Destiny 2: Best Banner of War Titan Build

The Strand subclass for Titans opens up a variety of playstyles for Destiny 2‘s main frontline fighting class, and the Banner of War Aspect lets players live up to the Berserker moniker by providing improved melee damage and a constant source of healing.

Banner of War has always been strong, and it’s one of the best Strand Aspects in Destiny 2 when it comes to survivability. This build capitalizes on both benefits provided by Banner of War to create an unstoppable Titan that can demolish even the hardest of content with relative ease.

Updated May 20, 2024 by Marc Santos: This Destiny 2 Banner of War Titan build still remains viable for clearing Into The Light content, and it’s expected to remain so once The Final Shape is released. There may be changes to some core components of the build in the future, but until then, this guide remains accurate and viable in most combat scenarios. However, we’re updating this guide to provide players with some more options when it comes to their Exotic armor pieces. The rest of the build, including its playstyle, will remain mostly the same.

Destiny 2 Banner of War Titan Build

This is a melee-oriented build that’s all about buffing up the damage of Frenzied Blade while keeping the player alive in the thick of combat. It can shave large chunks of health off of dungeon bosses, shrug off most incoming attacks with Woven Mail, and keep the Titan’s own health topped off with multiple sources of healing. The build is as follows:

Wormgod’s Caress is this build’s main source of damage. It stacks on top of Banner of War’s game-changing effects in Destiny 2, catapulting the damage dealt by Frenzied Blade to absurd levels, especially when used together with a One-Two Punch shotgun. Get max stacks of Burning Fists, blast a boss or a Champion with your shotgun, then slap them with Frenzied Blade. Use Grapple to create Tangles or reach existing Tangles more easily. If you don’t feel the need for speed, then use Shackle Grenade instead.

For survivability, the build relies on Woven Mail, which can be acquired by detonating Tangles or picking up Orbs of Wisdom via Into The Fray and Thread of Warding respectively. You’ll have no shortage of Tangles with Thread of Transmutation, and you’ll be able to regenerate melee energy very quickly thanks to Thread of Fury, Outreach, and the various orb generation methods from the rest of the build.

The playstyle of this build is very aggressive, and it involves a lot of punching and close-range fighting. Your main priority is to get Woven Mail so you can start punching things to death without fear of getting blown up or sniped from across the map. Remember that Recuperation will heal you when you pick up an Orb of Power. If you’re at risk of dying, pick an orb up and get back in the fight.

If you’ve unlocked the Tractor Cannon heavy weapon in Destiny 2, consider bringing it along to buff the entire team’s damage. You’ll need to be in close-to-melee range anyway for Frenzied Blade to be useful, so you might as well be the one holding Tractor Cannon for everybody else.

Alternative Exotic Armor Choices

Compared to the majority of the best Titan exotics in Destiny 2, Wormgod’s Caress requires a lot more work in order for it to stay active. Punching things isn’t always a viable strategy, especially not if you have to keep punching things for your Exotic armor to be useful. With that in mind, here are some alternative options for you to consider while using this build:

• Synthoceps: This Exotic arms piece won’t give you as big of a melee damage buff as Wormgod’s Caress, but it requires far less maintenance in exchange. Simply walk up to a group of enemies to get the damage buff, then start slapping.
• Abeyant Leap: While Abeyant Leap isn’t exactly an offensive powerhouse, it’ll help keep you alive by giving you Woven Mail every time you suspend targets. If you want to take advantage of this Exotic’s crowd control portion, you’ll have to swap Into The Fray with Drengr’s Lash.