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Destiny 2's Season of the Haunted has completely reworked all Solar subclasses. Gunslingers, Dawnblades, and Sunbreakers have all been converted from the original subclass branch system into the more recent Aspects and Fragments system.
Introduced with Stasis, Aspects and Fragments allow you to pick exactly how you want your character to behave. Pick from multiple build-defining traits, powerful passive bonuses, and a plethora of abilities to create the ultimate Guardian. This guide will walk you through what Solar 3.0 is, the core fundamentals of what makes Solar special, and we'll cover every Aspect each of the classes have. We'll also showcase what each Solar Fragment does for all Solar subclasses.
Updated July 15th, 2022, by Charles Burgar: Solar 3.0 has seen some slight changes since it was first released. Warlocks and Titans got a few buffs, and the rest of Solar's Fragments were released. We've updated this guide to reflect mid-season balance changes, and we've also made some massive changes to each section of this guide. We have in-depth breakdowns of how every Solar 3.0 keyword works, every source of Scorch in the game, and we've overhauled the Fragments sections to better explain how all of them work.
What Is Solar 3.0?
Solar 3.0 is an overhaul to Destiny 2's Solar subclasses—Gunslinger Hunter, Dawnblade Warlock, and Sunbreaker Titan. All Solar subclasses now use Aspects and Fragments to dictate their functionality, similar to how Stasis and Void work. Instead of choosing between one of three subclass trees, you'll get to choose between multiple Supers, grenades, melee abilities, and two Aspects. The Aspects you select determine how many Fragments you can allocate.
Solar 3.0 is a net buff for all subclasses. Gunslingers can now buff weapon damage reliably. Dawnblades have more movement tools than ever before. And Sunbreakers have more ways to disintegrate hordes of enemies. A few nodes from the previous system have been removed with this 3.0 conversion, although most of Destiny's iconic Solar passives have been preserved.
What Are Aspects And Fragments?
Aspects are class-specific perks that introduce additional functionality to your subclass. Each Solar subclass has access to three Aspects exclusive to them, but you can only equip two of them at once. Aspects range from powerful passive bonuses to new movement abilities you can use mid-combat. Each Aspect also comes with a certain number of Fragment slots, denoted by a number of pips under the Aspect's image.
Fragments are class-agnostic passives that help flesh out your subclass. All Solar classes can use all Solar Fragments. For example, a Gunslinger and Sunbreaker could both use the Tempering Fragment to buff their in-air effectiveness. Fragments aren't as powerful as Aspects, yet you can equip far more of them on average. Fragments can also affect your character's stats positively or negatively. For example, a utility-focused Fragment might grant +10 Mobility to make it more enticing for Hunter builds. Conversely, a powerful Fragment could drop your Discipline by -10.
Unlocking Solar 3.0
Veteran Destiny players will have Solar 3.0 automatically unlocked upon logging in. New Lights will need to unlock Solar 3.0 through Ikora Rey at the Tower. Solar Aspects, Fragments, and grenades may be purchased from her for a moderate Glimmer fee.
Solar Keywords Explained
Subclasses in Destiny 2 feature keywords, verbs that are shorthand for a unique buff or interaction. When you hover over a Solar Aspect or Fragment, you might see a particular word highlighted. That's a keyword. Certain subclass features and Exotics can utilize that keyword to great effect or alter it. Let's go over what these keywords mean:
Solar 3.0 Buff Keywords
- Cure: You are healed in a burst of mending Solar Light.
- Restoration: You continuously regenerate health and shields over time. Cannot be interrupted by taking damage.
- Radiant: Your weapons are enhanced by the power of the Traveler and deal increased damage to foes.
Solar 3.0 Debuff Keywords
- Scorch: The target is singed by destructive Solar Light, taking damage over time. Scorch damage increases as the target accumulates more Scorch stacks. After 100 Scorch stacks are applied to the target, they will Ignite.
- Ignite: A large, damaging Solar explosion in an area around the target.
