Nightstalker

The Sigil of the Nightstalker

“

Draw from the Void. Light the way.

”

Nightstalker is a Void-based Hunter subclass introduced in The Taken King expansion.

Overview

"Some of us know the difference a Fireteam makes. Some of us...we touch the Void. Make it a part of us. And then we take a name...Nightstalker. Hunt from the shadows, pin them down, never let them see you coming."

— Cayde-6

Nightstalkers are rare among Hunters as they wield the Light to summon their own Dusk Bows: bows made of Void energy that can tether enemies with their signature Shadowshots, creating Orbs of Power for their allies. According to Tevis Larsen, a key aspect for Hunters to wield the Void is to have no fear of it. Another aspect of being a Nightstalker is that they must always experience feelings of deprivation including hunger and exhaustion in order to commune with the Void, as the absence of all sensation is fundamental for Hunters to tap into their rogue-like abilities which includes vanishing into the shadows with invisibility and weakening their enemies with smoke bombs. In addition to their Shadowshots, Nightstalkers may also conjure dual-wielding blades of Void Light and cloak themselves stealthily to stalk their foes undetected.

Lore

"And my vanquisher will read that book, seeking the weapon, and they will come to understand me, where I have been and where I was going."The following is a verbatim transcription of an official document for archival reasons. As the original content is transcribed word-for-word, any possible discrepancies and/or errors are included.

Grimoire

A lone hunter stalks the night, firing arrows into the Darkness. There is no hiding, no escape. In the distance, the beast falters, tethered to the void. The killing blow comes without hesitation, without mercy.

There’s truth in the edge of Light, and beneath that truth a deeper truth, hidden from all but a few.

That truth is this: monsters need not fear the night.

Do not hunt the monster. Become the monster.

Destiny 2

The Bladedancers deride us as slow. The Gunslingers say we lack precision. "How is that better than a knife?" "How is that better than a flaming pistol?" Well.

My boots sink inches into the ground with every step. My rebreather filters the stench out of the air, but my eyes sting like I'm showering with battery acid.

"We're almost there," my Ghost chirps. My jaw clenches. I know we're almost there, Little Light.

This vile marsh opens to reveal a black cave's maw. Inside, an infinite number of little green eyes flicker like bad stars. CRACK! I fire a single bullet into the air and the horde in the cave shrieks and runs out.

"This is it, you two." The Warlock and Titan leap from the bog behind me. A Bow appears in my hands, and I let a single binding shot loose from the shadow.

Now there are Orbs of Power everywhere. Eat, my friends. Eat.

The Witch Queen

I can't seem to commune with the Void on a full stomach. Gotta be hungry, starving for best effect. I start getting those pangs, and that's when I hear it, almost like a voice whispering through me. When I first learned that lesson, I thought morning jobs would be a dealbreaker, with breakfast being the most important meal of the day and all. Yet here I am, at the crack of dawn, perched on top of a big ol' tree, fantasizing about my next bite. Not terrible as far as stakeouts go, and if you gotta pay off a debt to a scummy scum-lord, then you're lucky to have a place to sit.

I've got eyes on my mark; have for days. This Kell's finally looking nice and cozy, asleep in the open and surrounded by his servants. Thought they're supposed to be the last line of defense, but they haven't noticed me yet. Guess good help is hard to come by.

I'd have taken the shot hours ago, but I'm supposed to shoot a warning first, so he knows what's coming. That way he "goes out knowing who got him." Warlords love sending their little messages, and it's gonna fall on deaf ears if he's asleep. This guy just keeps snoozing. I envy that.

Which reminds me, I've discovered another little trick to getting in good with that yawning mouth of nothing we call the Void: exhaustion. When I start slipping into that twilight, where I'm not sure if I'm awake or dreaming, I can feel the absence. It's close enough to touch. I guess it doesn't matter if it's literal or metaphorical. The Void just likes it when I'm running on empty.

He's stirring now. Time to get this done. I loose a volley into his bed post. The telltale otherworldly sucking sound—poor guy tries to fight it, but he's got no chance. He looks around frantically for the shooter, then recognition hits his face. That's my cue! …Boom, job done. Can't do that on a full stomach.

