Destiny 2 Arc Kills Explained. Everything You Need To Know About Arc Kills

Updated:

20 Nov 2020

In Destiny 2 we are in control of many powers bound to the four elements Solar, Arc, Void, and the newest being Stasis. Today, we’re going to take a look at one of the original three elements: Arc. Many quests and bounties will require you to get Arc kills to complete it but what constitutes as Arc kills? It’s not as complicated as it sounds, so here is everything you need to know about arc kills.

Summary:

Arc Energy Lore
What are Arc Kills in game?
What counts Arc kills?
When are Arc Kills Important
Arc Burn Modifier

Arc Energy Lore

Each element in Destiny 2 is connected with real concepts of physics and science. According to the lore “The universe is defined by fundamental forces. The complex matter is bound together by deep forces - and in the study of this binding lies the secret of Arc Light.” Cryptic as it sounds it implies that Arc is associated with electricity and electromagnetism.

What are Arc Kills in game?

It’s very self-explanatory what Arc kills are. They are kills with arc energy from any source, whether it be from your weapons or your subclass abilities. But what counts as Arc kills depends on what you are participating in.

What Counts as an Arc Kill?

Some bounties will require you to get arc kills with Arc abilities, this means that you need to get kills with your arc subclass’ melee, super ability, or grenade. Others will need you to use Arc weaponry, so any weapon with the blue Arc symbol.

When are Arc Kills Important?

In combat, energy weapons play an important role together with kinetic weapons. Kinetic weapons do the most damage to an enemy’s base health, but energy weapons bust through shields best. By matching the element of your gun with the element of an enemy’s shield, breaking the shield will create an explosion that will damage other enemies around them.

To match with an enemy shield you need to match the element color of your weapon with the color of their shield. Simply put:

Blue Shield - Arc Energy (Blue)
Orange Shield - Solar Energy (Orange)
Void Shield - Void Energy (Purple)

Arc Burn Modifier

In certain events and missions like Heroic Story Missions and Nightfall Strikes will have modifiers that can hinder and help you. The Arc Burn modifier will increase Arc damage from any source by 300%. But this is a double-edged sword, as players will also take increased damage from this effect.

Depending on the enemies you’re facing this may make the mission last longer if they use Arc weapons. If they don’t, you’re in for a slightly easier time. Just try not to throw Arc grenades too close to yourself, because that would be embarrassing.