Arcane Odyssey Tier List – Best Class & Stat Build [RELEASE]

All Arcane Odyssey classes and stat builds can be good and pretty much all are usable thanks to the fixes in the full release update (Knight enjoyers rejoice). The aim of this tier list is not to tell you what you shouldn’t play but to outline nuances, strengths and weaknesses. Here’s my Arcane Odyssey class and stat build tier list.

Arcane Odyssey Class & Stat Build Tier List

There is no definitive best class in Arcane Odyssey since each one can be good for certain game modes and scenarios. With the Release update even previously weaker classes like Knight and Juggernaut were drastically improved. That said, some are better than others in specific areas like 1v1s, Clan PVP fights and killing bosses. Check out my ranking explanations for individual classes below. As for the tier breakdowns here’s what they mean:

• PVP

  • S-Tier: Naturally powerful
  • A-Tier: Requires build adjustments to be powerful
  • B-Tier: Requires build adjustments and heavy play style tweaking to be powerful

• PVE

  • S-Tier: Best boss killers
  • A-Tier: Great all-rounders and beginner-friendly
  • B-Tier: Require help and specific weapons/styles/relics to be good
  • C-Tier: Not beginner-friendly and really hard to build

Great Beginner Classes: Mage, Conjurer and Oracle are very beginner-friendly and easy to progress with.

Great All-Rounder Classes: Mage, Oracle, Conjurer, Warlock and Savant are some of the best classes for all game modes (1v1 Duels, Clan PVP and PVE).