Cure Explained
Restoration Explained
Radiant Explained
Scorch Explained
Ignite Explained
All Sources Of Scorch
Not all sources of Scorch are created equal. Some abilities or Exotics inflict far more Scorch than you might expect. Most abilities state that they apply a minor, moderate, or heavy amount of Scorch. In general, these abilities inflict the following Scorch stacks:
- Slightly: 5-20 Scorch stacks
- Moderately: 40 Scorch stacks
- Heavily: 60 Scorch stacks
Grenades
| Grenade | Scorch Stacks |
|---|---|
| Swarm | 5 per nanite (40 total) |
| Thermite | 10 |
| Firebolt | 20 |
| Solar | 20 on impact, 14 per second |
| Fusion | 40 |
| Tripmine | 40 |
| Incendiary | 60 |
Most grenades won't trigger an Ignite on their own, although it is possible to combo a grenade with another ability to cause an explosion. For example, Hunters can use the Incendiary grenade with Knife Trick to inflict an Ignite with ease. Warlocks can also use Fusion Grenades with the Touch of Flame Aspect and Ember of Ashes to inflict 100 Scorch stacks per grenade, guaranteeing an Ignite proc.
Melee Abilities
| Melee Ability | Scorch Stacks |
|---|---|
| Celestial Fire (Warlock) | 10 per projectile (30 total) |
| Incinerating Snap (Warlock) | 20 per projectile (100 total) |
| Knife Trick (Hunter) | 20 per knife (60 total) |
| Roaring Flames Punch (Titan) | 30 |
| Consecration (Titan) | 40 |
| Hammer Strike (Titan) | 40 |
Incinerating Snap is the only melee that can Ignite on its own. Ember of Ashes makes it far easier for Incinerating Snap to Ignite targets, and it makes Knife Trick capable of inflicting 90 Scorch stacks onto a target. Titans can also inflict Scorch with their uncharged melee attacks while Roaring Flames is active.
Exotics And Perks
| Weapons And Perks | |
|---|---|
| Prometheus Lens | 0.67 per shot |
| Skyburner's Oath | 3 per hip-fire shot |
| Incandescent | 30 |
| Enhanced Incandescent | 35 |
| Exotic Armor | |
|---|---|
| Dawn Chorus (Warlock) | 30 per Daybreak projectile |
| The Bombardiers (Hunter) | 40 |
| Caliban's Hand (Hunter) | 60 |
As of Season of the Haunted, the only weapons capable of inflicting Scorch are Skyburner's Oath and Prometheus Lens. All other Exotics that involve burning targets do not inflict Scorch. Incandescent inflicts Scorch onto targets near the slain target, acting as a sort of Solar Dragonfly effect with a burn added on for good measure.
All Hunter dodges apply the same 40 Scorch stacks while The Bombardiers Exotic is equipped. Dawn Chorus causes your Scorch stacks to deal three times as much damage, and it buffs the Daybreak Super to inflict 30 Scorch stacks per projectile. As with all other Scorch sources, you can increase the number of stacks applied through the Ember of Ashes Fragment.
Hunter Solar Aspects
Titan Solar Aspects
Warlock Solar Aspects
All Solar Fragments
This section covers what each Fragment does. For a ranking of each Solar Fragment, see our Solar Fragments tier list.
Ember Of Singeing
Ember of Singeing: Your class ability recharges faster when you Scorch targets.
After you inflict Scorch onto a target, your class ability will recharge five to six times faster than usual. Increasing your class ability stat—Mobility for Hunters, Resilience for Titans, and Recovery for Warlocks—will enhance Singeing's regeneration speed. Any source of Scorch can trigger this effect, including Exotic weapons like Skyburner's Oath.
Ember Of Benevolence
Ember of Benevolence: Applying Restoration, Cure, or Radiant to allies grants increased grenade, melee, and class ability regeneration for a short duration. -10 Discipline.
Buffing your allies with any Solar 3.0 effect will trigger Ember of Benevolence, greatly increasing your ability regeneration speeds for a few seconds. Unlisted in the description, any source of healing can trigger this Fragment, not just Cure. Lumina and the Warlock's Healing Rift can both activate Ember of Benevolence despite having no Solar 3.0 keywords.
Ember Of Beams
Ember of Beams: Your Solar Super projectiles have stronger target acquisition. +10 Intellect.
All Supers that release projectiles—Hammer of Sol, Daybreak, and Blade Barrage—will benefit from greatly increased aim assist while this Fragment is equipped. In most instances, your projectiles will bend slightly towards the enemy mid-flight, making it much easier to hit a moving target. It's unclear if this Fragment benefits Golden Gun.
Ember Of Empyrean
Ember of Empyrean: Solar weapon or ability final blows extend the duration of Restoration and Radiant effects applied to you. -10 Resilience.
