Once upon a time, during Season of Plunder, I put together a Destiny 2 Hunter Void 3.0 build that I touted as the best Hunter build in the entire game, thanks to Gyrfalcon’s Hauberk. Not two months later, Bungie reworked that Exotic – rendering that build null and void. It’s not all bad, though, because it got a buff – meaning this Destiny 2 Gyrfalcon’s Hauberk Hunter build is better than what was the best Hunter build.
This Gyrfalcon’s Hauberk Hunter build fundamentally changes the way you play PvE. It takes the idea of offensive Invisibility and cranks it up to 11 – giving you access to near-infinite Invisibility and Volatile Rounds, meaning you can make everything explode while never exposing yourself to serious damage.
I’m going to break this build down in detail. There are a few key internal engines that you have to run, like Stylish Executioner with Gyrfalcon’s Hauberk. However, a lot of this build is very flexible – especially your mod loadout. So, take the foundation I lay out here and build upon it if you’re not a fan of my style of play.
That being said, I’ve been a Hunter Void main ever since the subclass debuted back in The Taken King in Destiny 1 – so if anyone knows how to play it, it’s me.
This Destiny 2 Gyrfalcon’s Hauberk Hunter build is the perfect blend of offense and defense. You’re going to be going in and out of Invisibility constantly. Every time you do – you’ll be powering your current Void weapon with Volatile Rounds. Killing enemies with those Volatile Rounds is what triggers your Invisibility, so you can see where that loop comes from.
In that regard, this build doesn’t have a complicated engine. Unlike a lot of other builds that have four or five moving parts needed to make them work, all you need for this is an Exotic and an Aspect.
Given how little work goes into making this engine work, we’ve got a lot of room to play around with. You can modify this build to suit whatever playstyle you want – as long as you run Stylish Executioner and Gyrfalcon’s Hauberk, you’re good to go.
In the case of my build, I’m supplementing this base engine with a grenade-based Elemental Wells mod setup. The combination of Elemental Armaments, Bountiful Wells, and Devour from our subclass means that we’re going to have phenomenal grenade uptime for a Hunter. Those grenades, in turn, generate Wells for Font of Might and refund some of that grenade energy. Altogether, that forms one sub-engine that supplements the wider Volatile/Invis spam we have going on.
That’s where this build’s firepower comes from, but it does have some defensive utility, too. Our Gambler’s Dodge makes us Invisible on activation, and our Snare Bomb grants us Invis when we kill an enemy affected by it. Our Dodge refunds that Snare Bomb, meaning that’s another sub-engine we have running.
Both of these sub-engines can be supplemented with different mod setups to suit your needs – making this possibly the most powerful customizable build in all of Destiny 2.
Divinity got absolutely crushed by a wave of nerfs. It’s still used in certain raid encounters, but it’s nowhere near as good as it once was. As a result, Deadfall Void Hunters have surged in popularity.
If you’re a Mobius Quiver main like me, then you’ll be surprised by just how long Deadfall lasts when you activate it. It’s a 30% damage debuff on all targets affected by it, and it lasts the entire length of some DPS phases.
In solo, this isn’t as important. If you prefer Mobius, then run it. It’ll give you better burst damage and Add-clear potential. Just remember that there’s no room for Orpheus Rigs in this build – if you want to use it, you’ll have to quick-swap during damage phases.
That all being said, Deadfall is the king of boss debuffs right now, so get comfortable running it.
In my previous Void 3.0 Hunter Build, I ran Suppressor Grenades. I still use Suppressors for high-end PvE activities like Masters, and Grandmasters whenever they’re live. For regular gameplay and raids, though, Vortex is absolutely the way to go.
I’m a big fan of Witherhoard, and while Weakened Clear is a seasonal mod, that Grenade Launcher will never leave my primary slot. It just so happens that it also works incredibly well with Vortex Grenades (Vortex Grenades are still great without that mod and Witherhoard).
Vortex nades suck targets toward wherever they land. So, if you throw one on top of a Witherhoard pool, you’ll be dealing double damage to whatever is stuck inside it. This is enough damage to kill the Minotaurs in Spire of the Watcher in about a second.
On top of that, our grenades Weaken thanks to one of our Fragments, so kills with the Vortex will also grant Invisibility, and generate Wells thanks to my mod setup.
There’s no choice to be had with Hunter Melees – it’s just Snare Bomb. We’ve also only got two Class Abilities to choose from. Despite the lack of variety, these two abilities make up a key survival sub-engine in this build.
I’m running Gambler’s Dodge, and you should be too. The only reason to run Marksman’s Dodge is during boss DPS phases. Beyond that, you’re griefing if you’re running it over Gambler’s.
With Vanishing Step, our Gambler’s Dodge gives us invisibility. Our Snare Bomb also gives us invisibility. Gambler’s Dodge also refreshes that Snare Bomb. Combined, these two give you access to three potential sources of instant Invisibility – and that’s enough to save your life even in GMs.