Not Beginner Friendly: Berserker, Warrior, Warlord, Savant

Arcane Odyssey Class Ranking Explanations

Class	Ranking Explanation
Mage Primary Stat Build – 60% Magic Focuses on Magic (Two Magic Choices)	PVE • Best beginner and PVE-friendly build • You can get Leaps from both of your Magic slots for amazing PVE exploration • Learn to kite bosses with Leaps at range and barrage them with blast spells from afar for great DPS PVP • Best for Clans where you focus on attack size with high AOE spells like from Metal or the Snow and Ice combo • Not as strong in 1v1 but can be good with practice with Snare and Self Explosion to punish builds that dive you in melee • Blast spells are great for punishing enemies in melee during end-lag while Beams punish enemies on the ground and at range
Oracle Primary Stat Build – 60% Spirit Focuses on Relics	PVE • Relics make you extremely flexible since most of the items have really good movesets • Eagle Patrimony is an amazing beginner moveset since you can spam Spirit Blast for DPS and have good defenses with Spirit Wall • Also Oracle as a Primary Stat build in general is great for PVE plus most Relics you’ll find are really good for progression • Crystal Orb is specifically strong against bosses too since you can spawn a clone with Aithiraki PVP • Staff of Night is amazing for Clan PVP since it’s got massive AOEs with an attack size build • Not as strong for PVP duels since you don’t have that many combos
Warrior Primary Stat Build – 60% Weapons Focuses on Weapons	PVE • Incredible versatile due to being able to use any weapon for the situation in both PVP and PVE • Not the most beginner friendly since you have to find weapons to be good and you don’t have a lot of exploration mobility • That said you’re amazing against bosses with Bows, Guns, Pistols, Swords and Staff for high weapon damage and Bleeding • One of the best boss farm classes PVP • Very flexible for 1v1 and Clans • For clans invest into attack size with large AOE abilities like whirlwind or shockwave spear stabs • For 1v1 go with an attack speed build with a lot of grabs/combos/stabs though the exact weapon depends on your opponent
Berserker Primary Stat Build – 60% Strength Focuses on Fighting Styles	PVE • Not beginner-friendly since you need to find different fighting styles, grind mastery, and have a lot of moves & Strength for this to be good • Berserkers are best if you progress as a different PVE class and then Stat Reset later into them • They’re weak in PVE since you cannot grab bosses but you can use specific styles to be better • Get Axe-Slash which makes fighting bosses easier and later get Thermo Fist with a Power Focus buff to farm bosses • You’ll need help from other players at first but once you get some crucial Fighting Styles you’ll be better off PVP • Berserker is arguably the best PVP class in the game due to combos and grabs • You have to learn to parry and dodge various spells though • That said, your offense is amazing at close range since you have flexible moves for everything • Uppercut for enemies above, smash moves for below and shot moves for the side • Move cooldowns aren’t shared between fighting styles so switch and spam them • Focus on attack speed for 1v1 and attack size with shockwaves for Clans
Warlock Hybrid Stat Build – 40% Magic, 40% Strength (Magic or Strength can’t go above 60%)	PVP • Allows you to apply on-hit Magic effects via your Fighting Styles • Not beginner-friendly since you have to make specific combos with Fighting Styles and Magic • That said you can use Magic to carry you in PVE as you’re starting out PVP • You’re one of the best 1v1 classes since you can fight well at a distance but also grab for good combos • For Clans you can just focus on attack size and your Magic skills for high AOE damage • Can counter any Meta build by optimizing different Fighting Styles and Magic • Not beginner friendly for PVP
Paladin Hybrid Stat Build – 40% Spirit, 40% Magic (Spirit or Magic can’t go above 60%)	PVE • Access to great exploration via Relic Leap and the 5-times Leap from Magic for easy traversal • You’re decent against bosses similar to the Oracle and Mage but you have to learn to kite back with Leaps • Overall it’s decent for PVE and very beginner-friendly PVP • Best of both worlds from Mage and Oracle so check those notes out since the same applies for Paladin • Plus you get increased Health and Regeneration • You’re mixing high AOE Magic and Relics with attack size increases • Basically you get access to the best of the Nigh Staff’s moves and Orb’s Clone with Magic access • All of this is mainly for Clans but for 1v1 you have an attack speed precision build with the Orb minion
Warlord Hybrid Stat Build – 40% Weapons, 40% Strength (Weapons or Strength can’t go above 60%)	PVE • Same as Warrior since your bleeding and weapon combos do a lot of damage to bosses • Same as PVP, go with Fighting Styles that synergize with bleeding for weapon procs PVP • Amazing for Clans since you have so many AOE options • Between Shot and Smash as well as using Fighting Styles that synergize with bleeding for weapons to proc, you’re really strong in clans • For 1v1, you’re a bit slow but you can focus on attack speed and grabs to catch up
Conjurer Hybrid Stat Build – 40% Magic, 40% Weapon (Magic or Weapon can’t go above 60%)	PVE • Invest into Magic first for story and progression (I recommend Metal for easy early progression) • You’re okay against bosses at this point but not the best • Then later you can invest into weapons to become better at doing bosses PVP • This is where this class shines since you are so flexible • Weapons are great for 1v1 while Magic is great for Clans • You’re similar to Warlock in terms of your flexibility just without as many combos
Juggernaut Hybrid Stat Build – 40% Spirit, 40% Strength (Spirit or Strength can’t go above 60%)	PVE • Faces similar problems to Berserker • You cannot grab bosses so I recommend the same styles as I did for the Berserker to fight bosses better • That said the Relics do make it a bit easier to progress and give you more options • Still a better PVP class though PVP • Iron Leg and Sailor Style work really well with Eagle Patrimony due to status effect synergies • Ekrix is an excellent Dodge Reflex for Juggernaut for further damage reduction • You’re amazing in Clans with attack size since you have so much AOE between Relics and Styles
Knight Hybrid Stat Build – 40% Spirit, 40% Weapons (Spirit or Weapons can’t go above 60%)	PVE • Knight is much better in the release update than before due to the weapon loadout changes • Decent DPS with similar to notes to Warrior but with added healing • Overall a decent choice but I prefer it for PVP PVP • Great for 1v1s due to increased health, regeneration and precise attacks • Decently flexible with weapon selection that you can use to counter different builds • Also has options to invest in attack size for Clan PVP with good shockwave moves from weapons
Savant Three Stats Build – At least 10% in Three Stats (Less than 50% in one and no more than 40% in two)	PVE • Hard to build for beginners and hard for progression unless you focus on Magic first • Requires a lot of time, grinding and specific weapons, fighting styles, relics and spells to be good • Best option is to play something else like Mage and then respec into Savant PVP • Can be really strong but really hard to build • It’s easy to make a weak build unless you’re going for specific combos • Overall Hybrid classes are better

That’s it for my Arcane Odyssey class and stat build tier list. Check out our Arcane Odyssey codes for possible free rewards.

The post Arcane Odyssey Tier List – Best Class & Stat Build [RELEASE] appeared first on Destructoid.

To say Destiny 2 had a bad 2025 is quite the understatement, like saying Mint Retrograde and the Praxic Blade are just alright. This year was nothing short of a disaster for Bungie’s flagship title, even with Renegades showing signs of a recovery.

2026 will be a decisive year for Bungie, a studio whose entire 2025 was a make-or-break moment. The developer is under new direction and Marathon is finally releasing. Just keeping Destiny 2 alive isn’t the bar to aim for in 2026, especially given how much it struggled to do so with The Edge of Fate.

There’s a lot I’d love to see change inside the game come 2026. But a positive future for Destiny 2 has to fix the frayed relationship between jaded players and an embattled developer—at the risk of breeding apathy and alienating even more of its fanbase.

Less dependence on the Portal

The Portal was The Edge of Fate‘s main way of engaging with the game, and Destiny 2 struggled for it. Anything that wasn’t in the Portal was essentially useless for leveling up, and boosting your Power was the only way to get higher-quality gear.

The Portal can be a decent way of playing Destiny 2, but it should not be the only way to play the game. For a rich universe, pigeonholing players into a dozen activities that appear in a Netflix-esque menu is about the least interesting way to slice it.

Renegades already started correcting this by offering the Lawless Frontier, and it’s certainly helped keep our adventures in the Sol System far fresher than before.

