Destiny might be a franchise focused around shooting aliens in the face, but its lore and attention to detail add a layer of depth to the games. From the various alien factions to the way Guardians use their abilities, there is an explanation for virtually everything in Destiny.
That is why even a few small inconsistencies can be much more jarring than in other franchises. Most of these stem from Bungie soft-rebooting the IP with Destiny 2. Subclass changes, armor design, and some smaller changes can be jarring for veterans or even newcomers. The most popular class in Destiny, Hunters, saw many changes in this regard. From mechanics changes to the way they holster weapons, here are 10 things that make no sense about Hunters in Destiny 2.
10 Forgot How To Blink
Blink is a unique movement option that allows the player to teleport a short distance. This is only available to Warlocks in Destiny 2, but Hunters in the first Destiny also had this option.
Learned from Warlocks themselves, Bladedancers could replace their extra jumps with short teleports instead. When Guardians lost their light in Destiny 2, Hunters regained their Arc subclass but with some large changes. One change from Bladedancer to Arcstrider was the removal of Blink. It could be argued that this knowledge from Warlocks was lost, but the lore for Destiny makes it clear that these subclasses aren't rigid in what they provide. Hunters could easily use Blink but choose not to.
9 Gamblers Vs Marksman's Dodge
From a gameplay standpoint, there are differences between Gambler's Dodge and Markman's Dodge. The former grants a melee charge when dodging near a foe while Marksman's Dodge reloads the currently equipped gun.
Looking at this from a practical standpoint leaves a lot of questions. How does a combat roll magically grant throwing knives or smoke bombs back? Why does twirling in the air refill your gun's magazine? Because cool factor, of course! There is nothing wrong with cool factor, but Destiny does such a good job of explaining these things through lore that leaving this answer up in the air doesn't make sense.
8 Only Wear Capes
Looks are mostly subjective, but you'll have a hard time convincing someone that capes are not awesome looking. These flowing class items make Hunters instantly recognizable in a crowd.
Bungie did this deliberately to make Hunters distinguishable compared to the other classes. With that said, Hunters could branch out to other articles of clothing. Uldren in Forsaken resembles a Hunter's stature and wears a poncho instead of a cape. So why are players restricted to solely capes? There are other cloth-heavy fashion options available.
7 Holster Hand Cannons On Hip
Yet another unique trait Hunters have, they are the only class in Destiny that holsters their Hand Cannons on their hip instead of their back belt. This is most apparent in hub areas such as the Tower.
It serves no gameplay purpose. Other classes could just as easily holster their weapons on their hip but decide not to. This might be because Hunters are more skilled with Hand Cannons thanks to their Golden Gun Super. Regardless, it's a strange detail that is never truly explained.
6 Way Of A Thousand Cuts Is A Gunslinger Subclass
Destiny 2: Forsaken introduced a new subclass path for all 9 subclasses, 3 for each class. Hunters were granted Spectral Blades for Nightstalker, Whirlwind Guard for Arcstriders, and Blade Barrage for Gunslinger.
Yes, a subclass focused on using guns got a melee-centric Super and subclass path. Named Way of a Thousand Cuts, this Way focuses on having constant melee charges through inflicting burns and dodging. It is a phenomenal subclass and a great change of pace, yet it is strange the Solar subclass is still named Gunslinger when one Way has nothing to do with shooting.
5 No Hunter Vanguard For Two Years
Most Hunters are lone-wolves that thrive outside of the City's walls. Their marksmanship and cunning are astounding, but Hunters are unfocused compared to Titans and Warlocks. That is why having a Hunter Vanguard to rely on is so important.
Cayde-6 was the Hunter Vanguard for years until his death in Forsaken. It's been two years and the Hunter Vanguard is still missing a leader. Realistically, the lack of a unified leader should result in chaos among Hunters. The fact they even competed in the Guardian Games is an achievement.
4 Bladedancer Is Now A Nightstalker Spec
It's no secret that Destiny 2 was more of a soft reboot for the franchise than a proper sequel. Many systems were abandoned or overhauled with a different vision in mind, one that has shifted dramatically since launch.
One small change was the removal of the Bladedancer Arc subclass. This was replaced with the Arcstrider instead, but Bungie did bring back the fan-favorite knife Super in Forsaken. Named Spectral Blades, this Super was given two blades instead of one and was tied to the Nightstalker subclass. Isn't melee more of an Arc specialty than Void? Nightstalkers are more about having tools of the trade than knifing bosses to death.
3 Armor Design Inconsistencies
During Destiny's development, Bungie set rules on what each class should wear. Hunters are meant to wear scavenged gear, typically with a 50/50 split between cloth and proper armor plating.
The original Destiny followed this with nearly every armor set, but Destiny 2 seemed to throw this out the window for the first 2 years. Most armor sets lack armor around vital organs or look absurd. Scatterhorn is the best example of this, replacing what should be cloth with rusted armor more suited for a Titan. There is no clear reason why Bungie made this change. Most fans agree that Hunters in Destiny 1 looked better, and it is likely thanks to Destiny 2 breaking many of these armor design principles.
2 Nightstalker's Super Is A Bow
Guardians can wield the power of the sun with Solar, turn their bodies into weapons with Arc, or manipulate their Light to disable or enhance targets with Void.
Nightstalker's Shadowshot Super fits Void perfectly thematically. What doesn't make sense is why the Super is manifested as a bow. Gunslingers wield a Hand Cannon that disintegrates foes, and Arcstriders unleash an electric staff to bludgeon enemies. Nightstalkers though? They fire a single arrow. A devastating arrow that disables groups of enemies, but its strength is undersold visually compared to most Supers.
1 Least Mobility Options
Hunters are described as agile Guardians that are hard to keep up with. Unfortunately, this is hardly represented in-game besides their great air control.
Sprint speeds are not faster on Hunters besides certain subclass paths, and they can only dodge short distances as an ability. Titans can shoulder charge midair to dodge shots at will, and Dawnblade Warlocks can levitate for extended durations and Icarus Dash away from enemy fire. Hunters can barrel roll. Do not underestimate their triple jumps in Crucible, but Hunters have shockingly few movement abilities for a class founded on agility.