Arc has been retooled with new abilities, the Aspects and Fragments system, and new keywords. Described by Bungie as the "Hold W" spec, Arc is the ultimate choice for aggressive players and Guardians that thrive on speed.
Hunters have gotten a new Super, Warlocks have a new slide melee attack, and Titans can make grounded dashes with a new class ability. Old favorites from the original Destiny are back, and Bungie has thrown in a few surprises that make Arc 3.0 one of the strongest elements in the game. This guide will cover how Arc works, its keywords, and we'll showcase all Aspects and Fragments.
What Is Arc 3.0?
Arc 3.0 is an overhaul of all Arc subclasses in Destiny 2, including the Hunter Arcstrider, Titan Striker, and Warlock Stormcaller. All Arc subclasses now use the Aspects and Fragments system introduced with Stasis in Beyond Light, allowing players to select two Aspects and various Fragments to create a build.
Most features from Arc 2.0 have been carried over to the new system. All classes have at least two melee abilities, two Supers, and access to all Arc grenades. This also means that some classes got new abilities with Arc 3.0, such as Hunters getting the new Gathering Storm Super. Overall, this is a major buff to all Arc subclasses and makes them more viable in endgame PvE and PvP content.
New Arc 3.0 Abilities And Features
- Hunters have a new Arc Super: Gathering Storm. Throw your Arc Staff like a spear, creating a field of Arc energy wherever it lands. Blink is also available as an Arcstrider, replacing your jump ability.
- Blink has been buffed across the board (even for Voidwalkers).
- Titans have a new class ability that acts as a short dash, behaving similarly to Icarus Dash or the original Destiny's Twilight Garrison Exotic. A new melee, Thunderclap, allows you to charge a hard-hitting punch. One of their Aspects allows them to improve the strength of some Arc grenades.
- Thunderclap can one-shot Guardians in PvP while fully charged up to 15m away.
- Warlocks have a new sliding melee attack that acts as a short-range teleport, releasing a series of lightning bolts at the end of the animation. Ionic Blink and Landfall are now baked into Stormtrance by default, and Arc Souls can achieve Getaway Artist's fire rate if you're Amplified (explained later).
- Amplified: You move faster, slide further, and have increased weapon handling.
- Ionic Trace: A bolt of pure Arc energy that travels along the ground, seeking towards its creator. When picked up, Ionic Traces grant ability energy.
- Blind: Combatants are disoriented and unable to shoot. Guardians temporarily lose their HUD and suffer from distorted audio.
- Jolt: Jolted targets periodically release chain lightning to nearby targets when damaged.
- PvE: Combatants are unable to attack while blinded.
- PvP: Your screen flashes white, audio becomes distorted, and your HUD is temporarily disabled.
- Flashbang: Fires an additional blind impulse on its first bounce.
- Pulse: When the grenade damages an enemy, it creates an Ionic Trace for the Titan. Damage increases as the grenade lingers after impact.
- Lightning: Grants an additional charge and jolts targets on the initial blast.
- Storm: Creates a roaming thundercloud that moves and tracks enemies, firing lightning bolts at the ground underneath it.
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Unlocking Arc 3.0
Arc 3.0 is unlocked by default for veteran players. Logging in during Season of the Plunder will automatically grant all Arc Aspects and most Fragments. Some Fragments are currently locked and will become available sometime later in the season.
To unlock all Arc 3.0's abilities, speak to Ikora Rey at the Tower. She sells Aspects, Fragments, and grenade abilities for all subclasses. Each item costs a small Glimmer fee.
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Arc Keywords Explained
Unlike previous subclass reworks, Arc 3.0 doesn't have many keywords. There is one core buff and two debuffs with this subclass, all of which are fairly easy to understand. Let's go over what they mean.
Arc 3.0 Keywords
Amplified Explained
Amplified is an Arc buff that increases your sprint speed, slide distance, and weapon handling for 15 seconds. Amplified also seems to give a noticeable buff to strafe speed and jump height, both of which seem better than what T10 Mobility provides.
Sprinting for a few seconds while Amplified will activate a superspeed buff that drastically increases your sprint speed, more than the typical sprint speed buff hard cap of 15%. The handling bonus for weapons is also substantial, allowing you to quickswap weapons with ease. Amplified lasts until you stop sprinting for one second, even if the buff timer reaches zero.
Amplified can be activated by landing 4 rapid Arc kills. Other sources of Amplified come from subclass Aspects and the Spark of Volts Fragment.
Writer's Note: I haven't done extensive testing on Amplified's speed bonus, but it's substantial. It seems to give about a 20% sprint speed bonus, more than the standard sprint speed cap of 15%. It also drastically increases your initial jump height, allowing you to jump far higher than what T10 Mobility provides.
Ionic Traces Explained
Ionic Traces are bolts of energy that track to your location, granting 10% ability energy when grabbed. Traces only spawn for their creator and aggressively track to their location, curving around corners and other surfaces. Ionic Traces are grounded and cannot float. Notable sources of Ionic Traces include the Warlock's Electrostatic Mind Aspect, the Coldheart Exotic Trace Rifle, and the Spark of Discharge Fragment.