Notable Nightstalkers

• Quantis Rhee
• Tevis Larsen (Deceased)

Upgrades (Destiny 1)

Tier 1—Grenades

• Spike Grenade—a grenade that attaches to any surface and emits a torrent of damaging Void Light
• Voidwall Grenade—a grenade that creates a horizontal wall of burning Void Light
• Vortex Grenade—a grenade that creates a Vortex, continually damaging enemies trapped inside

Tier 2—Movement

• Double Jump—jump a second time after leaving the ground
• Higher Jump—upgrades Double Jump for even greater height
• Better Control—upgrades Double Jump for better directional control while in the air
• Triple Jump—upgrades Double Jump with a third jump

Tier 3—Super

• Shadowshot—tether foes to a Void Anchor, slowing, weakening and suppressing them for you and your allies
• Blood Bound—tethered enemies explode when killed. Damage to tethered enemies is shared to all
• Black Hole—the Void Anchor has increased range, lasts significantly longer and can tether more targets
• Quiver—fire Shadowshot up to three times. Void Anchors have reduced range

Tier 4—Melee

• Smoke—throw Smoke to slow and disorient those trapped in its cloud
• Envenomed—adds a toxin that damages enemies within Smoke
• Vanish in Smoke—you and allies near Smoke explosions vanish from sight
• Snare—allows Smoke to stick to surfaces, detonating when enemies are near

Tier 5—Training 1

• Path Forgotten—training focused on toughness and speed
• Path Forbidden—training focused on battle recovery and speed
• Path Unknown—training focused on battle recovery and toughness

Tier 6—Perks 1

• Courage of the Pack—killing tethered targets increases Recovery and Armor for you and nearby allies. Stacks up to 5 times
• Light of the Pack—killing tethered targets creates Orbs of Light for your allies
• Lockdown—grenade and Smoke effects last twice as long, allowing strong territory control

Tier 7—Training 2

• Way of the Drifter—training focused on all attributes
• Way of the Fearless—training focused on toughness at all costs
• Way of the Nomad—training focused on maximum battle recovery

Tier 8—Perks 2

• Keen Scout—sprint and Sneak faster, gain Enhanced Tracker and the ability to Mark targets you damage
• Predator—the Void Anchors fired from Shadowshot become traps that stick to surfaces and wait for prey
• Shadestep—press O, O (PlayStation) or B, B (Xbox) to evade

Upgrades (Destiny 2)

Nightstalker 2.0 subclass splash art

Super

• Shadowshot: Tether foes to a Void Anchor, slowing, weakening and suppressing them for you and your allies.

Grenades

• Vortex Grenade: Creates a vortex that continuously damages enemies trapped inside.
• Spike Grenade: Attaches to any surface and emits a damaging torrent of Void Light.
• Voidwall Grenade: Creates a horizontal burning wall of Void Light.

Movement

• High Jump: Upgrades Double Jump to reach greater height.
• Strafe Jump: Upgrades Double Jump with better directional control.
• Triple Jump: Upgrades Double Jump with an extra midair jump.

Class Abilities

• Marksman's Dodge: Dodging automatically reloads your equipped weapon.
• Gambler's Dodge: Dodging near enemies recharges melee energy.

Way of the Trapper

• Snare Bomb: Throw a smoke bomb that attaches to surfaces and detonates when enemies are near, slowing and disorienting them.
• Keen Scout: Gain increased sprint and sneak speeds, and an enhanced motion tracker. Tethered enemies are marked.
• Deadfall: Shadowshot's Anchors have increased range and duration, and attach to surfaces to wait for prey.
• Vanishing Step: Dodging makes you vanish for a short time.

Way of the Pathfinder

• Vanish in Smoke: Throw a smoke bomb from a distance, making you and nearby allies invisible and providing the Heart of the Pack buff.
• Lockdown: Grenade and smoke bomb effects last twice as long.
• Moebius Quiver: Shadowshot can be fired in rapid succession and deal bonus damage to tethered enemies. Defeating tethered targets creates Orbs of Power and grants nearby allies the Heart of the Pack buff.
• Heart of the Pack: Grants weapon haste and increases Mobility, Resilience, and Recovery.

Way of the Wraith

• Spectral Blades: Summon a pair of deadly void blades and stalk the battlefield in a veil of shadows. Press [Light Attack] to perform a quick melee attack. Press [Heavy Attack] to perform a heavy attack and once again vanish from sight.
  • Replaces Shadowshot as subclass Super.
• Corrosive Smoke: Melee ability which throws a smoke bomb that explodes in a line, damaging and slowing enemies from afar.
• Flawless Execution: Scoring precision kills while crouched grants invisibility and Truesight.
• Shattering Strike: Hitting enemies with a melee attack after triggering Flawless Execution weakens then and also reduces their damage output.

Upgrades Void 3.0 (Destiny 2: Witch Queen)

Nightstalker 3.0 subclass background

Super

• Shadowshot: Tether foes to a Void Anchor, slowing, weakening and suppressing them for you and your allies
  • Deadfall: The Void Anchors fired from Shadowshot pull targets toward the impact point, which then become traps and wait for prey. Void Anchors have increased range and last longer.
  • Mobius Quiver: Fire two volleys of three Void Arrows that seek nearby targets. Shadowshot makes targets volatile and deals increased damage to tethered targets. Defeating tethered targets creates Orbs of Power.
• Spectral Blades: Summon a pair of deadly Void Blades and stalk the battlefield in a veil of shadows.
  • Light Attack: Perform a quick melee attack.
  • Heavy Attack: Perform a heavy attack that weakens your target, and once more vanish from sight.

