Destiny 2 Exotic Armor Tier List [Ranked After Testing]

We rate every piece of exotic armor in our Destiny 2 Exotic Armor Tier List to help players find the best Armor.

Exotic armors are very uncommon and potent pieces of armor that may be acquired through decrypting Exotic Engrams that are located across the globe as task rewards or by buying them from merchants. We rate every piece of exotic armor in our Destiny 2 Exotic Armor Tier List according to its usability and effectiveness.

Key Highlights
  • Known for its dynamic list of playable characters, Destiny 2 has an equally worthy Exotic Armor collection that houses more than 35 options.
  • While on-field effectiveness and usability remained our key criterion for ranking Destiny 2 Exotic Armor, stats, synergy potential with other Exotic Gear and characters, and trade with merchants were also considered. 
  • Exotic Armor that fulfilled all criteria with excellence and is recommended for optimum Destiny 2 performance include Raiden Flux, Shards of Galanor, Renewal Grasps, Aeon Swift, and Celestial Nighthawk
  • Options that performed the opposite and therefore warn our and most Destiny 2 fans’ disinterest include The Sixth Coyote, Oathkeeper, and Graviton Forfeit. Because of subpar capability and minimal defensive characteristics, you will not be able to contest decently with these.

Destiny 2 Exotic Armor Tier List 

Tiers Exotic Armors 
S-Tier Raiden Flux, Renewal Grasps, Shards of Galanor, Aeon Swift, Celestial Nighthawk, Orpheus Rig, Gyrfalcon’s Hauberk, Omnioculus, and The Dragon’s Shadow
A-Tier Sealed Ahamkara Grasps, Mask of Bakris, St0mp-EE5, Assassin’s Cowl, Foetracer, Lucky Raspberry, Caliban’s Hand, Athrys’s Embrace, Khepri’s Sting, Liar’s Handshake, Fr0st-EE5, Gwisin Vest, and Ophidia Spathe
B-Tier Blight Ranger, Wormhusk Crown, Raiju’s Harness, Knucklehead Radar, Gemini Jester, The Bombardiers, Lucky Pants, Shinobu’s Vow, Mechaneer’s Tricksleeves, Young Ahamkara’s Spine Radiant Dance Machines, and Star-Eater Scales
C-Tier The Sixth Coyote, Oathkeeper, and Graviton Forfeit

Five legendary shards can be obtained by disassembling exotic armor. Xur, an agent of the nine, was a dealer in earlier Destiny games who offered unique goods for strange coins: Legendary shards are now the unit of exchange for purchasing exotic gear (23 for armor).

Destiny 2 Exotic Armor Tier List Criteria

In this tier list, every Exotic Armor from Destiny 2 is included. You may use it to decide which armor is most beneficial—the Exotic Armor Tier List for Destiny 2 rates the usability and perks of each piece of armor.

The four categories listed below comprise the Destiny 2 Exotic Armor Tier List:

  • S-Tier: The best armor in the game right now, with the most benefits.
  • A-Tier: Outstanding and superior armor that is always beneficial to you.
  • B-Tier: Stable armor that balances your loadout.
  • C-Tier: Exotic armor from Destiny 2 to avoid using.

Comparison Between All Armors

Here are the complete details of all exotic armors in Destiny 2: 

Armor nameTierMobilityDisciplineResilienceRecoveryIntellectStrength
Celestial NighthawkS10.05.020.05.00.010.0
Aeon SwiftS11.06.03.06.011.010.0
Shards of GalanorS20.05.010.00.05.010.0
Renewal GraspsS6.012.06.010.06.06.0
Raiden FluxS10.05.020.00.05.010.0
The Dragon’s ShadowS13.06.08.010.06.06.0
OmnioculusS6.012.06.06.010.06.0
Gyrfalcon’s HauberkS6.012.06.06.010.06.0
Orpheus RigS12.06.06.012.06.06.0
FoetracerA20.05.010.010.00.05.0
Assassin’s CowlA16.06.06.02.02.016.0
St0mp-EE5A30.05.00.05.00.010.0
Mask of BakrisA6.012.06.06.010.06.0
Sealed Ahamkara GraspsA20.05.010.05.00.010.0
Liar’s HandshakeA12.06.06.06.06.012.0
Khepri’s StingA7.06.07.010.06.012.0
Athrys’s EmbraceA6.012.06.010.06.06.0
Caliban’s HandA6.012.06.06.010.06.0
Lucky RaspberryA14.012.07.06.06.06.0
Ophidia SpatheA12.06.06.07.02.016.0
Gwisin VestA10.07.020.00.06.07.0
Fr0st-EE5A18.06.02.06.06.010.0
Gemini JesterB35.05.00.00.05.010.0
Knucklehead RadarB10.05.020.00.05.010.0
Raiju’s HarnessB6.012.06.010.06.06.0
Wormhusk CrownB10.07.010.010.06.07.0
Blight RangerB6.012.06.010.06.06.0
Young Ahamkara’s SpineB10.07.010.010.06.07.0
Mechaneer’s TricksleevesB30.05.00.00.05.010.0
Shinobu’s VowB11.016.07.06.02.06.0
Lucky PantsB7.012.07.010.06.06.0
The BombardiersB6.012.06.010.06.06.0
Star-Eater ScalesB6.012.06.010.06.06.0
Radiant Dance MachinesB6.012.06.010.06.06.0
Graviton ForfeitC10.07.010.010.06.07.0
OathkeeperC20.05.00.010.05.010.0
The Sixth CoyoteC10.05.015.010.05.05.0

