Destiny: Hunter Bladedancer Ninja Build

The Bladedancer subclass for Hunters in Destiny is just like playing a rogue or ninja in other games. There are a few ways you can play it, but I prefer the stealth/assassination approach.

If done right, you can survive for a long time and take out enemies before they even see you. If you want to be a ninja on the battlefield, taking out enemies and moving on to the next without being seen, then this is the build for you. It works best in Crucible, but can still be helpful in PvE scenarios.

Feel free to check out my Quick and Dirty Beginner’s Guide for the basics of the game and links to other guides relating to Destiny.

This guide will cover my Ninja PvP build for Bladedancer including:

• Skill Choices – Which skills I chose and why.
• Gear and Stat Choices – Which faction gear I chose, the stats I chose, and why.

Skill Choices – Strike from the shadows

Here are the skills I chose:

Grenade

• Arcbolt Grenade – Chains bolts of Lightning to nearby enemies.

I like this because it can chain to multiple enemies, making it easy to take out a group. I also have the Exotic chest, Lucky Raspberry, so my Arcbolt Grenade chains further and I spawn with grenade energy. 

The Flux Grenade is great for single target enemies and if you want that guaranteed kill because it easily sticks to enemies.

Jump Ability Upgrade

• Blink – Short distance teleport that replaces double jump.

Definitely go with Blink in this build. It takes some getting use to, but when you do, it is amazing. You can move faster using blink, escape enemies easier, and use your abilities more easily. This just fits the build’s fast, ninja play style the best. Make sure you sprint when using Blink or you won’t go very far.

Arcblade Upgrade

• Vanish – Press the fire button during Arcblade to go stealth.

I chose this because I like the extra invisibility. This helps in several ways. You activate it before going into a room of enemies then take them out before they see you. You can also activate it after killing enemies to go to another group without being seen.

When used at the right times, it is more valuable than the other 2 in my opinion.

Blink Strike Upgrade

• Backstab – Hitting an enemy from behind with Blink Strike deals significantly more damage.

This lets you kill someone instantly with Blink strike if used from behind, adding the assassination effect to this build. If you use Stalker later in the build, you can go stealth after crouching for a short time, then sneak behind someone to activate Backstab.

Escape Artist won’t help as much since you have to be in melee range anyway, but if you want pure stealth, it can have its uses.

Fast Twitch is also an amazing skill. It reduces Blink Strike’s cooldown to just a few seconds if you’re using a build with Strength. This is best used with Hungering Blade later because that makes killing enemies with Blink Strike and Arcblade recover your health.

Path Upgrade

• Path Forgotten – Training focused on Toughness and Speed.

You want the most Agility you can have for the speed boost. The ability to move around the battlefield quickly lets you kill enemies quicker and escape from otherwise fatal situations. You get more armor overall as a Hunter than battle recovery, so toughness helps more.

Ability Upgrade

• Fleet Footed – Increases maximum sprint speed and slide distance.

This gives more speed, let’s you sprint faster, and slide farther. you’ll be able to outrun enemies, get to them quicker, and avoid damage more easily.

For a more stealthy approach, Shadowjack is excellent. This gives you an extra few seconds of invisibility when using stealth effects. That can give you just the extra time you need to escape or kill someone without being seen.

Way Upgrade

• Way of the Drifter – Increases all attributes.

This is the best because it is the only one that increases speed, plus it gives you a little extra armor and battle recovery.

Ability Upgrade

• Stalker – Gain invisibility after crouching in place for a short time.

This is great to get close to people for Backstab or just to get around unseen. I like it because you can do it at anytime instead of relying only on Vanish. This gives you the ninja/assassination feel when used with Backstab.

If you want to stay in combat longer and want a less careful approach, Hungering Blade is for you. This recovers health when you kill an enemy with Arcblade or Blink Strike. Use this with Fast Twitch and you can active health recovery every few seconds.

Gear and Stat Choices

Stats

Stength and Intellect are the best for this build. This reduces the cooldown of Blink Strike and Arcblade. Considering the build revolves around those 2 abilities, this is the only choice.

Gear

New Monarchy is the faction to go with. They give all strength and intellect gear and you can get their rep quickly because once you equip their class item, everything will give you New Monarchy rep.

That wraps up my ninja build for Hunter Bladedancer in Destiny. If you’d like more tips and guides, visit my Quick and Dirty Beginner’s Guide.

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