Destiny 2's The Witch Queen was arguably the most anticipated release for the franchise to-date because of all the new features and major story beats it was meant to deliver. Ever since the launch of Beyond Light and the introduction of Stasis, Light subclasses have been starting to feel more outdated, or even borderline unplayable in some cases. Stasis offered a unique system of Aspects and Fragments to provide players with control over the way they wanted their characters to operate, which is something recreated for The Witch Queen's Void 3.0 update as well.
With Bungie promising that Season 17 and Season 18 will both feature a new Light subclass reworks, players have been wondering which one of the two remaining subclasses would get priority. There are many reasons why Destiny 2 could benefit from Solar 3.0 or Arc 3.0 first, and while there is no competition about which should be covered in Season 17, a major reason why Solar 3.0 should be released before Arc 3.0 is that the current Solar subclasses are in better shape. More time might be needed for an effective rework in the case of the Arc mechanics.
Why Solar 3.0 Should Be Prioritized Over Arc 3.0
Destiny 2's sandbox for both PvE and PvP often has a delicate balance that new features can damage, with a great example being how impactful seasonal mods have been. In the case of Light subclasses and their possible reworks, Arc has a less defined identity compared to Solar, meaning the former usually revolves around items and abilities more than it does keywords.
Keywords have been an important aspect of Void 3.0 so far, as they helped the team at Bungie come up with the classes' own identities, and what they were meant to achieve with their powers. This is crucial when redesigning the way a certain set of subclasses behaves because it's about what players can do, what combos they can come up with, and how all of this relates to the current sandbox. Destiny 2's Solar subclasses have more distinguishable keywords, such as Burn, Explosions, Healing, and more.
If Bungie is to adopt a system that's similar to Void 3.0 subclasses, Solar 3.0 is going to be a better candidate simply because it doesn't take a lot of work to reestablish the class identity. On the other hand, Arc subclasses are more likely to need a complete overhaul because they are among the worst in the game currently, with only one notable exception in the form of Cuirass of the Falling Star paired with the Titans' Thundercrash. The only reason this specific combo sees a lot of use is that it allows players to deal incredible amounts of damage quickly, but nothing about it exploits other parts of the subclass.
Solar subclasses are still being used in Destiny 2's endgame content for the most part, and that's because there are many interesting synergies between them and existing Exotics or mods, such as Warmind Cells or Elemental Wells. This is something Arc builds lack, making Solar 3.0 a better candidate for a rework in Season 17.
Hints About Solar 3.0 Coming in Season 17
There are some clues that Solar 3.0 might be coming earlier than Arc 3.0 found in decisions Bungie jas made over the past few weeks, as well as wording in some patch note previews. A great example is Skyburner's Oath, a vanilla Destiny 2 weapon that's been overlooked for many years but is now receiving substantial buffs that revolve around Burn effects in Season 17. The wording and internal coding for Le Monarque Exotic bow is also being changed, with the weapon causing damage over time as Poison rather than Burn.
Perhaps the most telling decision on Bungie's part is a hotfix to nerf the Renewal Grasps Hunter Exotic arms due to the item's dominance in PvP, but not Loreley Splendor Helm. This item is all about creating Sunspots that provide damage buffs and heal the player, both of which are effects tied to the Solar aspect of the Exotic and its Sunbreaker subclass. The reason why Bungie didn't do anything to tune this item may be that Solar 3.0 is close to release, and the update might very well address the concerns of Destiny 2's PvP community.
Sunspots could become a keyword for the Solar 3.0 update, especially seeing how an existing Titan Exotic named Phoenix Cradle already provides allied players with the associated "Sun Warrior" buff. Much like the boundaries of class-exclusive items became blurred with Destiny 2's Void update, the same may happen with Solar 3.0. Overall, there is a good chance that Solar 3.0 is going to be released alongside Season 17, and another hint might be coming from the game's story.
Ever since Destiny 2's Season of Arrivals, the Warmind Rasputin has been almost lost to the Dark Fleet, and Ana Bray has tirelessly been trying to find a way to give them new life. As of Season of the Risen, both Mithrax's Splicers and Caiatl's Psions are helping the Hunter with her task, which might indicate that Season 17's narrative will reprise this old arc. Because Rasputin is heavily connected with Warmind Cells, which in turn are linked to Solar damage, this could be an effort to connect everything. Ultimately, the next TWAB post or two will likely address this debate with a final announcement, but until then it's worth considering why one rework should come before the other.
Destiny 2 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.