Destiny: your detailed guide to Titans, Warlocks and Hunters
Destiny is a shared-worlds shooter rather than an MMO, so despite the synergies between the two genres, you don't necessarily need to worry about building a character to work with others, or insisting on a "holy trinity" when forming a fire team.
Similarly, while you need to think tactically and use your skills effectively, even in strikes gunplay is super important. As long as you like shooting things, you don't need to worry too much about class - pick the one that seems like it will be the most fun to play.
Titan: the Destiny tank
The Titan is more heavily armoured than other classes and has the ability to regenerate health. This makes it great for those who like to run around without having to worry about cover too much; who like to get in close with shotguns; or who want to work with others by creating a defensive barrier and distraction while fire team mates lay down the smack. Although we're calling Titan's tanks, don't be fooled; they're excellent at dishing out damage.
The Titan's double jump is called Lift, and is focused on perpendicular motion. As the heaviest class, the Titan definitely doesn't waft about like the Hunter, but when fully upgraded Lift will allow you to harness a burst of speed, getting you out of trouble - or closing a gap quickly to deliver a powerful melee blow.
Speaking of which, the Titan has an interesting melee; all that power armour allows for electric strikes. The special melee does bonus damage, and when upgraded, there's a chance to immediately reset its cooldown and do area of effect damage. When fully upgraded, the special melee reduces cooldown on super attacks.
The super is called Fist of Havoc and is a ground-pound with area-of-effect damage. When upgraded, it drops a persistent damaging field, can be aimed mid-jump, and unleashed a shockwave along a horizontal plane.
The Titan's grenade is a flashbang type; it will temporarily disorient enemies caught in its area of effect. This gives the Titan a strategic possibility, allowing it to control a firezone. The grenade can be upgraded twice. The first adds periodic damage to its effects, and the second makes it sticky.
By upgrading the Titan's class foci, you can double down on battle recovery and speed; increase the leap distance of Fist of Havoc; increase the duration of grenades and Fist of Havoc's field; regenerate health with melee kills; increase survivability while using your super; melee after sprinting; and gain a shield after sprinting.
Read on for Warlock and Hunter classes...
Warlock: the Destiny mage
A good choice for those looking for something a bit different from the space marine paradigm, Warlocks are heavy damage dealers who, while lightly armoured, are tough to kill thanks to various regenerative properties. Still, you're made of glass, so if you intend to play a Warlock be warned that you'll need to keep your distance, stick to cover, and spam magic. The Warlock should take advantage of openings created by other classes to unleash their powerful abilities, and avoid the frontlines.
The Warlock's double jump, Glide, isn't super buoyant but allows for quite a lot of air time and travel distance. When fully upgraded, it is replaced by a short distance teleport. I hope I don't need to explain how useful that could be, perhaps for closing the gap to melee.
The most spectacular regular attack, the Warlock's melee involves a blast of void energy delivered with the palm of the hand. The special melee reduces the cooldown on grenades, and can be upgraded to increase movement speed on kills, restore health and reduce the cooldown on your super.
The super can be tricky to aim, as the Warlock leaps into the air and hurls a bolt of energy at the enemy; if you're too close, you'll likely miss completely as the enemy dodges around you. It's an area of effect attack, but its upgrades are different to the Titan's attack: at full power, the super splits into three projectiles, travels a long way at high speed, and adds persistent damage while trapping enemies within its field.
The Warlock's grenade does persistent damage and traps enemies in its field, but it's easy to aim and takes effect on first impact. When upgraded, it will produce child grenades to lay down a carpet of damage, and at full power the child munitions will seek enemies.
Speed is the first bonus of the Warlock class foci, but you can also increase super, grenade and special melee range and duration; have your super track enemies; and as the piece de resistance, have enemies killed by your powers explode, dealing damage to nearby comrades.
And finally, the Hunter class...
Hunter: the Destiny rogue
The Hunter is a class for nimble kills and skill shots; it requires and favours precision and quick thinking. Hunters are less survivable than Titans and lack the regenerative abilities of Warlocks, but they excel both at a distance in on the frontlines - provided they keep on their toes. It's the class to play if you want to be challenged and surprised with new encounters every time you play, switching between playstyles to suit the situation.
The Hunter has a great double jump; the fact that it's just called Double Jump should tell you how it differs from the other classes. You'll have much greater choice over where you go and when, making the double jump a highly effective tool in a skilled player's combat arsenal. When fully upgraded, it's actually a triple jump, reaches amazing heights, and is effortlessly manoeuvrable.
An incredibly satisfying melee animation makes the Hunter a great class for stabbing unwary enemies in the back. The special melee is in a whole other class - it's actually a ranged attack, and opens a wealth of tactical options. Its upgrades are great, too; you'll be able to instantly recharge the skill with a presicion kill, inflict persistent damage over time, and even extend the duration of your super.
The Hunter's super is probably the least exciting of the three, but it's also the easiest to get a hit in with, as it spawns a golden hand cannon and grants you three quick, powerful shots that do tremendous damage. It can be upgraded for greater accuracy and reduced cooldown, and when powered up to maximum will cause defeated foes to explode, damaging other enemies nearby.
The grenade deals persistent fire damage, but takes some effort to master, as it bounces about and explodes after a short delay. Upgrading mitigates this delay t explode on impact, and also release drones to seek enemies. The final upgrade is a tactician's dream; it sticks to a surface, and detonates when enemies pass through a trigger zone.
The Hunter's class foci increase battle recovery and toughness, but also have great effects on other skills. By fully upgrading, you'll reduce grenade and special melee cooldown by picking up ammo; shoot through enemies with your super; increase weapon stability and reload speed up to three stacks with precision kills; increase the range of your super; and unlock a second special melee.