This is so powerful that it’s the synergy I based my entire previous Void build around. This can be supplemented by mods like Heavy Handed, too, although I’m not utilizing that here.
Some players like Trapper’s Ambush – and I get it. It’s instant Invisibility for both you and your teammates. However, Vanishing Step is easier to trigger and plays into our Snare Bombs too well to not use, in my opinion.
It also gives us two Fragments slots, which is nice but not as important as you might think. Three of this build’s Fragments are pretty mandatory, while the last one isn’t at all. I argue that there are two Fragments worth slotting into that fourth slot, but you can forgo it altogether if you would prefer Trapper’s Ambush.
If you do, though, remember that you’re losing a lot of synergy by removing that Dodge / Melee Invisibility sub-engine.
Stylish Executioner is one of two mandatory inclusions in this build – the other being Gyrfalcon’s Hauberk itself.
Stylish Executioner triggers invisibility whenever you defeat a Void debuffed target. This includes Weakened targets from your Grenade or Weakened Clear, Suppressed Targets from Suppressor Grenades, and enemies affected by Volatile – and that’s the important part.
Gyrfalcon’s Hauberk loads our Void weapon with Volatile Rounds whenever you come out of Invisibility, while Stylish Executioner triggers Invisibility when you kill a Volatile target.
With just these two, you’ve got an infinite loop that makes targets explode, resulting in great Add-clear, and a constant activation of Invisibility, resulting in some ludicrous survivability, provided you can consistently kill things. Everything will explode, constantly, and you’ll practically never die.
Echo of Undermining’s -20 Discipline actually hurts this Gyrfalcon’s Hauberk Void Hunter build quite a bit. We’re all-in on Resilience and Discipline with this build, so having to spec for 120 Discipline is rough. Still, running 80 Discipline is worth having this Fragment active, if you can’t make up the difference.
Undermining makes our Void Grenades Weaken targets. This bounces off Stylish Executioner and lets all your Void Grenades trigger your Invisibility. In the case of Suppressor Grenades, you’re getting Suppression and Weaken.
This version of a Gyrfalcon’s Hauberk build has heavy emphasis on Grenades, so Echo of Undermining is especially powerful. Our Grenades are going to make us Invis, Weaken targets, and create Wells whenever we use one. All of that, plus our Grenade’s great uptime, means we’re doing a hell of a lot for a little bit of investment here.
This is a no-brainer for this build. Echo of Persistence is going to make Devour, Invisibility, and Overshields last longer. Given how much we’re relying on Invisibility and Devour, you shouldn’t even need to think twice about taking it.
On top of that, the recent Gyrfalcon’s change means that we also now have access to insane Overshield up-times, too. So, you’re getting three for the price of one with this Fragment.
This is where this builds struggles – just a little bit. Hunters have very little in the way of Grenade regen tech. All we have is Devour, so we need to go all in on it in the form of Echo of Starvation.
Echo of Starvation triggers Devour every time we pick up an Orb of Power. This means that generating Orbs is a priority for us, which limits our helmet mod and weapon options a little bit.
I cannot stress enough how important constantly generating Orbs is. Devour is our only real source of Grenade regen outside of the bump you get for picking up a Well. So, without Orbs, and without Devour, you have no Grenades, meaning no Wells.
This fourth Fragment slot is the wildcard I was talking about earlier on. In this version of the build, I’m running Echo of Harvest for more reliable Orb generation with our Grenade.
However, I was running Echo of Obscurity up until recently to have another source of Invisibility, as well as to play into Gyrfalcon’s secondary reserve Overshield effect.
As it stands, I think Obscurity may be the better option, but I suspect I’m not using Echo of Harvest to its full potential. Take some time to experiment with this slot and other Fragments – you might find something I’m missing.
This Gyrfalcon’s Hauberk Hunter build is incredibly open-ended in terms of your mods. Where you’re limited, though, is in your equipment loadout. You’re locked into using Gyrfalcon’s Hauberk as your Exotic, obviously. That’s no big deal – it’s why you’re here in the first place.
However, there’s one more limitation that’s much more impactful, and that’s the fact that this build only really works with Void primaries.
Given that the Volatile Rounds from Gyrfalcon’s only work on Void weapons, that means your elemental slot is going to be taken up not just by a primary, but a Void primary at all times. This severely limits your loadout options and is by far the biggest drawback this build has.
That being said, there are a lot of great Void primary options. I’m running Funnelweb in this build – but I’m actively on the hunt for a Subsistence / Repulsor Brace Unforgiven from Duality.
Repulsor Brace works dramatically well with this build by giving you an Overshield every time you kill a Volatile target. Funnelweb doesn’t roll it, meaning Unforgiven may be the single best weapon to run with this build. However, Doom of Chelchis and the Ikelos Hand Cannon both have great Repulsor Brace god rolls, as does the seasonal weapon the Veles-X. Also, if you’re one of the lucky few to have Collective Obligation – use it. Don’t even think about it, just use it.