S-Tier

Destiny 2 Exotic Armor S-Tier

The highest defensive capabilities in the game are found in the S-Tier on the Destiny 2 Exotic Armor Tier List.

Celestial Nighthawk

Over many other Hunter Exotics, the Celestial Nighthawk distinguishes out. In Lost Sectors, you will defeat most adversaries using yellow bars. Celestial Nighthawk can one-shot kill several bosses even during boss stages in playlist strikes as well as during some lower-level Nightfalls. But don’t wear it to the Crucible.

Mobility Discipline Resilience Recovery Intellect Strength
10 5 20 5 0 10

Aeon Swift

Pretty awesome, particularly with the rewards modifications. Regardless if your allies are Aeon Cult members, it is a fantastic choice.

Mobility Discipline Resilience Recovery Intellect Strength
11 6 3 6 11 10

Shards of Galanor

The Shards of Galanor are great. They won’t give you back your entire Super, but if you defeat enough opponents or a large enough boss, they will make sure you are near to receiving another one.

Mobility Discipline Resilience Recovery Intellect Strength
20 5 10 0 5 10

Renewal Grasps

With the correct Stasis build, Hunters may essentially transform into a support class by using the Renewal Grasps.

Mobility Discipline Resilience Recovery Intellect Strength
6 12 6 10 6 6

Raiden Flux

Amazing. You may eliminate whole rooms of foes with this together with the Arc Staff Super without running out of power. In the Leviathan raid, these can wipe out a Royal Beast, and during the Whisper mission for the Whisper of the Worm Sniper Rifle, they can clear out a chamber.

Mobility Discipline Resilience Recovery Intellect Strength
10 5 20 0 5 10

The Dragon’s Shadow

Amazing in PvP since it provides benefits like Enhanced Reload, Snapshot Sights, and Quickdraw. It also gives 50 Mobility and reloads all weapons, whether they are equipped or stored. At 100% Mobility, Hunters gain the Dodge back in just nine seconds, and these bonuses endure for ten seconds.

Mobility Discipline Resilience Recovery Intellect Strength
13 6 8 10 6 6

Omnioculus

Great. You can sneak in, revive a fallen comrade, and then sneak out again, thanks to Omnioculus. Outstanding for end-game content.

Mobility Discipline Resilience Recovery Intellect Strength
6 12 6 6 10 6

Gyrfalcon’s Hauberk

Excellent. You also get a significant damage increase, and the over shield may be used whenever necessary.

Mobility Discipline Resilience Recovery Intellect Strength
6 12 6 6 10 6

Orpheus Rig

Amazing. You regain your Super ability more quickly the more foes you anchor with Shadowshot. These will still grant you a sizable portion of your Super, albeit being less effective than when they were launched, which is useful for wave clears in raids.

Mobility Discipline Resilience Recovery Intellect Strength
12 6 6 12 6 6

A-Tier

Destiny 2 Exotic Armor A-Tier

Exotic armors from Destiny 2 Exotic Armor Tier List A-Tier are excellent options because they are stronger than other armors.

Foetracer

When playing Competitive Crucible, Foetracer is fantastic since a small increase in damage dealt might make the difference between leaving a fight and waiting for a revive. Target those adversaries with low health for a slight damage boost.