More gear, destinations, and activities—even if they’re reissued

Renegades‘ praise highlights there is life outside the Portal, and next year is a prime opportunity to reissue loot from older raids and dungeons. Tier-compatible weapons and armor would go a long way toward replayability, especially if they’re not entangled in a messy web of modifiers.

Of course, there’s a lot of work involved in updating weapons’ perk pools and making armor set bonuses, and it may not be viable, but it would give us a reason to redo activities like Duality.

We’d also love to see more room for exploration returning next year. New territories are always welcome, but destinations and old seasonal activities such as The Derelict Leviathan or The Nether are ripe for that kind of adventure, especially in a non-Portal format. And what is the Lawless Frontier if not a timed, Star Wars Nether?

More unlockable cosmetics

That one is, surprisingly, something Bungie has finally been doing after years of fan requests. Nonary Engrams in Rite of the Nine, the New Malpais ornament and unique helmet in Call to Arms, Iridescent Engrams, and Renegades‘ Dark Matter Crystals are remarkable reasons to keep logging in and playing, and we’d love to see more of them going forward.

Iridescent Engrams in particular are an easy, exciting addition due to having meaningful rewards and guaranteeing new items. It’s a wonder Bright Engrams can even drop duplicates, because the only thing more riveting than a purple sparrow you’ll never use is a purple sparrow you’ll never use but already have.

Less greed

The Eververse store has been around Destiny 2 for ages, but The Edge of Fate really made it feel like it was at the forefront. Season passes started having 110 rewards for the equivalent of 150 levels, and it’s hard to forget the unforgivable Gladius set fiasco.

Bungie took a ravishing set of armor and removed it from the (free) Iron Banner PvP mode, only to sell it for premium currency as a new set, presenting a reskin of ancient armor to the mode instead. Fans would have been none the wiser about this shady practice if they hadn’t uncovered (now-deleted) concept art that showed the Gladius set with the Iron Banner logo. Bungie threw a separate would-be Eververse set in the mix, but by then, the damage was clearly done.

And the greed doesn’t just translate to how Bungie handles money, either, but how the studio seemed to want to squeeze every drop of playtime from its community. Bungie’s easiest wins were the times when it reverted The Edge of Fate‘s changes, such as toning down the egregious grind, removing a reset in Renegades, and sunsetting Unstable Cores. The relationship between player and developer isn’t as bad as it was months ago, but it still requires a lot of work. Reimplementing Dawning bounties and being more generous with Bright Dust caps would have been a good gesture.

Creating goodwill and actually building meaningful momentum

We know Bungie isn’t in its best state. We understand it doesn’t have the same workforce it once did, and it can’t deliver the same quantity or quality of content. But instead of owning it, the studio seemed intent on pretending that wasn’t happening.

Its relationship with the community in The Edge of Fate felt almost antagonistic, with predictably awful changes and an inaction that couldn’t have been an accident. Player counts kept dropping, feedback kept piling up, and the community perceived the studio as helpless. Bungie can’t afford that perception again next year.

Community manager Dylan “Dmg_04” Gafner’s infamous “we need to build momentum and maintain it” post in September became nearly a meme in the community, especially after the lukewarm Ash & Iron update the following week. Bungie hasn’t really achieved it still: even with Renegades‘ popular acclaim, the feeling may be closer to a feeble, cautious optimism caused by a fluke rather than an actual impetus forward.

Next year, I hope to see Bungie embrace more of the community that’s been with it through thick and thin. It’s about removing obstacles rather than creating new reasons to play anything else. More communication also helps, especially if that comes accompanied by timely responses that take player feedback into account. Yes, fixing issues in Renegades is good, but fixing them three months earlier, when the game was hemorrhaging players, would have been even better.

Focusing on what’s outside the game

I could write an entire grimoire on the gameplay changes I’d love to see. I’d be happy with Exotics finally being tier five, a system that lets you choose armor sets like Festival of the Lost’s masks, a tuning pass to weapons, an economy overhaul, and far more forgiving caps on Bright Dust from orders next year. But the part where Bungie really has to put in work happens before we even launch Destiny 2.

This is not the time to create any attrition or make players hesitate to open the game. It’s not the moment to leave guardians staring in apathy at the title screen and wonder if it’s worth jumping through all the hoops, like it was in The Edge of Fate.

Instead, it’s about giving players more incentive to keep coming back because they want to, not because they feel they have to. Sure, a lot of it hinges on providing meaningful, quality content for players, but that’s not all it is. Maybe that means cranking up the faucet a little and offering a lot more freebies to newcomers, lapsed players, and veterans alike. Maybe it just means not messing up in decisive moments or loosening the grip. That way, we won’t have to take a loud sigh whenever someone asks if they should start playing.

The post Destiny 2 almost died in 2025. Here’s what we want to see from it next year so it doesn’t happen again appeared first on Destructoid.