Beyond that, I would recommend a Linear for your heavy. If you’re playing with a Fireteam, the Taipan is great. Otherwise, Stormchaser or Threaded Needle should be your go-to, unless you’re specing against a specific encounter or activity.
Once Weakened Clear rotates out, your primary slot will be freed up from Witherhoard / Grenade Launchers, so use that to fill in the gaps that the rest of your build has – potentially with an Arbalest.
Funnelweb, for my money, is the single best primary weapon in Destiny 2. Sure, it falls off when you start hitting Master / Grandmaster content, but it shreds everything beneath that.
Subsistence is going to combine with Veist Stinger to ensure we always have ammo, while Adrenaline Junkie is going to maintain a fairly constant 33% damage buff, combined with the 7% from Minor Spec and the potential 25% from Font of Might. That doesn’t even take debuffs into consideration, either.
Funnelweb’s great damage and ammo economy mean that your Volatile Rounds are going to hit often, and hit hard – resulting in some insane Add-clear potential. It’s just a shame that you can’t roll Repulsor Brace on it, but some people may prefer the offensive buff offered by Adrenaline Junkie over that defensive option.
I thought Gyrfalcon’s Hauberk was the best Hunter Exotic in the game when it first came out. Now that it’s got this buff, I think it’s the best Exotic in the entire game – at least for PvE.
At first, it opened up the possibility to play an offensive Invisibility playstyle, but now it takes that idea and cranks it up to 11.
We lose the 35% damage buff it used to give, but that’s been replaced by an effect that gives your Void weapons Volatile Rounds every time you exit Invis. Personally, and don’t tell anyone this, I prefer the old effect. However, I can’t deny that this rework is immeasurably better from an objective point of view.
On top of that, using a finisher when Invisible will give you and your allies a reserve Overshield that they can pop by activating their class abilities. This is more impactful than you might think, especially at high-end PvE when you’re playing with a coordinated three-man Fireteam.
Gyrfalcon’s also offers that old damage buff for doing this finisher, but the timer is so quick that it might as well not be there. By the time your finisher animation ends, you’ll have maybe three seconds of the buff left.
I think it’s likely that Gyrfalcon’s Hauberk will return to its old form soon. Until then, it’s going to sit at the very top of the META.
All of the engines in this Gyrfalcon’s Hauberk Hunter build are self-contained. Our subclass and equipment power everything – meaning our mod slots are completely freed up for whatever you want. This wasn’t the case before, as I considered Heavy Handed a must-have. With the changes, though, I’ve opted to forgo that mod, and Charged with Light, entirely.
As it stands, this is the mod setup I’m using (you absolutely don’t have to use this setup):
The only mandatory inclusion not in that list is some sort of Orb generation helmet mod. Harmonic Siphon only costs one energy – so make sure you’re using it. Otherwise, this build simply won’t work because you can’t keep your Grenades active.
Otherwise, this is a classic setup that lets our Grenades generate insane numbers of Wells for both us and our teammates. If you’re careful with your Well placement and pickups, which you should be at high-end PvE, then you can stretch those Wells out into at least 20 seconds of Font of Might per Grenade.
If you’re more of an Elemental Time Dilation kind of player, though, that mod loadout works fine, as well.
It’s worth noting that thanks to Solo Operative and Weakened Clear both being on your class item during Season of the Seraph, it’s not uncommon to find yourself with room for only four combat mods. That’s why I’m going for Bountiful Wells over any other mod setup. Losing that one slot in this kind of setup doesn’t matter too much – you’ve still got plenty of Wells. For a CWL setup, though, it can hurt – same with Elemental Time Dilation.
There are other, techier options available to you. Firepower is potentially a great CWL option for that Grenade regen – but I don’t have that mod so I wouldn’t know. It also may be worth experimenting with Warmind Cells if you are running the Ikelos Hand Cannon, but that limits your build more – and Warmind Cells aren’t in a great place right now.
However, I think a simple Bountiful Wells setup works best. It gives us room to free up that class item slot, gives us great ability regen because of the extra Wells, and Font of Might is going to give us plenty of extra damage – granted at the cost of more micromanagement.
That’s it for this Destiny 2 Void 3.0 Gyrfalcon’s Hauberk Hunter build. When I say this build shreds mid-level activities, I really mean that. You can comfortably solo any Legend content or Dungeon you want – with a bit of practice.
What’s more, there’s a massive skill ceiling involved with it. If you get good at juggling your buffs and Invisibility, you could easily carry in Master level content with this thing. Whether or not it’s viable for GMs remains to be seen, but I suspect Omnioculous will remain king of that specific niche activity.
Regardless, this is one of the most fun builds in the entire game right now – which is great since it’s also one of the most powerful. Even my Warlock-main buddy has jumped on their Hunter just to play around with this, so why wouldn’t you?
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