Mobility Discipline Resilience Recovery Intellect Strength
20 5 10 10 0 5

Assassin’s Cowl

For hunters that need to leave right away, the Assasin’s Cowl Exotic is fantastic. You can sneak away unnoticed while healing if you use your finisher at the proper time.

Mobility Discipline Resilience Recovery Intellect Strength
16 6 6 2 2 16

St0mp-EE5

Depending on how you play, these boots can be, at best situational. The added height can provide you with more safety when jumping problems. It might be tempting for those perspiring Trials players to confound their adversaries with their in-air antics.

Mobility Discipline Resilience Recovery Intellect Strength
30 5 0 5 0 10

Mask of Bakris

Good. A Hunter’s DMG output can be increased by using the Mask of Bakris in combination with arc weapons like Anarchy. The Shift is a side Blink that has the advantage of being invisible.

Mobility Discipline Resilience Recovery Intellect Strength
6 12 6 6 10 6

Sealed Ahamkara Grasps

The Sealed Ahamkara Grasps are quite potent for individuals that approach close range in Crucible. You can go on battling if you can strike an adversary and keep firing without having to change positions by using a dodge. Though not quite as fantastic as they had been in the initial Destiny, they are nonetheless worthwhile.

Mobility Discipline Resilience Recovery Intellect Strength
20 5 10 5 0 10

Liar’s Handshake

The Liar’s Handshake enables you to kill an opponent in one hit after getting hit and launching a counterattack. This is quite effective in PVP since it enables you to end fights quickly. This will be a popular pick for Hunters who adore their Arcstrider subclass.

Mobility Discipline Resilience Recovery Intellect Strength
12 6 6 6 6 12

Khepri’s Sting

Having your Smoke Bomb detonate on a melee strike may be excellent for those close-quarters fighting situations, but being far from as stunning as the initial Khepri’s Sting from Destiny.

Mobility Discipline Resilience Recovery Intellect Strength
7 6 7 10 6 12

Athrys’s Embrace

A Good Choice for an Exotic Armor. There is Athrys’s Embrace for individuals who don’t want to be constrained to utilize the weapon-specific Champion customizations of the Seasonal Artifact. Effectively, warriors may be stunned by throwing knives. Worth taking into account, even when something exotic can be more alluring.

Mobility Discipline Resilience Recovery Intellect Strength
6 12 6 10 6 6

Caliban’s Hand

For those who wish to learn more about the improvements in Gunslinger Solar 3.0, this is an intriguing pair of gauntlets. Proximity Knife isn’t often my go-to PVE or PVP weapon. Thus the Caliban’s Hand might not be the best exotic option.

Mobility Discipline Resilience Recovery Intellect Strength
6 12 6 6 10 6

Lucky Raspberry

The Lucky Raspberry can be useful in the appropriate PvE circumstance, although it does require a higher skill level. When you have a complete chain in Crucible, you may hurl another grenade and be sure to get the kills.

Mobility Discipline Resilience Recovery Intellect Strength
14 12 7 6 6 6

Ophidia Spathe

Having two throwing knives is enticing now that they can kill you in one hit in Crucible. Put them on and take advantage of the increased damage.

Mobility Discipline Resilience Recovery Intellect Strength
12 6 6 7 2 16

Gwisin Vest

The Gwisin Vest continues to be a formidable weapon, although being far less potent than it formerly was. In PVE, you may keep your Super active for a while, and in the Crucible, you’ll constantly be annoying the whole team by continually slicing them.

Mobility Discipline Resilience Recovery Intellect Strength
10 7 20 0 6 7

Fr0st-EE5

The Fr0st-EE5 accelerates the already quick speed of hunters. These are excellent for PVE and Crucible, where you’ll be running a lot. Worth it for gamers that are interested in ability building.

Mobility Discipline Resilience Recovery Intellect Strength
18 6 2 6 6 10

B-Tier

Tier-B

The B-Tier of the Armor Tier List has some of the greatest armor pieces, although they have certain limitations.

Gemini Jester

Competent Hunters inside the Crucible should find this to be advantageous, specifically if they are employing the Arcstrider sub-class with the Arc-Staff Super. Even better, We’d pair it alongside the Way of the Wind perk tree.

While avoiding, you’ll suffer less damage and disorient your opponent by taking away their radar. Arc Staff would become especially lethal as a result. But in PvE, Gemini Jester would be practically worthless.