Blind Explained
Blind is an Arc debuff that disorients your enemies. This effect differs in PvE and PvP:
By default, Blind lasts for 10 seconds in PvE and 1.5-2 seconds in PvP. Notable sources of Blind include Flashbang Grenades and the Hunter's Disorienting Blow.
Jolt Explained
Jolt is an Arc debuff that releases chain lightning to nearby targets. In PvP, dealing 50 damage to a jolted Guardian releases chain lightning to all nearby foes within 12.5 meters, dealing 50 damage to each target. Jolt deals immense damage in PvE, killing most fodder enemies while dealing respectable damage to majors. Nearby targets do not have to be jolted to be hit by this effect. Jolted lightning attacks can only trigger once per second, and lightning respects line-of-sight; jolt chains do not bypass cover or Titan Barricades.
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Hunter Arc Aspects
Flow State (2 Fragment Slots) 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. Tempest Strike (2 Fragment Slots) 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. Lethal Current (2 Fragment Slots) 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 attack hits twice. In addition, hitting a jolted enemy with a melee attack will blind them. Flow State gives you easy access to Amplified by defeating any target affected by Jolt. The Amplified buff causes your Dodge to recharge 100% faster and grants 70% DR while in the animation. Amplified also grants a massive reload speed increase for all weapons.
Tempest Strike returns from Middle Tree Arcstrider, this time acting as an alternate melee attack. While sliding, pressing the melee input will cause you to launch your Arc Staff forward, creating a wave of energy that travels a short distance in front of you. It deals heavy damage and inflicts Jolt to any survivors, causing them to chain lightning if they take additional damage. Tempest Strike is not affected by Lethal Current and uses your selected melee's cooldown timer.
Lethal Current drastically increases your melee lunge range after you dodge, making it much easier to land your Combination or Disorienting Blow. Hitting a target with your charged melee will jolt them and create an aftershock that's similar to a Pulse Grenade. This Aspect also causes your Arc Staff to hit twice per hit for a few seconds after dodging. Finally, melee hits against jolted enemies inflicts Blind, allowing you to punch an enemy twice with Combination Blow to blind them. This Aspect does not work with Tempest Strike. You cannot refresh Lethal Current while it's active.
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Titan Arc Aspects
Touch Of Thunder (2 Fragment Slots) Improves Arc grenade in the following ways: Juggernaut (1 Fragment Slot) 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. Knockout (2 Fragment Slots) 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. Touch of Thunder is similar to the Touch of Winter Aspect for Revenant Hunters, improving the Titan's grenades in various ways. Flashbangs blind an additional time. Pulses ramp up their damage while spawning Ionic Traces—waves of energy that grant ability energy when collected. Lightning grenades inflict Jolt and gain a second charge, and Storm Grenades effectively become Arc-themed Silence & Squall tornados that track targets and release lightning bolts.
Juggernaut returns from the original Destiny, granting you a frontal shield that absorbs damage while sprinting with full Barricade energy. Taking enough damage will break the shield and consume your Barricade. This does not trigger armor mods that grant ability on Barricade cast. By default, Juggernaut absorbs 50 points of damage. Juggernaut blocks all excess damage, allowing you to survive a Sniper Rifle headshot or similar effect. Using another source of overshields with Juggernaut—Sentinel's Bastion effect or Mk. 44 Stand Asides—will grant the overshield itself but won't affect the Juggernaut frontal shield.
Knockout is mostly the same as it was in Arc 2.0. All of your melee kills immediately trigger your passive health regeneration, affected by the Recovery stat. Taking damage immediately ends the health regeneration effect. Critically wounding an enemy grants a six-second buff that extends your melee range and increases melee damage. While Knockout is active, your melee abilities are also empowered, granting more damage that stacks with the other melee buff provided by Knockout. In total, your melee attacks deal 60% more damage while Knockout is active, uncharged or otherwise.
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Warlock Arc Aspects
Arc Soul (2 Fragment Slots) 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. Lightning Surge (2 Fragment Slots) The Warlock activates their melee ability while sliding to transform into a ball of lightning and teleport forward, calling down a field of lightning bolts at the exit point that Jolt targets. Electrostatic Mind (2 Fragment Slots) Arc ability kills and kills on Arc-debuffed enemies create Ionic Traces. When you collect any Ionic Trace, you become Amplified. Arc Soul should be familiar to Warlock players that used Stormtrance before Arc 3.0. Creating a Rift will cause all affected allies to gain an Arc Soul, a floating turret that lasts for 14 seconds. This turret fires slow-moving Arc projectiles in short bursts. Amplified Arc Souls fire much faster, comparable to the Sentient Arc Souls provided by the Getaway Artist Exotic. You may only be affected by one Arc Soul at a time. Gaining an Arc Soul again will refresh your current Arc Soul's duration instead. Arc Soul can be used alongside No Time to Explain's Time Portal.