Grenades

• Axion Bolt: A bolt of Void Light that forks on impact into smaller bolts that seek out targets.
• Magnetic Grenade: A grenade that attaches to targets and explodes twice.
• Suppressor Grenade: An explosive grenade that suppresses, preventing targets from using abilities for a short time.
• Scatter Grenade: A grenade that splits into multiple submunitions and covers a large area with multiple explosions.
• Void Spike: A grenade that attaches to any surface and emits a torrent of damaging Void Light.
• Void Wall: A grenade that creates a horizontal wall of burning Void Light.
• Vortex Grenade: A grenade that creates a vortex that pulls targets inward and continuously damages those trapped inside.

Melee

• Snare Bomb: Throw a Smoke Bomb that attaches to surfaces and pings target radar, then detonates into a disorienting smoke cloud, weakening nearby targets. Targets within the smoke cloud take damage over time.

Movement

• High Jump: While airborne, jump a second time to reach greater heights.
• Strafe Jump: While airborne, jump a second time with strong directional control.
• Triple Jump: While airborne, sustain your air control with a second or third jump.

Class Abilities

• Gambler's Dodge: Dodge to perform a deft tumble, avoiding enemy attacks. Dodging near enemies fully recharges your Melee Ability.
• Marksman's Dodge: Dodge to perform a evasive maneuver with a steady hand. Dodging automatically reloads your weapon.

Aspects

• Stylish Executioner (The boast which sucks the air from the room. Let your enemies know your might before you take them down.): Defeating a weakened, suppressed, or volatile target grants invisibility and Truesight. After performing a Stylish Execution, your next melee attack while invisible weakens targets. Fragment Slots (2)
• Trapper's Ambush (The eyes which bear down on you from a place you cannot see. Ensnare your enemies before they can see you coming.): Activate Quickfall to spend your melee charge and dive to the ground, creating a large smoke cloud on impact, which then dissipates. Targets caught in the cloud are weakened, and allies are made invisible. Your Smoke Bomb makes nearby allies invisible when it attaches to nearby surfaces or targets. Fragment Slots (2)
• Vanishing Step (The wiles of a seasoned interlocutor; dodge any unwanted affronts and slip by unseen.): Dodging makes you invisible. Fragment Slots (2)

Fragments

• Echo of Cessation: Finisher final blows create a burst of Void damage that causes nearby enemies to become volatile. Defeating volatile targets create a Void Breach.
• Echo of Dilation: When crouched, you sneak faster and gain enhanced radar resolution; +10 Mobility. +10 Intellect.
• Echo of Domineering: After suppressing a target, you gain greatly increased Mobility for a short duration and your equipped weapon is reloaded from reserves. Defeating a suppressed target creates a Void Breach. +10 Discipline.
• Echo of Exchange: Melee final blows grant grenade energy.
• Echo of Expulsion: Void ability final blows cause targets to explode. +10 Intellect.
• Echo of Harvest: Defeating weakened targets with precision final blows will create an Orb of Power and a Void Breach. -10 Intellect.
• Echo of Instability: Defeating targets with grenades grants Volatile Rounds to your Void weapons. +10 Strength.
• Echo of Leeching: Melee final blows start health regeneration for you and nearby allies. +10 Resilience.
• Echo of Obscurity: Finisher final blows grant Invisibility. +10 Recovery.
• Echo of Persistence: Void buffs applied to you (Invisibility, Overshield, and Devour) have increased duration. -10 Mobility.
• Echo of Provision: Damaging targets with grenades grants melee energy. -10 Strength.
• Echo of Remnants: Your lingering grenade effects (Vortex Grenade, Void Wall, Void Spike, and Axion Bolt) have increased duration.
• Echo of Reprisal: Final blows while surrounded by combatants grant Super Energy.
• Echo of Starvation: Picking up an Orb of Power or a Void Breach grants Devour. -10 Recovery.
• Echo of Undermining: Your Void grenades weaken targets. -20 Discipline.
• Echo of Vigilance: Defeating a target when your shields are depleted grants you a temporary Void Overshield. -10 Recovery.

Gallery

• 

  A Nightstalker

• 

  Nightstalker in Destiny 2.

List of appearances

• Destiny: The Taken King (First appearance)
• Destiny 2
  • Forsaken
  • The Witch Queen (Season of the Risen)