Mobility Discipline Resilience Recovery Intellect Strength
35 5 0 0 5 10

Knucklehead Radar

It’s not that the Knucklehead Radar is horrible; it’s simply that there are a plethora of better exotics available. Although handy, the inherent benefit of the Enhanced Sensor Pack does not make the Knucklehead Radar superior to other options. Whether you’re playing PvP or PvE, leave this in your vault.

Mobility Discipline Resilience Recovery Intellect Strength
10 5 20 0 5 10

Raiju’s Harness

An intriguing exotic that fails to pay off is Raiju’s Harness. Even though you don’t run out of energy while protecting, deactivation of a Super early leaves you without a Super for a predetermined period. There are not many circumstances in which this would be preferable to another piece.

Mobility Discipline Resilience Recovery Intellect Strength
6 12 6 10 6 6

Wormhusk Crown

In many situations, immediate healing and protection are really useful. It can help you escape combat in Crucible. Although there are undoubtedly superior Exotics, this may still be deemed valuable.

Mobility Discipline Resilience Recovery Intellect Strength
10 7 10 10 6 7

Blight Ranger

The Blight Ranger is not as excellent as you may assume. The “massively enhanced damage” is greatly exaggerated, at least during The Witch Queen’s release. Select Renewal Grasps, the alternative campaign prize.

Mobility Discipline Resilience Recovery Intellect Strength
6 12 6 10 6 6

Young Ahamkara’s Spine

We don’t want to label anything as awful because the appropriate player could find a purpose for it in the proper situation. However, there are always better choices when it comes to the Exotic Hunter gear.

Mobility Discipline Resilience Recovery Intellect Strength
10 7 10 10 6 7

Mechaneer’s Tricksleeves

The Mechaneer’s Tricksleeves could be useful if you’re a side-arm enthusiast in Crucible. You can do a lot of damage with these gauntlets if you have the appropriate Side-arm and a handful of certain upgrades. It’s usually better to utilize something different because the settings must be just ideal.

Mobility Discipline Resilience Recovery Intellect Strength
30 5 0 0 5 10

Shinobu’s Vow

The Shinobu’s Vow won’t make Skip Grenades more common among Hunters to use. Although having an additional grenade is convenient, there are other, preferable solutions.

Mobility Discipline Resilience Recovery Intellect Strength
11 16 7 6 2 6

Lucky Pants

Users of Hand Cannons should rejoice since the Lucky Pants have improved slightly from their previous design. You will gradually fill up a stored Hand Cannon as you make accurate hits.

Mobility Discipline Resilience Recovery Intellect Strength
7 12 7 10 6 6

The Bombardiers

Although not the greatest, the Bombardiers will increase your lethality in PVE or the Crucible or assist you in clearing more troops.

Mobility Discipline Resilience Recovery Intellect Strength
6 12 6 10 6 6

Star-Eater Scales

The Star-Eater Scales are merely alright today; they’re not as fantastic as they once were. You gain a great boost in damage from your Super, and even though it is fully charged, you may still utilize the Orbs, which are located on the ground.

Mobility Discipline Resilience Recovery Intellect Strength
6 12 6 10 6 6

Radiant Dance Machines

If you intend to keep dodging, the Radiant Dance Machines are the perfect pair of boots!

Mobility Discipline Resilience Recovery Intellect Strength
6 12 6 10 6 6

C-Tier

Tier-C

These armor parts are ranked lower on the Exotic Armor Tier List due to their limited capability and subpar defensive characteristics.

Graviton Forfeit

It’s disappointing that the Graviton Forfeit helmet isn’t better. Although remaining invisible has some strength, there aren’t many instances in Destiny 2 where it matters. There are superior Exotics available.

Mobility Discipline Resilience Recovery Intellect Strength
10 7 10 10 6 7

Oathkeeper

The Oathkeepers are simply awful. These are essentially useless. Due to Destiny 2’s rapid-fire speed, keeping a shot for any longer than what is presently available puts you in a very vulnerable position.

Mobility Discipline Resilience Recovery Intellect Strength
20 5 0 10 5 10

The Sixth Coyote

It’s not as crucial as it may appear to have a second dodge. The Sixth Coyote Exotic doesn’t have a lot of room in the meta or our Tier List of Destiny 2 Exotic Armor.

Mobility Discipline Resilience Recovery Intellect Strength
10 5 15 10 5 5

Best Destiny 2 Exotic Armor

Exotics are essential to making Hunters strong since they provide advantages like ability restoration and a potent follow-up punch attack. Here are the top exotic armors in Destiny 2 for Guardians seeking an advantage over both Traveler and Guardian foes.

