Arc is one of the original Light subclasses in Destiny 2 that has undergone revisions since the game’s release. With the arrival of Season 21, Arc 3.0 has seen a few more changes. In this article, we will delve into the Aspects, Fragments, Keywords, and Supers that make up the Arc Subclass.
How to Obtain Arc Aspects, Fragments, and Abilities
Arc Aspects, Fragments, Abilities, and Supers can be purchased from Ikora at The Tower using Glimmer. Fragments can be quite expensive, costing 25,000 Glimmer, so it’s advisable to save up. After purchasing these subclass-related items, players need to meditate at the shrine next to Ikora to equip and use the new Fragments, Aspects, and Abilities.
Arc 3.0 Keywords
Keywords play a crucial role in a subclass, as they determine the buffs, debuffs, and effects. Many Aspects, Fragments, and Abilities have subclass Keywords listed in their effects, making it important to understand their functions.
Amplified
“Your movement speed and weapon handling are greatly increased. After sprinting for a short time, your movement speed is further increased. Rapidly defeating targets with Arc damage triggers the Amplified effect.”
Typically, three Arc damage kills activate Amplified, which can come from Arc weapons, abilities, or Supers. The Amplified status provides additional buffs, including a +50 Mobility stat increase and increased slide distance. The Speed Boost effect has undergone changes in Season 21, such as a reduction in jump acceleration bonus, activation time, and an increase in the linger window.
Blind
“Combatants are disoriented and unable to fire their weapons. Opposing Guardians’ HUD is removed, their vision is obscured, and Blinded Unstoppable Champions are Stunned.”
Blinding effects last for 10 seconds against PVE enemies and 2 seconds against PVP enemies. In PVE, enemies affected by Blind will have a red effect over their heads and will be unable to shoot. It does not work on most bosses but affects champions. In PVP, players experience a whited-out screen, distorted audio, and a disabled radar for a short duration. Beware of being Blinded by your own Flashbang Grenade.
Jolt
“The target is energized with destructive Arc Light. They take additional damage while Jolted and chain lightning to nearby targets. Jolt damage causes Overload Champions to be stunned.”
Jolt is a powerful effect that deals additional damage to bosses, champions, and adds. Season 21 brought balance changes to Jolt, reducing the damage of the chain lightning effect and the additional damage scalar on major combatants.
Ionic Traces
“A bolt of pure Arc energy that travels along the ground, seeking towards its creator. Picking up Ionic Traces grants Ability energy.”
Ionic Traces travel along the ground and up walls to reach the player. Exotic Arc Weapons, specific Aspects, or Fragments are common sources of Ionic Trace generation. Each Ionic Trace restores around 15% of your class ability energy. The Leg mod Elemental Charge introduced in Season 21 occasionally grants an Armor Charge stack when collecting Ionic Traces.
Arc Sub-class Aspects
Each Guardian class can equip up to two Arc Aspects. Each Aspect provides 2-3 Fragment slots to equip Fragments.
Arc Warlock Aspects
The Arc Warlock Aspects revolve around Amplification. These Aspects reliably grant the Amplified status effect, enhance slide abilities, or provide new abilities while Amplified.
Arc Soul
“Cast your Rift to summon an Arc Soul that fires at targets in front of you. Allies can pass through your Rift to gain an Arc Soul. While Amplified, your Arc Souls are supercharged and gain increased fire rate.”
Arc Souls last for 14 seconds, firing slow-moving Arc Projectiles with tracking. Their fire rate dramatically increases while Amplified. Stepping in and out of your Rift refreshes the Arc Soul duration, but only one Arc Soul can be active at a time.
Electrostatic Mind
“Defeating targets with Arc abilities or defeating Jolted or Blinded targets creates an Ionic Trace. Collecting an Ionic Trace makes you Amplified.”
This Aspect activates when you defeat targets with your charged Melee ability, Grenade ability, Super ability, or Arc Souls. Ionic Traces collected from any source grant the Amplified status, regardless of whether they were created from this Aspect.
Lightning Surge
“While sliding, activate your charged melee ability to Blink forward, calling down lightning strikes that Jolt targets as you rematerialize.”
Using this ability consumes your charged melee, allowing you to Blink forward and spawn lightning strikes that Jolt targets. The distance traveled is similar to the Void Warlock’s Blink ability.
Arc Hunter Aspects
Arc Hunter Aspects provide melee-focused benefits, making Hunters feel like Titans in terms of melee abilities.
Flow State
“Defeating a Jolted target makes you Amplified. While Amplified, your dodge recharges more quickly, you are more resilient while dodging, and your reload speed is greatly increased.”
While Amplified, your dodge ability recharges 200% faster, provides damage reduction during dodging, and significantly increases reload speed.
Lethal Current
“After dodging, your next melee attack has increased lunge range, Jolts the target, and creates a damaging aftershock. Damaging any Jolted target with melee attacks also Blinds them.”
This Aspect pairs well with the Combination Blows Melee ability and allows you to blind enemies by melee attacking Jolted targets.
Tempest Strike
“While sliding, activate your charged melee ability to unleash a devastating uppercut attack that travels along the ground in front of you, damaging and Jolting targets it hits.”
This ability deals significant damage and causes chain lightning to other nearby enemies when killing a target. It does not benefit from the Lethal Current Aspect.
Arc Titan Aspects
Arc Titans have three Aspects, with one focused on melee ability and others suited for grenades or mobility-focused gameplay.
Juggernaut
“With full class ability energy and after sprinting for a short time, you gain a frontal shield that blocks incoming damage. When the frontal shield breaks, your class ability energy is depleted. While Amplified, the shield blocks significantly more damage before breaking.”
