Dragon's Shadow Exotic Hunter Chest Armor - Destiny 2
Put away whatever Exotic you were using before, because Dragon's Shadow is one of the best Hunter Exotics when it comes to Crucible.
While Dragon's Shadow has been around for quite some time, it's never been fully appreciated for its upside in the Crucible. Simply put, this is one of the best Exotic Hunter armor pieces a Guardian can wear in PvP. Let's dive in and see what all the fuss is about.
Last updated on September 21, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. EDT.
Dragon’s Shadow Exotic Hunter Chest Armor
In this guide, we’ll discuss why Dragon’s Shadow is the best Hunter Exotic you’re not using in the Crucible. In PvE, there are much better options, so keep Dragon's Shadow close by only for those PvP game modes.
Wraithmetal Mail
- Wraithmetal Mail - Dodging reloads all weapons and increases both movement and weapon handling speeds for a brief time.
The description on this intrinsic perk is massively downplaying what Wraithmetal Mail can do. A big thanks to Mtashed for breaking this down in his video, which I’ve embedded and highly recommend you watch.
- 10 second duration
- +50 Mobility
- All weapons reloaded
- Faster reloads
- Quickdraw
- Snapshot Sights
Everything on this list is amazing by itself, but together you have Snapshot Sights, Quickdraw, basically an Enhanced Loader, automatic reloads, and that is for every single weapon, whether it has those perks or not, and regardless of whether the weapon is equipped or stowed.
The most amazing part of this, though, is the +50 Mobility. This means that Hunters who only have 50 for their Mobility stat from their armor now have 100 Mobility every time they use Dodge with the Dragon’s Shadow equipped. If you’ve read our Armor 2.0 stats and tiers guide, you’ll know that 100 Mobility for a Hunter means a 9-second cooldown on their Dodge. With a 9-second cooldown on Dodge, and Dragon’s Shadow’s intrinsic perk lasting 10 seconds, you can theoretically always have the buffs listed above. There would be no downtime unless you died while the buff was active. Even if this does happen, 50 Mobility from your armor still gets a Hunter’s Dodge back in 20 seconds. By the time you spawn in and start making your way back to the fight, your Dodge is recharged, and you can string these together again.
In the Crucible, having automatic reloads, Snapshot Sights, or Quickdraw are all great, but together they are so far beyond overpowered it baffles me I don't see more Dragon's Shadows in PvP. Maybe it's better this way, since everyone using it would put it on Bungie's radar and we might see a nerf. I'm not sure I could handle that.
When to use Dragon’s Shadow
You should absolutely use Dragon’s Shadow in PvP. You should expect to see it a lot when you play in Trials. Those players have their business in order, and when the matches are that sweaty, Quickdraw and Snapshot Sights might be the difference between a win and a loss.
In PvE, don't expect to see a lot of Dragon's Shadow, which is just fine. There are many other Hunter Exotics that make sense in PvE that Dragon's Shadow isn't required. The need for faster ADS or weapon swapping simply isn't there unless you're stepping into the Crucible.
How to get Dragon’s Shadow
The Dragon’s Shadow can be obtained the same way as any normal Exotic loot, which is to say there are no quests to complete to get it. It will drop from anything where Exotic engrams are found, and it can be purchased from Xur if he’s selling it. If you have the bulk of the Hunter’s Exotic armor and not this, you can buy Xur’s engram (while visiting him as a Hunter) to up your chances of getting it.
Dragon’s Shadow lore
As far as lore goes, this is some deep stuff. Fitting considering this Exotic is deep in hidden perks.
"It is my honor." - Chalco Yong to Ikora Rey
“Find thy self.” —first dictate, first calling, The Hidden
“Know thy self.” —second dictate, first calling, The Hidden
“Destroy thy self.” —third dictate, first calling, The Hidden
“Shed thy self.” —fourth dictate, first calling, The Hidden
“Embrace a new skin.” —fifth dictate, first calling, The Hidden
“Become the many.” —sixth dictate, first calling, The Hidden
"We are as unseen. We are as death." —final dictate, first calling, The Hidden
There you have it, Guardian; possibly the best Exotic a Hunter can wear, especially in PvP. It’s snuck by for a long time now, so if you’ve been using it and wrecking the rest of us, we apologize, but we’re about to overcrowd your party. You can always check out the Destiny 2 strategy guide when Dragon’s Shadow gets nerfed and we have to move on to the next one.
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