• Guide

Assassin's Cowl Exotic helmet - Destiny 2

Assassin's Cowl is a unique Hunter Exotic that works across all three Hunter subclasses providing game-changing build potential.

Rise of Bacon

October 31, 2022 10:30 PM

Shacknews

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Assassin’s Cowl is a melee focused Exotic Helmet which provides one of the best choices for Hunter survivability in Destiny 2. Working with the melee abilities across all three subclasses, Assassin’s Cowl is a Hunter favorite when taking on content such as dungeons and high-end Nightfalls. With all three Light subclasses now re-worked, it has only provided Assassin’s Cowl even more benefits when looking to make a melee-focused build.

Assassin’s Cowl Exotic perk: Vanishing Execution

Assassin’s Cowl’s Exotic perk, Vanishing Execution, gives the Hunter’s powered melee the ability to go invisible on final blows while also replenishing a portion of health and shields.

• Vanishing Execution: Powered melee final blows grant invisibility and restore a portion of health and shields. Finishers and final blows against more powerful targets increase the duration of invisibility and the amount of health and shields restored.

This perk is particularly powerful in mid to endgame content as when combined correctly you can ensure that you are constantly going invisible kill-to-kill while also keeping your health and shields up. On tankier enemies and Champions (which can put up even more of a fight), finishing them is even more beneficial as the invisibility time is not only extended but the amount of health and shields restored is greatly increased.

Solar and Arc get the most benefits when using Assassin’s Cowl as there are more melee abilities to build on. Void only has the Snare Bomb melee ability which majority of the time is best used on the Fireteam rather than offensively. Combination Blow for Arc and Weighted Throwing Knife for Solar will provide the best results.

Another obtainable buff while using a Solar melee ability is Radiant. Hitting and defeating an enemy with your melee ability will turn you invisible but will also make you Radiant which translates to a weapon damage buff of 15 percent.

When to use Assassin’s Cowl

Assassin’s Cowl is a strong option in all difficulty levels of content in Destiny 2. In activities such as strikes, it’s much easier to chain melee kills so the health and shield recharge paired with the invisibility uptime is more likely to be maintained. In endgame activities, it’s best to focus on the survivability aspect of Assassin’s Cowl to control the arena. Using weapons and abilities to reduce enemy health and then using a finisher or hitting them with your charged melee is key to getting the most out of Assassin's Cowl.

For usage in endgame content it is essential you look to ensure your Resilience stat is at Tier 10 as you will be getting up close to enemies to reap the benefits of the Exotic. Be aware, players can  still take damage or be killed during a finisher so being able to survive in close quarters combat is essential.

Arc and Solar subclasses benefit the most from Assassin’s Cowl so this should be the focus when considering builds. The melee is the key to getting the most out of Assassin's Cowl. Gambler's Dodge should be the selected Class Ability for both Arc and Solar subclasses. Combination Blow for the Arc melee and Weighted Throwing Knife in Solar provide the strongest options.

For Arc, Aspects to use are Flow State and Lethal Current. Fragments are Spark of Resistance, Spark of Volts, Spark of Amplitude, and Spark of Beacons. This combination of Aspects and Fragments will ensure you gain extra Resilience while in close combat and pushes the uptime of being Amplified. This then feeds into your Element Wells and Sparks of Amplitude causing you to create Orbs of Power when rapidly defeating enemies.

For Solar, Aspects to equip are On Your Mark and Knock ‘Em Down. Fragments are Ember of Torches, Ember of Char, Ember of Singeing, Ember of Searing and Ember of Combustion. This combination boosts Strength, Recovery and Discipline while also ensuring you are constantly gaining Solar subclass bonuses from your melee landing on targets. Benefitting from Solar 3.0, your melee ability will constantly be recharging at an increased rate and boosting your weapon damage by triggering Radiant.  

For a build that focuses on Elemental Wells: 2x Melee Wellmaker, Bountiful Wells and Font of Wisdom is a strong base to set up with. These mods ensure a high number of wells on melee kills and will also increase Super gains.

Spectral Shock is a build I put together following the release of Arc 3.0 which utilizes the key abilities of the Arc 3.0 changes paired with Assassin’s Cowl, creating one of the strongest Arc Hunter builds in Destiny 2.

How to get Assassin’s Cowl

The main source to get this Exotic is by farming Legend or Master Lost Sectors when the daily rotation is for a chest piece. To find out what day it is available, check out our Lost Sector rotation guide.

It can also be found as a random engram drop from defeating enemies, completing Powerful or Pinnacle challenges, or sold by the Agent of the Nine, Xur.

Assassin’s Cowl Lore

"There are many Hunters who are unsung heroes. Many are unnamed. Many are known only by a glint of metal half a mile away and the crack that echoes across the canyon after their enemy falls. Others are known only by a muffled cry and the flash of a knife in the dark.

"Warlocks and Titans have their orders, but that is not our way. Hunters walk apart, separate from each other as much as from other Guardians. That is our way.

"And yet we share traditions. We share stories. We share… secrets.

"Killing is a dangerous and dirty business, be it from as far as an angel's perch or as close as a lover's embrace.

"When you get close, you need something like this.

"Unsung. Unnamed. Unseen.

"Remember these words. Repeat them to whoever follows you."

—Words of an unidentified Hunter, overheard as the Assassin's Cowl was passed to another unidentified Hunter

The benefits of Assassin’s Cowl are worthwhile in any Hunter toolkit. The invisibility is a complete game changer for the Arc and Solar classes. For team and solo play, Assassin’s Cowl stands tall as one of the best Exotic armor choices in Destiny 2. It offers an approach that enhances the neutral game for Arc and Solar while also adding extra survivability to more aggressive play. For more Exotic armor breakdowns and guide content, be sure to check out the Shacknews Destiny 2 Complete Strategy Guide.

Rise of Bacon

Contributing Editor

RiseOfBacon is a Redditor, vinyl collector, craft beer enthusiast, and lover of all things sports and gaming. Most frequently seen on r/DestinyTheGame either posting guides or in the comment section offering tips, advice, and sharing stories of Destiny triumphs and god roll chasing. Catch up with him on Reddit or Twitter using @RiseOfBacon to talk all things Destiny2.