Destiny 2: Hardest Enemy Types, Ranked

Over the years, Destiny 2 has added a few new enemies into the game, with the most recent addition being Tormentors, however, there are still only 6 unique enemy races: Vex, Cabal, Taken, Scorn, Fallen, and the Hive. Each enemy race has unique units that influence the battlefield in different ways. In this article, we will rank the strongest enemies in the game, give you the strongest enemy unit in that race, and some tips on how to defeat them in-game.

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Each enemy race typically has around 5 unit ‘tiers’ (with some exceptions of course), and they differ in strength. For example, a Hive Thrall is much weaker than a Hive Ogre. There are a number of different methods in countering each enemy race, and being aware of their unique attacks is crucial, especially in harder content.

6 Fallen

The Fallen are one of the oldest enemies of Humanity, spanning all the way back to Destiny 1. Their strongest units are Brigs which are massive two-legged war machines that can fire Void, Arc, or Solar damage. They are also capable of dodging attacks with their inbuilt jet engines.

In order to defeat them efficiently, players should use explosive and precision weapons, as upon dealing enough damage, the inner Servitor controlling the mech will be exposed, providing a crit spot for players to shoot. Weapons like Rocket Launchers can be effective, but only if you are confident the Brig will not dodge the shot.

The Fallen typically deal Arc damage meaning that the Exotic weapon Riskrunner is usually very effective. Fallen enemies that are shielded normally have Arc or Void shields meaning that when fighting the Fallen, these weapons are your friend.

Overall, the Fallen are quite easy to fight. Their units have low health and are easy to kill. Vandals can be annoying due to their snipers but can be dealt with just fine by any long-range option.

5 Scorn

The latest addition to Destiny’s enemy race lineup, the Scorn are mangled versions of the Fallen, risen by Darkness-infused Ether. In some ways, they function similarly to the Fallen and have similar enemy designs, however, they are a decent bit stronger due to their unique unit, Abominations. These massive creatures fire Arc bolts from their hands and function similarly to Hive Ogres. They have a powerful melee attack and can defeat your fireteam if you are not careful.

Thankfully, Abominations are quite slow, making them very easy targets for precision-based weapons like Snipers, but they can also just be blown up by some explosive weapons too. Their damage comes in bursts with their Arc attacks, so play around cover, and do not go near them as they will deal a ton of damage, and most likely kill you if they get too close.

Overall, the Scorn are strong, but nothing too difficult to beat. They do have stronger units on average compared to the Fallen though, so they are higher up the list.

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4 Vex

The Vex are time-traveling, reality-warping robots that seek to become the sole entity that exists in the universe, and some powerful units like Wyverns definitely help them accomplish this. These bipedal constructs are a terrifying force on the battlefield. They come armed with their close-range, shotgun-esque Void weapons that can one-shot you if they connect.

They also have an aerial dive attack that causes them to leap into the air and slam down to the ground, dealing substantial damage to anyone nearby. Safe to say, Wyverns are typically a priority if you are fighting the Vex.

Their crit spot can be annoying to get to as well. They have a Radiolarian core that is always exposed from the back but closed at the front. To open the front-side crit, you must cause the Wyvern to stagger. This can be done in a variety of ways, but the easiest is to shoot their glowing Void weapons on their ‘arms’. Alternatively, you can just overwhelm them with enough damage from something like a Rocket Launcher, or use a damage-over-time weapon like Witherhoard.

Overall, the Vex can be quite problematic for players, but with enough practice, they become not too much of a hassle.

3 Hive

The Hive are minions of the Darkness that are bound to their worms which feed on violence. However, The Witch Queen Savathun overcame this and gave rise to the powerful Lucent Brood. There are three different types of Lucent Brood units: Lightbearer Acolytes, Knights, and Wizards.

The Lightbearer Knights in particular are quite dangerous, but they are all powerful as they are naturally more tanky than other Hive units, and also come with their own set of abilities, with the power to throw Grenades, use powerful Melee Abilities, use Class Abilities, and most notably, cast Supers.

Each Lucent Brood unit is inspired by each class, Acolytes are similar to Hunters and use a variant of Blade Barrage, Knights are similar to Titans and use a Variant of Sentinel Shield, and Wizards are similar to Warlocks and use a variant of Stormcaller. The class abilities they use are also matching with the class they are similar to.

You can tell when a Lucent Brood unit has its Super ready as its eyes begin to glow. Playing around cover during these times is crucial. Suppression also can shut down Hive Guardians as they cannot use abilities while Suppressed.

Overall, The Hive plays host to some of the most powerful units in the game. Ogres, Wizards, and Hive Guardians are all incredibly powerful and can disrupt a Fireteam immensely.

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2 Cabal

The Cabal are one of the main enemy races of Humanity, but despite the treaty between Caiatl’s Cabal and The Last City, there still remain powerful Cabal units. Cabal are naturally beefier than every other race with each of their units having more health than other races. The strongest unit in the Cabal army is defiantly the Goliath Tank. These tanks function similarly to actual tanks. Their weaponry includes close-range machine guns, long-range artillery cannons, missile launchers that can fire homing rockets, and thrusters that will deal with anyone nearby.

A Goliath Tank’s main weakness is its thrusters. Shooting these deals critical damage, and destroying one does considerable damage to the tank, however, future thrusters will then take less damage. It typically takes three thruster destructions to bring down a Goliath Tank. Precision Weapons like Izanagi’s Burden are great against Goliath Tanks as they can one-shot the Thrusters, dealing incredibly high burst damage.

Overall, the Cabal are incredibly powerful, tanky, and generally annoying to fight. Phalanxes have shields that can slow down combat, and Incindieors carry explosive backpacks that explode upon death which can kill you long after the Incindieor was actually defeated.

1 Taken

The Taken are naturally the strongest enemies in Destiny 2 because they can be any race in the game. Taken enemies are corrupted souls who do not have control over their own will. Anything can be taken meaning that any enemy can be taken too. There isn’t a single strongest unit in the Taken as it is a combination of all enemy races. However, Taken Psions, Phalanxes, Knights, and Wizards can be quite troublesome if not taken care of quickly.

There aren’t really any counters to the Taken. All you can do is avoid their attacks and try to kill them before they kill you. Taken Psions in particular can overwhelm players quickly as they can duplicate themselves, so aim to take care of them quickly before their numbers start to get out of hand.

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