While you are affected by Radiant or Restoration, defeating targets with your Solar weapons or abilities will extend the duration of both effects by three seconds. Unlisted in the description, this Fragment also extends the maximum duration of both buffs to 12 seconds. With enough enemies to fight, it's possible to maintain Radiant and Restoration for minutes at a time.
Empyrean does have a couple of noteworthy bugs:
- Ember of Solace does not override Empyrean's 12-second duration cap.
- If an ability grants Restoration or Radiant while it's already active, your buff's duration will be reset.
- For example, standing in a Loreley Splendor Sunspot will reset your Restoration effect to seven seconds.
Ember Of Combustion
Ember of Combustion: Final blows with your Solar Super cause targets to Ignite. +10 Strength.
Combustion does what you'd expect. Super final blows cause the target's corpse to Ignite. All Ignite-altering Fragments affect Combustion's on-kill effect. This Fragment also allows Deadshot Golden Gun to refund a bullet after every kill.
Ember Of Torches
Ember of Torches: Powered melee attacks against combatants make you and nearby allies Radiant.
All charged melee abilities now grant Radiant when they hit a target. Allies within close proximity—an area about the size of a Warlock Rift—will also become Radiant. Despite stating it only works on combatants, Ember of Torches works against enemy Guardians in the Crucible and Gambit. You can pair this with the Hunter's Knock 'Em Down Aspect to refund your melee ability upon landing a melee final blow.
Ember Of Char
Ember of Char: Your Solar Ignitions spread Scorch to affected targets. +10 Discipline.
Ignites inflict 40 Scorch to all targets damaged by the explosion, regardless of how far they were from the Ignited target. The Scorch applied is increased to 60 stacks if Ember of Ashes is also equipped.
Ember Of Tempering
Ember of Tempering: Solar weapon final blows grant you and your allies increased recovery for a short duration. Stacks 3 times. While Ember of Tempering is active, your weapons have increased airborne effectiveness. -10 Recovery.
Each stack of Tempering grants one tier of Recovery, the equivalent of ten points. You can stack this buff three times, granting up to +30 Recovery. Beware that the Fragment comes with a Recovery penalty, so the most this Fragment will ever grant is +20 Recovery. All weapons also receive +20 Airborne Effectiveness while Ember of Tempering is active. Airborne Effectiveness does not increase with multiple stacks.
Ember Of Blistering
Ember of Blistering: Defeating targets with Solar Ignitions grants grenade energy.
Each target defeated by an Ignite will grant around 10% grenade energy. Keep in mind that Ignites tend to kill multiple targets per detonation, so the energy returns from this Fragment can be quite substantial in enemy-rich environments.
Ember Of Solace
Ember of Solace: Radiant and Restoration effects applied to you have increased duration.
Radiant and Restoration buffs receive different duration increases with this Fragment. Radiant lasts for 15 seconds, and Restoration lasts for seven seconds. Ember of Empyrean is not affected by this Fragment.
Ember Of Eruption
Ember of Eruption: Your Solar Ignitions have increased area of effect. +10 Strength.
Eruption increases an Ignite's explosion radius from eight meters to 12 meters. All Ignite sources benefit from this Fragment, and it makes landing multikills with a single explosion far easier.
Ember Of Ashes
Ember of Ashes: You apply more Scorch stacks on targets.
All sources of Scorch apply 50% more stacks. This affects abilities and weapons that can inflict Scorch in any capacity. For example, Enhanced Incandescent will inflict 60 Scorch instead of 40, allowing you to trigger an Ignite in two kills instead of three. Pair this Fragment with a Starfire Protocol build to trigger an Ignite with each Fusion Grenade thrown.
Ember Of Wonder
Ember of Wonder: Rapidly defeating multiple targets with Solar ignitions generates an Orb of Power. +10 Resilience.
Defeating two or more targets with a single Ignite will spawn an Orb of Power, granting as much Super energy as a Siphon mod on your helmet. This Orb spawns for you and your allies, and it can trigger Orb-related perks and armor mods.
Ember Of Searing
Ember of Searing: Defeating Scorched targets grants melee energy. +10 Recovery.
Each Scorched target you kill will grant around 20% melee energy, making it far easier to recharge your melee ability for all classes. Titans can make great use of this with their Consecration Aspect, allowing them to refund their entire melee if they can defeat five targets in one slam.
