Elemental damage is a modifier that exists on certain attacks and weapons. Elemental damage is one of the manifestations of Light and Darkness, and can be used to a player's advantage to make their attacks more effective. It comes into play for both Guardians and enemies.
Elemental types
- "Arc is the element of motion and conduction, and is created when the electromagnetic forces of our universe struggle to achieve balance. According to Ikora, Arc teaches us that change is a fundamental aspect of the universe."
- — Osiris, on Arc
- "Solar requires us to both exploit and rely on the power of our sun. But to master it is to understand the star's duality. The nuclear force that scorches anything foolish enough to draw near... is the same force we harness to heal."
- — Osiris, on Solar
- "Void is the element of cosmic distortion. It is the pull of gravity and the promise of entropy. The vacuum of space, and the gravitational forces that shape it, teaches us that emptiness is not nothingness."
- — Osiris, on Void
- "Stasis is the element of will and control. It slows, detains, and shatters. It was our first step into Darkness, and taught us the universe is not black and white as it first seemed... Control over self can foster control over others, but without power over the self, destruction runs wild."
- — Osiris, on Stasis
- "Strand is our newest foray into Darkness. As I understand it now, it is the elemental manifestation of psychic connection. All minds are connected in a web of consciousness, which we can now see and feel. To wield Strand is to pull on the hidden connecting threads, and to use them to create, manipulate, and unravel."
- — Osiris, on Strand
There are six damage types:
Weapons
Weapons can be infused with elemental damage; by default, most weapons only do kinetic damage, but some may come with modifiers. The modifier is indicated not only on the weapon's stats but also in the weapon menu on the HUD. At the common level, only Fusion Rifles deal elemental damage, but at higher levels nearly all special and heavy weapons deal elemental damage. In Destiny, only a handful of primary weapons deal elemental damage, and most of those weapons are typically acquired in Raids.
The damage type on most weapons is random, though some weapons such as Exotics or Legendary Raid weapons have a set damage type.
In Destiny 2, all Energy slot weapons do Arc, Solar or Void damage, Kinetic slot weapons do Kinetic, Stasis, or Strand damage and Power weapons do all damage types except Kinetic. The perk Osmosis on a kinetic weapon turns weapon damage into the same as your subclass when a grenade is used, until the weapon is swapped.
† Murmur is capable of switching between Arc and Solar damage whereas Hard Light, Borealis, and Dead Messenger can switch between Arc, Solar, and Void, and Conditional Finality can switch between Solar and Stasis damage.
‡ Two-Tailed Fox fires a Solar Rocket and a Void Rocket, but its in-game element is void; it also fires an Arc Rocket if the catalyst is inserted.
Subclass elements in Destiny
Each Guardian subclass focuses on one type of elemental damage. This extends to melee attacks, grenades, and Supers.
| Class |  |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hunter | Gunslinger | Bladedancer | Nightstalker |
| Titan | Sunbreaker | Striker | Defender |
| Warlock | Sunsinger | Stormcaller | Voidwalker |
Subclass elements in Destiny 2
| Class | |
|
|
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hunter | Gunslinger | Arcstrider | Nightstalker | Revenant | Threadrunner |
| Titan | Sunbreaker | Striker | Sentinel | Behemoth | Berserker |
| Warlock | Dawnblade | Stormcaller | Voidwalker | Shadebinder | Broodweaver |
Enemies
Enemy weapons and abilities typically have their own elemental damage types as well. Normally this doesn't come into play unless players are playing a mission with damage modifiers on. For example, a Nightfall mission with a 300% boost to Arc damage applies to both Guardians and enemies, so enemies that do Arc damage are especially dangerous.
Most Taken versions of weapons will do a different type of elemental damage than the original, and the Devil Splicers' common ranged weapons inflict Solar damage, while their melee weapons are still Arc. Some powerful enemies may have unique weapons that do different damage than their common versions.
