KEY POINTS

  • The build requires the Wormgod's Caress gauntlets and a One-Two Punch shotgun
  • Use Well of Ions and Melee Wellmaker for consistent access to a melee damage buff
  • Tractor Cannon is an optional weapon that can be used to boost melee damage even further 

For a game that’s mainly focused on gunplay, “Destiny 2” has some very fun, melee-oriented builds that are great for clearing casual content. While all of the game’s three classes can be built for melee combat, the Titan has what is arguably the best and most gratifying gear options to make punching enemies all the more satisfying.

This build is all about dealing as much single-target damage as possible with a single Striker Titan’s punch. With the proper gear setup, exotic loadouts and maybe a few friends to help with buffs and debuffs, a Striker’s empowered punch can hit for six digits’ worth of damage, easily one-shotting most enemies in the game or severely damaging targets that somehow survive.

Destiny 2 features three distinct classes that each have multiple sub-classes to choose from, paving the way for diverse builds and team compositions
Destiny 2 features three distinct classes that each have multiple sub-classes to choose from, paving the way for diverse builds and team compositions. Bungie

Required Weapons And Exotics

As far as gear is concerned, this build requires two things: any legendary shotgun with the One-Two Punch perk and the Wormgod’s Caress exotic gauntlets.

Both gear pieces can buff melee attacks by a staggering amount when paired together. This combo alone can result in some ludicrously-high punch damage that can obliterate weak enemies in one hit.

Currently obtainable shotguns that drop with One-Two Punch include the Deicide, Found Verdict, A Sudden Death and Hawthorne’s Field-Forged Shotgun.

The Tractor Cannon exotic heavy weapon is an optional pick that can be used to debuff enemies, making targets take more damage from all attacks for a short duration.

Armor Mods

The cherries on top of this setup that make this build churn out hilarious damage numbers are the Well of Ions and Melee Wellmaker armor mods.

Well of Ions boosts melee damage after picking up an Arc Elemental Well. The Melee Wellmaker mod allows players to generate Arc Wells after killing an enemy with a fully-charged melee attack.

Interestingly, the Striker’s Knockout ability can spawn Arc Wells whenever an enemy is killed while it is active. This means that players will be able to generate wells even when Frontal Assault is on cooldown. Keep in mind that Melee Wellmaker also has an internal cooldown of its own, so players must wait a few seconds before Knockout can generate another well.

How To Use The Build

This build needs a bit of time to ramp up and ultimately, the biggest damage numbers will need some setup before they can be achieved. Simply punch everything in sight to fully-stack Burning Fists from Wormgod’s Caress while simultaneously generating Arc Wells.

Knockout will be active the entire time as long as players keep punching, granting them enhanced melee damage and lunge range.

For those big damage values, shoot a target with Tractor Cannon then with a One-Two Punch shotgun.

YouTuber CoolGuy has a more refined version of this build that’s equipped with several other melee-oriented mods to help players stay in the thick of the fight.

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