  1. Mask of Bakris:
    • Grants a short-range teleportation ability called Shift, which cloaks you while active.
    • Provides a 10% damage increase to arc weapons after shifting, lasting for ten seconds.
    • Deals 10% greater damage to enemies who are slowed.
    • High reward-to-risk ratio, especially effective in PvP scenarios.
  2. Aeon Swift:
    • Class-neutral Exotic gloves that provide energy for each ally death, applicable to any dodge.
    • Enables maintaining Radiant boost for extended periods, enhancing abilities like Ace of Spades.
    • Useful for repeatedly using dodge capability in 6v6 scenarios.
  3. Assassin’s Cowl:
    • Grants nine seconds of invisibility and partial healing after defeating an enemy with a melee attack.
    • Finishers and boss kills extend invisibility duration to 15 seconds and augment healing.
    • Effective for aggressive playstyles, particularly with Top Tree Arcstrider and Revenant subclasses.
  4. Omnioculus:
    • Provides immediate melee energy, allowing Gambler’s Dodge downgrade avoidance.
    • Enables turning two allies invisible easily, spamming Smoke Bombs to increase damage resistance.
    • Effective in both PvE and PvP, offering radar invisibility and damage resistance increase.
  5. St0mp-EE5:
    • Improves mobility by enhancing jumps, sprint, and slide speeds.
    • Decreases Airborne Effectiveness of all weapons by -50.
    • Enables swift traversal of maps, ideal for evading threats and covering ground quickly.

Changes Due To Recent Updates

Last Updated: Version 7.1.0.2

Here are all the relevant update changes that are relevant to the armor in Destiny 2. 

Armor Changes:

  • Gyrfalcon’s Hauberk: The reserve over shield now activates when a player uses Ensnaring Slam.
  • Khepri’s Horn: Fixed an issue where it could disable non-enemy objects.
  • Vesper of Radius: Fixed an issue where its effects were triggering actions other than casting a rift.
  • Point-Contact Cannon Brace: Fixed an issue where it would create lightning strikes on melee attacks other than Thunderclap.
  • Arbor Warden: Fixed an issue where being frozen would disable its Exotic perk and cause issues with the Juggernaut aspect’s interaction with class ability energy.
  • Sunbracers: Fixed an issue where they were not improving Solar grenades as intended.
  • Helm of Saint-14: Fixed an issue where it was not providing any effects.
  • Verity’s Brow: Fixed an issue where it was not functioning in PvP.
  • No Backup Plans: Fixed an issue where it was buffing non-Shotgun damage in certain situations.
  • Athrys’s Embrace: Fixed an issue where the buff icon was not appearing in the HUD in PvP.
  • Amped Up and Electric Armor: Fixed an issue where the names of these artifact perks were switched.

Tier List Criteria

For this Destiny 2 Exotic Armor Tier List, every exotic armor from Destiny 2 has undergone testing. Despite their might, certain armors are hard to come by. The potential and impacts of armor should work together to increase its use with minimal additional effort.

To make sure you are properly educated on the top Destiny 2 Exotic Armors that are accessible in our Tier List, we at eXputer pushed the envelope and went above and beyond. As they are the strongest and will provide you with the greatest benefits, you should stick with the S-A Tiers. It’s entirely up to you to select which Armor to use, though.

Our video game enthusiasts researched which Destiny 2 Exotic Armor is the finest right now to provide you with the most accurate and exact information.

Because tier lists are inherently arbitrary, your choices on the armor may or may not match our assessment of the Destiny 2 Exotic Armor. Do you view Exotic Armor in a different way than we do? If so, feel free to share your opinions on the Exotic Armor in the comments section below.

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Usama Mehmood is a Games Specialist, and writer on eXputer who's either hunting for the richest loot in Destiny 2 or endlessly playing his favorite games such as Yakuza or Final Fantasy. Usama has been gaming for 15+ years during which he has accumulated 4000+ hours on Destiny 1 & 2. His constant adoration for video games has allowed him to pursue eXputer as a platform to showcase his striving talents in writing helpful articles. Get familiar with Usama's extensive gaming library on his Steam, PSN, and Xbox profiles.

Experience: 2+ Years || Mainly Covers Reviews And Guides || Education: Bachelors in Physiotherapy.

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