Abilities

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Abilities are the special powers available to Guardians in Destiny 2, encompassing grenades, melee attacks, class abilities, and super abilities. Each ability operates on a cooldown timer that can be modified through stats, mods, and exotic gear.

Overview

Abilities form the core of Guardian combat prowess beyond conventional weapons. Each Class and Subclass combination offers unique abilities that define playstyles and tactical options. All abilities operate on cooldown timers that vary based on the specific ability and can be modified through various game systems.

Ability Categories

Grenades

Explosive devices with various effects:

Damage Types: Solar, Arc, Void, Stasis, Strand
Cooldowns: 60-180 seconds base
Examples:

 * Incendiary Grenade - Explosion and burn damage
 * Pulse Grenade - Periodic damage pulses
 * Suppressor Grenade - Disables abilities
 * Duskfield Grenade - Slowing field (91 seconds)
 * Glacier Grenade - Stasis crystals (121 seconds)

Melee Abilities

Enhanced close-combat attacks:

Types: Charged melees with special effects
Cooldowns: 90-120 seconds typically
Examples:

 * Shield Bash (Titan) - Disorienting charge
 * Throwing Knife (Hunter) - Ranged precision
 * Celestial Fire (Warlock) - Tracking projectiles
 * Throwing Hammer (Titan) - Retrievable projectile

Class Abilities

Unique to each Guardian class:

Titan - Barricades

Towering Barricade - Full cover shield
Rally Barricade - Reload and stability boost
Cooldown: 40-60 seconds base

Hunter - Dodge

Marksman's Dodge - Instant reload
Gambler's Dodge - Melee energy on dodge near enemies
Cooldown: 20-40 seconds base

Warlock - Rift

Healing Rift - Health regeneration
Empowering Rift - Weapon damage boost
Cooldown: 60-80 seconds base

Super Abilities

Ultimate abilities with massive impact:

Damage Supers: High offensive output
Roaming Supers: Mobile duration-based
Support Supers: Team utility focused
Cooldowns: 5-10 minutes base

Cooldown System

Base Cooldowns

Each ability has unique base timer
Not standardized across abilities
Varies within same subclass
Balance consideration factor

Cooldown Modifiers

Stats Impact

Discipline - Grenade recharge
Strength - Melee recharge
Recovery - Class ability (Warlocks)
Resilience - Class ability (Titans)
Mobility - Class ability (Hunters)
Intellect - Super recharge

Tier Scaling

Tier 0 (0-9): Longest cooldowns
Tier 10 (100): ~50% reduction
Non-linear scaling curve
Diminishing returns at high tiers

Subclass Integration

Light Subclasses

Solar

Focus: Burning, healing, explosions
Synergy: Ignitions and restoration

Arc

Focus: Speed, chaining, amplification
Synergy: Ionic traces and blind

Void

Focus: Suppression, weakening, invisibility
Synergy: Devour and volatile

Darkness Subclasses

Stasis

Focus: Freezing, shattering, crystals
Synergy: Shards and slow effects

Strand

Focus: Suspension, tangles, weaving
Synergy: Threadlings and unraveling

Ability Enhancements

Aspects and Fragments

Modify ability behavior
Add secondary effects
Create build synergies
Subclass customization

Exotic Interactions

Exotic armor modifies abilities
Additional charges possible
Enhanced effects available
Cooldown penalties/bonuses

Armor Mods

Kickstart mods - Energy on use
Elemental mods - Matching benefits
Combat style mods - Synergies
Stat mods - Cooldown reduction

Recent Changes

Final Shape Updates

Super energy gains standardized
Damage no longer affects charge rate
Base cooldowns rebalanced
Ability damage adjusted

Ability Tuning

High-damage abilities get longer cooldowns
Low-damage abilities charge faster
PvP-specific adjustments
Seasonal meta shifts

Build Considerations

Ability Loops

Chain abilities for energy return
Exotic synergies crucial
Mod combinations important
Subclass verb interactions

PvE vs PvP

PvE Focus

Maximum uptime priority
Add-clear efficiency
Boss damage phases
Team support roles

PvP Focus

One-shot potential
Movement abilities
Shutdown capabilities
Zone control options

Ability Interactions

Energy Generation

Orbs of Power from supers
Elemental wells/pickups
Ionic traces (Arc)
Stasis shards

Buff Stacking

Weapon damage buffs
Ability regeneration
Damage resistance
Movement speed

Common Terms

Uptime: Ability availability percentage
Rotation: Ability use sequence
Loop: Self-sustaining ability chain
Dump: Using all abilities quickly

Tips for Optimization

Prioritize 100 in key stats
Use matching element mods
Consider exotic synergies
Practice ability timing
Understand cooldown tiers

References