| Race | |
|
|
|
 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fallen | Shrapnel Launcher, Fallen Walker's main cannon, Molten Welder, Scorch Cannon, Exploder Shank explosion, Trip Mine, Brig Annihilation Blaster, Brig Fiery Burst | Shock Pistol, Shock Rifle, Wire Rifle, Shock Grenade, Shock Dagger, Shock Blade, Pike, Skiff, Fallen Walker's secondary armaments, Repeater Shank repeater, Arc Spear, Brig Electrocution Bolts, Security Turret Auto-turret | Heavy Shank's turrets, Servitor's blasts, Brig Death Cannon | Duskfield Grenade, Coldsnap Grenade, Stasis Blasts, Stasis Slam | Melee |
| Hive | Acolyte Grenade, Splinter, Swarm Grenade, Blade Barrage | Boomer, Thrall's melee attack, Cursed Thrall explosion, Wizard's Darkness Blast, Lucent Moth explosion, Pulse Grenade, Stormtrance | Shredder, Ogre's Eye Blast attack, Shrieker bolts, Tombship's axion bolts, Suppressor Grenade, Sentinel Shields | Cleaver, Poison Cloud, Melee | |
| Vex | Slap Rifle, Line Rifle, Fanatic explosion, Hobgoblin's Shield, Hydra explosion, Fanatic explosion | Radiolaria pools, Supplicant explosion, Wyvern's Gravity Slam | Torch Hammer, Slap Grenade, Goblin's melee attack, Aeon Maul, Cyclops blast, Vex Laser Rifle, Warp Lance | Melee | |
| Cabal | Slug Rifle, Projection Rifle, Heavy Slug Thrower, Cabal Headhunter, Cabal Severus, Cabal Magma Launcher, Cabal warship missile fire, Harvester missile fire, Thresher missile fire, Interceptor, Goliath Tank's weapons, Legionary melee, Incendior malfunction, Colossus Cluster Missiles (D1), Scorpius turret | Psion melee (D1), Psionic Blast (D1), Cabal Slug Launcher, Cabal Slug Shotgun, Colossus Cluster Missiles (D2) | Psion melee (D2), Psionic Blast (D2), Cabal Bronto Cannon, Centurion melee, Tormentor abilities | War Beast claws, Phalanx shield lunge, Melee | |
| Taken | Taken Acolyte melee, Taken Thrall melee, Taken Wizard Necromantic Gaze, Taken Knight Flame Bolts, Torch Hammer, Wire Rifle, Heavy Slug Thrower, Taken Incendior Magma Flame | Shredder, Acolyte's Eye, Shrapnel Launcher, Slug Rifle, Taken Ogre Eye Blast, Taken Phalanx Shield Blast, Taken Captain Darkness Bolt, Shock Blade | Boomer, Line Rifle, Slap Rifle, Projection Rifle, Chimera Eversion, Taken Hobgoblin Retaliation Swarm, Taken Centurion Axion Dart, Taken Incendior Void Fireball | Stasis Boomer | Melee, Defensive Ward |
| Splicers | SIVA-infused ranged weapons, SIVA Charge, Splicer Walker weapons (except Shock Grenades) | Shock Cannon, Splicer Exploder Shank explosion, Splicer Repeater Shank repeater | Null Cannon, Wretched Gaze | Melee | |
| Scorn | Chieftain's Ether Torch, Scorn Pistol, Scorn Walker's armaments, Flame Torches, Flame Censer, Scorn Cannon, Scorn Blaster, Scorn Pike's flame trail | Chieftain's Ether Bind, Fanatic's Staff, Scorn Mine Launcher, Abomination Overcharged Ether, Screeb explosion | Scorn Rifle, Scorn Repeater Pistol, Scorn Crossbow, Scorn Grenade, Scorn Pike | Stasis Censer | Fallen Mace, Melee |
Trivia
- It is unclear whether there is necessarily a distinction between the elemental damage done by weapons and the corresponding manifestation of the Light or Darkness associated with a given element; for example, a weapon which does Arc damage may not necessarily be imbued with the power of Arc Light, but rather merely fire electrified ammunition. In contrast, some weapons clearly do derive their power from the Light or Darkness, such as Salvation's Grip (which fires Stasis projectiles).
- Osiris states that the Elements are a means to communicate with the Light, but recently, now with the Darkness.[3]
- There are several types of planetary materials that responds to the Elements, Relic Crystals inside Relic Iron for Void on Mars, Zeptocyte Cores inside Spinmetal Leaves for Arc in the Cosmodrome, and Soliton Flares inside Helium Filaments for Solar on the Moon.[4][5][6][7]
Gallery
Stasis Artwork with Description of effects
List of appearances
- Destiny (First appearance)
- Destiny 2
- Beyond Light (Stasis)
- Lightfall (Strand)