Juggernaut provides damage reduction and absorbs incoming damage with a frontal shield. It is especially useful in PVP, blocking sniper rifle and shotgun one-shot damage.
Knockout
“Critically wounding a target or breaking their shield infuses your melee attack with Arc energy. It increases your melee range and damage for a short time. Defeating targets with melee attacks starts health regeneration and makes you Amplified.”
This Aspect triggers after critically wounding a target or breaking their shield, providing a damage buff, increased melee range, and enables health regeneration upon defeating enemies with melee attacks.
Touch of Thunder
“Your Arc grenades gain enhanced functionality.”
This Aspect enhances different Arc grenades, improving their effects and making them more potent against enemies.
Arc Sub-class Fragments
All classes have access to the same set of seventeen Fragments, which need to be unlocked or purchased separately for each Guardian.
Spark of Haste
“Sprinting greatly increases your Resilience, Recovery, and Mobility.”
This Fragment grants a significant increase to Resilience, Recovery, and Mobility while sprinting.
Spark of Instinct
“While Critically wounded, taking damage emits a burst of damaging Arc energy that Jolts targets.”
This Fragment triggers when your shields are broken, emitting a burst of damaging Arc energy that Jolts nearby targets.
Spark of Beacons
“While you are Amplified, your Arc Special Weapon final blows create a Blinding explosion.”
This Fragment creates a blinding explosion when finishing off enemies with an Arc Special Weapon while under the Amplified status.
Spark of Resistance
“While surrounded by combatants, you are more resistant to incoming damage. Grants plus 10 to Strength.”
This Fragment provides damage reduction when three or more enemies are within 15 meters, making you more resilient.
Spark of Momentum
“Sliding over ammo bricks reloads your equipped weapon and grants a small amount of melee energy.”
Sliding over ammo bricks reloads your equipped weapon and grants a small amount of melee energy.
Spark of Shock
“Your Arc grenades Jolt targets. Reduces Discipline stat by 10 points.”
This Fragment pairs well with Flashbang grenades, allowing both Blind and Jolt effects.
Spark of Ions
“Defeating a Jolted target creates an Ionic Trace.”
This Fragment triggers off any source of Jolt and can be paired with Spark of Shock to generate Ionic Traces from grenade kills.
Spark of Discharge
“Arc weapon final blows have a chance to create an Ionic Trace. Reduces Strength stat by 10.”
This Fragment generates Ionic Traces after 2-3 Arc weapon kills, providing continuous Ionic Trace generation.
Spark of Frequency
“Melee hits greatly increase your reload speed for a short duration.”
Melee hits trigger a buff that significantly increases reload speed for a few seconds.
Spark of Focus
“After sprinting for a short time, your class ability regeneration is increased. Reduces Recovery stat by 10.”
Sprinting for a short duration increases class ability regeneration rate, albeit at the cost of reduced Recovery stat.
Spark of Recharge
“While Critically wounded, your melee and grenade energy regenerate more quickly.”
This Fragment significantly increases the regeneration of melee and grenade abilities when your shields are broken.
Spark of Magnitude
“Your lingering Arc grenades have extended duration.”
This Fragment increases the duration of relevant Arc grenades, providing a longer-lasting effect.
Spark of Amplitude
“Rapidly defeating targets while you are Amplified creates an Orb of Power.”
This Fragment spawns an Orb of Power after getting a double kill while in the Amplified state.
Spark of Feedback
“Taking melee damage briefly increases your outgoing melee damage. Increases Resilience stat by 10.”
When triggered, this Fragment boosts your outgoing melee damage for a short duration after taking melee damage.
Spark of Volts
“Finishers make you Amplified. Grants plus 10 to your Recovery stat.”
Performing a finisher activates the Amplified buff for a duration and can be refreshed by performing successive finishers.
Spark of Brilliance
“Defeating a Blinded target with Precision damage creates a Blinding explosion. Increases Intellect stat by 10.”
This Fragment creates a Blinding explosion upon precision kill, regardless of weapon type, allowing for chaining against multiple targets.
Notable Changes from Season of the Deep
Season 21 of Destiny 2 brought balance changes to Arc 3.0 Keywords and Abilities, aiming to better balance the subclass with other Light and Dark subclasses.
Changes to Arc Supers
Various Arc Supers received modifications, increasing damage in PVE or applying appropriate Keyword effects to Guardians or enemies.
Warlock Supers
Stormtrance:
- Increased damage by 25% against PVE enemies.
- Reduced time to reach max damage ramp from 5 seconds to 3 seconds.
- Landfall and seekers now Jolt targets on hit.
Chaos Reach:
- Damage buff of 25% against PVE combatants.
- Increased damage resistance against enemy Guardians from 40% to 50%.
- Increased maximum strafe speed.
- Focusing Chaos Reach beam on a single target now creates a Jolting lightning strike at the target’s location.
Hunter Supers
Arc Staff:
- Increased damage by 20% against PVE enemies.
Gathering Storm:
- Increased direct impact damage against players from 200 to 300.
- Increased maximum damage of secondary lightning strike against players from 300 to 500.
- Increased lingering lightning tick damage against players from 40 to 60.
- Deals more damage to Well of Radiance and Ward of Dawn supers.
- Super energy for this attack consumed after the staff is thrown.
- The staff embeds in more targets.
Titan Supers
- Fist of Havoc:
- Reduced light attack energy cost.
- Reduced heavy attack cost.
- Increased heavy slam damage against PVE enemies by 33%.
Join the High Ground!
That concludes our guide to the Arc 3.0 changes in Destiny 2’s Season 21. If you found this breakdown helpful, sign up for our newsletter to stay updated on Destiny 2 and your other favorite games.
Happy gaming!