Lightning Surge is a new ability that allows the Warlock to teleport with their melee ability. Sliding and activating your melee ability will turn you into a lightning orb, teleporting a short distance forward. The end of the teleport will spawn multiple lightning bolts that deal moderate damage, functionally identical to a Storm Grenade. Using this ability consumes your melee charge, regardless of whether it hits anyone.
Electrostatic Mind allows you to create Ionic Traces by defeating enemies affected by Blind or Jolt. An Ionic Trace will spawn right after the enemy dies, acting as an Arc fissure that tracks to your location. Grabbing the Ionic Trace grants 10% ability energy and, thanks to the Aspect, makes you Amplified.
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All Arc Fragments
As with all other subclasses, Arc has 14 Fragments for players to experiment with. Only ten Fragments are currently available, with the other four unlocking at some point later this season. All classes can use any Arc Fragment they wish, although your Fragment limit will be determined by which Aspects you have equipped. Remember, you can only have two Aspects equipped at a time. Fragments can also alter your Guardian's stats while equipped.
Four Fragments are currently unavailable. We'll update this guide once they're officially released.
Spark Of Beacons
Spark of Beacons: While you are amplified, your Arc Special weapon final blows create a blinding explosion.
Defeating a target with an Arc Special weapon will cause them to explode, inflicting Blind to nearby targets for a couple of seconds. The explosion is comparable to a Chain Reaction explosion, and this works on all Arc Special weapons—including Grenade Launchers and the projectile portion of Glaives. This Fragment does not have a cooldown.
Spark Of Resistance
Spark of Resistance: While surrounded by combatants, you are more resistant to incoming damage. +10 Strength.
When three or more PvE combatants are within 24 meters of you, all incoming damage is reduced by 40%, stacking multiplicatively with other DR sources. This Fragment's buff persists for three seconds once you are no longer surrounded.
Spark Of Momentum
Spark of Momentum: Sliding over ammo bricks reloads your equipped weapon and grants a small amount of melee energy.
There's not much to explain here. Sliding over any ammo brick will reload your current weapon from reserves and grant about 10% melee energy.
Spark Of Shock
Spark of Shock: Your Arc grenades jolt targets. -10 Discipline.
Damaging targets with your Arc grenades will inflict a four-second Jolt debuff on them, causing subsequent damage to chain lightning to nearby targets. Grenades that hit multiple times—notably Skip Grenades—refresh Jolt's debuff duration.
Spark Of Ions
Spark of Ions: Defeating a jolted target creates an Ionic Trace.
This Fragment is currently unobtainable.
Spark Of Discharge
Spark of Discharge: Arc weapon final blows have a chance to create an Ionic Trace.
This Fragment's description is misleading. Defeating three PvE combatants or two Guardians will spawn an Ionic Trace; the spawn rate isn't random. Any Arc weapon can trigger this Fragment, even Osmosis weapons. Spark of Discharge does not have a cooldown.
Spark Of Frequency
Spark of Frequency: Melee hits greatly increase your reload speed for a short duration.
Hitting a target with your melee grants the Lightning Weave buff for the next five seconds, maxing your weapon's reload speed stat. Both uncharged and charged melee hits can trigger this Fragment, and this effect may be refreshed at any time.
Spark Of Focus
Spark of Focus: After sprinting for a short time, your class ability regeneration is increased. -10 Mobility.
Sprinting for over a second will grant the Focused Breathing buff, causing your class ability to recharge about 40% faster. This effect stacks with class ability stat investment and other cooldown reduction effects.
Spark Of Recharge
Spark of Recharge: While critically wounded, your melee and grenade energy regenerate more quickly.
While your shields are broken, your melee and grenade abilities will recharge substantially faster, about 400% faster than usual. This effect persists until your shields start to regenerate or recover shields.
Spark Of Magnitude
Spark of Magnitude: Your lingering Arc grenades (Lightning Grenade, Pulse Grenade, and Storm Grenade) have extended duration.
Persisting Arc grenades last 50% longer with Spark of Magnitude, similar to Void's Echo of Remnants Fragment. Affected grenades include Lightning Grenade, Pulse Grenade, and Storm Grenade.
Spark Of Amplitude
Spark of Amplitude: Rapidly defeating targets while you are amplified creates an Orb of Power.
This Fragment is currently unobtainable.
Spark Of Feedback
Spark of Feedback: Taking melee damage briefly increases your outgoing melee damage.
This Fragment is currently unobtainable.
Spark Of Volts
Spark of Volts: Finishers make you amplified. +10 Recovery.
Finishing a combatant grants a 15-second Amplified buff. Performing another finisher before Amplified expires will reset your timer. There's no cooldown to this Fragment. Since it only procs on Finishers, this Fragment only grants +10 Recovery in PvP.
Spark Of Brilliance
Spark of Brilliance: Defeating a blinded target with precision damage creates a blinding explosion. +10 Intellect.
This Fragment is currently unobtainable.
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